Director, Student Services

Director, Student Services

Josephinum Academy of the Sacred Heart, 1501 North Oakley Boulevard

Job Purpose:

At Josephinum Academy of the Sacred Heart, we measure success one student at a time, and we seek to
provide an education that meets the needs of the whole child. The small class sizes and exceptional faculty
allow us to focus on understanding the unique educational needs of each student, helping students discover
their unique gifts and fostering a passion for education, service, wellness, and faith.
The Director, Student Services provides student support and counseling services conducive to the spiritual,
academic, social, emotional, and physical growth of our students including, but not limited to developing
prevention and intervention strategies; assessing students and families; providing case management;
monitoring student progress; and making referrals.

Job Responsibilities:

General

• Collaborate with counselors, social workers, school nurses, teachers, and other staff members to
support and encourage positive behavior, daily attendance, and support for standardized
assessments.
• Lead Student Services Department in the development and implementation of the schoolwide
counseling curriculum.
• Ensure applicable team members collaborate with Alumni Relations to connect current students with
alumni mentors.
• Collaborate with colleagues and Grants Manager to identify, provide applicable data and/or
information to support the completion of grant applications, and/or manage applicable grant awards.
• Help inform and provide insight into support and strategies for teachers to help students in the
classroom and provide feedback to your peers and support them in their teaching efforts.
• Identify and advocate for professional development, strategies, and support to faculty in expanding
their awareness and effectiveness of teaching strategies to further assist students in the classroom.
• Manages responsibilities of staff in Office of Student Services.
• Be open to constructive feedback on ways in which you can improve your outreach and
communication skills.
• Engage students’ families frequently to celebrate the successes and communicate the challenges.
• Be a flexible and cooperative member of the Principal’s Team and Josephinum community who is
willing to collaborate on departmental and school goals.
• Be an active member of the Josephinum faculty and community by participating in extra-curricular
activities to support the principal, co-workers, and/or students such as:
• serving on committees, • attending school related events,
• and participating in school related activities that assist in building community and/or
knowledge.
• Conduct student staffing meetings when necessary.
• Other duties as assigned by the principal as related to the position.

Academic

• Lead student scheduling and maintain new, current and transfer student schedules.
• Provides one-on-one and/or group academic counseling, guiding students in the selection of
classes and meeting graduation requirements.
• Work alongside Dean of Curriculum and Instruction to develop course offerings that align with ISBE
and Josephinum graduation requirements.
• Oversee the transcript and goal writing process for each student to ensure updated class portfolios.
• Monitor academic progress, attendance, and behavioral concerns of students.
• Complete credit checks for each student on caseload each semester.
• Communicate with guardians about their student’s academic successes and challenges.
• Manage recovery program.
• Adhere to, implement, and oversee the annual testing for SSD accommodations.
• Lead Sophie Scholars cohort including but not limited to:
• Interview program candidates, review Individual Education Plans (IEPs) and evaluate the
tools needed to support the student.
• Maintain IEP and 504 plans along with goals, documentation, teacher feedback, appropriate
supports, and re-evaluation.
• Manager support provided from outside organizations including but not limited to Catapult
Title and IDEA services and providers.
• Provide reporting to Josephinum leadership team regarding student progress, staffing,
service changes, challenges/obstacles, and funding status (e.g., Title).
• Provider tier 3 (e.g., speech language) support for students and in collaboration with the Dean of
Instruction and Dean of Students, by pushing into the classroom and providing necessary small group
and individualized supports and interventions as well as applicable documentation.
• Other duties as assigned by the principal as related to this position.

Social Emotional Wellness

• Manager Tier 1 (social emotional learning) support for students.
• Assist with the implementation of programmatic elements that support the social and emotional
wellness of the students.
• Provide pre- and post-assessment for students to identify their identified needs and determine if those
needs have been met.
• Identify and perform crisis management interventions including, but not limited to, suicide
assessments and hospitalizations.
• Work with the faculty and staff to support their endeavors in the classroom, immersing SEL into the
content areas.
• Review and provide final approval on mental health related needs including, but not limited to,
administration of annual mental health evaluation by school nurses.
• Serve as the lead evaluator if emergency situations arise.
• Manage an assigned student caseload and, if needed, delegate assignments to other counselors.
• Other duties as assigned as related to this position.

Education/Skills/Qualifications:

Required Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in counseling or social work from an accredited university.
• Active IDFPR (Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulations) License (LPC, LCPC,
LSW, or LCSW).
• A minimum of five (5) years of successful work experience in a school or similar setting.
• Three (3) years of experience in student advisement, working with at-risk students and students
from a variety of cultural/ethnic backgrounds.
• Experience and using retention strategies and technologies to monitor and support student success.
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to develop a rapport with students.
• Commitment to the school’s mission.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Competence in a variety of computer applications, including Powerschool, word processing,
databases, and spreadsheets.
• Strong student service orientation required.
• Ability to manage short-term and long-term projects and provide reports for grant purposes.
• Planning, development, implementation, and coordination of student recruitment, retention, and
support programs.
• Ability to examine and re-engineer operations and procedures, formulate policy, and develop and
implement new strategies and procedures.
• Ability to determine informational

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working in either a school, non-profit, or for-profit organization.
• Bi-lingual.
• LBS1 certified.
• ESL certified.