Director of Undergraduate Academic Advising in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at University of Pittsburgh

Director of Undergraduate Academic Advising

GSPH-Office of the Dean - Pennsylvania-Pittsburgh - (26004520)

The BSPH program launched in 2022 and has seen strong, sustained enrollment growth; the Director helps to shape the advising team and infrastructure as the program continues to expand.

The University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health (SPH) is seeking a Director of Undergraduate Academic Advising. The Director leads academic advising for undergraduates pursuing the Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH) and oversees the student records team. This role provides direct advising, trains and develops a growing team of advisors and student records staff, advises a caseload of undergraduate students, and partners with faculty and campus offices to support student success. The Director reports to the SPH Associate Dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs and, as part of the University's Shared Advising Model, to the Associate Vice Provost for Student Success and Advising.

Key Responsibilities

Provides academic advising to BSPH students and prospective students, including a personal caseload of undergraduate students

Supervises, trains, and mentors advising staff and student records staff; supports their professional development (e.g., NACADA credentialing)

Champions identity-conscious, culturally responsive advising practices; monitors retention and success data to identify and address equity gaps

Oversees key student success and retention processes, including onboarding, graduation certification, academic standing review (in conjunction with the Office of the Registrar), early progress reporting, mid-term grades, not-enrolled student outreach, and academic remediation efforts

Builds a staffing and caseload model that keeps pace with BSPH's enrollment growth

Strengthens partnerships with Admissions, Financial Aid, the SPH Director of BSPH Curriculum, the SPH Director of Educational Programs/Accreditation Initiatives, and faculty to create an integrated student support system

Works directly with the Associate Vice Provost for Student Success and Advising on the University's Shared Advising Model transition

Oversees projections of course demand for Public Health foundational and core courses each term as well as seat restrictions for all BSPH PUBHLT courses

Develops new programs for student success (e.g., peer tutoring, study-skills support) as student needs evolve

Contributes to a multi-year vision for advising staffing, systems, and space

Maintains university and system-level engagement (PeopleSoft, EAB/Pathways, Academic Advisement Report) and participates in relevant school and University committees

Pursues continued professional development through NACADA or a comparable advising organization, including conferences, credentialing, and leadership development

Oversees departmental workflow and communications.

Proactively works to mitigate student issues before they escalate, partnering with the Associate Dean and Advising Team to resolve issues preventing students from graduating

Builds EAB/Pathways Appointment Campaigns in the fall and spring to onboard internal transfers and incoming first-year students. Monitors the appointment availability and sends reminder messages to students

Develops EAB/Pathways Appointment Campaigns in the fall and spring for special student populations (First Generation, Academic Alert/Probation) to keep students on track in their courses

Works directly with the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs on all aspects of advising and student records

Qualifications

• A Master’s degree and 8-10 years of undergraduate academic advising experience

• Knowledge of University Policy & Procedures and University Partners is preferred

• Knowledge of PeopleSoft, EAB/Pathways, Perceptive Content, Qualtrics, Tableau, and DocuSign recommended

• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision

• Prior leadership or supervisory experience is preferred

• Demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills to enable clear communication with external constituents, students, faculty, and staff

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, time management, conflict management, ability to build rapport and trust

• Strong organizational skills and able to manage multiple priorities

• Ability to manage a diverse advising caseload

• Experience working with non-traditional students, underrepresented groups, and pre-health/pre-med populations

• Advisor training and/or professional development associated with the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) or parallel professional organization

Job Summary

Oversees the University's academic advising functions and includes departmental or unit direction, goals, strategies, and polices. Ensures student records and data integrity, advises and assists senior administrators, supervises staff and human resource actions, oversees departmental workflow and communications, and prepares budget.

Essential Functions

Must be able to use a computer for PeopleSoft, Microsoft Office Suite, and other software systems. Must be able to communicate via telephone, email, in-person, or using video communication technology. Must be able to attend recruitment events/fairs to represent the school and work extra hours, evenings, and weekends during peak seasons. This is a hybrid position working 3 days in office, 2 days remote, with flexibility for adjustment based on business needs.

Physical Effort

The position is essentially sedentary but may require travel to conferences and some lifting of materials.

Assignment Category: Full-time regular

Job Classification: Staff.Director - Academic Advising

Job Family: Academic & Student Services

Job Sub Family: Academic Advising

Campus: Pittsburgh

Minimum Education Level Required: Bachelor's Degree

Minimum Years of Experience Required: 7

Will this position accept substitution in lieu of education or experience: Combination of education and relevant experience will be considered in lieu of education and/ or experience requirement.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday

Work Arrangement: Hybrid: Combination of On-Campus and Remote work as determined by the department.

Hiring Range: $70,000-$80,000 annually

Relocation_Offered: No

Visa Sponsorship Provided: No

Background Check: For position finalists, employment with the University will require successful completion of a background check

Child Protection Clearances: Not Applicable

Required Documents: Resume, Cover Letter

Optional Documents: Not Applicable