Assistant Director, Advising

REED COLLEGE; Portland (OR); On-site; USD 58,000 - 62,000; Full time

Job summary

REED COLLEGE seeks an experienced student and alumni advisor as an Assistant Director, Advising. This role is part of the Center for Life Beyond Reed (CLBR), focusing on helping students develop purposefully from their first year through graduation. Ideal candidates have experience in career advising and student support, and they will work closely with students to navigate their next steps.

The position is full-time with a salary range of $58,000 - $62,000, depending on experience. The advisor will collaborate with colleagues to design programming and analyze data trends while maintaining communication with students.

Qualifications

• Ability to support students developing their professional purposes.
• Experience managing a large caseload effectively.
• Commitment to anti-racist work.

Responsibilities

• Provide 1:1 advising to guide and support current students.
• Design and deliver programming for students.
• Coordinate online content for career pathways.
• Track and analyze data trends on advising caseload.

Skills

Career advising

Student development

Active listening

Data-informed decision making

Growth mindset

Education

2 years experience in education or professional development

Job description

Reed College seeks an experienced student and alumni advisor to be our next Assistant Director, Advising. This position is part of the Center for Life Beyond Reed (CLBR), a department focused on helping students develop purposefully and professionally from their first year through graduation and beyond. CLBR advisors are organized by a unique “ Communities of Purpose ” framework and embrace a holistic model of advising which integrates graduate school, careers, and fellowships advising. This is a great opportunity for someone with direct or tangential advising experience to join a dynamic and collaborative team of relationship-focused advisors.

This is a full-time, exempt role with typical business hours of 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with a one hour unpaid lunch. This is an on-campus role interfacing with students, faculty and staff. The starting pay for this position is $58,000 - $62,000; salary offers are dependent on experience and are determined in conjunction with an internal pay assessment. This position is in salary grade 5.

Who You Are

You are experienced in career advising, student-development, or adjacent/related fields; you can demonstrate how to support emerging professionals, and understand how to help students develop and move through transitions between on and off campus pathways.

You are prepared to adjust to individual student needs and learning styles, including a track record of assessing individual needs using a DEI, universal design and/or interdisciplinary approach.

You are comfortable responding to students’ questions, and have the confidence to help students navigate their own uncertainties, define their purpose and narrative, develop a plan, and find resources that match their needs.

You have a proven ability to manage a large caseload and a rapid pace while sustaining your own wellness; you are comfortably and confidently able to adapt and pivot your priorities easily and help cover other advising or departmental needs, as needed.

You are an active listener with the capacity to synthesize, organize and reflect back information you have heard.

You are committed to anti‑racist work and can demonstrate how you have incorporated this into your professional life.

You are a learner and self‑starter who embraces a growth mind‑set to develop your own skill‑set and understand workforce trends related to graduate school, fellowship, and career advising and departmental needs.

You are a storyteller and strong presenter, adept at weaving qualitative and quantitative data to underscore the impact of your work with students to inspire and encourage greater participation from the audience at hand, whether students, faculty, staff, alumni, or employers.

You use quantitative skills for tracking programs/students/outcomes, and can provide examples of your data‑informed decision making as part of the strategic management of a program or policy.

You are able to build sustainable developmental programs resulting in strategic change by collaborating with many stakeholders, including students, faculty, colleagues, alumni, and employers.

What You’ll Do

• Provide 1:1 advising to guide and support current students in a wide range of successful post‑bac outcomes.
• Provide advising for fellowships, grad school, pre‑professional programs, work, and internships.
• Design and deliver programming for students and recent grads within assigned communities: Healthcare & the Cure of Illness; STEM Research and Innovation; Pre‑Health Advising.
• Coordinate and organize online content development for career pathways.
• Maintain advising notes, events, and communication with students in assigned communities through designated platforms.
• Collaborate with College Relations Advancement teams in programming for recent grads.
• Review post‑appointment survey responses for continual improvement of advising skills.
• Engage faculty to deliver department specific programming.
• Develop and maintain recruiting relationships and pipelines with key employers in assigned communities.
• Track and analyze data trends on advising caseload, in collaboration with Associate Director, Data & Systems.

Minimum Qualifications

2 years experience teaching, advising, coaching, consulting, or other educational or professional development equivalent experience.

Preferred Qualifications

Advising experience in any aspect of undergraduate or high school students' development including support for planning, career development, career advising, talent recruitment, internship management, academic advising, or life skills.

A criminal conviction record check is required for all college staff positions as a condition of employment for selected candidates. Employment offers are contingent upon the successful completion of this background check. A conviction does not automatically disqualify a candidate; each case is reviewed based on the nature of the conviction and its relevance to the responsibilities of the position.

Reed College replies to every candidate. We will confirm that your application is received, and if you are not selected, we will let you know as soon as possible.