"Senior Director for Academic Advising"

Job Details

Senior Director for Academic Advising & Career Coaching

Job Summary

The Senior Director provides institution-wide leadership for an integrated model of academic advising and career success coaching, aligning college-based hubs and central services to deliver a seamless, student-centered experience from enrollment through graduation and early career. The role sets vision and goals; builds capacity; stewards campus policy and practice in partnership with the Academic Advising Standards Council (AASC); and ensures consistent quality, equity, and outcomes across colleges/regions in accordance with University and USHE policy. The Senior Director leads a network of Directors, Associate Directors, and Assistant Directors who supervise frontline advisors and career coaches, advancing the Navigate U framework, proactive/adaptive advising, and career readiness aligned to NACADA and NACE competencies. This position reports directly to the Vice Provost for Student Success.

Responsibilities

Essential Responsibilities:

Strategy & Governance

• Serve as the Region's executive lead for the integrated advising and career coaching ecosystem; engage AASC working groups to update standards and practices.
• Translate institutional strategy (e.g., Impact 2030; Navigate U commitments) into an advising/coaching operating plan with annual goals, KPIs, and college-level compacts.
• Ensure use of this classification and all staffing plans are coordinated with AASC and adhere to approved compensatory factors and caseload guidance.

Student Experience & Outcomes

• Architect a unified student journey that connects academic planning, career exploration, work-integrated learning, and post-grad outcomes.
• Establish service-level practices (e.g., speed-to-appointment, case routing, caseload balance), and lead continuous improvement using student voice and thriving metrics.

People Leadership & Culture

• Directly supervise College/School Navigate Hub Directors and Associate Directors and Assistant Directors of Advising and Career Success; indirectly lead Senior/Lead Advisors, Coaching Managers, and specialized teams.
• Cultivate a culture of collaboration and shared purpose between academic advisors and career coaches, strengthening partnerships and fostering alignment across teams.
• Steward the career ladder operationalization in partnership with training and development systems; ensure role clarity, equitable advancement pathways, and competency-based development.

Capacity, Caseload & Resource Stewardship

• Allocate advising/coaching capacity across hubs/regions using approved caseload norms; rebalance load based on enrollment mix, modality, and student risk signals.
• Manage operating and personnel budgets; lead multi-year hiring plans tied to retention, progression, and completion (RPC) targets.
• Maintain zero frontline advising/coaching FTE at the Senior Director level, reserving this role for leadership, strategy, quality, and cross-unit integration.

Data, Technology & Quality Assurance

• Own the data strategy for advising/coaching: define KPIs, dashboards, and review cadences; drive data democratization and accountability.
• Govern the advising tech stack (e.g., EAB Navigate, degree-planning tools, CRMs) and ensure adoption, training, and evidence-based practice.
• Lead systematic assessment and audit cycles (file reviews, observed practice, rubric-based evaluations) to ensure fidelity to standards and equitable outcomes.

Partnerships & Policy

• Coordinate with Colleges, U Career Success, Registrar, Financial Aid/Scholarships, First-Gen/Scholars programs, Center for Teaching Excellence, International, Veteran & Military, Athletics, and other campus and community partners.
• Advise on and implement University/USHE policy changes (e.g., credit hours, transfer, CPL/PbA, 90-credit pathways) affecting advising/coaching practice.

Communications & Change Management

• Lead campus-wide communications on advising/coaching expectations, service levels, and student outcomes; facilitate communities of practice and annual summits.
• Drive structured change management for model updates (regional/meta-major, hub alignment, pre-professional redesign, etc.).

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Strategic planning, portfolio management, and enterprise-level change leadership.
• Advanced data literacy; ability to set and socialize metrics, read dashboards, and lead action plans with college leaders.
• Talent strategy: workforce planning, competency modeling (AAMP), and inclusive leadership.
• Student-centered design; strong communication and relationship-building across academic and administrative units.
• Deep understanding of advising/coaching modalities (proactive/adaptive, case-management, embedded/caseload, drop-in/triage) and career development frameworks.

