Director of Future Pathways and University Counseling

UWC-USA; Montezuma (NM); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

United World College-USA in New Mexico seeks a Director of Future Pathways and University Counseling to lead individualized counseling and strategic university application planning for over 200 students.

The Director provides guidance on admissions across US, UK, Canada, Europe and other destinations, oversees scholarships and financial aid, partnerships, and student success initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Provide individualized university counseling and pathway planning for more than 200 students.
• Guide students through university exploration, strategic application planning, scholarship planning, financial aid, enrollment decisions, and post-secondary planning.
• Conduct family meetings to support understanding of higher education systems in different countries and to align university planning with students' academic interests, career aspirations, financial circumstances, and long-term goals.
• Help students identify their values, goals, interests, and aspirations while developing educational plans aligned with their strengths and circumstances.
• Support students in managing the academic, personal, and emotional complexities of the university application process and post-secondary decision-making.
• Advise students applying through multiple higher education systems, including the United States, the United Kingdom through UCAS, Canada, Europe, Asia, and other international destinations.
• Support students with university admissions testing and application requirements across different national systems.
• Assist students in developing realistic, balanced, and financially viable application lists.
• Review and provide feedback on essays, personal statements, resumes, portfolios, and other application materials.
• Complete counselor recommendations, school reports, and institutional documentation required by universities, scholarship providers, and educational programs.
• Support students during course selection and academic planning in partnership with faculty and school leadership.
• Support first-year students through introductory coursework and programming focused on adjusting to UWC-USA, understanding the IB Diploma Programme, and beginning post-secondary exploration.
• Support students through enrollment and matriculation processes, including financial aid verification, enrollment deposits, visa and immigration requirements, SEVIS-related processes, travel barriers, financial restrictions, and other circumstances that may affect successful enrollment.
• Monitor the release of IB examination results and support students with conditional offers, confirmations, admissions adjustments, appeals, and university

Job description

Opportunity Statement

What is the context?

Founded in 1982, the United World College-USA is one of 18 United World College (UWC) campuses worldwide and the only campus in the United States. The UWC movement seeks "to make education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future." As such, UWC-USA values and promotes all manner of inclusion, diversity, equity, and access as part of our fundamental mission to bring people together across differences in service of a more peaceful and sustainable world. With the IB at the center of our academic program, and a strong focus on experiential learning including in a multinational/multicultural boarding environment, UWC-USA stretches its students, faculty and staff to learn and grow in a multi-perspectival community dedicated to democratic processes as reflective of our country location and traditions.

What is the UWC-USA mission?

We embrace the UWC mission "to make education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future" by preparing students to serve as catalysts for greater unity, peace, and sustainability in their personal lives, in their communities, and in their relationship to the environment. We accomplish this through intentional, place-based programming, an integral approach to our programming and our lives together, and ample opportunities for student autonomy and leadership under the guidance of caring staff and faculty.

How is UWC-USA unique?

Our participation in the UWC movement and our philanthropy-based educational model distinguish UWC-USA among international boarding schools. As a UWC two year school, we recruit students through more than 150 National Committees worldwide. Our philanthropy-based model makes our educational program widely accessible to students from families with modest financial resources, no matter where they live in the world, with more than 80% of UWC-USA students receiving a financial award to attend the school. Together, these two advantages allow us to bring together students whose identities, experiences, and ideas create a microcosm of the world on our campus, which is located in rural Northern New Mexico.

What are the key details?

• 27 teaching faculty and another ~30 total education staff
• 220 students in grades 11 and 12, admitted on the basis of merit, promise and potential through over 150 National Committees worldwide and a Global Selection Process run as a partnership between schools and UWC International
• 1:8 faculty to student ratio, with class sizes ranging from 8-18 students
• Roughly twenty-five percent of the students come from the U.S.; the remainder represent more than 80 countries
• 80%+ of UWC-USA students receive a financial award to attend the school
• Diversity and the value placed on it is paramount, with national diversity only scratching the surface; racial, ethnic, cultural, linguistic, religious, sexual, gender, and socio-economic diversity all figure large in the opportunity and challenge to work, learn, and live within our diverse community; cultural competency and sensitivity, combined with a willingness to learn and to grow, is a must at UWC-USA.

