Jobs

The International School of Boston (ISB) seeks a Director of College Counseling who supports the school’s mission, serving as a strong leader and team-builder who is familiar with the goals and objectives of ISB while having the capability to respond effectively to the needs of a demanding student and parent population. Current knowledge of colleges — their academic programs, admission practices, financial policies, and procedures — is a must.

Reporting to the Secondary School Director, the Director of College Counseling is a self-directed, competent individual with well-developed interpersonal, communication, and organizational skills, and who demonstrates a true commitment to students embarking on their personal journeys.

The Director of College Counseling is responsible for leading and managing all aspects of the student-centered college search and exploration and admissions process. The Director will design and implement a high touch college counseling program to help students discern their own interests, strengths, and goals to pursue meaningful academic and extracurriculars at ISB and beyond. The successful candidate will be excited to engage and educate a diverse community of families, both international and domestic, who are new to the college admissions process and who will appreciate and value a trusted partner. 

To learn more about the school, please visit www.isbos.org 

Responsibilities:

• Design and implement a college counseling curriculum to educate students and their parents, who represent approximately 40 countries, about the college market, the admissions process, trends, procedures, and testing. 
• Actively engage students and their families in grades 7-12 with appropriate college planning programming and activities to help them prepare for the college process and determine their future plans.
• Communicate effectively with students and families and ensure consistency in their experience during the process.
• Oversee the management of all support documents for students, including transcripts, counselor recommendations, teacher recommendations, and the School Profile.
• Understand the school’s overall academic program to communicate effectively with all constituents of the school, serving on committees, acting as a resource, and working with the Secondary School Director and the Head of School.
• Serve as a personal college counselor for approximately 30 students in each class, advising on academic schedules, testing strategies, summer opportunities, and college/career aspirations for students.
• Develop effective relationships with all upper school families appropriate to grade level, guide juniors as they begin the college process in earnest by creating preliminary college lists of likely, target, and reach schools, and assist seniors in finalizing their college lists and shepherd them through each step of the process, paying attention to deadlines, applications, essays, and standardized testing. 
• Write counselor recommendations and submit all of the supporting documents for the seniors and alumni transfer students.

Other Duties:

• Supervise the Associate Director in their areas of administration: college outreach, data management, alumni outreach, athletic liaison, arts liaison, and standardized testing, as well as their counselor loads.
• Develop strong relationships with college admission representatives who visit our campus, and facilitate meetings between college representatives and our students.
• Liaise with college admission offices, and travels to visit colleges and learn about schools to be able to advise students and to ensure that the ISB brand is known and understood in the marketplace.
• Remain current with trends in college admission, higher education, and testing 
• Leads meetings, presentations, and professional development for the office of College Counseling.
• Work with the ISB Admission Office, specifically by meeting with prospective upper school students and their parents about the college process.
• Write reports, report to the Board of Trustees, make presentations, track applications and decisions, and communicate with faculty.
• Develop, update, and co-teach the Junior College Seminar in the spring term, including Case Study Nights for students and parents.
• Design and build an annual School Profile to share information about our school and our students.
• Maintain membership in professional organizations to follow institutional best practices and to attend and present at meetings and conferences.

Qualifications:

• Proven track record of creating and overseeing a college counseling strategic plan and evidence of a strong work ethic.
• Understanding and promotion of Baccalaureate programs
• Exceptional oral and written communication skills.
• Commitment to customer service within an educational context.
• Master’s degree preferred and a background in Admission or College Counseling.
• Ability to communicate effectively with all constituents in a school environment.
• Collaborative leadership style that includes strong interpersonal skills. 
• Lifelong learner who appreciates and embraces ISB’s mission and values.