SY26/27 Associate Director of College & Career

Purpose

Ensure consistent, high-quality execution of Washington Leadership Academy's College & Career program through advisor support, progress monitoring, strong internal systems, and a focus on strong student outcomes.

Core Responsibilities

1. Program Execution & Consistency

• Support implementation of College & Career programming across grades 9–12
• Ensure consistency in:
• Advising practices
• Student experience
• Communication across the team
• Help translate Director’s vision into daily practice

2. Advisors Support & Coaching

• Provide ongoing support to advisors
• Serve as a primary support resource for advisors navigating complex student or family situations.
• Observe advising practices and provide feedback
• Support College & Career Advisors in:
• Managing caseloads
• Handling student situations
• Improving processes and systems

3. Progress Monitoring & Accountability

• Monitor key student metrics:
• FAFSA completion
• Postsecondary and scholarship Aapplication progress
• Advisor mMeeting completion
• Scholarship engagement
• Identify gaps and follow up with the College & Career Advisors to support progress
• Surface concerns to Director when needed

4. Systems & Operations Oversight

• Monitor and support the effective day-to-day functioning of advising systems and tracking tools
• Ensure systems are used consistently across the team
• Support coordination of postsecondary-related testing processes in collaboration with appropriate school staff

5. College Visits & Logistics Coordination

• Manage logistics for:
• College visits
• Postsecondary Rrepresentative scheduling
• Event coordination
• Partner with Director, who maintains relationships with reps

6. Alumni Program Leadership

• Lead alumni engagement efforts in alignment with WLA’s 5-year Strategic Plan
• Coordinate:
• Alumni communication
• Alumni support resources
• Alumni programming

7. Caseload & Student Support

• Maintain a full caseload (i.e. ## to ## students)
• Provide direct advising and write recommendation letters
• Support complex or escalated student situations

Caseload Expectations

• Full caseload (aligned with team distribution)

Collaboration

• Acts as primary internal partner to Director
• Supports College & Career Advisors as first point of contact for:
• Process questions
• Day-to-day challenges
• Keeps Director informed of trends and concerns

Not Responsible For

• Setting overall program vision
• Final decision-making on major program changes
• Owning external strategy or partnerships independently

Success Looks Like

• College & Career Advisors feel supported and are effective in their roles
• Systems are implemented consistently across the team
• Issues are identified early and addressed proactively
• Program runs smoothly on a day-to-day basis