COTTAGE COUNSELOR

Job Description and Duties

Positions are for a 10 month school year with eligibility for an additional 2 months to be paid by State Special School Benefits through Unemployment Insurance.

Under the direction of the Supervising Counselor in the Residential Life Department, the incumbent will supervise residential students and staff who provide care and support to students. This role involves planning, coordinating, and conducting recreational, academic support, and social activities to meet identified individual student and programmatic needs. The incumbent will oversee the preparation of schedules and activity plans; provide guidance and expertise to staff; communicate with parents to address challenging student behavior issues; and coordinate the provision of social, medical, and other non-school services for students and their families. Additionally, the incumbent will collaborate with academic and professional school staff to develop individual student development plans and ensure the smooth operation of residential activities by providing support in programming and behavior management when necessary.

You will find additional information about the job in the .

Working Conditions

Subject to fingerprinting and criminal record clearance by the Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation and Tuberculosis clearance. This position is designated as safety sensitive and is subject to reasonable suspicion drug and alcohol testing.

Special Requirements

• The position(s) require(s) fluency in the American Sign Language language. If the State of California does not have a current record documenting your fluency in this language, you will be required to successfully pass an approved language fluency test prior to being hired.
• The position(s) require(s) completion of educational courses as specified in the Class Specification (link available in the Minimum Requirements section).

Examination

Individuals who do not have lateral transfer eligiblity, must have taken and passed an examination to obtain list eligibility for the classification in order to apply. List eligibility may be obtained by meeting the minimum qualifications as outlined in the examination bulletin, and obtaining a passing score on the Qualifications Assessment Questionnaire.

The examination bulletin may be viewed on the California Department of Human Resources Web page at:

Desirable Qualifications

In addition to evaluating each candidate's relative ability, as demonstrated by quality and breadth of experience, the following factors will provide the basis for competitively evaluating each candidate:

• Experience working with youth in residential or educational settings, particularly those with diverse needs
• Demonstrated ability to manage group dynamics and foster a safe, positive living environment
• Knowledge of behavior management strategies and conflict resolution techniques

Benefits

Benefit information can be found on the CalHR website, , and the CalPERS website, .

ADDITIONAL SALARY INFORMATION

Effective July 1, 2025, the California Department of Human Resources (CalHR) implemented the Personal Leave Program 2025 (PLP 2025). PLP 2025 directs that each employee shall receive a 3 percent reduction in pay in exchange for 5 hours PLP 2025 leave credits, monthly. The salary range(s) included in the job advertisement do not reflect the 3 percent reduction in pay.

Required Application Package Documents

The following items are required to be submitted with your application. Applicants who do not submit the required items timely may not be considered for this job:

• Current version of the State Examination/Employment Application STD Form 678 (when not applying electronically), or the Electronic State Employment Application through your Applicant Account at All Experience and Education relating to the Minimum Qualifications listed on the Classification Specification should be included to demonstrate how you meet the Minimum Qualifications for the position.
• Resume is optional. It may be included, but is not required.