Job Title: Career Counsellor – Lighthouse Kiran Program

Location: Pune / PCMC, Maharashtra

Department: Youth Development / Education

Experience: 4 years preferred

Qualification: Master's degree preferred; relevant Bachelor's degree holders with experience may also apply

Employment Type: Full time

About Lighthouse Kiran

Lighthouse Kiran works with young people to create opportunities for learning, personal growth, career exploration, and future readiness.

We are looking for a passionate and empathetic Career Counsellor to work with adolescents aged 14–18 years. The role focuses on helping young people develop self-awareness, build social-emotional competencies, explore diverse education and career pathways, and make informed decisions about their futures.

The ideal candidate will be committed to adolescent development, inclusive learning, and empowering young people to discover their strengths, interests, aspirations, and potential.

Job Summary The Career Counsellor will create a safe, supportive, and inclusive environment where adolescents can explore their identities, understand their strengths and interests, develop life skills, and plan their education and career journeys.

The role combines social-emotional learning (SEL), individual counselling, career exploration, group facilitation, parent engagement, and future-readiness activities.

The counsellor will empower students to make their own informed choices rather than prescribe specific careers or pathways.

Key Responsibilities

1. Adolescent Development and Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)

- Facilitate activities that help students explore their values, interests, strengths, emotions, relationships, and aspirations.
- Create a respectful, inclusive, and psychologically safe learning environment.
- Support students in developing self-awareness, confidence, emotional regulation, communication, and decision-making skills.
- Identify students who may require additional support and follow established referral protocols.

2. Individual Counselling and Mentoring

- Conduct structured one-on-one counselling and mentoring sessions with students.
- Understand students' interests, aspirations, concerns, strengths, and challenges.
- Support students with motivation, goal setting, educational decisions, career exploration, and future planning.
- Develop individual action plans and conduct regular follow-ups.
- Maintain professional boundaries, confidentiality, and appropriate documentation.
- Recognise situations requiring specialised mental health or child-protection support and refer them through established protocols.

3. Career Exploration and Future Readiness

- Help students explore diverse career options, educational opportunities, and vocational pathways.
- Facilitate career exploration activities, assessments, discussions, and reflection exercises.
- Provide reliable information about pathways after Class 10 and Class 12, including higher education, vocational education, skill development, apprenticeships, and other relevant opportunities.
- Guide students on courses, institutions, scholarships, entrance examinations,



and emerging careers.
- Challenge gender stereotypes and social or economic barriers that may limit career choices.
- Help students create career exploration and development plans based on their interests, strengths, and aspirations.

4. Career Exposure and Experiential Learning

- Plan and facilitate career talks, industry interactions, college and workplace visits, career fairs, alumni sessions, and role-model interactions.
- Organise career projects, job-shadowing, and other experiential learning opportunities where feasible.
- Help students reflect on their experiences and connect their learning with their interests and future goals.

5. Parent and Family Engagement

- Conduct parent and guardian sessions on adolescent development, education pathways, career exploration, and supporting young people's aspirations.
- Help families understand changing education and employment opportunities.
- Facilitate constructive conversations between students and parents when there are differences in educational or career expectations.
- Engage families with sensitivity to their cultural, social, economic, and community contexts.

6. Group Facilitation

- Design and deliver engaging group sessions for adolescents using discussions, role plays, projects, case studies, reflection exercises, and peer learning.
- Adapt sessions to students' developmental needs:
- Ages 14–15: Identity, self-awareness, interests, confidence, and exploration.
- Ages 16–17: Subject choices, career exploration, decision-making, and education pathways.
- Ages 17–18: Transition planning, higher education, skill development, and career readiness.

7. Student Tracking, Documentation, and Reporting

- Maintain accurate records of student participation, counselling sessions, goals, referrals, and progress.
- Track student engagement and development throughout the program.
- Maintain individual development and career plans as required.
- Prepare periodic reports on student learning, engagement, challenges, and outcomes.
- Ensure all documentation follows program, confidentiality, and safeguarding protocols.

8. Safeguarding and Student Well-being

- Adhere to Lighthouse Kiran's child safeguarding, consent, confidentiality, and referral policies.
- Maintain appropriate professional boundaries when working with adolescents.
- Respond responsibly to concerns relating to abuse, bullying, discrimination, emotional distress, or student safety.
- Escalate safeguarding concerns through established channels and work within the scope of the counsellor's skilled role.

Desired Candidate Profile

Educational Qualifications

- Master's degree in Counselling Psychology, Psychology, Career Counselling, Social Work, Education, or a related field is preferred.




- Candidates with a Bachelor's degree and relevant experience in counselling, adolescent development, social-emotional learning, education, or career guidance may also be considered.

Experience

- 4 years of relevant experience preferred in one or more of the following areas:
- Adolescent or school counselling
- Career counselling and educational guidance
- Social-emotional learning and life skills education
- Youth development and community-based programs
- School or education-based interventions
- College and career guidance
- Experience working with adolescents from diverse or underserved communities will be an advantage.

Required Skills and Competencies

Counselling and Youth Development

- Strong active-listening, counselling, and mentoring skills.
- Understanding of adolescent development and age-appropriate guidance.
- Ability to build trust and rapport with young people.
- Empathetic, non-judgmental, and culturally sensitive approach.
- Ability to recognise when students require specialised support.

Social-Emotional Learning and Facilitation

- Strong group facilitation and communication skills.
- Ability to translate SEL concepts into engaging, participatory activities.
- Ability to create safe and inclusive learning environments.
- Confidence in working with students across different age groups.

Career Guidance

- Understanding of Indian education systems and career pathways after Class 10 and Class 12.
- Ability to provide unbiased, accurate, and developmentally appropriate career information.
- Familiarity with career assessment and exploration tools.
- Ability to encourage students to explore multiple options rather than prescribe a single career choice.

Professional and Organisational Skills

- Robust documentation, reporting, planning, and follow-up skills.
- Basic proficiency in Google Workspace, MS Office, and digital tools.
- Ability to collaborate effectively with parents, teachers, program teams, educational institutions, and external partners.
- Ability to manage multiple responsibilities and maintain accurate student records.

Language Requirements

- Fluency in English is preferred.
- Knowledge of Marathi and/or Hindi is preferred, depending on the program location within Pune/PCMC.

Why Join Lighthouse Kiran?
- Contribute to the personal growth and future readiness of adolescents.
- Help young people access diverse education and career opportunities.
- Create meaningful impact through counselling, mentoring, and experiential learning.
- Work collaboratively with a team committed to youth development and inclusive education.

How to Apply

Interested candidates who are passionate about adolescent development, counselling, and career guidance are encouraged to apply at [email protected] mentioning role and location in the subject line.

Please highlight your relevant experience in counselling, social-emotional learning, youth development, or career guidance in your application.

Pay: ₹30,000.00 - ₹40,000.00 per month

Benefits

- Health insurance
- Provident Fund

Work Location: In person

📌 Career Counselor (Pimpri-Chinchwad)
🏢 LCF (Lighthouse Communities Foundation)
📍 Pimpri-Chinchwad