Program Manager for Advising and Student Success (Student Services Professional IV)

Position Summary

San Diego State University's Orientation, Transition and Family Engagement (OTFE) department is seeking a collaborative and student-centered Program Manager for Advising and Student Success. This role serves as a key resource for Coordinated Care Advisors, peer advisors, SDSU Ambassadors, and campus partners by supporting advising, registration preparation, training, outreach, and student-success initiatives throughout the academic year and during New Student Orientation.

The successful candidate will help students understand graduation requirements, advising resources, registration processes, and opportunities for academic success. They will serve as a primary point of contact for advising-related initiatives, build strong partnerships across campus, and use student-success data and feedback to strengthen programs and improve the student experience.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead Coordinated Care Advising strategy, training, outreach, assessment, and day-to-day operations across OTFE and campus partners.
• Plan and coordinate advising, registration preparation, staffing, materials, technology, and operational details for New Student Orientation.
• Develop and facilitate training for professional advisors, peer advisors, SDSU Ambassadors, and campus partners on academic requirements, advising tools, and registration processes.
• Provide complex individual and group advising related to academic progress, course planning, registration, enrollment, referrals, and other student-success concerns.
• Build collaborative relationships with Enrollment Services, academic colleges, advising units, and student-support partners to address challenges and improve coordinated services.
• Use student-success data, participation trends, and feedback to guide outreach, evaluate programs, and recommend improvements to advising, transition, retention, and orientation initiatives.

Why Join Us?

• Help students successfully navigate their transition to SDSU and connect with the resources they need to thrive.
• Work across campus with colleagues and partners who are committed to student access, belonging, retention, and graduation.
• Support meaningful programs that reach large and diverse student populations throughout the academic year.

Position Information

• This is a full-time (1.0 time-base), benefits eligible, permanent/probationary position.
• This position is designated as exempt under FLSA and is not eligible for overtime compensation.
• Standard SDSU work hours are Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., but may vary based on operational needs.
• The individual hired into this role will work on campus at SDSU in San Diego.

Department Summary

Orientation, Transition and Family Engagement helps new students and their families begin their SDSU experience with confidence and connection. The department coordinates orientation programs for first-year, transfer, and graduate students, along with sessions for parents and family supporters focused on student success resources, academic requirements, university policies, financial aid, and the transition to college. Through orientation and related welcome programs, the department builds community, connects students and families with campus resources, and supports a successful start to the SDSU experience.

For more information regarding the Center for Orientation, Transition and Family Engagement click here.

Education and Experience

Equivalent to graduation from a four-year college or university in a related field plus upper division or graduate course work in counseling techniques, interviewing and conflict resolution where such are job related.

Possession of the below required knowledge and abilities is typically demonstrated through the equivalent to four years of progressively responsible professional student services work experience which includes experience in advising students individually and in groups, and in analysis and resolution of complex student services problems.

A master's degree in counseling, Clinical Psychology, Social Work, or a job-related field may be substituted for one year of professional experience. A doctorate degree and the appropriate internship or clinical training in counseling, guidance or a job-related field may be substituted for two years of the required professional experience for positions with a major responsibility for professional, personal or career counseling.

Key Qualifications

• Bring progressively responsible experience supporting students through advising, student services, or related programs.
• Provide thoughtful, inclusive advising to individuals and groups, including students navigating complex or sensitive academic concerns.
• Apply sound judgment, confidentiality, and problem-solving skills when addressing academic, registration, enrollment, and student-success needs.
• Plan and coordinate complex programs, timelines, training, and operations involving multiple campus departments and partners.
• Design, facilitate, and assess engaging training for advisors, student leaders, peer educators, and campus colleagues.
• Use advising, student-success, degree-audit, and student information systems to document support, conduct outreach, and monitor student progress.
• Analyze data, feedback, and operational trends to identify needs, evaluate programs, and recommend meaningful improvements.
• Build collaborative relationships across diverse communities while balancing multiple priorities, coordinating work, and providing functional leadership.

Preferred Qualifications

• A master's degree in higher education, student affairs, counseling, or a related field.
• Experience coordinating advising, orientation, registration, transition, retention, or other student-success programs across multiple departments.
• Experience training or providing guidance to professional advisors, peer advisors, student leaders, or ambassadors.
• Experience supporting students from diverse backgrounds, including first-generation, commuter, or academically at-risk students; familiarity with EAB Navigate or a comparable student-success platform is also valued.

