Director of College Counseling

Job Description

Job Description

The Position:
The director of college counseling is responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive, individualized college counseling program serving Cincinnati Country Day School's students and families. With the collaboration of the associate director of college counseling and the College Counseling Office assistant, the director supervises and carries out a program of group presentations and intensive individual counseling that extends throughout all phases of the college search process. Informed by the CCDS mission of creating leaders and knowing and nurturing each student, the aim of each college search is to assist students in choosing the college that will best serve their intellectual and personal interests and goals - and the office has had very positive feedback over the years on fit for each class. Cincinnati Country Day School graduates matriculate at an impressively diverse array of the nation's most distinguished colleges and universities annually, a record the school wishes to maintain if not build upon. This is a 12-month position with four weeks of vacation, reporting to the head of Upper School and serving on the Academic Leadership Team of the school.

Candidates seeking the position of director of college counseling should have at least five years of experience in the college admissions/college counseling field. A master's degree is preferred. Candidates must have excellent communication skills, including strong writing and public speaking abilities and must be well-organized, efficient, and energetic. Earning parental trust in such a role is paramount, relying on a blend of expertise and knowledge with proactive engagement and confidence.

Specific duties of the director of college counseling include:
Designing, implementing, and continually refining a four-year college counseling curriculum that supports students' academic, extracurricular, and personal growth
Overseeing and delivering student and parent programming, including information nights, workshops, and events that educate and engage the community about the college process, in the Upper School as well as the Middle School and Lower School;
Maintaining clear, timely, and proactive communication with students, parents, and faculty about procedures, deadlines, policies, relevant trends, and the college admissions landscape;
Staying current on trends in higher education and admission, representing the school in national and regional associations and conferences;
Developing and maintaining cordial and collegial relationships with college admissions offices and hosting representatives on campus, promoting the school's program, and advocating for its students;
Providing broad support for students and parents on four-year planning as well as direct support to students and parents, within the Director's caseload, on the appropriate selection of courses;
Counseling students and parents in the formulation of a prospective and eventual final list of colleges, with an appropriate application strategy in the fall of senior year, including information on scholarships and financial aid programs;
Overseeing an efficient and technologically sophisticated system for the organization of student records, accurate maintenance of student records in the school's counseling software (Naviance or SCOIR), tracking outcomes, and preparing annual reports for internal use;
Along with the College Counseling Office assistant, coordinating the administration of standardized tests (e.g., PSAT, SAT, and ACT) and AP exams to the school's students.
Supervising the associate director of college counseling and the College Counseling Office assistant, fostering an open and collaborative environment.
Compensation for this position will be highly competitive nationally, adjusted for Cincinnati's favorable cost of living.

To Apply:
Interested and qualified candidates will ultimately submit the following materials:
A cover letter expressing interest in this particular position;
A current and thorough resume with all dates included (no more than 4 pages);
A Personal Statement describing your approach and work in college advising, and;
A list of five professional references with each person's name, relationship, phone number, and email address (references will not be contacted without the candidate's permission and not before a mutual interest has clearly been established).

Send the documents above, as separate PDFs, to [email protected].

Cincinnati Country Day School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age (40 or over), national origin, ancestry, or military service/veteran status in the administration of its educational programs and policies, admission decisions, tuition aid programs, employment practices and benefits, athletics, or other school-administered programs.