ACE Program Director - Accelerate, Complete, and Engage

The City University of New York; New York (NY); On-site; USD 95,000 - 141,000; Full time

Job summary

The City University of New York's Lehman College in the Bronx is seeking an Academic Advising Director to lead a comprehensive program of academic advisement, career counseling, and student support. Reporting to the Senior Director of Academic Program Services, the director will oversee staff, budget, evaluation, and collaboration with departments to meet enrollment and performance targets.

This exempt, full-time role requires a Bachelor's degree (Master's preferred) and 8+ years of related

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and eight years related experience.
• Master's degree may substitute for two years experience.
• Experience managing budgets and staff.
• Ability to build inclusive relationships with students and stakeholders.
• Strong organization and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Develops and monitors a comprehensive program of academic advisement, career counseling, and student support.
• Oversees budget and daily administration of the ACE program.
• Supervises ACE advisors, career services, and support staff.
• Represents the ACE program on college committees and external partnerships.
• Attends meetings and collaborates with departments to schedule ACE classes.
• Ensures data integrity and regular reporting on engagement and outcomes.
• Supports recruitment and retention of ACE students.

Skills

Leadership & supervision

Budget oversight

Program management

Student engagement

Communication skills

Data visualization

CUNYfirst familiarity

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree preferred

Tools

Tableau

CUNYfirst

Job description

POSITION DETAILS

Lehman College of The City University of New York, ranks among the top five institutions in the nation for fostering social mobility. A four-year Hispanic-Serving Institution in the Bronx, Lehman offers bachelor’s, master’s, and advanced degrees and certificate programs in the Liberal Arts, sciences, and professions. The College’s community-driven mission and notable academic programs attract a diverse, international enrollment of over 15,000 students who take courses on its 37-acre, tree-lined campus and online degree programs. Many thousands more community members benefit yearly from its active cultural, educational, health, and economic outreach programs and services. Both ASAP and ACE help students earn their college degree as quickly as possible, by removing the financial, academic, and personal obstacles that many students confront. Key ASAP|ACE program features include a consolidated block schedule, required full-time study and comprehensive advisement and career development services. Financial incentives include tuition and fee gap scholarships for financial aid eligible students, textbook assistance, and MetroCards for all students. Further information is available at www.cuny.edu/ASAP. Reporting to the Senior Director of Academic Program Services, the Director provides general day to day oversight and successful delivery of a comprehensive program of academic, advisement, career and financial supports for program students. The director will represent the College’s ACE programs on all relevant committees, within and outside the College, developing and maintaining relationships that create buy in and allow the program to operate successfully as part of the College. The director will implement CUNY ACE policy, and well as develop local program policies and processes, to meet the Program’s mission, as well as develop the local strategy to meet program enrollment/recruitment targets each semester. This position oversees all program staff and manages the development of processes to regularly and consistently enter, share and analyze engagement and outcomes data, both within the team and with college leadership, to ensure successful progress toward student engagement and program academic performance benchmarks. The director oversees the program budget and daily administration, including scheduling and timely delivery of services. The CUNY ACE director is responsible to create a supportive, inclusive environment, encouraging and promoting opportunities to staff for professional development and growth. Evening and weekend hours may be required for this position.

Primary Duties

• Develops and monitors a comprehensive program of academic advisement, career counseling, and other support and financial aid services for a designated cohort of ACE students;
• Develops and implements strategies to improve retention and performance of ACE students in collaboration with ACE advisors and career and employment specialists
• Implements academic interventions and other initiatives to improve students' performance and retention;
• Evaluates program services and develops interventions for probation and at-risk students; makes recommendations to improve program offerings
• Oversees program’s budget and daily administration, including scheduling and timely delivery of services
• Establishes and maintains relationships with academic departments, including scheduling of ACE classes
• Oversees recruitment of new students, including coordination with other college offices
• Attends monthly meetings at the CUNY Central, and other periodic program-wide events
• Supervises dedicated ACE advisors, career services, financial aid, and instructional and/or clerical staff.

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree (master's preferred) in an appropriate discipline and eight years related experience.

Master's degree in Higher Education Administration, Educational Leadership, Educational Psychology, Counseling, and/or Social Work will be considered as a substitute for 2 years' experience.

The Ideal Candidate Will Have

• Strong management and supervisory skills, ability to manage change and build productive teams
• Demonstrated budget oversight and planning experience
• Demonstrated successful program management experience, including strategy development
• Understands the experiences of historically marginalized racial groups in the U.S in education, particularly Black, Indigenous, and Latinx groups.
• Demonstrated ability to cultivate and develop inclusive and equitable working relationships with students, faculty, staff and external stakeholders
• Excellent organization, project management, communication, and facilitation skills
• Proficient computer skills, particularly Microsoft Office; CUNYfirst and Tableau data visualization software a plus

Cuny Title Overview

Directs development and operations of academic counseling services.

• Designs, implements and monitors a comprehensive academic advisement model and protocol
• Oversees outcomes assessment and creates strategic plan to further enhance academic advisement services
• Manages an academic advisement center to ensure consistent and reliable information is provided to students
• Cultivates and maintains strategic partnerships; serves as primary liaison to faculty and administrators regarding academic counseling services; and works with academic departments to develop faculty advisement components
• Administers all compliance and data integrity activities of academic counseling in accordance with University standards
• Advises College administration on policy interpretation and execution regarding University academic counseling standards and best practices
• Develops and manages unit budget
• Manages professional and clerical staff
• Performs related duties as assigned.

Job Title Name: Academic Advising Director

CUNY TITLE

Higher Education Officer

FLSA

Exempt

Compensation And Benefits

Salary commensurate with education and experience. $95,094 - 141,325

CUNY's benefits contribute significantly to total compensation, supporting health and wellness, financial well-being, and professional development. We offer a range of health plans, competitive retirement/pension benefits and savings plans, tuition waivers for CUNY graduate study and generous paid time off. Our staff also benefits from the extensive academic, arts, and athletic programs on our campuses and the opportunity to participate in a lively, diverse academic community in one of the greatest cities in the world.

CLOSING DATE

Resumes to be received until September 22nd, 2026.

JOB SEARCH CATEGORY

CUNY Job Posting: Managerial/Professional

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

CUNY encourages people with disabilities, minorities, veterans and women to apply. At CUNY, Italian Americans are also included among our protected groups. Applicants and employees will not be discriminated against on the basis of any legally protected category, including sexual orientation or gender identity. EEO/AA/Vet/Disability Employer.

Job ID: 32678

Location: Lehman College

Job Type: Full-Time