College & Career Advisor

Great Oaks Legacy Overview

Great Oaks Legacy Charter School is a high-performing, innovative public charter school in Newark NJ, serving students from Pre-K to 12th grade on multiple campuses across the city. Our mission is to prepare students for success in college. We provide all children with the support they need - inclusive of resources that acknowledge and address systemic inequities - to be empowered to thrive.

We have high academic and behavioral expectations for our students. Our students, for example, are encouraged to take multiple AP classes before they graduate. We bridge the educational opportunity gap by supporting rigorous academics with daily individualized tutoring within a community committed to supporting equity and diversity.

These three principles guide our work, every day, in support of our students and mission:

1. Creating a community that is built upon genuine and meaningful relationships
2. Being surgical in our approach to differentiation of instruction and support of all students and team members
3. Setting and exceed high expectations for academic growth and character development for all students, in preparation for success in college and beyond

About This Role

Great Oaks Legacy Charter School is seeking a passionate and dedicated College & Career Advisor to join the College & Career Office team and support and empower GOLCS students alumni to success in college, careers, and in life. The College & Career Advisor will report to the Lead Counselor, College & Career and play an important role by providing guidance to GOLCS high school students and alumni enrolled in college or pursuing a postsecondary pathway. The College & Career Advisor will manage a college counseling caseload of high school seniors and a caseload of alumni. In addition, the College & Career Advisor will also support 9th and 10th grade college readiness classes, and support with transcript review and associated processes for high school students. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The College & Career Advisor will be successful in the following areas:

• Provide group and individualized guidance and support to a caseload of GOLCS alumni:
• Maintain monthly communication (i.e. campus or home visits, phone, text message, social media, etc.) with college-age alumni and periodically with their families; 
• Track college persistence, contact notes, academic progress, semester grades, GPA, credits attempted and earned, financial aid awards, scholarship applications, and employment data in team database; 
• Identify alumni who desire or may desire to transfer to four-year colleges or universities and advise alumni on college transferring;
• Empower alumni to connect with on-campus support services (i.e. tutoring center, counseling center, career center, etc.) and foster self-advocacy; 
• Educate alumni on personal finance (money management, budgeting, building credit, etc.); 
• Serve as the primary contact for alumni and address collegiate related personal, financial and academic concerns as they arise;
• Successfully execute administrative duties related to but not limited to: alumni/family check-ins; admissions rep. correspondence; transcripts/mid-year report submissions; AP/SAT/ACT official scores; tracking of college acceptance/clearinghouse enrollment in Naviance and parent meetings and phone calls.

Support key CACO events: College Decision Day, College Week and College Fair, FAFSA Nights for 11th and 12th grade in November.

• Manage a college counseling caseload of high school seniors:
• Meet with families and conduct regular 1:1 student meetings
• Ensure strong college list management and support application and financial aid processes.
• Provide comprehensive application support and guidance.

Maintain and update SalesForce/Naviance databases.

• Support Push 9th and 10th grade classrooms during College and Career quarters
• Manage transcript review process and course selection for high school students, assisting Lead Counselor, College & Career with all associated aspects of transcript processes.
• Actively collaborate with College & Career Office team on all aspects of college placement and persistence: financial aid, scholarships, applications, retention, graduation and admissions standards;
• Maintain strong relationships with colleges and universities through consistent communication and follow-up;
• Assist with special event logistics as needed (family engagement workshops, college tours/ fairs, summer and college enrichment programs, family workshops, etc.);
• Attend and actively participate in all College & Career Office meetings, individual meetings, and GOLCS High School meetings as necessary;
• Develop positive, appropriate relationships with GOLCS alumni;
• Develop positive, appropriate relationships with fellow GOLCS staff members and teachers, viewing each other as teammates and professional colleagues;
• Other departmental needs, as necessary;

Qualifications and Skills

The College & Career Advisor must:

• Have a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited 4-year college or university.
• Have 2-4 years’ experience working with high school and/or college students.
• Higher education experience is a plus.
• Have an ability to facilitate group workshops for teenagers and young adults
• Have a “will do” mindset to positively impact the growth of the CAC and further the success of GOLCS students to and through college.
• Be flexible and ready to roll up their sleeves to complete the hard work at hand.
• Strongly believe every student has the ability to succeed and remain data driven to inform actionable steps.
• Be relentlessly committed to the mission of preparing every student for college and post-secondary success.
• Possess strong entrepreneurial and team skills.
• Possess the strong ability to be self-reflective, willing to learn and receive/give constructive feedback.
• Possess the ability and flexibility to travel to visit and provide support to current students and alumni when necessary.
• Have superb organizational and self-management skills and be able to handle multiple responsibilities effectively; have strong planning and execution skills; be a goal-oriented and effective problem-solver.

Candidates must possess:

• A genuine interest in working with underrepresented students from diverse backgrounds
• Excellent planning, entrepreneurial, management, and communication skills, with a proven ability to project manage and provide individual and group counseling
• Excellent technological and word processing skills
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Excellent skills of organization and follow-through
• A relentless work ethic and commitment to achieving the school's mission
• A strong academic record, including a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university, and/or a counseling master’s degree from a CACREP accredited program

Staff and Reporting Relationships

The College & Career Advisor will report directly to the Lead Counselor, College & Career, participate in high school activities as needed, and serve as an additional support to the CACO team.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

Great Oaks Legacy Charter School offers competitive salaries commensurate with experience and a comprehensive benefits package, including:

• Robust medical, dental, and vision insurance plans w/ comprehensive network coverage.
• Up to $5,250 per year in tax exempt student loan and tuition reimbursement.
• Reimbursements for external professional development aligned to your role.
• Wellness reimbursements including gym memberships, spa services, and more.
• Online counseling services - for staff and their dependents - via top-rated therapy app.
• Pre-tax state pension plan benefit w/ addl. options available via voluntary retirement plans.
• Pre-tax dependent care, health, and transit flexible spending plans available.
• Convenient health screening and telemedicine support via VitalCheck Wellness platform.

We offer a competitive and fair compensation package that increases based on years of relevant experience.

• The minimum base salary for this role is $73,000.

GREAT OAKS LEGACY PHILOSOPHY 

Our students rise to conquer challenges with the help of individualized, whole-person support from the Great Oaks Legacy Charter School community including educators, tutors, peers, families  and staff.  Our mission is that each child ultimately graduates from college.

Great Oaks Legacy Charter School ensures its students are ready to take on the world, therefore: 

1. We give our students the academic skills and socio-emotional support they need to build upon their own strengths and abilities in order to be ready and able to achieve their dreams.
2. Our employees agree to take responsibility for their part in reversing negative outcomes for students, to work relentlessly to support our efforts to engage each and every student, and to uphold our mission to prepare every student to succeed in college to the extent possible.
3. It is a given that all staff work very hard. Our employees acknowledge that they will do more than just work hard.  Employees agree to seek – through  feedback, professional development, and coaching – to continue to develop and improve their job performance while employed by the School.  At Great Oaks Legacy, an ongoing quest for improvement is considered essential for all staff members.

As Great Oaks Legacy continues its journey towards anti-racism, we can be certain that our school community is ready for the work. As an organization, we are striving to be more intentional and connected to a larger, clearer mission for an educational experience that empowers scholars to be the change they want to see in the world.