Scope & Span of Leadership

Leads an integrated network typically comprising multiple Directors/Associate Directors/Assistant Directors across Advising Hubs/Regions and Career Success Coaching, plus central specialists (training, analytics, transfer/transition, pre-professional). Span-of-control and team sizes are set via approved compensatory factors and caseload standards; frontline caseloads are not assigned to the Senior Director.

Key Performance Indicators (illustrative, set annually)

Access & Service:

• Timely access: % of students offered an appointment within X business days
• Utilization: % of undergraduates engaging with advising/coaching each term; no-show rates.
• Coverage: caseload balance within approved ranges across hubs/regions.

Progress & Completion:

• First-year retention; on-track credit momentum (30/60/90), time-to-degree.
• Course access & schedule fit metrics (fill rates, bottlenecks addressed).

Career & Outcomes:

• NACE knowledge rate, employed/continuing education at 6-12 months; work-integrated learning participation.

Quality & Equity:

• Fidelity to advising/coaching standards (audit scores); elimination of equity gaps in access, engagement, and outcomes.

People & Culture:

• AAMP progression, training completions, advisor/coach engagement and retention.

Working Conditions & Special Requirements

Evening/weekend events as needed (e.g., orientation, career fairs). This role is on-site/hybrid per University policy; occasional in/out of-state travel.

Compensation & Posting Guidance

Management Track classification and grade are set in alignment with approved compensatory factors (AACP/AAMP). Posting range is established by HR in consultation with the Vice Provost's office, based on role scope and market data; use the University's approved ranges for Senior Director-level positions. Per approved guidance, the Senior Director role is non-caseload; all budgeted FTE at this level are dedicated to leadership, strategy, quality, and integration.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's degree (or equivalency) and 14 years of directly related experience or Master's degree (or equivalency) and 12 years of directly related experience. Equivalency: One year of higher education may substitute for one year of directly related experience. Progressive leadership of large, multi-unit advising/coaching or student success operations in a research university or comparably complex environment. Demonstrated experience supervising leaders (e.g., Directors/Associate Directors/Managers) and managing multi-million-dollar budgets. Evidence of designing/adopting NACADA/NACE-aligned practices; experience with advising technology (e.g., EAB Navigate), degree audit/planning, and CRM/BI tools. Track record of improving retention, progression, completion, and/or career outcomes at scale.

Preferences

Doctoral degree or terminal professional degree. Leadership experience integrating academic advising with career development, work-integrated learning, and industry engagement. Expertise in data-informed resource planning (caseload modeling, capacity/case routing), continuous improvement, and equity-minded assessment. Success leading cross-college initiatives, engaging in shared-governance bodies (e.g., AASC), and working within state system policy (USHE or similar). Regional/national engagement (NACADA, NACE, APLU/UIA/AAU), publications/presentations, and contributions to the profession.

Special Instructions

Two Senior Directors of Academic Advising & Career Coaching will be hired, one for Region B and one for Region C. Region B includes Academic Advisors and Career Coaches in the David Eccles School of Business and the Price College of Engineering as well as a liaison with the Honors College. Region C includes Academic Advisors and Career Coaches in the Colleges of Architecture and Planning, Education, Fine Arts, Health, Nursing, Social Work, Division of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Exploring and Pre-Professional Advising within Undergraduate Studies, and the Utah Asia Campus as well as a liaison with the Honors College.

Requisition Number: PRN43256B

Full Time or Part Time? Full Time

Work Schedule Summary: M-F, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Evening/weekend events as needed (e.g., orientation, career fairs). This role is on site/hybrid per University policy; occasional in/out of state travel.

Department: 00019 - Undergraduate Studies

Location: Campus

Pay Rate Range: $106,000 - $125,000

Close Date: 1/3/2026

Open Until Filled: