1183 Senior Academic Advisor
POSITION IDENTIFICATION
TITLE Senior Academic Advisor
CLASSIFICATION NUMBER 1183
GRADE 42
CLASSIFICATION Exempt
IMMEDIATE SUPERVISOR Director, of Advising Center or Designee
GENERAL FUNCTION
The Senior Academic Advisor assumes a leadership role in the academic advising team,
mentoring junior advisors and providing guidance on complex advising cases. Leadership
in the development of advising policies and procedures, retention efforts, and strategic
planning are a crucial part of this position. This role will lead initiatives to
enhance academic programs, implement innovative technologies, and evaluate advising
practices. This position will contribute to university-wide policies and fostering
external partnerships, in addition to providing leadership in recruitment strategies,
participating in development of recruitment materials and guiding recruitment initiatives.
This role extends to community engagement, professional development, and training,
ensuring the success and growth of the advising team.
MINIMUM ACCEPTABLE QUALIFICATIONS
Education: A bachelor’s degree is required, a master’s degree is preferred.
Experience: Minimum five years of academic advising experience is required, where knowledge
of federal, state, and higher education policies and procedures has been gained.
Skills: Strong team leadership skills as well as excellent oral and written communication
skills, interpersonal skills (particularly in working with a diverse student population),
organizational and management skills, problem solving skills, organizational skills
and attention to detail are required. Computer literacy is required, experience with
database applications is preferred.
Other: The scope of the position occasionally requires work in the evenings and on weekends.
The position may require travel, including overnight travel.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIE
1. Takes a leadership role on the academic advising team by mentoring junior advisors
and providing guidance on complex advising cases.
2. Actively contributes to the development of advising policies and procedures as
well as leads retention-focused efforts and provides leadership in recruitment strategies.
3. Leads initiatives to enhance and innovate academic programs, implement new advising
technologies and tools to improve service delivery.
4. Evaluates and recommends improvements to existing advising practices.
5. Develops and implements advanced retention strategies and initiatives and contributes
insights for the development of recruitment strategies and materials.
6. Aligns advising goals with broader institutional objectives and provides input
on university-wide academic advising policies.
7. Leads strategic planning efforts to retention and recruitment initiatives.
8. Participates in student orientation programs to welcome and introduce students
to academic resources.
9. Generates reports on student outcomes and advising effectiveness as well as leads
advisement regarding analysis of data used to identify trends for strategies and targeted
interventions.
10. Establishes and maintains external partnerships to benefit students as well as
engaging with industry partners for internship and employment opportunities.
11. Facilitates training sessions for junior advisors and other university staff as
well as engages in advanced professional development opportunities.
12. Develops and leads training programs focused on retention and recruitment strategies
for advising staff.
13. Stays at the forefront of academic advising best practices and trends, through
targeted and documented professional development practices.
15. Contributes to the overall success of the Center by performing all other duties
and responsibilities as assigned.
SUPERVISION
The Senior Academic Advisor generally exercises limited supervision of others by taking
a leadership role in the academic advising team.
OFFICE OF HUMAN RESOURCES
REVISED JANUARY 2025
JOB FAMILY 4
Factor 1: Professional Knowledge, Skill, and Technical Mastery
Level 3.0 - 1500 Points: Entry-level knowledge of the principles, concepts, practices, and methods of an administrative, managerial, technical, or professional specialty. Knowledge permits employee to carry out basic recurring tasks and routine portions of assignments or to carry out less demanding professional elements of assignments in professional or technical areas including accounting or auditing, financial management, business administration, human resources, law, engineering, science, or medicine, while gaining familiarity with the University's policies and goals, business practices, and/or accounting systems. This level of knowledge permits the employee to schedule and carry out the steps of a limited operation or project, or to complete stages of a multi-phase project. Alternatively, knowledge at this level might also permit the employee to carry out recurring tasks and routine assignments requiring moderate experience in specific areas within higher education. Knowledge at this level is typically acquired through a combination of formal education and/or training and experience that includes a requirement for a college degree in a specific technical or professional specialty. Knowledge requirements may also include a limited amount of related work experience. Alternatively, equivalent knowledge requirements at this level include a non-technical or general Bachelor's degree requirement with a moderate level of additional related work experience or a non-specific Master's degree requirement with some related work experience.
Factor 2: Supervisory Responsibility
Level 2.0 - 130 Points: Regular, but limited, supervision, training, or directing the work assignments of (a) small numbers of student, part-time or temporary workers, or (b) one or more permanent, full-time employees. The nature of supervision is largely confined to scheduling work and assigning tasks. Supervision at this level typically does not include a full range of supervisory responsibilities, and supervisory duties typically do not consume a large portion of the work day.
Factor 3: Interactions with Others
Level 4.0 - 500 Points: Interactions with others are somewhat unstructured. The purpose may be to influence or motivate others, to obtain information, or to control situations and resolve problems. Interactions may be with individuals or groups of co-workers, students, or the general public, may be moderately unstructured, and may involve persons who hold differing goals and objectives. Individuals at this level often act as a liaison between groups with a focus on solving particular unstructured problems. Interactions at this level require considerable interpersonal skill and the ability to resolve conflict.
Factor 4: Job Controls and Guidelines
Level 3.0 - 500 Points: The employee operates under general supervision expressed in terms of program goals and objectives, priorities, and deadlines. Administrative supervision is given through statements of overall program or project objectives and available resources. Administrative guidelines are relatively comprehensive and the employee need only to fill in gaps in interpretation and adapt established methods to perform recurring activities. In unforeseen situations, the employee must interpret inadequate or incomplete guidelines, develop plans, and initiate new methods to complete assignments based on those interpretations. Assignments are normally related in function, but the work requires many different processes and methods applied to an established administrative or professional field. Problems are typically the result of unusual circumstances, variations in approach, or incomplete or conflicting data. The employee must interpret and refine methods to complete assignments. Characteristic jobs at this level may involve directing single-purpose programs or performing complex, but precedented, technical or professional work.
Factor 5: Managerial Responsibility
Level 2.0 - 400 Points: Work involves services including collecting, processing, and disseminating information and providing advice to others. Work activities may be complex and likely affect the accuracy, reliability, or acceptability of further processes or services to the extent that others rely on the advice given in order to make decisions. Work activities typically affect the efficiency of the department but have relatively minor effects on operations within the cost center. Individuals in jobs at this level are often responsible for actively documenting, monitoring, and controlling expenditures. Incumbents may recommend minor expenditures, but have no substantive authority over budgets.
