Associate Director of College Counseling

Associate Director of College Counseling

Classification: Regular Full-Time, Exempt, 12-month Instructional Support

Reports To: Director of College Counseling

The Associate Director of College Counseling works with the Director of College Counseling to counsel and support students and families in all phases of the college search, application, and decision-making process. The Associate Director is part of a 4-person team that includes the Director, an administrative assistant and a part-time counselor, and collaborates with faculty, staff and administration, develops programs, analyzes data, makes presentations, communicates information and oversees relationships with college admissions professionals.

The Associate Director reports directly to the Director of College Counseling. This is a full-time, 12-month position. The start date for this position is July 1, 2025.

Duties and responsibilities

College Counseling:

• Serves as the primary counselor for between 40 and 50 seniors each year. Meets with juniors, seniors and parents in a series of formally scheduled and informal meetings throughout the school year.
• Provides guidance to students and families applying for need-based financial aid.
• Helps plan and lead evening presentations for sophomore, junior and senior parents around the college counseling process.
• Helps organize and facilitate grade level meetings and student workshops, including a senior college application class each fall term.

College Office Events and Communication:

• Publishes an Electronic Bulletin and other resources to inform students and parents about testing dates, scholarships, college visits both inside and outside of school, and general information about the college admissions process.
• Helps maintain and update the college counseling web page.
• Meets with college representatives who visit Urban.
• Visits colleges and universities to learn about options and programs for students and to further educate these institutions about Urban.
• Records and analyzes college-related data (such as applications, acceptances, grade point averages, test scores, and the correlations between them).
• Co-Leads annual junior college trip for a small subset of junior class.

College-related Programming and Professional Development:

• Supports the College Counseling Associate in the administration of AP tests on campus, and supports other school-based college admissions testing, including the PSAT and preACT.
• Coordinates Bay Area Case Studies program.
• Keeps informed and up to date about college admissions issues, trends and best practices.
• Attends professional development workshops.
• Actively engages with professional organizations, including NACAC, WACAC, ACCIS and BAISCC (Bay Area Independent School College Counselors).
• Works closely with administration and faculty to coordinate the academic program and college admissions.

All-school engagement and miscellaneous duties:

• Actively participates and engages in Urban faculty/staff committees.
• Helps with institutional data collection and analysis and external communication.
• Chaperones dances, attends school trips, and supports other student life endeavors.
• Occasionally substitutes classes on an emergency basis.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; MA desirable.
• Substantial experience with high school college counseling, or considerable experience working in selective college admissions.
• Outstanding skills in listening, counseling, written and oral communication, public speaking, and technology.
• Enthusiasm and passion for working with high school students.
• A demonstrated commitment to equity and inclusion, and experience working with a diverse student and family population.
• Successful candidates must be able to work occasional evenings and weekends to support the college counseling programs, to write recommendations, and to travel to colleges.
• A commitment to a highly collaborative office environment and to the pleasures and stressors of working in a high school.
• Comfort with direct, supportive and honest communication.

Physical Demands: Requires sitting, standing, walking, and occasional lifting (up to 25 lbs). Good vision and hearing are necessary. Reasonable accommodations will be made for disabilities.

Working Conditions: Typical office environment with moderate noise. Involves moving around campus, attending events (some evenings/weekends), and occasional travel. Reasonable accommodations will be made for disabilities.

Salary and Benefits

The anticipated salary range the School reasonably expects to pay candidates for the position of Associate Director of College Counseling is $117,000 to $135,000 Annually.

Urban provides all full-time and part-time employees teaching 4 or more classes or working more than 20 hours per week a generous benefits package including employer-paid medical and dental coverage. In addition, we offer retirement, life and disability insurance, Flex Spending for medical and dependent care, Commuter Transit benefits with an employer subsidy, EAP, Travel Assistance, Grief Counseling, and more, including:

• Professional development and training.
• Urban Caf Dollars for purchasing breakfast, lunch and snacks.
• Parking garage provided on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Urban School is an equal opportunity employer; the school actively encourages applications from candidates of diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds.