DIRECTOR, ADVISING

Position Title: Director, Advising

Department: Advising

Reports To: Dean, Student Services

Pay Grade: 23

Position Summary

The Director of Advising provides strategic leadership, operational oversight, and vision for the College's advising services, ensuring a student-centered approach that supports enrollment, persistence, completion, and career readiness. This position leads the transition and ongoing management of a caseload advising model, fostering proactive, holistic, relationship-based advising that improves student outcomes.

The Director is responsible for supervising advising personnel, coordinating advising operations, implementing early alert and retention strategies through advising methodologies, overseeing onboarding and registration support through the Welcome Center, and using data-informed practices to continuously improve student success initiatives. This role collaborates extensively with academic departments, Student Engagement, and other campus partners to create a seamless student experience from entry through completion.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

1.            Leadership & Operations Management

• Provide leadership for all advising functions, including daily operations, staffing, scheduling, workflow management, budgeting, and service delivery.
• Provide strategic leadership and support the oversight of the Welcome Center by ensuring Welcome Center staff are knowledgeable in admissions, registration, advising basics, financial aid navigation, resolution, and general college processes.
• Supervise and evaluate advising staff, including the Associate Director, Student Success Advisors, Enrollment Advisors, and support personnel.
• Lead recruitment, onboarding, training, coaching, and professional development of staff.
• Establish departmental goals aligned with institutional strategic priorities and student success outcomes.
• Develop policies, procedures, service standards, and assessment measures for advising operations.
• Promote a culture of accountability, responsiveness, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Manage peak enrollment operations including registration events, walk-in traffic planning, and high-demand service periods.

2.            Advising

• Lead implementation and ongoing refinement of a caseload advising model that assigns students to advisors for consistent, personalized support.
• Manage advisor caseload structures, outreach expectations, benchmarks, and service standards.
• Ensure advisors provide holistic support including academic planning, transfer pathways, career exploration, and referral to appropriate support services.
• Monitor advisor performance metrics including appointment utilization, student contact rates, persistence, and caseload engagement.
• Coordinate advising support for special populations including first-time students, returning students, dual credit transitions, workforce students, probation students. and stop-outs.
• Oversee onboarding processes including orientation, first-semester registration, degree planning, and new student readiness initiatives.
• Collaborate with faculty and deans to ensure advising aligns with academic program requirements and pathways.

3.            Retention, Early Alert & Student Success Initiatives

• Lead the College's advising response to early alert systems, academic progress concerns, and at-risk student outreach efforts.
• Develop intervention strategies for students experiencing academic, attendance, financial, or personal barriers.
• Coordinate outreach campaigns related to registration, persistence milestones, holds resolution, and reenrollment.
• Partner with CARE Team, student resource center, student success center, and financial aid to provide coordinated interventions.
• Design and implement retention initiatives that improve term-to-term persistence and completion rates.
• Support proactive student engagement efforts during critical times such as first two weeks, midterm, and pre-registration periods.

Assessment, Data & Reporting

• Utilize student information system, customer relationship management software, and appointment platforms to improve operations and student engagement.
• Analyze advising data including caseload trends, student success outcomes, retention, satisfaction, and service demand.
• Prepare reports, dashboards, presentations, and recommendations for institutional leadership.
• Ensure accurate recordkeeping, case notes, compliance documentation, and use of advising systems.
• Use data to inform staffing models, outreach strategies, and continuous improvement planning.

4.            Student Engagement & Collaboration

• Serve as a key liaison between other Enrollment Services areas, Academic Affairs, and other departments.
• Represent Advising in recruitment events, orientations, registration campaigns, and institutional committees.
• Support institutional strategic enrollment management goals through collaborative planning and execution.
• Maintain strong relationships with faculty, staff, and external partners to strengthen student pathways and success.

5.            Other Duties as Assigned

• Participate in college committees, strategic initiatives, accreditation efforts, and special projects.

Minimum Qualifications

• Master's degree in Higher Education, Counseling, Student Affairs, or related field
• Minimum 5 years of experience in academic advising, counseling, or student services in higher education.
• Minimum 3 years’ supervisory and leadership experience
• Skilled in advising technology, data analysis, and program development and implementation.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with strategic planning and budgeting
• Familiarity with holistic and intrusive advising practices
• Knowledge of higher education trends, policies and procedures

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Visionary leadership and strong communication skills.
• Analytical mindset and data-informed decision-making.
• Proficiency in problem-solving, policy interpretation, and collaborative work.
• Ability to develop training, workshops, and advising programs grounded in best practices.

Working Conditions

• Standard office environment with frequent interaction across campus departments

Physical Demands

• Ability to sit, stand, and use a computer for extended periods
• Occasional lifting of materials up to 20 pounds