Program Counselor Sotheby’s Summer Institute, Vogue Summer Schoo

Job Title: Program Counselor, Pre College 2025 

Organization: BrandEd 

Department:  Sotheby’s Summer Institute, Vogue Summer School, Reports to: Senior Program Counselor, Residential Hall Assistant Director, Residential Hall Director  

Program Information   

With New York City as their home and classroom, Sotheby’s Summer Institute students are immersed in the most vibrant global art capital with auction houses, blue chip and emerging galleries, world class museums, artists’ studios, private collections, arts foundations, and much more right in their backyard. Summer Institute provides students with an environment to learn, investigate, and explore the art world while forming life-long connections with friends and mentors. This unique pre-college program offers three two-week sessions each with exclusive, academically rigorous courses and bespoke activities and events designed to engage, inspire, and fuel creativity.  All courses are taught by leading art world experts and academics on a university campus in the heart of New York City. 

Vogue Summer School invites high schoolers to immerse themselves in one of the most important fashion capitals in the world: New York City. Opening the doors to a unique world of excellence and creativity, students will explore a wealth of topics shaping fashion today and in the future through the expert eye of the world’s most famous and influential fashion magazine: Vogue. Run by Condé Nast College of Fashion and Design, Vogue Summer School provides a world-class fashion education along with unrivalled access to the best and brightest minds in the industry. Our instructors are award-winning Vogue and Condé Nast journalists, including the teams at Glamour, GQ, and a host of other Condé Nast titles, as well as industry experts and recognized thought leaders in the business and strategic sides of the fashion, media and luxury lifestyle industries.  

 About BrandEd 

Knowledge is our passion. We thrive at the intersection of business and education and have built a global reputation for developing world-class learning programs to nurture the industry leaders of tomorrow.  

Our mission is to empower lives through education. We seek to understand the passions of a new generation of students to help transform those passions into meaningful and fulfilling career trajectories. We do this by delivering relevant, experiential courses taught by industry experts from the world’s best brands. 

BrandEd has been operating for two decades beginning with the acquisition of the London campus of Sotheby’s Institute of Art in 2003. Over the years we have built a portfolio of world-class academic programs with iconic brands including Sotheby’s Institute of Art, The School of the New York Times (est. 2016), and Conde Nast College of Fashion & Design (acquired in 2023). BrandEd is owned by Cambridge Information Group (CIG), a family-owned investment firm since 1971 focused on long-term and meaningful ventures in education, technology, and information services.  

Position description 

Program Counselors (PCs) play a crucial role in the residential and social aspects of our precollege programs and will focus on maintaining a safe living and learning community by upholding the Student and Family Handbook and building a community among the students. Under the supervision of the Residential Hall Director (RHD), PCs provide supervision, advisement, and engagement opportunities for students residing on campus for the duration of the program. This is a live-in position, working up to 40 hours per week with housing. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities 

Program Counselors are primarily responsible for building and maintaining a strong, safe and inclusive residential life community. PCs set up all residential spaces prior to student arrival and hold floor meetings to disseminate important information to their community. PCs complete an evening room-check to ensure that all students are accounted for and document student incidents through Student Management Software (SMS). When programming happens off-campus, PCs escort students to and from the event. PCs design and host residential programming to supplement Institute programming. Other responsibilities include: 

• Assist in the residential check-in and check-out process ensuring that all students are properly moved into their room and understand the policies therein;
• Present and support in student orientation events including diversity, equity and inclusion sessions and community building activities;
• Support the physical and mental health of students and refer them to appropriate resources, as needed;
• Attend weekly staff meetings;
• Enforce program policies and procedures to ensure that all participants remain safe throughout the program, documenting violations and incidents as they arise;
• Mediate roommate and peer conflicts;
• Manage student and staff interactions using various student management software;
• Complete room checks;
• Abide by Curfew and Proximity policy, when scheduled (see below);
• Plan and lead recreational and social events and activities such as movie nights, arts events, community building activities and outings;
• Assist with administrative tasks which may include the use of technology such as Orah, Pronto, Canvas, Microsoft Office and online based software;
• Support the program through other duties as assigned.

PCs will typically work in the afternoons and evenings with some exceptions or other assignments that may arise. PCs will be expected to utilize mobile phone for maintaining communication with staff members as well as students via communication channels. 

Knowledge & Abilities  

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed here are representative of the knowledge, skill and ability required. Under the ADA, reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

• Have an outgoing disposition and an enthusiasm for working with high school students;  
• Establishes a nurturing, inclusive community and encourages positive self-expression.
• Must be flexible and highly adaptable; quick and comfortable responding to ever-changing environment.
• Highly motivated and comfortable taking initiatives.
• The ability to use sound judgement, enforce rules, and assume leadership roles; 
• Has a keen interest in New York City culture and is comfortable exploring it with students using New York City mass transit
• Must be willing to live onsite.

Education, Work Experience and/or Licensure  

• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States
• Bachelor’s degree or currently in college required;
• 1 years of previous residential life experience (summer camp, boarding school, college campus etc.) required;
• Must be CPR certified or be willing to obtain prior to start of program
• Two references required

PCs must complete online training prior to arrival. PCs move into the residence halls on Tuesday, June 3, 2025 in preparation for training, which begins Wednesday, June 4, 2025. Dates of commitment are below:  

• Virtual Training: May 20th   
• Move-in: June 3rd   
• All Staff Training: June 4th – June 6th   
• Term 1: June 8th – June 20th (Vogue Summer School)
• Term 2: June 22nd – July 4th (Vogue Summer School)
• Term 3: July 6th – July 18th (Sotheby’s Institute of Art)
• Term 4: July 20th – August 1st (Sotheby's Institute of Art)
• Move-out: August 1st   
• *PCs will be required to work on Juneteenth (June 19) and Fourth of July (July 4)

Curfew and Proximity 

In order to maintain student-to-staff ratios overnight, staff may be required to remain within a 15-minute walk of campus after 11 p.m. on their working nights. Staff do not have curfew or proximity restrictions on their days off. 

This position offers the following: 

• An opportunity to work with a passionate team of diverse people
• Housing with a roommate and shift meals provided
• Chaperone events and trips to local NYC attractions.
• Salary of $18 per hour

Language Skills  

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent command of the English language.
• Ability to speak another language is a plus.

Physical Demands 

The physical demands listed here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of his/her job. Under the ADA, reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

• Ability to sit, stand, walk, travel up and down stairs, crouch, stoop, and reach.
• Ability to lift up to 25 lbs.

Other Requirements   

All staff will be working closely with minors and must successfully complete all training related to protection of minors. All positions will require use of one’s personal cell phone. 

Work Environment 

The work environment characteristics listed here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of the job. Under the ADA, reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of a basic office/academic environment. 

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by an individual assigned to this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and skills required of personnel so classified. BrandEd reserves the right to modify this job description in its sole discretion. 

BrandEd is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees