Director of Student Wellness

St. Michael's Prep in Austin, TX has engaged DovetailED to lead a search for a Director of Student Wellness to start in January 2027 or sooner. Interested candidates should review the Opportunity Statement and submit a cover letter, resume, and list of references as a consolidated PDF to Zack Lehman, President at DovetailED Talent Sourcing , at [email hidden], and Victoria Jones, Recruiter, at [email hidden].

Position Type: Full-Time, 12 month

Reports to: Head of Upper School

• About St. Michael's Catholic Preparatory School
• St. Michael's Catholic Preparatory School (SMP) is a Pre-K through Grade 12 independent Catholic
• school in Austin, Texas, dedicated to forming young people intellectually, spiritually, and morally
• within the Catholic tradition. Grounded in Catholic Social Teaching, SMP cultivates a community
• where academic excellence, faith formation, and the dignity of every student are held together as a
• single mission. Guided by our Portrait of a Graduate, we prepare students not only for college but for
• lives of purpose, service, and integrity.
• SMP seeks colleagues who share a commitment to the whole child — mind, body, and spirit — and
• who bring both professional excellence and a genuine care for students and families to their work
• each day.

About the Position

• SMP is seeking an experienced Director of Student Wellness to join our administrative team. The
• Director will be the senior administrator responsible for supporting student wellbeing and balance
• within the Upper School (Grades 9–12). This is a role for every student, not only those navigating a
• specific challenge: the Director will champion a healthy rhythm of academic, spiritual, social, and
• personal life, helping students build the habits and perspective to thrive under the ordinary
• pressures of Upper School — workload, sleep, activities, relationships, and expectations — while also
• ensuring thoughtful support is in place for students who need more. The Director will lead the
• Upper School's counseling team, set the vision for proactive wellbeing programming, and coordinate
• closely with the Health Office on matters of physical health. This is a full-time, exempt (salaried),
• in-person, 12-month (year-round) position reporting to the Head of Upper School or designee, in
• close partnership with Upper School faculty and staff.

Primary Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Provide strategic leadership in support of student wellbeing and balance within the Upper

School (Grades 9–12), with programming designed to reach and benefit the entire student body.

• Set the vision and long-range priorities for a healthy, sustainable Upper School experience —

• helping students balance academics, extracurriculars, faith life, rest, and relationships — while
• ensuring appropriate support is available for students who need additional care.

• Lead the Upper School counseling team and integrate wellbeing and student support services to

• promote a sense of belonging, balance, and academic success, in a manner consistent with
• SMP's Catholic mission and Portrait of a Graduate.

• Coordinate with the Health Office and school nurse on matters of physical health that intersect

• with student wellbeing, ensuring aligned, whole-person support without duplicating clinical
• medical oversight.

• Build trusting, collaborative relationships with all stakeholders, demonstrating partnership across

counseling, academics, athletics, and family life.

• Collaborate regularly with Lower School and Middle School counselors to ensure a coherent,

• developmentally aligned continuum of student wellness programming across all divisions, so
• that the wellbeing language, expectations, and support students experience in the Upper School
• build naturally on what came before.

• Design, implement, and continuously improve wellbeing and balance curricula and

• programming grounded in Catholic Social Teaching, appropriate to each developmental stage
• and intended for all students.

• Attend weekly Upper School Educational Leadership Team meetings.

Student Care and Support

• Serve as a visible, approachable presence for the whole student body — building rapport and

trust so that wellbeing is framed as a shared, everyday priority.

• Monitor school-wide patterns that affect student balance, such as workload, schedule, and

• extracurricular demands, and partner with academic and activity leaders to make adjustments
• that support healthier routines.

• Provide direct support to students navigating more significant challenges, including consultation

• with families and, where appropriate, outside mental health providers, while keeping such
• support in proportion to the broader, universal focus of the role.

• Serve as a point of contact for elevated parent/guardian wellbeing concerns and, when needed,

more serious situations requiring additional care or outside referral.

• Work closely with student support teams on individual student needs, including consultation

regarding student learning plans and accommodations related to wellbeing factors.

