Early Pathways Advisor

Commonpoint; United States; On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Commonpoint is seeking an Early Pathways Advisor to support 9th–10th grade students at the Academy for Careers in Television & Film High School. The role reports to the Program Coordinator and focuses on early post-secondary planning, including college, vocational programs, and financial aid awareness.

Responsibilities include advisement, workshop design, family engagement, and collaboration with school staff.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in psychology, social work, counseling or related field.
• Strong Spanish language skills and urban youth experience.
• Experience delivering college and career readiness activities.
• Knowledge of college applications, financial aid and scholarships.
• Ability to design engaging youth programs and workshops.

Responsibilities

• Provide college and career readiness advisement to 9th and 10th graders.
• Deliver individual and small group advisement sessions.
• Design and implement workshops for students and families.
• Engage families to increase awareness of post-secondary pathways.
• Collaborate with school staff to integrate programming into the school culture.
• Coordinate college exposure opportunities for underclassmen.
• Document student interactions and program participation accurately.
• Support development of planning tools and student portfolios.
• Monitor engagement and identify early risk signs with staff.
• Identify gaps and help design improvements to interventions.
• Work with team to ensure alignment across grade levels.
• Attend meetings, trainings, and required events; provide outreach in English and Spanish.

Skills

Bilingual Spanish

Organizational skills

Teamwork

Verbal communication

Written communication

Youth development

College guidance

Financial aid knowledge

College readiness

Workshop design

Education

Master’s degree in Psychology, Social Work, School Counseling, or related field

Spanish fluency

3+ years of urban adolescent experience

Workshop development experience

College counseling experience

Job description

STATEMENT OF THE POSITION

Within our framework of holistic, strength-based, and family-supported framework, the individual hired as the Early Pathways Advisor in the High School and College Success Division will report directly to the Program Coordinator. This role is primarily focused on early post-secondary preparation for 9th- and 10th-grade students at the Academy for Careers in Television & Film High School.

The Advisor will provide structured college and career readiness programming that builds foundational awareness of post-secondary pathways, strengthens academic and social-emotional readiness, and supports students in developing early post-secondary plans. This includes individual and group advisement, workshop facilitation, family engagement, and collaboration with school-based staff.

Responsibilities

• Provide college and career readiness advisement to 9th and 10th grade students at the Academy for Careers in Television & Film High School with a focus on early post-secondary exploration, academic goal setting, and pathway awareness.
• Deliver individual and small group advisement sessions that support students in developing foundational understanding of post-secondary options including college, vocational and trade programs, military pathways, certificate programs, and other career opportunities.
• Design and implement engaging, developmentally appropriate workshops for students and families focused on high school success skills, early college and career exploration, introduction to post-secondary systems such as CUNY, SUNY, and Common App, early financial literacy and college affordability awareness, and goal setting aligned to graduation requirements.
• Develop and facilitate family engagement activities to increase awareness of post-secondary pathways and strengthen family understanding of high school expectations and college readiness milestones.
• Collaborate with school staff, counselors, and administrators to integrate college and career readiness programming into the school culture and ensure alignment with academic and advisory structures.
• Coordinate and support college and career exposure opportunities such as guest speakers, panels, workshops, and college or career visits for underclassmen.
• Maintain accurate and timely documentation of student interactions, attendance, advisement notes, and program participation using systems such as Google Sheets, Overgrad, or other tracking platforms.
• Support the development and maintenance of early post-secondary planning tools including student portfolios, interest inventories, academic tracking tools, and goal-setting documentation.
• Monitor student engagement and academic indicators to identify early warning signs of disengagement or risk and collaborate with school staff to provide targeted supports.
• Identify gaps in early post-secondary readiness and collaborate with Commonpoint staff to design and improve workshops, activities, and interventions.
• Work collaboratively with the High School and College Success team and Elevate persistence staff to ensure alignment across grade levels and continuity of services as students progress toward graduation.
• Participate in school-based meetings, professional development sessions, retreats, and Commonpoint trainings as required.
• Provide consistent outreach and communication to families in both English and Spanish to support student engagement and program participation.
• Travel to the school site regularly and support programming as needed, including occasional evening or extended-hour events.
• May require overnight travel.
• Ability to work evenings, as needed.
• Other duties assigned by supervisor.

Education & Qualifications

• Master’s Degree in Psychology, Social Work, School Counseling, or related field.
• Bilingual in Spanish (required) - strong verbal and written fluency.
• At least three years of experience working with adolescents in an urban environment, providing services that reduce barriers and facilitate educational success and social-emotional well-being.
• Demonstrated ability to establish a strong rapport with an urban adolescent population and their families.
• Prior workshop/seminar development and implementation experience is preferred; prior college counseling experience is strongly preferred.
• Strong ability to create engaging and relevant activities for students and their families connected to college.
• Must have excellent organizational, teamwork, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Must have a commitment to work from a strength-based and/or youth development perspective.
• Deep understanding of positive youth development, education learning standards, and issues facing immigrant and first-generation youth in the U.S.
• College guidance experience and strong knowledge of the college application, financial aid, and scholarship process.
• Strong knowledge of other post-secondary pathways: vocational/trade schools and certificate programs.

General Tasks of All Commonpoint Staff

• Promote and implement the Core Values of the Jewish Community Center.
• Participation in all staff meetings and staff training seminars.
• Participation in agency-wide programs and program committees, as assigned.
• Active involvement, as a supervisee, in the supervision process.
• Support the mission of Commonpoint.
• Other tasks appropriate to Commonpoint staff, as assigned.

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Primary office-based environment
• Sedentary work with occasional lifting up to 20 pounds.
• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Ability to work flexible hours, including occasional evenings or weekends as needed.

JOB DETAILS

Location: 1-50 51st Avenue, Long Island City, NY, 11101

Non-Union Position

Commonpoint is an equal opportunity employer