Breakthrough Silicon Valley
College Counselor Position
Breakthrough Silicon Valley (BSV)—a member of the national
service organization Breakthrough
Collaborative—
is a successful college access and teacher training program.
BSV offers six
years of academic enrichment and college
preparation to middle school and
high school students
with high potential but limited opportunities.
Simultaneously, BSV recruits, trains, and inspires a diverse cohort of
talented, high-achieving high school
and
college students
to become the next generation of teachers. Using a
Students Teaching Students model,
BSV
provides engaging,
tuition-free academic programming during the summer and after
school. Our students gain the skills and motivation to succeed in rigorous high school courses and,
ultimately, in college.
Meanwhile, our teachers gain
hands-on experience, research-based training,
and coaching
from professional educators.
BSV is proud
to report outstanding results. 100% of our students enroll
in college-preparatory programs
and high schools, and more than
85% have GPAs of 3.0 and above throughout middle
and high school. Furthermore, 96% of our graduates are attending four-year
universities, and 78% of
teacher alumni pursue careers in education upon college graduation.
After thirteen years
of success at our original
San Jose site, BSV expanded our program and opened
a second site in East San
Jose in 2013.
Position Overview
Breakthrough Silicon Valley prepares academically motivated students
with limited educational opportunities
for success
in four-year universities. Because the majority of the
students we serve are of the
first generation in their families
to attend college,
the guidance and
resources we provide
are critically important. As the College Counselor, you
have the privilege
of working closely with our
students and their families
as they navigate the high school years. As a trusted
adviser and source of accurate information,
you play a pivotal role in guiding each family through the
college application and enrollment processes. The
highly individualized nature
of our program enables you to focus
on each student’s path to college, ensuring
he/she maintains
the highest academic
and social standards, and works toward
becoming a competitive applicant for four-year universities.
You inspire
and motivate students to work incredibly hard in pursuit of their collegiate dreams.
Reporting
to the Director of
Curriculum and Programming, the College Counselor
is part of a dynamic,
committed staff that continually
seeks ways to strengthen the organization in order to
best serve our students
and their families.
Responsibilities
●
Lead college application
process for all eleventh
and twelfth grade students
● Monitor and provide academic advising
to all eleventh and twelfth grade students to keep them on
track for college
enrollment
●
Develop and lead evening college readiness workshops,
held for each grade level once per month.
●
Manage relationships
with outside partner organizations
● Maintain and
create relationships with college admission
representatives to increase
Breakthrough’s visibility and
better assist students during
application process
● Coordinate high school program events and fieldtrips, including
a 3-day Southern California
college tour.
● Ensure all rising eleventh grade
students participate in a
meaningful summer activity or community
college course
● Develop data collection process for college admissions
and financial
aid awards, ensuring
integration with organization’s current database
● Collect assessment/evaluation
data to measure success of program and services. When
necessary, select and/or
develop evaluation tools
●
Assist the Executive
Director with fundraising
and marketing activities as needed.
● Present at board meetings or work with board committees, community volunteers
and/or members of the
Breakthrough Collaborative, at the
request of the Executive Director.
Preferred Qualifications
We seek an
energetic, self-starter who possesses
the following qualities:
● Ability to create and develop strong and meaningful relationships with students, parents, and other
professionals
● Dynamic,
entrepreneurial leader able to focus on
program mission and details of program administration
and operations
●
Excellent
communicator, able to write and
speak persuasively
●
Has a
strong work ethic, takes
initiative, thinks creatively, and requires minimal
instruction
●
Open-minded with integrity
and a sense of humor
● Ability to work in environments
and communities with people
from diverse backgrounds (ethnic, socio- economic,
educational, etc.)
●
Competency with Microsoft Office, Dropbox, and
Google Apps
·
Experience
researching and attending community outreach
events
·
Comfortable with public
speaking and community engagement
·
Committed to data
collection and evaluation of programming
·
Strong
organizational and time management
skills, including meticulous attention to detail
·
Knowledge of public
school districts and
course sequencing
·
Experience
as admissions representative in a four-year college/university is a plus
·
Former
Breakthrough experience is a
plus
Requirements
·
3+ years of academic advising
and/or college counseling in an educational setting
·
Bachelor's degree
·
Deep commitment to working
with under-resourced students
and their families
Compensation, Benefits and Application
Process
•
This
is a full-time, exempt position
•
Salary:
Commensurate with experience.
•
Health
Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision
health coverage and life insurance.
•
Retirement
Benefits: 401(k) plan with company matching
opportunity
If
interested, apply online today. We will review applications on a rolling basis. We expect to
fill the position
prior to July 1, 2015. If you have
specific questions regarding
this position, email info@breakthroughsv.org with "College
Counselor Position" in the subject line.
