Job Details

Academic Advisor

Main Campus - Boston, MA
R05770

The Simmons Online and @Simmons department is seeking a creative and energetic Academic Advisor to fill an open role in their graduate online programs. The successful candidate will join a vibrant staff, delivering an online program that uses a robust set of online course delivery tools to support high-level student engagement through synchronous and asynchronous sessions. The Academic Advisor position requires extensive contact with students, a collaborative and supportive relationship with online faculty, and the ability to work with a cross-functional team of professionals.

The Academic Advisor will facilitate student success by defining and implementing proactive strategies that help students to stay on track to fulfill their educational goals. The Academic Advisor is responsible for building supportive and personalized relationships with students, managing expectations of program requirements, and providing opportunities to help students stay connected to the Simmons community. The Academic Advisor will counsel students on University policies, procedures, program degree and practicum requirements, and related academic matters. As part of this role, the Academic Advisor will lead both large groups (online formal presentations) and one-to-one virtual sessions with students to advise them of degree requirements, to provide guidance regarding course selections and sequence, to provide technical assistance with add/drop and course enrollment, to conduct formal and informal audits of academic transcripts, and in general to provide counsel regarding the best methods for students to achieve their educational objectives and satisfy degree requirements. The Academic Advisor will work closely with faculty and other University support teams to ensure that student inquiries are addressed in a timely and effective manner.

Job Summary:

The Academic Advisor is responsible for managing the advising functions for new and enrolled students in one or more of the @Simmons programs. The Academic Advisor will monitor student academic progress toward the fulfillment of the degree requirements.

The Academic Advisor oversees all student enrollment and registration and manages the accurate exchange of data during prescribed deadlines. The Academic Advisor counsels students on course registration, leaves of absence, academic ineligibility, plans of study, policy questions and other needs. This position maintains and updates all program files and maintains accurate student data.

The Academic Advisor will collaborate with faculty and staff regarding student advisement and section registration. The Academic Advisor will assist with scheduling, supervising class selections and adjusting enrollments by section where needed (to ensure approximately 15 students per section).

The Academic Advisor will have a variety of operational and administrative responsibilities related to the successful delivery of the program, including playing a key role in student immersion weekends. The Academic Advisor will be expected to grow and change with a growing online program and has the opportunity to bring new practices and ideas to the role to encourage and support student success.

This is a Boston based, 40 hour a week (exempt) job reporting into the Academic Advising Manager

Core Responsibilities:

• Provide operational and administrative support for the program and to faculty leadership to ensure the success of the program
  
  • Coordinate with admissions, faculty and the Registrar to ensure that sufficient live sessions are set up to support upcoming number of students in each section/ term
    
  • Track student progression to ensure enrollment numbers align with registration and recruiting needs.
    
  • Provide logistical and communication assistance to support program immersion weekends in collaboration with Simmons Online
    
  • Collaborate with student support on a variety of tasks including, but not limited to student concerns, registration, program wide communications and various projects
    
• Advise students on University policies, the student handbook, the Student Foundations course (in collaboration with Student Support), procedures, program requirements, practicum requirements, and all other academic matters
  
  • Provide periodic outreach and communications to students about new policies and frequently asked questions by students
    
• Track and report on student progress to Program Director, Course Leads and Section Instructors
  
  • Proactively monitor student progress, identify students who may be at risk, implement strategies in collaboration with the faculty, measure and help support academic success
    
• Lead and facilitate interdepartmental meetings regarding complex student issues.
  
• Manage student handbook iterations and collaborate with faculty leadership regarding changes to policy.
  
• Provide students with preemptive guidance on acclimating to their new graduate online program lifestyle and building supportive personal environments and best practices to facilitate their student success
  
  • Assist, educate and coach students in best practices on how to be a successful online student
    
  • Must stay current in trends and needs in online learning and adult learners
    
• Coach students through the reinstatement process and expectations of Academic Review Board hearings.
  
• Serve as the main point of contact for all disputes and various other administrative needs of the students
  
• Develop strong proficiency in Learning Management System and supporting analytics and reporting
  
• Serve on admissions committee as a file reviewer and provide support for admissions process.
  

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university required
  
• 2 or more years of academic advising or equivalent experience (i.e. roles requiring extensive student contact, or positions that entail a high level of customer service management).
  
• Experience advising and/or teaching online programs preferred
  
• Proven ability in developing strong relationships through a variety of means (including remote engagement) and experience in professional coaching/advising others required.
  
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
  
• The ideal candidate will possess strong time management, customer service, problem solving and interpersonal skills, will be adaptable to new and rapidly changing situations, will be creative and innovative and demonstrate the ability to work independently and with a team. Ability to successfully resolve student issues from request through resolution.
  
• Comfort with online webinar technology using audio, video and shared desktop applications (i.e. Adobe Connect, Zoom, Webex, GoToMeeting, Skype)
  
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and presentation software
  
• The ability to effectively work with multiple databases and student platforms
  
• Must have a strong commitment to education
  
• This position will require flexible hours, some nights and weekends will apply
  

Required Application Materials:

• Resume/CV
• Cover Letter

Simmons University is committed to inclusive excellence in all aspects of an individual's community experience. As a university committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, Simmons encourages applications from all under-represented groups. Simmons is committed to creating, developing, promoting, and enhancing inclusive hiring practices-at all levels, for all positions-ensuring diverse talent pools and the delivery of a consistent positive candidate experience. Simmons is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to continuing to develop a more diverse faculty, staff, student body, and curriculum.


Salary Grade
S05

Instructions to Applicants: Please upload all applicable application materials (e.g. resume/cv, cover letter, writing sample, teaching philosophy, etc.) in the "Resume/CV" box on page 2 ("My Experience") of this application. Documents can be uploaded individually or as a combined document (e.g. PDF).

Simmons University is committed to inclusive excellence in all aspects of an individual's community experience. As a university committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, Simmons encourages applications from all under-represented groups. Simmons is committed to creating, developing, promoting, and enhancing inclusive hiring practices-at all levels, for all positions-ensuring diverse talent pools and the delivery of a consistent positive candidate experience. Simmons is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to continuing to develop a more diverse faculty, staff, student body, and curriculum.


To apply, visit https://simmons.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Simmons-Careers/job/Main-Campus---Boston-MA/Academic-Advisor_R05770

Located in Bostons historic Fenway area, Simmons College is a small, private, non-sectarian College which has educated students for enriching careers and purposeful lives since 1899. Working at Simmons means joining a collaborative, diverse and mission-driven community of educators and professionals.

We prepare students to be leaders for themselves, their communities and the world. Our faculty and staff members lead by example - sharing a commitment to excellence and putting the students first.