WE'RE HIRING
College Counselor

Access Opportunity's vision is equity in opportunity for all students. Our mission is to create opportunities for high-potential students from low-income households to define their individual paths through high school, college, and career, ultimately benefiting the lives of others.

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Our program begins with a selective admissions process at the end of 10th grade, and continues through graduation from a four-year college. Our students are emerging leaders who hope to use their education to make change in their communities. The ultimate goal of Access Opportunity is to help students, their families, and their communities realize their full potential.

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POSITION OVERVIEW:

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As our College Counselor, you will be primarily responsible for supporting our high school juniors and seniors with identifying, applying to, and financing their best fit colleges. Additionally, you will be a part of the Program Team and will support several aspects of the student's journey in the program from recruitment to graduation from college.

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To be successful in this role, you must have strong leadership and relationship-building skills. You must have a track record of creating and fostering positive, trusting relationships with diverse youth and be committed to access, equity, and inclusion in higher education. In order to build culturally affirming relationships with students and their families, Spanish fluency is strongly preferred (60% of students are native Spanish speakers).

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KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

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Direct Student Services​

• Serve as primary counselor for caseload of ~40 high school juniors and seniors, supporting all aspects of the college admissions process and assisting with on-time completion of state, federal, and institutional financial aid forms

• Deliver engaging, interactive workshops and other group programming focused on building students' college and career readiness and developing a sense of community and belonging among each cohort

• Follow Access Opportunity curriculum and maintain timely and regular contact with students, including helping students meet program benchmarks and requirements

• Work closely with the Social-Emotional Learning Counselor to assist students in obtaining support to meet their specific social, emotional, and academic needs, referring to outside resources as needed

• Involve students' families in the college admissions process by co-facilitating welcome visits with incoming families and providing appropriate resources and guidance for each stage

• Document all interactions to track students' progress and follow-up as needed

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Program Support

• Manage recruitment and selection of prospective students by conducting outreach to partners within our service radius, hosting information sessions, reviewing applications, and interviewing finalists

• Develop and maintain strategic external partnerships with local high schools, colleges and universities, and community organizations to highlight an array of perspectives in your college counseling work and increase the familiarity of our work within our broader community

• Meet regularly with Program Team to set and assess goals related to student support as well as your own professional development

• Research and stay on top of best practices in our industry

• Ensure the delivery of high quality, consistent services within our program by accurately recording data, effectively using folders to track program activities and student outcomes, and providing regular reports on student metrics

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Other

• Provide support with development and fundraising activities

• Assist with general office administration including logistics for workshops, ordering supplies, and other duties as needed

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QUALIFICATIONS:

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• Bachelor's degree and work authorization

• Demonstrated commitment to Access Opportunity's vision and mission

• Experience building strong, supportive relationships and creating engaging, interactive learning environments with diverse youth

• Familiarity with the college and financial aid application processes and the unique challenges first-generation students face when pursuing higher education

• Collaborative leadership style with mature interpersonal skills and an openness to professional feedback and growth (both delivering and receiving)

• Ability to effectively manage a large volume of work, and to help students do the same

• Strong analytical and organizational skills

• Excellent written and verbal communication

• Spanish fluency strongly preferred

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Access Opportunity is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We live by our vision of equity in opportunity and seek to hire team members representative of the diverse communities we serve. We would love to hear about how you will bring your identities and lived experiences into your work.

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This position requires occasional evening and weekend availability to meet the needs of our students. Please anticipate up to one Saturday per month for student programming. You must have the ability to periodically travel to meet with students and other constituents throughout the Denver Metro area. To build strong relationships with students, we also ask for the ability to make a two-year commitment.

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COMPENSATION:

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The salary range for this position is between $50,000 to $60,000, with a generous benefit package. These benefits include a four-day work week, professional development funds, fully covered health and dental insurance, unlimited paid time off, enrollment into a 403b retirement plan after one-year of service with a 3% company match, and mileage reimbursement.

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TIMELINE:

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This position will remain open until filled. Our ideal start date is June 3, 2024, but we are willing to be flexible for the right candidate. Above all, we hope that our College Counselor is able to attend and participate in our full program workshop from June 18-23, 2024.

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HOW TO APPLY:

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Please send PDF copies of your resume and cover letter to Co-Executive Director, Natalee Benzing (nbenzing@accessopportunity.org).

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Thank you for your interest!