Director of College Counseling

Walnut Hill School for the Arts seeks an experienced Director of College Counseling. The Director of College Counseling manages the College Counseling Office and is responsible for guiding students and families through all aspects of the college, conservatory, or gap-year planning and application and admissions process. The Director leads the College Counseling Office in working with juniors and seniors as they explore opportunities for post-high school plans. The Director manages and supervises the College Counselors and the College Counseling Administrative Assistant and handles hiring and evaluations for the department. This is a full-time academic year position reporting to the Assistant Head of School. 

Responsibilities

• Plan, design, and implement college counseling programs and events for students and families to assist them in proper planning for college, conservatory, gap-year and other options for the future; 
• Recruit, hire, and train new department members as needed;
• Provide leadership, training, supervision, and guidance to department members; perform regular evaluations and provide regular feedback and goal setting to department members;
• Assign College Counselor student caseloads and ensure that all students and families are supported;
• Advise a caseload of students and their families as they explore opportunities for life after Walnut Hill;
• Work closely with arts and academic faculty to support students' post-high school aspirations;
• Engage each student in a customized process of self-assessment and exploration;
• Provide guidance and feedback on application materials and essays, and helping students to navigate the arts-specific audition, interview, and/or portfolio review process;
• Assist with advising 9th and 10th grade students and advisors on academic planning;
• Coordinate on-campus meetings with, and serving as a liaison to, college admissions representatives;
• Stay current with trends in college admission, higher education, and national testing; attending conferences, workshops, and maintaining association memberships as appropriate;
• Build and foster strong relationships with selective college admission offices throughout the United States and abroad; 
• Represent the School and its students through active participation in college counseling professional organizations and takes a leadership role in meetings, committees, and workshops;
• Maintain and disseminate information about standardized tests such as the SAT, ACT, TOEFL, and IELTS;
• Communicate extensively with parents and guardians, including authoring detailed correspondence following each meeting; 
• Maintain current knowledge of the college financial aid process and works closely to support families applying for aid;
• Review college counseling policies, criteria, processes, and requirements annually and as needed; 
• Serve as liaison between the College Counseling office staff and the rest of the School, including communicating information and updates;
• Oversee and guide faculty writing and submitting recommendation letters;
• Organize workshops and events; and
• Other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Collaboration & Community Engagement

• Work collaboratively with colleagues across all departments to foster a positive working and educational environment for students and employees to support the school’s mission, vision, and core values;
• Actively participate in the community by supporting the Student Life program including serving as a club advisor, chaperoning school events, and/or participating in other opportunities for community involvement that arise throughout the school year;
• Collaborate, attend, and participate in all Professional Development days, training programs, orientation programs, benefit meetings, mandatory seminars, team-building exercises, and safety training/drills; and
• Pursue professional development opportunities in and out of school; display willingness and ability to grow, learn, explore new approaches, and practice self-reflection.