Associate Director, Undergraduate Advising & Student Success

University of Southern California; Glendale (CA); On-site; USD 86,000 - 102,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Tuition benefits for staff and family

Professional Development classes

Job summary

The University of Southern California (USC) is seeking an experienced Associate Director of Undergraduate Advising within USC Dornsife to lead a Cluster Advising team, ensure consistent advising practices, and drive student success from matriculation through graduation.

The role supervises advisors, collaborates with faculty and campus partners, and leads strategic initiatives to advance academic success and timely progress toward degree completion.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree. Combined experience/education as a substitute for minimum qualifications.
• Minimum of 5 years' experience providing academic advising in a higher education setting.
• Minimum Field of Expertise: Student personnel administration, academic advising.
• Master's or Doctorate degree in Student Affairs, Higher Education, Counseling or Related field.
• 7 years' experience providing academic advising in a higher education setting.
• Supervision of 3 or more professional or student staff.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and day-to-day oversight for a designated Cluster Advising team, ensuring that the team's work aligns with Dornsife and university priorities.
• Supervise and evaluate academic advising staff, set clear expectations, provide regular feedback, and address performance concerns as needed.
• Support the professional growth of advising staff through coaching, mentoring, training, and opportunities for continued development.
• Lead regular individual and team meetings to communicate priorities, share updates, address concerns, and encourage collaboration.
• Communicate organizational changes clearly and support staff as new policies, procedures, systems, and expectations are introduced.
• Oversee team workload, appointment availability, office coverage, referral management, and other operational needs to ensure students receive timely and consistent support.
• Establish and maintain consistent expectations for advising practices, case management, documentation, communication, and student follow-up.
• Serve as a resource for advisors who need guidance on academic policies, procedures, student concerns, or appropriate next steps.
• Take the lead on difficult, sensitive, or critical advising cases that require additional experience, careful judgment, or coordination with university partners.
• Ensure that escalated student cases are addressed thoughtfully, documented accurately, and followed through to resolution.
• Oversee the implementation and communication of academic policies, procedures, deadlines, and university requirements within the cluster.
• Maintain a strong working knowledge of academic policies and advising practices in order to guide staff and respond effectively to complex situations.
• Promote inclusive and equitable advising practices that support student access, academic progress, retention, and degree completion.
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with the academic departments and programs served by the advising cluster.
• Collaborate with Dornsife leadership, faculty, admissions, and student services colleagues to address student needs and improve advising services.
• Lead or support advising initiatives, retention efforts, student programs, orientation activities, and other campus events.
• Review advising data, student trends, and service outcomes to identify areas of concern and recommend improvements to team practices and operations.
• Prepare and submit cluster-related reports, data, and updates to the advising leadership team.
• Partner with advising leadership and colleagues to help lead cross-cluster initiatives and special projects that strengthen advising practices, improve operations, and support shared student-success goals.
• Represent the advising cluster on assigned committees and working groups, contributing the perspective and needs of the cluster to broader discussions and initiatives.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Skills

Student personnel administration

Academic advising

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's or Doctorate degree in Student Affairs or Higher Education

Job description

The University of Southern California (USC) is seeking an experienced Associate Director of Undergraduate Advising within USC Dornsife to lead a Cluster Advising team, ensure consistent advising practices, and drive student success from matriculation through graduation.

The role supervises advisors, collaborates with faculty and campus partners, and leads strategic initiatives to advance academic success and timely progress toward degree completion.