Director of College & Career Counseling (26-27)

KIPP Texas Public Schools is a free, public charter school network with more than 45 Pre-K - 12 schools across Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. With over 30 years in Texas, we work together with our families and communities to prepare students for college, career, and beyond. Our schools provide a high-quality, well-rounded education built on academic success and personal growth, where all students learn and thrive in a productive, safe, and joyful way.

About the Role

This is a general posting for current and potential future opportunities. At this time, there may or may not be a vacancy. We are collecting applications on a rolling basis for the Director of College & Career Counseling role. Your application will be reviewed and considered for any opportunity that matches your skills and experience.

The Director of College & Career Counseling is responsible for developing and managing a college and career counseling program and team that ensures every student deepens their knowledge about themselves and their top careers of highest aspiration, and builds and executes a strong plan that will allow them to make the best postsecondary choice. This role involves building relationships with school leadership, national organizations, and colleges/universities to secure resources for students. The ultimate goal is to ensure all graduates maintain success in their academic, professional, and personal lives while integrating the college and career counseling program into all aspects of KIPP high school campuses.

This role is ideal for a highly motivated, collaborative, results-driven, and service-minded leader with a passion for supporting students in building and succeeding in their postsecondary plans.

Responsibilities

• Manage, develop, and lead the College & Career Department at a KIPP high school.
• Coach and support College & Career Instructors through curriculum assessment, classroom observation, goal setting, and progress monitoring.
• Support and facilitate college and career personal development for teachers and staff.
• Track student college and career data, monitor progress, and execute strategic upgrades.
• Lead college and career programming and exposure.
• Develop effective processes to support instructors in helping students finalize and execute strong post-secondary plans, including postsecondary and financial aid applications, and standardized test registration.
• Develop an inclusive, solution-focused, and growth-mindset team culture.
• Collaborate with the KIPP Forward team and other stakeholders to track and report data for postsecondary access support.
• Maintain consistent communication with key stakeholders, including KIPP Foundation, KIPP Forward team, school and regional leadership, students, and families.
• Establish relationships and collaborate with external stakeholders (postsecondary institutions, career partners, scholarship organizations) to support student success.
• Progress monitor all KIPP Forward postsecondary prep, application, and matriculation goals.
• Manage and maintain consistent communication flow to stakeholders, teammates, and families to support student progress toward high school graduation and postsecondary transition.
• Responsibilities may shift, expand, and grow based on regional needs.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year institution.
• Master’s degree preferred.
• Experience working with high school students and their families in the college counseling field strongly preferred.

Skills

• Experience leading high-performance and diverse teams.
• Resilience, strong work ethic, and outcomes-oriented with demonstrated ability to balance competing priorities under stress.
• Previous experience using data to drive decision-making.
• Comfort working in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
• Strong interpersonal skills; ability to work with a wide range of people including teachers, parents, students, alumni, corporate partners, vendors, and admissions personnel.
• Ability to project plan, organize, and prioritize with a collaborative spirit.
• Fast learner with the ability to inquire and be open to feedback.
• Proven written and verbal communication skills.
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred but not required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional development course on college and career readiness and success.

Physical Requirements

• Remaining in a stationary position, often standing or sitting for prolonged periods.
• Constantly operating a computer and other office productivity machinery (e.g., cell phone, copy machine, printer).
• Moving about to accomplish tasks or moving from one worksite to another.
• Communicating with others to exchange information.
• Must be able to lift and carry or otherwise move up to 20 pounds occasionally.

Schedule

• Able to meet school schedule (e.g., 7:30 AM - 4/5 PM, depending on professional development days).
• Able to work evenings, holidays, and weekends as necessary.

Travel Requirements

• Able to travel to other KIPP campuses for professional development.
• Able to chaperone students to college/university campuses and career site visits.
• Able to travel for home visits with alumni and families as necessary.