Employment

 

Start Date: July 1, 2022

The Position

Greens Farms Academy seeks a College Counselor to begin July 2022. The counselor will report to the Director of College Guidance and directly support the functions of the College Guidance Office. This person will be responsible for guiding a cohort of students and families through the experience of applying to college. The counselor will join a fast-paced office of professionals with a service-oriented ethos in supporting students and their families. The college counselor will have a strong commitment to independent school life which involves chaperoning duties, serving as a student advisor, and taking on various other responsibilities as needed.

The ideal candidate will have at least three years of experience in competitive college admissions or independent school counseling and be ready to serve as a resource for our families. Experience working in an independent school is preferred. Candidates should enjoy working in a collaborative environment; be flexible, creative, and adaptable; demonstrate a willingness to fully engage in the life of the school; and be committed to fostering a culture of belonging.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities:

• Advising a portion of the students and families in each grade (9-12) on all aspects of their college search and application experience. This includes working with students on list building, essays, applications, interview preparation, correspondence with colleges, athletic recruitment, artistic review, financial aid, and scholarship applications.
• Actively contributing to all College Guidance Office programs, presentations, and initiatives (occasional evenings and weekends required).
• Assisting in creating, updating, and editing written materials and web content used as outreach to students and families.
• Developing and maintaining close professional relationships with students, families, faculty, staff, and college admissions professionals.
• Writing comprehensive letters of recommendation that provide a full picture of the student to colleges and serving as an advocate for each counselee.
• Traveling to regional and national professional conferences and to colleges and universities.
• Serving as an advisor or co-advisor to 8-10 students.
• Leading students through the course selection process.
• Fulfilling other responsibilities as deemed appropriate

Professional Qualifications:

• A minimum of a bachelor’s degree (master’s preferred) and at least three years of experience in selective college admissions and/or independent school counseling.
• Strong organization and time management skills.
• Excellent communication skills - both written and oral.
• A thorough understanding of the application process at public and private colleges and universities, financial aid, and current trends in admissions.
• An ability to approach the role through the lens of equity and inclusion, meeting each individual student where they are and creating a sense of belonging for all students and families in the GFA community.
• Willingness to work as part of a team with an emphasis on collaboration and autonomy.
• Experience with college counseling or enrollment management software (Naviance, MaiaLearning, CollegeKickstart, etc)

Personal Qualities:

• Demonstrated commitment to the spirit of GFA’s mission and core values.
• Confidence, humility, warmth, a sense of humor, a strong work ethic, and an unwavering enthusiasm for working with teenagers
• Ability to listen, reflect, multitask, and partner with students, families, and colleagues.
• A collaborative, cooperative, empathetic, collegial, innovative, flexible and patient mindset.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills.

Application

Interested candidates should fill out this job application form using a Google Account to upload a resume and a cover letter addressed to Rachel Boyer, Director of College Guidance.

Associate Teachers 2022-2023

The Position

GFA is seeking Lower School Associate Teachers for the 2022-2023 school year. The Associate Teacher program provides aspiring teachers with training and experience in pre-kindergarten through fourth-grade classrooms under the guidance of a lead teacher. Associate Teachers are immersed in the daily life of the classroom through observation, supervised teaching, and small group work. Typically, Associate Teachers spend two years gaining the experience necessary to move on to their own classrooms, and many pursue a Master of Arts in Teaching degree from a nearby college or university while at Greens Farms. Associate Teachers receive a competitive salary with full benefits; they can also apply for funding for graduate school coursework and subsidized housing on campus. When available, there may be opportunities for Associate Teachers to receive additional compensation by leading after-school clubs in the Lower School and/or coaching athletic teams in the Middle and Upper Schools. For more information about working in our Lower School, please watch this video.

The ideal candidate will have a bachelor’s degree, some experience in and a passion for working with young children. For all positions, we look for candidates who enjoy working with colleagues in a collaborative environment; are flexible, creative, and adaptable; demonstrate a willingness to fully engage in the life of the school in and outside of the classroom; and are committed to equity, inclusion and fostering a culture of belonging for all students under our care.  

