Career Counselor (2022-23)

Company Description

KIPP Texas Public Schools is a network of 59 public charter, open-enrollment, pre-k-12 schools educating nearly 34,000 students across Austin, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. Together with families and communities, our mission is to create joyful, academically excellent schools that prepare students with the skills and confidence to pursue the paths they choose —college, career, and beyond—so they can lead fulfilling lives and build a more just world.

Founded in Houston in 1994, and operating as KIPP Texas since 2018, our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracism in our classrooms, in our offices, and in the communities we serve is unwavering. We are looking to hire a diverse team of dynamic, collaborative, and dedicated individuals with an unyielding belief that every child will succeed. Join our Team and Family and champion equity, chase excellence, persist with purpose, bring joy, and help us rise together.

KIPP Texas is part of the national KIPP network of 255 college-preparatory public charter schools in 20 states and the District of Columbia. Nationwide, KIPP students complete four-year college at a rate of 36 percent, comparable to the national average for all students and approximately three times higher than the average of students from low-income communities.

Job Description

About the Opportunity

Career Counselor is responsible for building relationships with the School Leadership and KIPP Forward team. The counselor will work collaboratively with the campus Special Populations and KIPP Forward team to develop transition plans for students interested in pursuing high demand and high wage careers. It is the ultimate goal of the School Leadership and KIPP Forward department through guidance and education, to ensure that all graduates live choice-filled lives and have the ability to maintain success in their academic, professional, and personal lives. The supervising administrator for this position will be the Senior Manager of Career Technical Education.

GENERAL ROLE DESCRIPTION

• Equity | Be a model of ensuring our students get access and exposure to high quality CTE programs of study and opportunities so that they are equipped to excel and succeed in this new information-based and highly technological society.
• Direction Setting | Collaborate with teammates across campus to co-create and build investment into our career readiness strategy. Work in partnership to build investment in career readiness and ensure systems support individual student transition plans and overall post high school success.
• Redefining Possible | Partner with internal and external shareholders to expand opportunities related to the campus CTE programs of study beyond the classroom to ensure students receive quality and impactful career exposure.

Duties and Essential Job Functions:

Working with the Director of Career Integration and the Senior Manager of CTE, the Post Secondary Transition Counselor will:

• Maintain current knowledge and provide assistance to CTE teachers, school leaders, and other personnel of the programs of study, graduation plans, endorsements, 21st Century Skills, etc. to foster high-skill, high-wage, and high-demand career opportunities for students.
• Assist in the development and monitoring of transition plans in partnership with the Special Populations and KIPP Forward department
• Provide campus support to the middle school CTE programs, teachers, students and community to increase program awareness and enrollment
• Supports and assists high school students with their needs in career awareness, exploration, assessment, and exposure through different campus-wide career programs.
• Creates opportunities such as mentoring and networking events to connect students with their campus alumni for best practices in regards to sharing their college and career aspirations and future plans.
• Guides students through making decisions with plans aligned with their personality, interest, skills, values and aptitude.
• Supports campus college and career partnership efforts to create career development opportunities for students.
• Assists students acquire job search skills, such as interviewing and networking.
• Provide academic and career counseling services with professionalism and knowledge of current trends.

Qualifications

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

KNOWLEDGE:

• Knowledge of Texas graduation requirements, endorsements, transcripts (academic achievement records), scholarships, and college admissions processes
• Knowledge of counseling theories/techniques, procedures, student appraisal, career development and post-secondary opportunities
• Knowledge of the components of a comprehensive developmental guidance program, personalized student planning (goal setting, learning modalities, student interests), counseling theory and practice, personality development, strategies for effective career, educational and college planning, child growth and development, learning assessment and remediation, research related to learning, and school and community resources available to assist students and parents
• Knowledge of public school counseling, social services and student assessment
• Knowledge of current, forecasted, and emerging occupational, industry, and labor market trends at the local, regional, state, national, and global levels including the best programs for training toward the most viable careers for our students

SKILLS:

• Experience collaborating and monitoring interventions for special populations enrolled in CTE programs
• Ability to problem solve, think critically and manage conflicts
• Ability to lead, monitor, and measure implementation of content area initiative.
• Public speaking
• Proven writing, verbal communication, and presentation skills
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint)
• Proficiency using computers, printers, copy machines, and fax machines
• Commitment to the mission and vision of KIPP Texas

Required Education and/or Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution
• Prior experience as highly qualified teacher, preferably in CTE
• Previous career counseling experience preferred

Additional Information

Location

San Antonoi, TX

Compensation and Benefits:

In addition to a competitive salary scale, a part of KIPP Texas’ competitive benefits options, KIPP offers all employees an $0 HMO plan for the employee only. In addition to our $0 plan, KIPP provides a $600 employer contribution towards a Health Savings Account and a variety of other supplemental benefits such as Dental, Vision, Short and Long-Term Disability, Pet Insurance, Life, etc.

Funding:

The Career Counselor will be funded directly from the Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief (ESSER) grants awarded by the Texas Education Agency under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (ESSER II) and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ESSER III). This position will be funded solely (100%) from the ESSER II and III allocation for direct expenses through September 30, 2023, and may continue to be funded through September 30, 2024, depending upon the availability of ESSER grant funds. At the end of the grant period this position may be eliminated unless other sources of funds are secured to maintain this position or a similar position. The employee must sign this job description acknowledging receipt of the job description and signing their acknowledgement that this position is grant funded and is temporarily aligning with the terms of the grant period.