Posted: 05-May-26
Location: Kansas City, Missouri
Type: Full Time
Preferred Education:
Lower School Counselor
Grades K-5
Begins August 2026
Job Summary: The Pembroke Hill School seeks a Lower School Counselor to join its counseling team. The lower school serves approximately 380 students in kindergarten through fifth grade and has a team of 60 faculty and staff. This ideal candidate will be insightful, approachable, compassionate, energetic and passionate about working with students, teachers, parents and all other members of the educational community. The school counselor will lead and teach counseling education initiatives and collaborate on the development of social emotional learning in the lower school. Additionally, the counselor will plan and implement parent education opportunities. The Lower School Counselor reports directly to the Lower School Division Head and the Director of Counseling.
Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities:
- Collaborate with administrators, counseling team, and support staff to develop and implement counseling/wellness lessons
- Meet with students for personal and social counseling services
- Coordinate with the Learning Lab team to support students with accommodations and support plans
- Consult with grade level teams and lower school division head regarding appropriate homeroom placement for students
- Provide parent/family education regarding social-emotional development and wellbeing in collaboration with the counseling department and/or lower school team
- Develop relationships with community partners to support counseling curriculum, parent education and counseling referrals for students
- Communicate with students outside clinicians to support students' needs while at school
- Maintain appropriate and detailed records
- Serve on the lower school leadership team
- Attend lower school faculty and leadership team meetings, counseling department meetings
- Consult and collaborate with teachers regarding individual student needs
- Communicate and partner with parents regarding individual student needs
- Keep lower school administration apprised of student needs
- Actively support transitions into and out of lower school
- Uphold the ethical standards of the school counseling profession
- Seek professional growth opportunities
Schedule: This position is based on the school year (August through May). During the school year, there are three school breaks - one week at Thanksgiving, two weeks in winter and two weeks in spring; plus holidays, personal and sick days. There will also be one additional working day following the last day of school.
Compensation: Compensation will be based on a competitive norm influenced by local non profit as well as peer independent schools in the nation, using work experience and education. Transcripts and verification of employment will be required. Benefits include health, dental, retirement match (up to 8%), paid sick time, disability and life insurance, professional development opportunities, PHS tuition remission, free lunch, and more!
About Pembroke Hill School:
Pembroke Hill School is an independent school in Kansas City, Missouri. Pembroke Hill seeks to fulfill our mission by recognizing that diversity, belonging, equity, and inclusion are integral elements of school and community life. Our mission-inspired goal is together, cultivating the best in each, for the benefit of all. Cultivating each to be a global thinker and valuable member of the PHS community poised to acquire the academic and life skills that make a significant difference for all.
Physical Demands for positions:
The physical demands described here represent those that must be met by an employee to perform the essential functions of this job successfully. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
- Ability to sit and stand for extended periods. For elementary and lower school, sit on the floor for extended periods of time.
- Ability to enter data into a computer, to see and read a computer screen and printed material with or without vision aids
- Ability to hear and understand speech at normal classroom levels, outdoors, and on the telephone
- Ability to speak in audible tones so that others may understand clearly in normal classrooms, outdoors, and on the telephone
- Physical ability to lift, carry and/or hold up to 25 pounds to shoulder height and 50 pounds to waist height
- Ability to occasionally balance, reach, bend, squat, stoop, or kneel
- Ability to climb stairs, walk, and occasionally run, if required
Pembroke Hill School participates in E- Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. at the time of hire.
Qualifications and Requirements:
- Certified School Counselor or experience as a school based mental health provider - MSW, LPC, LCPC preferred.
- Min 1-2 yrs counseling youth, school counseling experience at the Elementary level strongly preferred.
- Play therapy certification or experience is a strong plus.
- Strong writing skills as well as communication and interpersonal skills.
- Excellent organizational skills and the ability to multi-task effectively.
- Proven ability to listen and connect with children while showing empathy and concern.
