College Office Writing Specialist

Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School; New York (NY); On-site; USD 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental & vision plans

Free employee meals

Retirement plan

Parking options

Generous time off

Job summary

Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School seeks a College Office Writing Specialist to coach students through the college essay process. The role emphasizes brainstorming and iterative revisions to help each student submit authentic and compelling narratives.

Reporting to the Director of College Counseling, the position collaborates with the counseling team to manage the heavy “application season” workload and align essays with prompts such as Why Us while preserving the student’s voice.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree preferred.
• Knowledge of U.S. colleges/universities and independent schools; overseas programs a plus.
• Counseling skills beyond college admissions.
• Ability to work in a dynamic, collaborative team environment.
• Willingness to learn and align with Columbia Prep’s culture.
• Exceptional communication, interpersonal, organizational, and decision-making skills.

Responsibilities

• Coach and brainstorm with students to extract meaningful narratives for college applications.
• Design and lead writing workshops focused on narrative structure and hooks.
• Provide editorial feedback and ensure student voice remains central and within word limits.

Skills

Counseling skills

Communication skills

Team collaboration

Knowledge of US colleges

Willingness to learn

Education

Master's degree preferred

Job description

College Office Writing Specialist

The College Office Writing Specialist is a dedicated instructional resource designed to help students find their unique voices in the college application process. Rather than writing for the students, this role focuses on coaching, brainstorming, and the iterative revision process to ensure every student submits authentic and compelling narratives.

This position reports directly to the Director of College Counseling and works collaboratively with the counseling team to manage the heavy volume of the “application season.”

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Student Coaching & Brainstorming

• Individual Consultation: Meet one-on-one with students to extract meaningful personal narratives and “micro-stories” for the Common App Personal Statement.
• Workshop Facilitation: Design and lead small-group “Writing Bootcamps” during the spring and early fall, focusing on narrative structure and hook development.
• Supplemental Support: Direct the strategy for all non-Common App writing, ensuring students produce authentic, highly-researched responses to school-specific prompts (including “Why Us,” short takes, and creative supplements) that align with their overall application persona.

1. Editorial Review & Feedback

• Narrative Consistency: Review application drafts for clarity, tone, and flow, ensuring the student’s voice remains central and is not overshadowed by adult “over-editing.”
• Proofreading Management: Act as the final departmental set of eyes for grammar, syntax, and adherence to word counts before submission deadlines.
• Project Tracking: Maintain a dashboard of student progress to ensure all seniors are hitting internal writing deadlines.

1. Institutional Support

• Counselor Advocacy: Collaborate with College Counselors to ensure the student’s personal essays complement—rather than replicate—the information found in the Counselor Recommendation.
• Resource Development: Create and update a library of writing guides, “exemplar” essays (anonymized), and prompt-specific tip sheets.
• Faculty Partnership: Occasionally consult with the English Department to align school-year writing skills with application-style narrative writing.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Master’s degree preferred.
• Demonstrated knowledge base of U.S. colleges/universities and independent schools; knowledge of overseas programs a plus.
• Demonstrated counseling skills beyond college admissions extending to the context of family dynamics.
• Ability and desire to work in a dynamic and collaborative team environment.
• A willingness to learn and counsel in the context of Columbia Prep’s unique culture.
• Exceptional communication/marketing, interpersonal, organizational and decision-making skills.

WORK HOURS:

• 8:00am-4:00pm Monday through Friday
• Weekly faculty and department meetings until 4:30pm

COMPENSATION:

Salary range for this position is $80,000 – $100,000 annually. We also offer a warm and supportive culture as well as exceptional benefits including but not limited to:

• Comprehensive medical, dental & vision plans with a free medical coverage option for employee only coverage
• Free vision coverage
• Flexible Spending Accounts for Medical, Dependent Care, Parking & Transit
• 8% Annual Employer Contribution to retirement after one year of full time service
• Basic Life Insurance
• Enhanced Short Term Disability Coverage
• Long Term Disability Coverage
• Low cost additional benefits including voluntary life insurance, critical illness coverage and pet insurance
• Additional Aflac policies
• Free breakfast & lunch when school is in session
• Discounted parking
• Generous holiday schedule, sick and personal time

CGPS MISSION STATEMENT:

CGPS nurtures each student’s unique passions and talents inside and outside the classroom, unifying and inspiring members of its community in a rigorous but relaxed learning environment, preparing them for the finest colleges and instilling in them the confidence, ethical values and sense of purpose to embrace challenges, to achieve their dreams and to improve the world.

Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School is an equal employment opportunity employer. Employment on the basis of race (including hairstyle), color, religion, creed, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender and gender identity, gender expression, national origin, alienage, age, pregnancy, marital/partnership status, immigration or citizenship status, status as a veteran or active military service member status, disability, genetic predisposition, status as a victim of domestic violence, prior arrest or conviction record, caregiver status, credit history, salary history, unemployment status, sexual or reproductive health decisions, or any other characteristic or status protected by applicable law (collectively, the “Protected Characteristics”).