Associate Director of Guidance Programs

About the role

The Assistant Director of Guidance Counseling oversees our Postsecondary Readiness /Student Success Counselor team, providing direction, support and professional development. This role is central to our mission, coordinating student support across multiple campuses to ensure every scholar thrives.

Responsibilities

• Program Oversight and Support
• Supervise and mentor Postsecondary Readiness Counselors and Scholar Success Counselors
• Oversee the 4-year advising program (grades 9-12) combining whole group instruction with individual advising
• Develop and implement college/career readiness initiatives across all schools
• Build partnerships with college admissions officers, employers, and community organizations
• Coordinate cross-functional collaboration between counselors, families, faculty, college advisors, and student support teams
• Operations & Strategy
• Streamline administrative processes including credit audits, transcript reviews, and graduation tracking
• Build capacity across our counseling team through professional development
• Create standardized tools and documentation for consistent student support
• Partner with leadership on strategic decisions about student services
• Data Collection, Reporting and Analysis
• Monitor and ensure the timely completion of college applications, financial aid packages, and post-secondary planning
• Track and report on key metrics related to college access and success
• Monitor student progress and graduation outcomes
• Track long-term impact on college access, civic participation, and life outcomes
• Counseling & Intervention
• Supervise crisis intervention protocols across the counseling team
• Review and triage complex cases involving abuse, neglect, or significant academic challenges
• Develop systems for tracking student well-being and academic outcomes
• Ensure all counselors are equipped to handle behavioral health concerns
• College Counseling and Post-Secondary Planning Strategy and Operations
• Supervise a team of counselors supporting seniors through the full admissions cycle, ensuring each student receives comprehensive guidance
• Establish streamlined procedures for college list development, personal statement coaching, financial aid advising, and matriculation decisions
• Create and maintain effective parent/guardian partnership and engagement strategies including workshop calendars, meeting protocols, and communication channels
• Track utilization of critical resources like fee waivers, fly-in visits, partner programs, scholarships and (H)EOP
• Track metrics on how effectively we help students leverage these supports
• Establish clear timelines and accountability structures for all partnership-related tasks
• Monitor campus outcomes to ensure we're meeting our college access and completion goals
• Maintain strategic partnerships across higher education institutions Quality Assurance & Improvement
• Regularly review counseling procedures to ensure they align with our mission and student needs
• Provide ongoing training on admissions practices and student success strategies

Requirements

• An educator with an unwavering commitment to the Democracy Prep mission of college success and authentic civic engagement for our scholars.
• A dedicated high school counselor with experience in college counseling for low-income, first-generation students.
• A committed professional who possesses extensive knowledge of the college admissions and financial aid processes with a track record of high-quality college advising.
• A clear communicator and skilled writer with the ability to provide strong feedback on student work and craft exceptional student recommendations and other written communications.
• An organized professional who can build data-driven recommendations around the college process, and alumni support, with the goal of college persistence for all scholars.
• Master's degree in social work, counseling, or related field
• Relevant licensure (LPC, LPC-S, LMSW, LCSW) preferred
• 5+ years of experience in school counseling or equivalent role
• Proven leadership of educational counseling teams
• Strong understanding of college admissions processes

Benefits

Additional Information

About Democracy Prep Public Schools Democracy Prep Public Schools is a college prep institution and it is our mission to ensure all Democracy Prep Public Schools is a college prep institution and it is our mission to educate all scholars to be successful in the college of their choice and a life of active citizenship. We also acknowledge and celebrate multiple post-secondary pathways. We prioritize civic engagement, global citizenship/student travel, arts, and athletics, in addition to excellent academics.

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