Located in the San Francisco Bay Area, Crystal Springs Uplands School is a 6-12 co-educational, independent day school located on two distinct campuses in Hillsborough and Belmont, CA with 125 employees. Our deeply connected culture and community celebrates scholarship, strives for balance, and fosters inclusion. The Professional Adult Community (PAC) is an experienced, collaborative group of employees who are committed to the mission and core values of the school. Crystal is full of kind, curious learners (adults and students alike) who are passionate about the school’s mission of transformative teaching and meaningful connections. We are committed to the work required to create more equitable systems and foster inclusive environments so that all members of our community can thrive together.

MISSION STATEMENT

Through transformative teaching and meaningful connections, we empower kind, curious learners to thrive together.

CORE VALUES

• We Celebrate Scholarship - The foundation of Crystal is academic excellence.
• We Seek Growth Challenges - Our culture says try it.
• We Foster Kindness & Inclusion - Crystal is a caring and diverse community.
• We Strive for Balance - A holistic approach to well-being is integral to our mission.
• We Engage with Enthusiasm - With unbounded spirit, we give our best effort every day and pay it forward to our community.
• We Lead with Humility - Being grateful and open-minded, we pursue lifelong learning.

The ideal candidate will have experience working in dynamic settings serving multiple constituents. A successful candidate in this position will:

• Share a commitment to upholding Crystal’s core values and working in an inclusive school environment
• Work collaboratively with colleagues and engage effectively with all constituents
• Bring robust organizational, technological, and communication skills

JOB SUMMARY

Crystal seeks a full-time exempt (1.0 FTE, 12-month) Director of College Counseling. An integral part of the school responsible for managing all aspects of the college counseling process, reporting into the Head of Upper School. The Director of College Counseling works closely with the college counseling team (two fellow college counselors and the school registrar/office assistant), along with the Head of Upper School, the Upper School Leadership Team, grade-level teachers and advisors to support and guide students, families, and alumni through the successful transition to post-secondary education.

Key Job Competencies

• Developing Others: Ability to effectively support the growth and development of students.
• Communication: Exceptional ability to articulate thoughts and express ideas effectively using oral, written, visual, and non-verbal communication skills, as well as deep listening skills to gain understanding.
• Cultural Competence: Possesses and applies the skills, values, and principles that acknowledge, respect, contribute to, and work effectively across cultural differences. Recognizes the unique value, perspectives, strengths, and challenges of every person who comes to the Crystal community.
• Emotional Intelligence: Demonstrates high levels of self/social awareness, self-management, empathy, and curiosity.
• Relationship Management: Positively collaborates and builds/maintains authentic and trusting relationships. Demonstrates high levels of discretion and confidentiality.
• Personal Growth: Demonstrates commitment and curiosity to ongoing learning and development
• Decision-Making: Generates and evaluates alternatives before making a decision or taking action, considering the risks associated with each option and selecting the option that has the best balance of risk and reward, encouraging input from others when it is appropriate, standing by decisions without reconsidering unless information or circumstances make it necessary to do so, and evaluating the effectiveness of decisions after they have been made.
• Project Management: Ability to lead and execute complex projects to achieve goal attainment by prioritizing activities, assigning responsibilities in accordance with capabilities, monitoring progress, and evaluating impact.
• Quality Results: Ensures high-quality results on projects/tasks, meets deadlines, and attends to details. Takes responsibility for the quality of work and achieves results with little oversight.
• Collaboration: The interpersonal and intrapersonal qualities one will leverage to collectively solve a problem or make progress toward a common goal. The ability to work with others to complete a project or task or develop ideas or processes.

Essential Functions

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

• Work collaboratively with approximately one-third of each graduating class (~30 students and their parents, guardians), the College Counseling team, and school colleagues throughout the college application process
• Be well-versed on the college admission landscape, current trends, and financial aid; be comfortable with data analysis and data management platforms
• Maintain and cultivate relationships with college admission officers, during their visits to campus (virtual or in-person) as well as through travel to colleges and professional conferences to represent Crystal and to develop professionally
• Create individualized student college list suggestions
• Provide individualized application feedback including, but not limited to, essay review, application form completion, interview preparation, financial aid form completion
• Co-teach a post-secondary course to first-semester 12th graders
• Plan, coordinate, and co-present regular informational meetings for families on topics related to the college application process
• Advise students in grades 9-12 on course selection and its impact on the college admission process
• Write letters of recommendation for the graduating class and advise faculty in their writing of recommendations
• Counsel advisors and other colleagues on how to help students, families prepare for the post-secondary process
• Prepare reports for the Head of School and Board of Trustees and Senior Leadership Team; deliver an annual end-of-year presentation to the Board
• Manage digital College Counseling platforms (MaiaLearning, College Board, ACT, etc)
• Facilitate annual review and adjustments to the college counseling program
• Assist in outreach to recent alumni
• Act as back-up test coordinator for PSAT, school-based SAT/ACT testing, AP exams
• Work with the Learning Specialist to address individual accommodations and testing needs
• Establish and maintain the yearly budget for the department
• Supervises, mentors, and evaluates all direct reports
• Maintains confidentiality at all times
• Upholds Crystal’s core values
• Fosters an inclusive school environment

Travel Required

• Light travel between the Middle School and Upper School campuses, as needed

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Required Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in an appropriate field
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience working as a high school college counselor and/or an undergraduate college admission representative
• Experience supervising multiple team members

Preferred Education and Experience

• Master’s degree
• 2 years of leadership experience in a high school or college counseling setting, preferably in an independent school, or undergraduate admission

Work Environment and Physical Demands:

• Able to work in a dynamic environment dealing with a wide variety of challenges, deadlines, and a varied and diverse array of contacts
• Able to lift up to 20 pounds
• Able to climb stairs
• May work at a desk and computer for extended periods
• Willing to work during evenings and weekends to fulfill core responsibilities and attend school events, as needed

Affirmative Action/EEO Statement

Crystal Springs Uplands School provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

Salary and Benefits

This is a regular, exempt, full-time (40 hours/week), benefits eligible, 12-month administrative staff position. The annual salary for this position is within the range of $166,000 - $177,000 and will be based on work experience and education.

The recruitment period will remain open until sufficient resumes have been received and may close at any time a sufficient pool of highly qualified candidates has been established. First consideration will be given to individuals who apply between May 5 - May 11, 2025. The ideal start date for this position is July 1, 2025.