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Senior Director for Academic Advising & Career Coaching
Senior Director for Academic Advising & Career CoachingUtah Staffing • Salt Lake City, UT, US
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Senior Director for Academic Advising & Career Coaching

Senior Director for Academic Advising & Career Coaching

Utah Staffing • Salt Lake City, UT, US
2 days ago
Job type
  • Full-time
Job description

Senior Director for Academic Advising & Career Coaching

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

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 612 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
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    Director Academic • Salt Lake City, UT, US

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