Career Coach & Advisor

Alfred University; Town of Alfred (NY); On-site; USD 40,000 - 43,000; Full time

Job summary

Alfred University seeks a Career Coach and Advisor to empower undergraduates through developmental coaching, integrating academic advising, experiential learning, and career development. Two 35-hour-per-week roles report to the Director of the Office of Career Development and Academic Advisement.

They will guide first-year students, transition ongoing coaching into continued support, and help students articulate goals, explore majors, and plan graduate or professional paths.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Two years of professional experience in higher education or related student-facing role.
• Ability to build supportive relationships with diverse student populations.
• Strong interpersonal, organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Commitment to inclusive excellence and student-centered practice.
• Preferred: master's degree in related field and experience with first-year advising/career coaching.

Responsibilities

• Develop individualized developmental coaching for undergraduate students from matriculation through graduation.
• Serve as primary first-year academic advisor for an assigned college and guide course selection and degree requirements.
• Provide ongoing coaching in career exploration, graduate planning, internships, and professional communications.
• Encourage experiential learning, internships, research, and campus involvement.
• Deliver workshops and collaborate with faculty and campus partners to promote student success.
• Maintain accurate documentation of coaching interactions and analyze data for program improvement.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Organizational skills

Communication skills

Problem-solving

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree (preferred)

Job description

Reporting to the Director of the Office of Career Development andAcademic Advisement, the Career Coach and Advisor providesintegrated developmental coaching that empowers undergraduatestudents to successfully transition to Alfred University, engage inmeaningful academic and co-curricular experiences, and graduatewith purpose. Through a holistic coaching model grounded inacademic advising, experiential learning, and career development,the Career Coach and Advisor partners with students to integratelearning, experience, and identity throughout their undergraduatejourney.

This posting is for two available Career Coach and Advisorpositions, each scheduled to work 35 hours per week.

Serving as the primary first-year academic advisor for an assignedundergraduate college, the Career Coach and Advisor supportsstudents in navigating academic requirements, exploring interests,developing effective learning strategies, and successfullytransitioning to a faculty advisor at the conclusion of the firstyear. Following the transition, the coach remains each student'sdedicated developmental coach, providing continuous guidance incareer exploration, experiential learning, professionaldevelopment, graduate school planning, and preparation for lifeafter Alfred.

The Career Coach and Advisor builds meaningful relationships thatfoster reflection, informed decision-making, resilience, andself-authorship. Through individualized coaching, proactiveoutreach, and collaboration with faculty and campus partners, thecoach helps students integrate their academic, co-curricular, andexperiential learning into a purposeful undergraduateexperience.

Rate: $22.25-$23.54

Essential Responsibilities

Developmental Coaching

• Build meaningful coaching relationships with an assignedpopulation of undergraduate students from matriculation throughgraduation.
• Employ an integrated developmental coaching approach thatencourages reflection, goal setting, and intentionaldecision-making.
• Empower students to identify strengths, clarify values, explorepossibilities, and develop individualized academic and professionalgoals.
• Help students connect learning, experiences, and personalgrowth into a cohesive educational journey.

First-Year Academic Advising

• Serve as the primary academic advisor for first-year studentswithin an assigned undergraduate college.
• Guide students through course selection, degree requirements,registration, academic policies, and university procedures.
• Assist students in exploring majors, understanding academicexpectations, and developing strategies for academic success.
• Monitor student progress through institutional technologies andprovide proactive outreach to students experiencing academicchallenges.
• Coordinate a successful transition from first-year advising to afaculty advisor while maintaining an ongoing developmental coachingrelationship.

Career & Professional Development

• Continue serving as each student's dedicated coach beyond thefirst year, providing individualized support throughgraduation.
• Coach students in career exploration, graduate and professionalschool planning, internship preparation, job search strategies,networking, interviewing, and professional communication.
• Administer and interpret career assessments to facilitateself‑awareness and career exploration.
• Assist students in identifying and articulating transferableskills and competencies gained through academic, co-curricular,employment, leadership, and experiential learning.