Primary Position Objectives

The UWC-USA program – a two-year experience that integrates our Academic, Bartos Institute, and Residential curricula – prepares students to serve as catalysts for greater unity, peace and sustainability in the world. We support students in the practice of our mission during their two years on campus and challenge them to live our mission for a lifetime.

The Director of Future Pathways and University Counseling leads UWC-USA's efforts to support students in exploring, accessing, and succeeding in post-secondary opportunities around the world. The Director at UWC-USA provides individualized counseling and strategic university application planning for more than 200 students representing over 80 nationalities while overseeing university counseling, scholarships, and financial aid advising, educational partnerships, departmental operations, and student success initiatives.

UWC-USA students come from diverse educational, cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. More than 80% of students receive financial assistance, making educational access, affordability, scholarship attainment, and strategic university partnerships central components of the Future Pathways program. Through the Davis UWC Scholars Program and other educational partnerships, the Director helps students pursue pathways that maximize opportunity while minimizing financial barriers.

The Director supports students in navigating a complex and often stressful process, helping them identify their values, goals, and interests while making healthy, informed, and confident decisions about their educational futures.

Working with a globally diverse student body, the Director develops and maintains systems and programs that allow students to receive personalized guidance while ensuring equitable access to university, scholarship, enrichment, and leadership opportunities.

Students pursue higher education pathways across multiple countries and educational systems, requiring expertise in international admissions, financial aid, and enrollment processes. UWC-USA students and families often prioritize affordability when considering higher education options, requiring thoughtful guidance around university fit, financial aid, scholarship opportunities, and long-term outcomes.

The Director serves as an administrative member of the Education Division and as a member of both the Education Leadership Team and Student Success Team. As part of a residential boarding school community, the Director also participates in shared leadership responsibilities, including the Administrator on Duty rotation.

This is challenging and meaningful work that combines direct student counseling, educational access, university partnerships, program management, and institutional leadership in support of student success.

Responsibilities

Student Counseling and Postsecondary Planning

• Provide individualized university counseling and pathway planning for more than 200 students.
• Guide students through university exploration, strategic application planning, scholarship planning, financial aid, enrollment decisions, and post-secondary planning.
• Conduct individual family meetings to support understanding of higher education systems in different countries and to align university planning with students' academic interests, career aspirations, financial circumstances, and long-term goals.
• Help students identify their values, goals, interests, and aspirations while developing educational plans aligned with their strengths and circumstances.
• Support students in managing the academic, personal, and emotional complexities of the university application process and post-secondary decision-making.
• Advise students applying through multiple higher education systems, including the United States, the United Kingdom through UCAS, Canada, Europe, Asia, and other international destinations.
• Support students with university admissions testing and application requirements across different national systems.
• Assist students in developing realistic, balanced, and financially viable application lists.
• Review and provide feedback on essays, personal statements, resumes, portfolios, and other application materials.
• Complete counselor recommendations, school reports, and institutional documentation required by universities, scholarship providers, and educational programs.
• Support students during course selection and academic planning in partnership with faculty and school leadership.
• Support first-year students through introductory coursework and programming focused on adjusting to UWC-USA, understanding the IB Diploma Programme, and beginning post-secondary exploration.
• Support students through enrollment and matriculation processes, including financial aid verification, enrollment deposits, visa and immigration requirements, SEVIS-related processes, travel barriers, financial restrictions, and other circumstances that may affect successful enrollment.
• Monitor the release of IB examination results and support students with conditional offers, confirmations, admissions adjustments, appeals, and university