• Lead regular wellness team meetings with Upper School counselors to align on both universal

• programming and support for students of concern; oversee re-entry plans for students returning
• from a wellbeing-related absence.

• Support and consult with the Director of Athletics and coaching staff on healthy balance for

student-athletes, including workload, rest, and team dynamics.

Program and Operational Oversight

• Oversee the Upper School's counseling and wellness program, including supervision of Upper

• School counselors, coordination of universal wellbeing programming, and collaboration with
• families and outside providers when additional support is needed.

• Oversee counseling team scheduling and workload distribution to ensure both proactive,

all-student programming and responsive individual support are appropriately staffed.

• Develop and maintain a Student Wellness Program Manual and related operational

• documentation, including wellbeing programming plans, referral pathways, and support
• protocols for students who need them.

• Establish a regular cadence of cross-divisional meetings with Lower School and Middle School

• counselors to share practices, coordinate on students transitioning between divisions, and
• maintain a consistent, school-wide approach to student wellness.

• Own the oversight and ongoing development of a top-tier Upper School advisory program,

• ensuring every student has a trusted adult connection and a consistent, structured space to
• build balance, belonging, and reflection into their week.

• Design and refine advisory curriculum and structure in partnership with school leadership,

• aligning advisory group activities with the broader wellbeing and balanced priorities of the
• Upper School.

• Plan and lead ongoing training and support for faculty advisors, equipping them with practical

• tools and confidence to guide meaningful advisory conversations, recognize when a student may
• need additional care, and reinforce healthy routines.

• Regularly gather feedback from advisors and students to evaluate the advisory program's

effectiveness and drive continuous improvement.

Policy and Communication

• Develop, review, and maintain Upper School wellbeing-related policies and protocols, in

• consultation with counseling staff and school leadership, in alignment with school-wide
• practices.

• Ensure compliance with applicable state and federal requirements related to student support

services, mandated reporting, and confidentiality of counseling and student records.

• Ensure counseling and wellness records are accurate, secure, and maintained in accordance with

FERPA and professional confidentiality standards.

• Communicate proactively with school leadership, families, and employees in support of student

• wellbeing, sharing practical guidance the whole community can use, in addition to updates on
• protocols when a situation warrants it.

Education, Training, and Professional Responsibilities

• Conduct wellbeing-related training for employees as necessary, including how to support healthy

balance for students day to day and how to recognize when a student may need additional care.

• Maintain professional competencies through continuing education and engagement with

current trends and best practices in student wellbeing, healthy development, and balance.

Requirements

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Counseling, School Psychology, Social Work, Education, or a related field

required; doctoral degree preferred.

• Licensed or certified in a relevant field (e.g., LPC, LCSW, LMFT, Licensed Psychologist, or School

Counselor certification) preferred.

• 7–10 years of experience in student support, counseling, or wellbeing programming, with

substantial experience in a school-based setting; adolescent development expertise preferred.

• Demonstrated experience designing or leading proactive wellbeing programming for a broad

student population, not solely individual counseling caseloads.

• Experience developing or leading an advisory or mentorship program, including training and

supporting faculty in that role, strongly preferred.

• Prior leadership experience, managing counseling or student support staff, budgets, and

program operations preferred.

• Familiarity with school laws and regulations related to student support services, including

mandated reporting and FERPA.

• Collaborative leadership style consistent with SMP's mission and values.
• Strong oral and written communication skills, including the ability to engage warmly with

students, families, and colleagues on everyday wellbeing topics as well as more sensitive matters.

• Ability to work with a diversity of constituents, including students, parents, faculty, staff, and

administrators.

• Awareness, appreciation, and comfort supporting the wellbeing and balance of a diverse student

• body, including racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity with knowledge of best practices for
• inclusive support consistent with Catholic teaching on the dignity of the human person.

• Prior experience with student information and wellness platforms preferred.

• St. Michael’s Catholic Preparatory School is an Equal Opportunity Employer and offers equal
• employment opportunity to all applicants for employment and all employees without regard to race,
• color, religion, sex, gender, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information,
• veteran status, military service, application for military service, or any other status protected by
• applicable law.