Reports to: Dean of Faculty

Serves On: All Administrative Team and TLLT

Status: 100%, Exempt

Application Deadline:  January 15, 2024

Start Date:  July 1, 2024

Salary Range: $180,000 - $190,000  

Position Description: 

Lick-Wilmerding High School (LWHS) seeks a Director of College Counseling to begin in the Summer of 2024. Currently, the College Counseling office has three Co-Directors and a part-time Assistant and is restructuring to have one Director. The model of college counseling is designed to be an organic, mission-aligned extension of a student’s overall education at LWHS. As students reflect and prepare for life beyond high school, the program continues to develop their head, heart and hands while also imparting meaningful lessons that are applicable beyond the college process. The process is designed to help students grow and learn more about themselves through the guidance and support of the college counseling team. Additional information about LWHS and college matriculation is in our School Profile. The Director of College Counseling will take the helm of an experienced team, with an average tenure of 16 years, and continue the important work of building relationships with students and their families. The following are the primary responsibilities: 

Institutional

• Formulate and articulate the philosophical, strategic, and practical approach of the college search process at LWHS that aligns to our mission

• Lead, support, and build the talented college counseling team, with a continued focus on providing growth opportunities and improving the office and individual practices

• Continue to build partnerships between parents and the College Counseling Office that center students’ journeys through the process

• Ensure effective and timely communication to all stakeholders (students, parents/guardians, faculty and administration)

• Plan and deliver programming in collaboration with the college counseling team to families and students to help them better understand and navigate the intricacies of the college process

• Keep current on changes in the college application, admission procedures, and financial aid programs through research, association memberships, participating in campus visits and tours, and networking with college admissions and college counseling professionals

• Build and sustain strong partnerships with the faculty, including keeping abreast of current curricular offerings for each department
  
  

Student-facing

• Advise and support 30% of the junior and senior class through all phases of the college process with warmth and compassion

• Partner with the grade level Deans and counselors in assigning each junior/senior a college counselor

• Be responsive and available for students and families throughout the college process

• Continue to promote a culture of inclusivity in the college process, including setting expectations for students and families on acting equitably throughout the process

• Write effective letters of recommendation that highlight each students’ academic strengths and their journey through Lick

• Create programming for juniors and seniors to prepare and support them through the application process

• Provide information on available scholarships and the financial aid process

• Oversee the administration of standardized testing for sophomores and juniors
  
  

Administrative

• Manage the College Counselors and a part-time assistant

• Serve on both the All Administrative and the Teaching and Learning Leadership teams

• Host and visit colleges and universities to promote the understanding of LWHS’s unique academic program, student life, and extracurricular opportunities - all with the goal of a collaborative information exchange  

• Publish the school profile

• Present to the Board of Trustees each spring on the results of the college process 

• Track and analyze matriculation and testing data

• Manage the college counseling budget

Requirements

• A minimum of ten years of college counseling experience.

• Prior experience working with a diverse student population and demonstrated personal and professional commitment to utilizing an equity and inclusion mindset when working with people who have different cultural frameworks than their own and in examining the college counseling office’s systems, programs, and processes 

• Commitment to building strong, individualized relationships with students and their families 

• Excellent communication skills, especially strong writing skills and engaging public speaking skills

• A strong professional network amongst the college admission and college counseling community

• Excellent familiarity with standardized testing and financial aid

• A broad knowledge of the programs and requirements at a wide range of colleges and universities

• Familiarity with spreadsheets and databases, and the ability to learn and understand various types of of software used by the school in addition to some familiarity with systems used by college and university admissions offices

• Bachelor’s degree required, Master’s degree preferred

Skills

• A willingness to engage across difference with empathy, understanding and humility

• Social and emotional acuity

• Strong relational skills that leads to communication that is approachable, responsive, transparent, and intentional 

• An understanding of your own identity and related positionalities and the ways those may show up in conversations with students and families

• A profound openness to feedback and improvement, modeling lifelong learning and a willingness to grow

• A ready sense of humor and collaborative spirit