Compensation and Benefits

San Diego State University offers competitive compensation and a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your well-being and professional growth.

Compensation:
Salary is based on your experience, education, and qualifications, within the department's budget and equity guidelines.

• CSU Classification Salary Range: $6,320 - $9,014/month; hiring salary not expected to exceed $6,320.00/month.

Full Benefits Package Includes:

• Generous Time Off: 15 paid holidays, vacation, and sick leave.
• Retirement: CalPERS pension plan with retiree healthcare, and reciprocal agreements with other California public retirement systems, including the UC.
• Health Coverage: Medical, dental, and vision options at low or no cost.
• Education Support: CSU tuition fee waiver for employees and eligible dependents.
• Optional Offerings: FlexCash, life and disability insurance, legal and pet plans.
• Campus & Community: Access to the library, campus events, employee groups, and volunteer and social activities.

Our benefits are a significant part of total compensation. Learn more at the SDSU Benefits Overview.

SDSU Values

At SDSU, our diversity gives us power and benefits every single member of our community. Consistent with California law and federal civil rights laws, SDSU provides equal opportunity for all in education and employment. We encourage all members of our community to purposefully learn from one another through open and respectful dialogue and responsible engagement. We strongly preserve the right to free expression and encourage difficult conversations that help lead to improved individual and community learning and cohesion.

Principles of Community

At San Diego State University, we are a community of diverse individuals who have and represent many perspectives, beliefs, and identities. This diversity lends our community strength, and we commit to creating and sustaining an inclusive and intellectually vibrant environment that benefits all members of our university.

SDSU's Principles of Community is an aspirational statement that is intended to evolve over time. The statement reflects the ideals we are encouraged to uphold in our interactions with one another.

Supplemental Information

Apply by November 11th to ensure full consideration. Applications submitted after this date will be reviewed on an as-needed basis, and the position will remain open until filled.

The person holding this position is considered a 'mandated reporter' under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and is required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment.

San Diego State University is not a sponsoring agency for staff or management positions (e.g., H-1B visa). Applicants must currently be authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. Offers of employment are contingent upon the presentation of documents that demonstrate a person's identity and authorization to work in the United States, which are consistent with the provisions of the Immigration Reform and Control Act.

A background check (including a criminal records check) must be completed satisfactorily and is required for employment. SDSU will make a conditional offer of employment, which may be rescinded if the background check reveals disqualifying information, and/or it is discovered that the candidate knowingly withheld or falsified information. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may affect the continued employment of a current SDSU employee who was conditionally offered the position.

SDSU is a smoke-free campus. For more information, please click here.

Reasonable accommodations will be provided for qualified applicants with disabilities who request an accommodation by contacting Tyler Emery, temery@sdsu.edu.

To apply, visit https://careers.sdsu.edu/en-us/job/563046

About San Diego State University

Since it was founded in 1897, San Diego State University has grown to offer bachelor's degrees in 89 areas, master's degrees in 78 areas and doctorates in 21 areas. SDSU's approximately 32,000 students participate in an academic curriculum distinguished by direct contact with faculty and an increasing international emphasis that prepares them for a global future.

SDSU's annual economic impact to the state of California is $6.5 billion, according to an impact report done by the California State University in 2010.

Of SDSU's 280,000-plus alumni, approximately 60 percent live in San Diego. They comprise more than half the region's engineers, teachers, entrepreneurs and the local workforce for a host of other industries.

Learn More About:

• Research: Since 2000, SDSU faculty and staff have attracted more than $1.7 billion in grants and contracts for research and programs ranging from cardiovascular disease to marine biology.
• Diversity: SDSU ranks No. 19 in the nation for racial diversity and among the top universities for economic diversity. SDSU was ranked No. 11 in the nation and No. 4 in California for bachelor's degrees awarded to Hispanics by Hispanic Outlook for Higher Education.
• International Study: SDSU offers 350 international education programs in 50 countries. Nearly 12,000 students have studied abroad in the past 12 years.
• Community Service: SDSU is a recognized leader in innovative efforts to improve urban K-12 education. The City Heights Educational Collaborative and Compact for Success both positively impact the academic achievement of elementary, middle and high school students in the local area.
• Sustainability: Sustainability is an every-day part of the university culture at San Diego State University. Students, faculty and staff all participate in a myriad of ways, from festivals, to research to academic programs. In spring 2014, SDSU opens its first LEED Platinum Certified building — the 206,000 square-foot Aztec Student Union.