Experiential Learning

• Encourage participation in internships, undergraduate research,student employment, leadership experiences, community engagement,global learning, and other experiential learningopportunities.
• Facilitate reflective coaching conversations that help studentsconnect experiences to academic learning, personal identity, andfuture aspirations.
• Support students in documenting and communicating learningthrough university initiatives such as Saxon Ready and SaxonRecord.
• Promote intentional engagement in experiences that contributeto career readiness and lifelong learning.

Student Engagement & Success

• Deliver workshops, classroom presentations, and programmingthat support student transition, academic success, careerreadiness, and professional development.
• Collaborate with faculty, academic departments, and StudentExperience partners to promote student persistence and holisticdevelopment.
• Connect students with campus resources that support academicachievement, well-being, belonging, financial wellness, and personalsuccess.
• Participate in orientation, open houses, admissions events, anduniversity-wide initiatives.

Assessment & Administration

• Maintain accurate and timely documentation of coachinginteractions and student progress.
• Utilize institutional technologies to support advising,communication, assessment, and reporting.
• Collect and analyze data to evaluate coaching effectiveness andcontribute to continuous improvement initiatives.
• Maintain knowledge of best practices in student development,academic advising, career development, and experientiallearning.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Two (2) years of professional experience in higher education,academic advising, career development, student success, or arelated student-facing role.
• Demonstrated ability to build supportive relationships withdiverse student populations.
• Strong interpersonal, organizational, communication, andproblem-solving skills.
• Commitment to inclusive excellence and student-centeredpractice.
• Prefered:
  • Master's degree in Higher Education, StudentAffairs, Counseling, Education, College Student Personnel, CareerDevelopment, Psychology, or a related field.
  • Experience with fist-year advising and/or career coaching orworkforce preparation.
  • Familiarity with experiential learning and high-impacteducational practices.
  • Experience using student information systems and advisingtechnologies (e.g., Banner, Navigate, Canvas, Handshake, or similarplatforms).

Physical Demands & Work Environment

The physical demands described here are representative of thosethat must be met by an employee to successfully perform theessential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may bemade to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essentialfunctions.
Personal Protective Equipment must be worn when required. Arespiratory function test and the ability to use respirators may berequired. Stairs and uneven surfaces may be present; artificiallifts, etc., may or may not be available. The position may requirethe incumbent to walk outdoors in all types of weather to otherbuildings or offices located on the campus. The Campus is in anarea that contains numerous hills and slopes and may not always befully accessible for mobility-impaired individuals.

About Alfred University

Lighting the way for students since 1836. “We've always been a place for makers, especially those who make the future. Ourcommitment to independent thinking, creativity, academic rigor, andcommunity have made us a unique kind of leader since1836.”

Alfred University (AU) was founded on principles of social justicein 1836 by liberal, independent thinkers who placed high value oneducation for all citizens. The University has retained and builtupon the strong values of its founders, developing as aninstitution of national and international renown that is responsiveto the needs of contemporary society while remaining consistentwith the spirit of its origins. Alfred University is the secondoldest coeducational college in the United States as well as one ofthe earliest nineteenth-century colleges to have enrolled AfricanAmerican and Native American students. It has a long-standinghistory of educating socially conscious students who make adifference in their professions and their communities.

Over the course of the twentieth century, Alfred University evolvedinto a complex institution offering a full range of programs in theliberal arts and sciences, art and design, engineering, business,education, counseling, and school psychology to its nearly 2,000undergraduate and graduate students that live, learn, and play on a232-acre campus located in an idyllic, creative valley in WesternNew York.

Alfred University actively subscribes to a policy of equalemployment opportunity, and will not discriminate against anyemployee, student or applicant because of race, age, sex, color,sexual orientation, gender identification or expression, physicalor mental disability, religion, ancestry or national origin,marital status, genetic information, military or veteran status,domestic violence victim status, criminal conviction status,political affiliation or any other characteristic protected byapplicable law.