Welcome Desk Program Counselor Sotheby’s Summer Institute, Vogue

Job Title: Welcome Desk Program Counselor (WPC), Pre-College 2025 

Organization: BrandEd 

Department: Sotheby’s Summer Institute, Vogue Summer School 

Reports to: Precollege Operations Team, 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), City Football Leadership Institute (est. 2022) 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  

The WPC will play a crucial role in the smooth operation and delivery of the academic, residential, and social aspects of the precollege program by serving as central command for all things student and parent related.  

The Welcome Desk PC provides support, direction, and a seamless line of communication regarding what’s happening in real time. The position is a customer-service, administrative and communications-based role and ensures the vital and accurate flow of information between parents, students, program staff, residential life staff and faculty.   

Essential Responsibilities & Duties 

WPCs are responsible for a variety of clerical and administrative duties including but not limited to: 

• Greeting and welcoming students
• Answering phone and email inquiries in the highest professional standards to provide the most accurate and up-to-date information
• Perform daily attendance checks
• Email parent & guardians regarding unaccounted day students who are missing from class
  • If missing student is residential, student must be located 
    • Check dorm room, check classroom, contact roommate, call mobile phone
    • After 30 – 45, parent/guardian must be informed 
• Run Missing Student Report for Missing Student Protocol
• Pastoral Creation in Orah on student profiles
• Approve/Deny/Monitor Student Check Ins/Check Outs
• Regularly check-in and liaise with Residential, Academic, and Program team so that information delivered is consistent and accurate
• Other duties may be assigned. 

Knowledge & Abilities  

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty effectively. 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.  

• Must exercise initiative, professionalism, sound judgement and discretion 
• Superior verbal and written customer service and communication skills both in person and online
• Comfortable engaging with colleagues of all levels
• Have an outgoing disposition and an enthusiasm for working with high school students 
• Establishes a nurturing, inclusive community and encourages positive self-expression.
• General knowledge of the principles of organization and administration
• Comfortable enforcing policies and procedures and assuming leadership roles; Must be able to work autonomously while thriving in a team environment
• Ability to adapt to changing demands, deadlines, and responsibilities 
• Possess a keen interest in New York City culture and is comfortable exploring it with students

Education, Work Experience and/or Licensure  

• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States.
• Bachelor’s degree required
• 1 year work experience (summer camp, boarding school, college campus, etc.,)
• Previous customer service-related experience essential
• Previous experience with Microsoft Office Suite required
• Previous experience with communication platforms with or like Orah, Pronto a plus
• Previous experience with youth, whether at summer camps or other residential programs on the administrative supportive level. 
• Three references are required. 

WPC must complete a series of online and in-person trainings prior to the start of the program. Dates of commitment are as follows: 

• All Staff Training: June 5th –7th
• Term 1:  June 8 - June 20 (Vogue Summer School)
• Term 2: June 22 - July 4 (Vogue Summer School)
• Term 1: July 6 - July 18 (Sotheby’s Summer Institute)
• Term 2:  July 20 - August 1 (Sotheby’s Summer Institute)

Welcome Desk PC will be required to work on Juneteenth (June 19) and fourth of July (July 4) 

Please Note: There will be multiple shifts between the hours of 7am-11pm. WPCs must be able to work a flexible schedule, including some weekends. 

This position offers the following: 

• An opportunity to work with a passionate team of diverse people
• An opportunity to chaperone events and trips to local attractions and events.
• Shift meals provided
• Salary of $18 per hour

Language Skills  

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

Other Requirements   

All staff will be working closely with minors and will need to pass a criminal background check and successfully complete all training. 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.  

Salary : $18