Interested candidates can submit their application using a Gmail account by filling out this form. The cover letter should be addressed to Erin Thorkilsen, Director of the Associate Teacher Program.

 

Position Description

Department:          Advancement
FLSA:                     Exempt
Job Status:            Full-time, Calendar Year
Reports to:            Director of Communications and                                       Director of Marketing and Special                                     Projects
Travel:                    Rare
Hours:                    Event coverage can be expected                                       some nights and weekends as                                           needed.

Position Summary

Greens Farms Academy, an independent day school in Westport, Connecticut, is seeking a go-getter to work with the team responsible for the school’s internal and external storytelling. This role will partner with the Director of Communications and the Director of Marketing and Special Projects in all areas of portraying the GFA experience to our students, families, and broader community. The ideal candidate has strong written and verbal communication skills, an understanding of social media marketing, and experience with photography and video production.

Essential Functions:

• Covering school events and daily school activities for the purpose of photography and videography
• Managing GFA’s social media accounts, including on-brand posting, data management and reporting, and staying up-to-date on the latest trends and best practices
• Creating content for website, magazine, and other publications
• Collaborating on strategic brand awareness, events, admission campaigns and development appeals
• Production of ad and video campaigns
• Administrative duties as needed
• Assisting with placement of digital advertising and promotions
• Providing website updates; assisting in creation of email blasts and online forms

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and related experience in the fields of communications, journalism, or marketing.
• Superior interpersonal and written communication skills
• Availability for occasional weekend and evening events

Preferred Skills:

• Video production and editing experience
• Familiarity with the Adobe Creative Suite
• Previous experience with website management

Please send a cover letter and resume to:  gfahr@gfacademy.org

Groundskeeper

Hours: M-F 6:30 AM - 3:00 PM (occasional evenings/weekends required)

Job Overview:

The Groundskeeper is responsible for assisting the grounds crew with daily maintenance operations of the athletic fields & grounds, shrubs, flower beds, sidewalks, driveways and parking areas to ensure the grounds of the facility are clean, safe and professional in appearance. This is a full time / year round position.

Reports to: Grounds Manager

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Mowing with ride on and walk behind equipment

• Assists in athletic field marking operations

• Assists in baseball / softball game day prep

• Blowing sidewalks in mornings

• Bed edging / mulching

• String trimming

• Pick up trash / empty trash containers

• Planting and watering annuals, perennials, shrubs and small trees

• Pruning of apple trees, shrubs and vines as needed

• Weeding of beds and athletic fields as needed

• Equipment maintenance

  • Grease mowers & sharpen blades

  • Small engine repair

  • Oil changes

• Clean / organize maintenance garage

• Daily traffic duty 

• Assists with special event setup / parking

• Snow removal 

  • Shovels & operates walk behind snow blowers

  • Applies ice melter with walk behind spreader

• Other duties as required and assigned

Qualifications:

• High school diploma or GED

• A valid driver's license 

• Landscaping / turfgrass management experience 

• Must be able to perform job responsibilities that require physical endurance and the ability to work outdoors in variable weather conditions

• Flexibility to work overtime / weekends for events or emergencies as needed

• Mechanical ability / small engine repair / greasing machines / sharpening mower blades

• Commercial Pesticide Operator's License or be willing to obtain

• Enthusiasm and positive attitude

• Work well with others and shows initiative

Physical Requirements:

1. Must be physically able to consistently perform job duties listed above.

2. Able to bend, stoop and lift a minimum of 50 lbs. 

3. Must able to withstand inclement weather including extremes of hot, cold and with precipitation typical of New England.

FLSA Status: Non-exempt 

Typical Level of Interaction: 
This position requires strong interaction with all school personnel as well as various service providers. 

Other Qualifications: 
All prospective employees must be able to clear a background check.

Physical Demands:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to listen, physically direct, and speak. The employee is required to stand; walk; climb stairs; use hands to finger, handle, or feel and reach with hands and arms. The employee is also required to lift and carry boxes weighing up to 50lbs. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision and ability to adjust focus. 

Work Environment:
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

Interested candidates should send their resume, cover letter to gfahr@gfacademy.org or fax 203-349-7151.  No phone calls please.