Bilingual School Counselor

Job Description

Job Description

About Innovation Charter High School

At Innovation Charter High School, we believe schools can be places where young people are deeply known, challenged, and prepared to shape their futures, and where educators do some of the most meaningful work of their careers.

We are a mission-driven public charter high school in New York City serving students with ambition, care, and urgency. Our team is fiercely committed to improving student outcomes and continuously strengthening the school we are building together. This is a place for educators who believe:

• Feedback is essential to growth, for students and adults
• Curiosity is a driver of strong teaching and learning
• Great schools are built through reflection, collaboration, and persistence
• Students thrive when adults hold high expectations and provide deep support
• Supporting one another as a community and showing up as strong team players matters just as much as individual excellence

We are not interested in maintaining the status quo. We are actively working to create new ways of supporting students and new ways of working together as colleagues. That takes humility, experimentation, resilience, and heart.

Our staff cares deeply. We challenge one another. We learn in public. We keep improving.

If you are energized by joining a dedicated team that is building toward something better, for students and for each other, we'd love to meet you.

We are seeking a Bilingual School Counselor who is deeply committed to supporting the academic, social-emotional, behavioral, and postsecondary success of high school students. As a member of an assigned grade team, the School Counselor serves as a primary advocate and support for students and families, providing mandated IEP counseling services, monitoring academic progress and graduation readiness, developing individualized interventions, and responding to students' social-emotional needs. The counselor works closely with teachers, administrators, families, special education staff, and related service providers to identify barriers to student success and ensure students receive timely, coordinated support. The Bilingual School Counselor also plays an important role in strengthening communication and partnership with multilingual students and families and ensuring students and families can meaningfully engage in the school community.

What You’ll Do

Provide Student-Centered Counseling & Social-Emotional Support

• Provide individual and group counseling services in accordance with students' IEP mandates and identified social-emotional needs.
• Develop strong, trusting relationships with students and provide a safe and supportive environment for counseling and problem-solving.
• Document counseling services, monitor progress toward counseling goals, and contribute to IEP reviews and progress reports.
• Participate in IEP meetings as the mandated counseling provider and collaborate with special education staff and related service providers.
• Provide short-term, solution-focused interventions for students experiencing academic, attendance, behavioral, or social-emotional challenges.
• Make appropriate referrals to internal and external mental health, social service, and community-based resources when additional support is needed.

Drive Academic Progress & Graduation Readiness

• Serve as the primary counselor and advocate for students within an assigned grade.
• Conduct credit checks, transcript reviews, and academic planning to ensure students remain on track for promotion and graduation.
• Review student schedules for accuracy and alignment with graduation and diploma requirements.
• Monitor student performance, attendance, credit accumulation, and other indicators to identify students requiring additional intervention.
• Meet individually with students and families to discuss academic progress, graduation readiness, postsecondary goals, and needed support.
• Collaborate with teachers, administrators, and student support staff to develop and monitor interventions for students who are off track.

Develop & Monitor Individual Learning Plans

• Develop and maintain Individual Learning Plans (ILPs) in collaboration with students, teachers, families, and administrators.
• Establish individualized goals related to academics, attendance, social-emotional development, and postsecondary readiness.
• Use student data and ongoing progress monitoring to evaluate interventions and adjust support strategies.
• Help students develop ownership of their goals and strengthen self-advocacy, decision-making, and planning skills.

Lead Social-Emotional Learning & Preventive Supports

• Design and facilitate developmentally appropriate SEL and advisory lessons aligned with schoolwide student support priorities.
• Provide classroom push-in lessons and workshops addressing topics such as resilience, conflict resolution, healthy relationships, self-management, decision-making, and future planning.
• Partner with teachers and grade teams to incorporate effective social-emotional supports into the student experience.
• Develop proactive interventions that strengthen student belonging, engagement, and overall well-being.

Respond to Student Crises & Coordinate Intervention

• Provide immediate counseling, crisis intervention, and de-escalation support for students experiencing emotional, behavioral, or safety-related concerns.
• Collaborate with school leadership, deans, counselors, families, and other appropriate staff to implement crisis response and student safety protocols.
• Support re-entry planning and follow-up for students returning from hospitalization, suspension, extended absence, or other significant events.
• Maintain timely and accurate documentation of crisis interventions, referrals, follow-up activities, and student supports.
• Recognize situations requiring escalation and follow all applicable school policies and mandated reporting requirements.

Partner with Families & the School Community

• Build strong, culturally responsive relationships with students and families.
• Communicate effectively with multilingual families and help reduce language and access barriers to school services and information.
• Conduct proactive family outreach regarding academic progress, attendance, social-emotional concerns, and student successes.
• Facilitate student and family conferences and collaborative problem-solving meetings.
• Serve as the counseling liaison for the assigned grade team and maintain regular communication with teachers, administrators, and student support staff.
• Participate actively in grade team meetings, counseling department meetings, schoolwide initiatives, professional development, and other collaborative structures.

Contribute to a Collaborative Adult Culture

• Engage actively in feedback, coaching, and professional learning
• Collaborate with colleagues to improve practice and student outcomes
• Contribute to a culture of reflection, curiosity, and continuous improvement
• Help create classrooms and a school community rooted in belonging, safety, and high expectations

Qualifications

Required:

• Master's degree in School Counseling or a related field
• New York State School Counselor certification or appropriate pathway toward certification
• Fluency in English and a second language appropriate to the needs of the school community
• Strong interpersonal, written, verbal, and organizational skills
• Demonstrated commitment to culturally responsive, inclusive, and student-centered counseling practices
• Professional fluency in English and Spanish required

Strongly Preferred:

• New York State Bilingual Education Extension or active pathway toward obtaining the extension
• 3+ years of school counseling experience, preferably at the high school level and within a New York City public or charter school
• Experience providing mandated individual and group counseling services to students with IEPs
• Experience with academic planning, transcript review, credit accumulation, and New York State graduation requirements
• Experience providing crisis intervention, student re-entry support, and short-term counseling interventions
• Experience working collaboratively with multilingual students and families
• Familiarity with SESIS and other NYC student information and special education systems
• Experience using academic, attendance, behavioral, and social-emotional data to identify student needs and monitor interventions

Compensation & Benefits

This is a full-time position with a salary range of $60,000 – $100,000 (based on certification level and experience).

Innovation teachers certified in New York State receive a highly competitive compensation package. Uncertified teachers receive competitive compensation with increases upon certification.

Benefits include:

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• 401(k) with up to 5% employer match
• Life insurance
• Professional development and coaching
• A collaborative team deeply committed to growth and support

Please apply online and visit our website to see all of our open roles: