College Counselor (Operations), College Success Office

Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ) — a world-renowned education and poverty-fighting organization based in New York — seeks an enthusiastic, dedicated, and mission-aligned College Counselor to support the College Success Office.

The College Counselor will bring a passion for the mission of the Harlem Children’s Zone: break the cycle of intergenerational poverty with comprehensive, on-the-ground programming that builds up opportunities for children and families to thrive in school, work, and life.

The College Success Office provides year-round academic, administrative, and emotional support to graduates of HCZ’s Promise Academy high schools and after-school programs. Our mission is to ensure that our participants are provided with the resources and guidance needed to be successful in college and beyond. The main components of the College Success Office include student outreach, academic support and guidance, financial aid advisement, college transfer assistance, and community-building efforts within our program.

We are currently seeking a College Counselor for our CSO Operations Team. The College Counselor (Ops) role is geared towards supporting the CSO Assistant Director of Operations as well as the College Counselors in the day-to-day operations of the office.  This will help CSO staff to better support scholars transitioning to and persist through college. This position is ideal for applicants who are detail-oriented, highly organized, and who excel in student outreach, administrative support, and managing processes such as scholarship disbursement.  The ideal candidate will have experience working with high school or college-aged scholars, be an effective communicator, be able to connect with scholars and families in person and via email and maintain accurate records to ensure smooth office functionality.

For more information, check out Want to Work at Harlem Children's Zone? Here's 7 Things You Need to Know.

Minimum requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree Required; Master's degree in Education, Counseling, or related social services field preferred
• At least 2-3 years of experience in education, non-profit administration, or student support preferred.

Who you are

• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, ability to complete tasks accurately and in a timely manner
• Exceptional attention to detail and ability to manage complex processes with accuracy
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including drafting professional emails and engaging with diverse populations.
• Strong organizational and time management skills, with the ability to prioritize multiple tasks effectively.
• Proficiency in Google Drive, Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and Outlook
• Ability and willingness to work a flexible schedule to accommodate the needs of the program, including evenings and some weekends
• Passion for and commitment to the mission of the Harlem Children’s Zone

What You’ll Do

• Communicate with colleges, universities, and financial aid offices to ensure timely scholarship distribution
• Monitor student compliance with scholarship requirements and follow-up as needed
• Conduct outreach to scholars to provide reminders about deadlines, scholarships, and academic/compliance expectations
• Proactively communicate with students and families to address questions, share resources, and ensure engagement with College Success Office services.
• Manage and maintain detailed records of student progress and scholarship letters
• Collaborate with College Success counselors and leadership to enhance operational processes and service delivery
• Support in the processing of scholarship payments, including verifying eligibility, tracking disbursements, and maintaining accurate financial records
• Prepare reports, track key operational metrics, and identify areas for improvement
• Assist with scheduling meetings, creating agendas, and taking notes for team initiatives
• Manage other administrative and operational tasks as assigned.
• Collaborate with the Wealth Builds Scholarship Team to ensure seamless processing of scholarships for scholars.
• Collaborate with Career Services to ensure students are engaging and gaining career awareness and exposures 
• Perform any additional duties as assigned

Schedule

• Monday through Friday
• Some weekends 
• 12 Months

Benefits

As a member of the Harlem Children's Zone team, you will join a supportive and inclusive community dedicated to helping children, families — and our staff — thrive. We offer highly competitive salaries, a comprehensive benefits package, and opportunities for growth.

Our exceptional full-time benefits include: 

• Highly competitive base salaries
• Paid time off
• Employee referral bonus
• Career Advancement
• No-cost health insurance
• Life Insurance
• Short-and long-term disability
• Additional voluntary benefits
• Wellness discounts
• Commuter benefits
• Financial wellness perks
• Additional Benefits (Discounts on flights, hotels, theme parks, concert tickets, and more.)

We offer competitive salaries and a comprehensive benefits package. The salary range is $60,000 to $70,000. To be considered, interested applicants should submit their applications directly through the posting. No telephone inquiries or recruiters, please.  Replies will only be sent to qualified applicants.  HCZ is an EOE.

Salary : $60,000 - $70,000