Windermere Preparatory School is currently seeking a Director of Student Services & Wellness to transform the lives of students. The successful candidate will exhibit  strong leadership skills while simultaneously caring deeply about the welfare of our students. They must be committed to developing an inclusive community while actively contributing  to our global learning programme and community so that each student is enabled to flourish.  The job responsibilities are as follows:

WELLNESS

• Provides the leadership, vision, and strategic direction for the mental health and emotional wellness services provided by the counseling department.
• Oversees WPS counseling services, crisis intervention, and mental health outreach to enhance the psychological and emotional welfare of students and the school community.
• Collaborates with counselors and School Nurses with the health education program to provide preventive services and sustain the current comprehensive school counseling program that addresses personal and social development for all students.
• Actively employs data in efforts of improving counseling services and implementing general programming that supports student health and wellness.
• Other responsibilities include mental health programming and outreach, consulting with faculty, regular on-call shifts, crisis assessment and intervention, and support of peer counselors and proctors.
• Provides leadership and coordinates professional development opportunities for student services staff; educational assistants, resource teachers, guidance counselors, social workers, speech and language pathologists, and psychologists

STUDENT SUCCESS

• Promotes and ensures equitable access to the college process, including access to information and educational opportunities for students of all backgrounds
• Actively leads and manages the Registrar, School Nurses, Mental Health and College Counselors and monitors and supports overall student well-being.
• Advises a caseload of students through all aspects of the college search process, including researching schools, crafting a college list, guiding the application and essay writing process, writing letters of recommendation, and determining a “best fit” college for each student. 
• Oversees the overall comprehensive college preparation process for grades 9-12, to include planning & execution of a variety of on-campus college counseling programs, oversees the writing of letters of recommendation by faculty, visits colleges to strengthen base knowledge and develop mutually beneficial relationships with college admissions representatives, and attends regional, national, and other professional conferences. 
• Oversees the document collection and submission process for all college applications and deadlines. 
• Coordinates the academic advising process for all students, and collaborates with both the marketing team and admissions team to improve visibility and retention. 
• Maintains the annual department budget, prepares annual reports and makes presentations to the parent community, agents, and Nord Anglia. 
• Encourages students to be discerning researchers of the diverse admission requirements, policies, and procedures of individual colleges and universities
• Provides appropriate support for students as they write their applications while empowering them to develop their own voice and make their own choices
• Communicates with and is accessible to parents/guardians throughout the college search process
• Assists in the management of the standardized testing process, including IB, SAT and ACT testing
• Other duties as assigned.

Professional Conduct and Relationships

• Copes well in a fast-paced environment with a relentless focus on improvement 
• Works independently and strives for improvement 
• Organized and meets deadlines 
• Demonstrates enthusiasm and optimism about the school and the goals of the wider organization 
• Manages emotions and is aware of the impact of personal actions upon others 
• Persists in the face of challenges and setbacks, and is open to learning from mistakes 
• Seeks advice and feedback from others when faced with challenging situations and circumstances 
• Responds well to criticism and learns from it 
• Builds strong relationships and works collaboratively with colleagues and parents 
• Provides opportunities for team to collaborate to achieve organizational outcomes 
•  Is principled, engaging with staff and stakeholders in an open, respectful and inclusive manner 
• Positively influences senior leaders, peers and other team members
• Acts with integrity and inspires trust 

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree required

Master’s Degree in Counseling, Education or a related field preferred

Minimum 5+  years Student service administration experience in a leadership capacity, preferably within a private school

Good cross-cultural, interpersonal & communication skills and an affinity for interacting with diverse nationalities and cultures

Good written and verbal communication skills 

Good time management skills and flexibility in dealing with multi-functional tasks

Personal Attributes 

A warm, personable and curious character

Takes personal responsibility 

Actively seeks feedback for improvement

Collaborates willingly with others

Self-motivated, flexible and adaptable to different tasks at hand

Proactive and able to prompt others to ensure deadlines and targets are achieved, calm working under pressure

High level of integrity

Excellent time management and organizational skills

Proficient communicator both oral and written