School Counselor Job Description

New Mexico Academy for Media Arts is a free, public charter school located at located at 4401 Central Ave NE, Albuquerque, NM  87108 serving 110 middle and high school students.  Our school offers secondary students a comprehensive, project-based, cross-curricular education centered in the media arts.  We prepare our graduates for positions in the media industries and for the rigor of post-secondary education. 

Employment Status

One Opening is available:  One Full Time School Counselor.   This is a full-time, exempt, at-will position.  The School Counselor reports directly to the Principal.   Anticipated Start Date is Immediately Upon Hire.

Position Overview:  The School Counselor is part of a collaborative team with primary responsibility for delivering FSI’s instructional program and creating an environment that promotes student achievement, values diversity, and ensures equitable access to opportunities for all NMAMA students.  This position will have primary responsibility for providing support to middle and high school students grades 6-12.

Specific job responsibilities are as follows:

• Counsel students regarding educational issues, such as course and program selection, class scheduling and registration, school adjustment, truancy, study habits, and career planning.
• Confer with parents, teachers, and other school personnel to determine student needs.
• Collaborate with other professionals to provide clients/students/parents with proper referrals, relevant information, and access to resources.
• Assess students for risk of suicidality/self-harming behaviors, and provide crisis intervention support.
• Facilitate and develop strategies to implement individual student planning, such as advisement, goal setting, decision making, social skills, transition, and post-secondary planning and/or training.
• Collaborate with teachers and administrators in the development, evaluation, and revision of school programs and in the preparation of master schedules for curriculum offerings.
• Train colleagues and teaching staff via professional development presentations.

Minimum Qualifications

The School Counselor is expected to:

• Possess a Master’s Degree in School Counseling or a Master’s Degree in Counseling, plus required school counseling program coursework.
• Coursework must include (1) child and adolescent development and/or human growth and development, (2) a school counseling course, and (3) a minimum of a 300 hour school counseling practicum in a school setting.
• Be a resident of New Mexico and have a valid New Mexico License in School Counseling (NMPED).

Preferred Qualifications

A candidate should have the following experience (or be willing to learn): 

• Academic counseling: HS graduation requirements, transcript reviews, grade checks, scheduling, dual credit, credit recovery via Edgenuity, classroom guidance lessons (when time allows).
• Crisis intervention and prevention (for example: suicidality, self-harm, abuse or neglect, etc.).
• College and Career Planning
• Be comfortable sharing and analyzing student performance results and humility in constantly working to improve instructional practices.
• Be positive, thoughtful, passionate, motivating, and empowering with students.
• Have excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Mission-Aligned Members of Our Community:

• Understand that relationships are the key to success in working with students. Staff members pursue appropriate and healthy relationships with students, including advocating for them and their success.
• Believe our students have strengths and assets and work to build on these strengths in their work.
• Maintain a positive attitude and a solution-based approach to challenges in the work place.
• Maintain open and consistent communication with students and their families about their academic progress, health, success, and needs, individual graduation plans, and college planning.
• Also communicate proactively with colleagues about student needs to ensure integrated support.
• Believe all students deserve an opportunity and are capable of pursuing post-secondary education and careers of their choice.
• Are committed to restorative justice as a mean of addressing conflicts or challenges in the community, whether between students, staff members, or students and staff members.
• Are committed to inclusive excellence.
• Are active participants in a supportive professional community that fosters respect, trust, honesty, risk-taking, open-mindedness, flexibility, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Operate in a demanding but rewarding environment that requires staff to be flexible problem solvers who manage ambiguity and challenges well.
• Dedicate themselves to the school’s mission and vision, adopting a “whatever-it-takes” attitude in helping our students succeed.
• Engage in rigorous professional development to build on both personal and school wide strengths and areas of growth to promote the school’s mission and vision.

 Applicants must apply through this website