The Lead School Counselor leads efforts to ensure a supportive, equitable, and inclusive environment for all students, focusing on underrepresented populations. The Lead School Counselor advances the overall student experience, including health and wellness, addressing students’ emotional health needs through short-term solution-focused counseling.  Additionally, they will collaborate with external providers to ensure comprehensive care coordination for students, including liaising with therapists, psychiatrists, and education specialists. Reporting to the Head of Community Life, the Lead School Counselor will develop curriculum, organize staff training and professional development needs, and provide leadership and strategic direction for student support services, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging initiatives schoolwide.  The Lead School Counselor position is 40 hours per week and follows the academic calendar (starting in mid-August and ending the second week in June). The Lead School Counselor is expected to participate in opening and closing faculty and staff meetings and collaborate with the health office and appropriate parties to prepare for the arrival of students each August. This position is fully benefits eligible. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Partnering with the Head of Community Life, support, design and deliver training to teaching staff on supporting students' academic and personal growth, including training on cultural competency, implicit bias, and microaggressions.
• Supervise other school counselors to provide students with streamlined and thoughtful counseling support, including direct, short-term solution-focused counseling support and care coordination with families and outside providers (e.g., therapists, psychiatrists, and education specialists).
• Build relationships with students, families, and external organizations to support students' mental health, wellness, and success.
• Provide short-term solution-focused counseling to address the emotional health needs of students.
• Contribute to mental health programming and outreach initiatives to support student well-being.
• Consult with faculty to address students' mental health needs and provide appropriate interventions.
• Reviews, updates, and maintains health records in the student database.
• Maintains comprehensive and confidential health records for students that are in compliance with state regulations.
• Be available for immediate crisis assessment and intervention to ensure the safety and well-being of students.
• Review student records, psychoeducational testing, and sharing pertinent information with classroom teachers, using a variety of assessment procedures to determine appropriate interventions and programming.
• Work with external sources to provide services to respond to critical student needs and incidents.
• Empower students to achieve personal and educational goals by working effectively with advocates and liaising with educational psychologists and specialist services.
• Provide mission-aligned leadership and focus, demonstrating cultural competence, a growth mindset, and a deep and steadfast commitment to equity and inclusion.
• Develop and grow our advocacy program to support students' metacognition and reflection skills, social and emotional awareness, and sense of responsibility for the community.
• Design and help deliver NEIA’s wellbeing curriculum. 
• Collaborates with the school nurse and other supportive staff.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• The Lead School Counselor supervises the school counselors.

Education and/or Experience

• Master’s degree in Educational Psychology, Counseling, Social Work, Curriculum and Instruction, or a related field is required.
• A minimum of 5 years of experience in student support services, preferably in a school setting.
• Understanding of the social, psychological, and physical development of children and adolescents.
• Experience in curriculum design and implementation.
• Experience with coaching and professional development.
• Ability to use and adapt to a wide array of technology as tools to support the Health and Wellness Program; familiarity with Magnus Health a plus.

Qualifications

• Ability to work with professionalism, discretion, sound judgment, equity, honesty, and personal accountability at all times.    
• Ability to create a welcoming and supportive community for a diverse study body. 
• Partner with staff in supporting crisis  response for behavioral and medical issues.
• Strong leadership and management skills, with experience supervising staff.
• Strong knowledge of best practices and current research in student support services, particularly in health and well-being, counseling services, and social-emotional support.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively with diverse groups of people.
• Ability to respond to crisis situations and support students and families in emergencies.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills.
• Knowledge of relevant state and federal laws and regulations governing special education and student support services.
• Uphold the School’s professional standards including punctuality, courtesy and discretion.
• Dedication to a high level of confidentiality.
• Demonstrated capacity to adjust to shifting priorities and work on multiple tasks simultaneously. 

Physical Requirements 

The physical demands described here represent those that an employee must meet to perform the essential functions of this job successfully. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. 

• Stand/sit for long periods. 
• Bend, lift, push, kneel, crouch, crawl, stoop 
• Capable of moving around the classroom while teaching a class 
• Capable of adapting to frequent changes in position throughout the workday. 
• Hearing and speaking to understand and exchange information in person or on the telephone. 
• Speak clearly so listeners understand 
• Use hands and fingers to manipulate educational tools, play equipment, keyboarding, and perform first aid and CPR. 
• Specific vision abilities required include close vision, distance vision, color vision, and depth perception. 

*      *      * 

Nothing in this job description restricts NEIA’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this position at any time.

Interested candidates are asked to send a cover letter and resume to careers@neiacademy.org with the subject: Lead School Counselor.

We are unable to respond to phone or email inquiries. To learn more about New England Innovation Academy, please visit our website: https://neiacademy.org

About New England Innovation Academy

At New England Innovation Academy (NEIA), our mission and pillars form the bedrock of a holistic and transformative educational experience. This approach integrates academic learning with personal growth, allowing students to discover their passion and purpose, innovate with impact, and prepare for what comes next. Our students, known as 'innovators,' embark on a journey that is as much about self-discovery as it is about skill acquisition. Human-centered design is central to NEIA's philosophy and curriculum. Through real-world inclusion, students apply knowledge in practical projects with the community and industry. This experiential approach teaches vital skills like problem-solving, teamwork, and empathy while encouraging deep questioning and critical thinking across disciplines. Skilled educators enrich interdisciplinary learning through integrated projects, relevant problem-solving, and active engagement. Hands-on learning fosters innovation, creative thinking, empathy, and connection to the real world. Students delve into experiences and ideas that stimulate initiative, reflection, and ownership over their education. As NEIA continues to grow, expanding our enrollment t...o 350–375 students in the coming years, we seek passionate educators committed to this visionary approach. We look for professionals who excel in applying innovative teaching practices, are adept in student-centered and integrated learning, and are experienced in or excited about competency-based assessment. Continuous professional learning and a willingness to contribute to curriculum development and program scaling are essential. Diversity and inclusion are fundamental to our ethos at NEIA. We believe that innovation thrives in an environment where every individual feels a sense of belonging. By fostering a community that values diverse perspectives and backgrounds, we aim to create an inclusive culture for both our students and staff. To better understand our unique educational environment and ethos, we encourage prospective applicants to visit our website at https://neiacademy.org for more information.

Show more

Show less

Connections working at New England Innovation Academy