EOC Counselor II — AAD Broward South EOC (AAD BSEOC) in Miami, Florida at King Youth Foundation Inc

Position Summary

The EOC Counselor provides individualized academic, career, and financial aid counseling to adults and youth age 19 and older who are low-income, first-generation, or both, and who want to enter or return to postsecondary education. The Counselor carries a caseload of about 500 participants a year, from intake and eligibility through enrollment and 90-day follow-up.

The Counselor's work drives the project's four federal objectives: 30% secondary-diploma completion, 72% college admission applications, 56% financial aid applications, and 62% postsecondary enrollment. The role treats degrees, Registered Apprenticeships, and Workforce Pell short-term credentials as equal options, and uses AI tools as a productivity aid, never as a substitute for counselor judgment.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Intake & Eligibility

• Conduct intake and verify eligibility (age, low-income and/or first-generation status, postsecondary intent) within five business days of each application.
• Collect and review income documentation and first-generation self-attestations; issue selection notices or missing-document lists within ten business days.
• Store eligibility records in the secure participant management system under FERPA and 34 CFR 75.730–.732.

Needs Assessment & Individual Success Plans

• Complete the seven-part needs assessment within 30 days of admission: educational history, career goals, academic readiness, financial aid profile, persistence-risk triage, distance-learning readiness, and skills profile.
• Build each participant's skills-first Individual Success Plan (ISP) and review it every 90 days and at case closure.
• Score persistence risk across five areas (academic readiness, FAFSA verification, transportation, child care, food/housing) and set service dosage to match.
• Capture each participant's skills profile using Open Skills Network Rich Skill Descriptors aligned with O*NET-SOC.

Academic, Career & Workforce Counseling

• Deliver individualized academic, career, and personal counseling in person, by phone, and online.
• Show each participant a side-by-side cost, earnings, and debt comparison of at least one degree pathway and one apprenticeship pathway.
• Advise on Registered Apprenticeships, pre-apprenticeships, and Workforce Pell short-term programs; screen for Workforce Pell eligibility.
• Coordinate WIOA Title I co-enrollment with CareerSource Broward for eligible participants.
• Deliver workforce-readiness coaching: résumés, interviews, and professional communication.
• Refer participants without a high school diploma to Atlantic Technical College, McFatter Technical College, or BCPS Adult & Community Education and follow them to completion.

Admissions & Financial Aid

• Provide hands-on help with college, technical college, and apprenticeship applications, including fee waivers, transcripts, essays, and recommendation letters.
• Hold FAFSA appointments and staff seasonal FAFSA Completion Days (October–March) co-hosted with the Florida College Access Network.
• Support IRS data retrieval, Student Aid Report review, and verification; close every SAR and confirm award-letter receipt before case closure.
• Screen participants for Pell, Workforce Pell, and Florida Bright Futures.
• Deliver financial and economic literacy sessions on budgeting, credit, banking, and student loans.

Referrals & Partner Coordination

• Refer participants to and track services from Top Score Tutors (10-session tutoring dosage), AI Guys AI-literacy training, CBI Hub online workshops, Career Bound Institute non-traditional career exposure, and college and apprenticeship partners.
• Close the loop on every referral from referral date to completion.
• Make same-day re-engagement contact with participants who miss a scheduled service; place a wellness-check call for repeated no-shows.

Enrollment & Persistence Support

• Provide summer-melt advising, placement-test preparation referrals, and orientation support.
• Conduct 30-, 60-, and 90-day check-ins after enrollment or apprenticeship placement.
• Verify applications and enrollment using National Student Clearinghouse StudentTracker and partner confirmations.

Technology, Data & Records

• Enter participant data daily in the participant management system; keep every file audit-ready for the Annual Performance Report.
• Use the counselor dashboard and AI productivity tools to draft case notes and track deadlines; review every AI-generated recommendation before it reaches a participant.
• Escalate any participant message showing housing, food, or mental-health risk to a human response immediately.
• Support the learner-wallet workflow: offer wallets at intake (opt-in) and issue AAD milestone credentials.
• Distribute mid-year and exit participant surveys for the Project Evaluator.

Team & Professional Duties

• Attend the monthly Performance Review Meeting and staff meetings.
• Staff outreach, information sessions, and intake events with the Outreach & Recruitment Specialist.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Project Director.

Required Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution in education, counseling, social work, psychology, human services, or a closely related field.

Experience

• At least two years of experience in postsecondary access counseling, TRIO, adult education, college admissions, financial aid advising, or workforce development counseling.
• Demonstrated experience helping people complete FAFSAs and college applications.
• Demonstrated experience working with low-income, first-generation, or disconnected populations.

Knowledge

• FAFSA and Title IV aid; Florida state universities, Florida College System, and technical colleges; Workforce Pell; Registered Apprenticeships; FERPA.
• WIOA Title I services and O*NET-SOC; ability to compare degree and apprenticeship cost, earnings, and debt.
• Case-management software; strong written and verbal communication.
• Comfortable using AI tools as a productivity aid; able to complete annual NIST AI Risk Management Framework training.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree.
• Bilingual English/Spanish or English/Haitian Creole.
• Lived experience as a first-generation college graduate or other experience similar to the target population.
• Experience running FAFSA Completion Days.
• Global Career Development Facilitator (GCDF) credential, or willingness to earn it within 12 months of hire.
• Certified financial-counseling credential.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Builds trust quickly with adult learners from many backgrounds and languages.
• Manages a large caseload without losing track of deadlines.
• Explains financial aid and career options in plain language.
• Keeps accurate, timely records and protects confidential information.
• Works independently and as part of a small team.

Physical & Travel Requirements

• Regular local travel to satellite sites, partner colleges, and community venues in the four ZIP codes; valid Florida driver's license and reliable transportation (mileage reimbursed).
• Evening and weekend work for FAFSA Completion Days and community events.
• Possible annual travel to the COE or FAEOPP conference.
• Ability to lift up to 25 pounds when setting up events.

Background Check & Required Training

• Florida Level II background check before start.
• Annual training: FERPA; Title IX; ADA; NIST AI Risk Management Framework; Florida College Access Network training; fall FAFSA-cycle training.

Grant-Funded Position

This position is funded by a U.S. Department of Education grant. Continued employment depends on annual continuation funding and satisfactory performance. Time and effort are documented under 2 CFR 200.430.

AAD is an Equal Opportunity Employer and a drug-free workplace. Reasonable accommodations are available to qualified applicants with disabilities.