College Advisor - St Pius X Catholic High School

Position Summary

St. Pius X High School is establishing a dedicated College Advisor role to serve as a cornerstone of our restructured, specialized counseling model. In order to support the 'whole child' while successfully navigating an increasingly competitive and complex college admissions environment, St. Pius X is separating college guidance and placement from traditional academic and personal guidance. This specialization enables academic counselors to focus directly on student scheduling, emotional well-being, and localized program management, while the College Advisor focuses exclusively on maximizing college opportunities and admissions success for our students.

The College Advisor will manage the complete lifecycle of the college search and application process. This role operates as a dedicated partner to families, a technical expert on college admissions software, and an active ambassador to university admissions offices. The ideal candidate will bring valuable experience from 'the other side of the table' in higher education admissions, translating institutional insights into strong, personalized advocacy for our students.

Key Responsibilities

1. Individualized Student & Family Advising

• Manage a dedicated student caseload through the entire college search, selection, and application process.

• Initiate intensive outreach to juniors beginning in the spring, conducting introductory individual meetings (ranging from 5 to 30 minutes) to evaluate goals, construct initial college lists, and assess standardized testing (ACT/SAT) schedules.

• Provide dedicated, highly responsive guidance during the peak fall semester application season, counseling seniors on application strategies, essays, and deadlines.

• Conduct active, targeted outreach to under-engaged students to ensure no senior falls behind, while also guiding high-performing students applying to highly selective and competitive institutions (e.g., regional flagships and selective private universities).

2. Application, Software & Document Management

• Master and manage the high school's college advising platform (such as Score, Maya Learning, or similar comprehensive software) as the administrative database and transmission hub for all official student documents.

• Oversee and execute the electronic preparation, verification, and timely transmission of all official high school transcripts, school profiles, and recommendation packages to colleges and universities.

• Implement and guide the student 'brag sheet' process during the spring of junior year, ensuring students provide detailed self-evaluations to assist faculty and advisors in crafting high-impact recommendations.

3. Letter of Recommendation Writing & School Advocacy

• Draft comprehensive, highly personalized counselor letters of recommendation for senior college applications, utilizing school profile data and individual student profiles.

• Partner collaboratively with academic counselors to offer them the option to write letters of recommendation for students with whom they share a particularly close multi-year relationship, maintaining oversight to ensure quality and completion.

4. Higher Education Liaison & Campus Programming

• Actively network and build professional relationships with university admissions offices, attending regional breakfasts, dinners, and networking opportunities to advocate for St. Pius X student applicants.

• Coordinate and host university admissions representative visits on campus during the fall semester, arranging scheduling, facilities, and student attendance during morning and lunch periods.

• Plan, organize, and execute the annual Spring College Fair in the high school gymnasium, coordinating logistics with facilities to host 60 to 80 universities, fostering a strong 'college-going culture' across all grade levels.

5. Summer & Strategic Programming

• Develop and facilitate a series of virtual 'College 101' informational seminars over the summer (approximately 10 to 12 sessions via GoTo Meetings or equivalent platform), providing highly accessible engagement opportunities for rising senior students and their parents.

• Maintain and update application guides, timelines, and checklist materials over the summer months to ensure a seamless, structured transition into the active fall application season.

6. Departmental Collaboration

• Work closely and collaboratively with academic guidance counselors. Consult regularly on student course adjustments (such as AP selection, dropping courses, or elective tracks) to ensure students understand the direct impact of scheduling decisions on their college admissions competitiveness.

• Participate in regular department-wide meetings to support the integration of college readiness into the school's overarching strategic plan.

Qualifications & Professional Profile

• Education: Bachelor's degree required. A Master's degree in Counseling, Higher Education Administration, or a related field is a strong asset.

• Experience: Prior experience working on the university side of college admissions (e.g., as an Admissions Counselor, Assistant Director of Admissions, or territory rep) is highly preferred. Experience working as a high school college counselor is also highly valued.

• Technical Proficiency: Hands-on experience with high school college advising platforms (such as Score, Maya Learning, or Naviance) and standard spreadsheet/office applications.

• Core Competencies: Demonstrated ability to communicate complex admissions criteria clearly to diverse parent and student groups; strong presentation and public speaking skills (particularly for virtual and in-person seminars); exceptional organization and detail-oriented file management skills; and the emotional intelligence to provide supportive, reassuring guidance to families during a high-stakes transition.

• starting salary between $50,000-$65,000 with excellent benefits.