UT High School Lead Counselor

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Job Details:

You'll be working for a university that is internationally recognized for our academic programs and research. Your work will make a difference in the lives of students and colleagues. If you're the type of person that wants to know your work has meaning and impact, you'll love working in the UT High School. UT Austin provides an outstanding benefits package including but not limited to:

• Salaries that are highly competitive with the local ISD
• Eligibility for annual merit-based permanent salary increases
• Competitive health benefits (employee premiums covered at 100%, family premiums at 50%)
• Voluntary Vision, Dental, Life, and Disability insurance options
• Paid sick time, and holidays
• Teachers Retirement System of Texas, a defined benefit retirement plan
• Additional Voluntary Retirement Programs: Tax Sheltered Annuity 403(b) and a Deferred Compensation program 457(b)
• Flexible spending account options for medical and childcare expenses
• Robust free training access through LinkedIn Learning plus professional conference opportunities
• Tuition assistance
• Expansive employee discount program including athletic tickets
• Free access to UT Austin's libraries and museums with staff ID card
• For more details, please see: https://hr.utexas.edu/prospective/benefits

The University of Texas at Austin's High School (UTHS) Special Purpose District provides programs and services to help high school students, teachers and families across Texas and the world. UTHS strives to help and assist students as they move along their educational pathways. As a proud member of the College of Education at the University of Texas at Austin, UTHS works to fill "gaps" in the Texas educational landscape and thrives in the service to others. This position requires fingerprinting and successful completion of a background check. Start date is July 29, 2026.

Serve as the Lead Counselor for UT High School Diploma Programs, providing leadership and coordination for a comprehensive, developmental school counseling program. The Lead Counselor collaborates with administrators, counselors, faculty, students, families, and community partners to ensure strong academic planning, on-time graduation, postsecondary readiness, and social-emotional support. The role includes direct counseling responsibilities and leadership, mentoring, system development, and accountability for the campus counseling team.

Program Leadership & Operations

• Serve as primary liaison between campus leadership and the counseling team
• Facilitate regular counseling team meetings with agendas, action items, and follow-up
• Develop and implement standardized procedures, timelines, and shared tools
• Monitor counselor capacity, productivity, and program effectiveness; provide coaching and support
• Lead development and implementation of the Comprehensive Counseling Plan
• Coordinate counselor participation in MTSS, ARD, and 504 processes
• Oversee counseling initiatives, including awards, assemblies, reporting, and program communication

Academic Planning & Graduation Support

• Lead campus-wide graduation planning, ensuring all students maintain current Personal Graduation Plans.
• Coordinate ongoing credit checks and monitor progress toward graduation
• Identify and support students at risk of not graduating; implement targeted interventions
• Ensure accurate advising aligned to Texas graduation requirements and CCMR pathways
• Support graduation preparation, reporting, and ceremony coordination

Communication, Parent & Family Engagement

• Establish and maintain clear communication expectations, timelines, and protocols
• Ensure consistent, accurate, and accessible counseling communication and resources
• Support delivery of student and family outreach (meetings, webinars, and events)
• Collaborate with families to support academic planning, graduation readiness, and postsecondary transitions
• Maintain communication calendars and shared resources

Student Records, CCMR, & Support Services

• Maintain accurate, confidential student records in compliance with state and university requirements
• Monitor transcripts, testing, class rank, and graduation eligibility
• Lead CCMR efforts, including postsecondary planning, applications, and testing timelines
• Provide individual and group counseling for academic, career, and personal development
• Coordinate support services for special populations and connect families to campus and community resources

Master's degree in guidance counseling and valid Texas counseling certificate or current enrollment in a counseling certification or degree program. Three years of teaching experience at the secondary level.

Active Texas Certification for mid-management, principal, or superintendent.Experience working as a counselor in a Texas public high school.Experience working as a lead counselor in a Texas public high school. Bilingual Spanish

$80,000 + depending on qualifications

• Hybrid role:Two assigned onsite days per week on campus in Austin, TX.

• Work is performed usingvirtual tools and platforms, requiring areliable internet connectionand proficiency indigital communication tools.

• May requireoccasional evening meetingsto accommodate family schedules.

• Occasional travel forcompliance meetings, professional development, or staff trainingat UT High School's Austin office.

• Resume/CV

• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor

• Letter of interest

Importantfor applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers:You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure thatALLRequired Materials have been uploaded. Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers:As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questionspresented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.

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Employment Eligibility:

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Retirement Plan Eligibility:

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Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

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Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer,complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

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Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor's legal duty to furnish information.

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Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form. You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States. Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment. Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

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E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university's company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

• E-Verify Poster (English and Spanish) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (English) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

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Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.