Executive Director of University Advising

Careers at Drexel; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Drexel University is seeking an Executive Director of University Advising in University City, Philadelphia, PA. You will lead the undergraduate advising teams and coordinate university-wide advising initiatives to ensure student success.

The role requires deep experience in higher education leadership, strong communication, and the ability to manage strategic partnerships with central offices and academic units. Exempt, salary commensurate with experience.

Qualifications

• Minimum of a Master's Degree in Science or equivalent.
• Minimum of 7+ years of relevant experience.
• Demonstrated commitment to student success.
• Expertise in higher education administration and leadership.
• Expertise in student engagement and academic advising.
• Exceptional organizational and leadership abilities.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide centralized support for academic advisors across colleges and units.
• Coordinate and monitor university-wide advising initiatives for consistency.
• Serve as the primary contact for institutional strategy for advising.
• Coordinate regular meetings with academic advising leaders (weekly).
• Represent advising on large-scale university initiatives (e.g., MSCHE Standard IV).
• Monitor and intervene on escalating advising issues as needed.
• Represent Advising in centralized leadership groups and councils.
• Manage centralized advising budget and vendor contracts.
• Provide operational support for undergraduate academic standing and probation tracking.
• Update academic equivalencies for high school credits and exams.

Skills

Student success

Leadership

Higher education administration

Strategic planning

Communication skills

Education

Master's degree in science or equivalent

Tools

Banner

Job description

Job Summary

The Executive Director of University Advising, reporting to the Senior Vice Provost of Undergraduate Affairs, plays a pivotal role in ensuring a high standard of excellence for undergraduate student advising.

The Executive Director is responsible for being a student success champion and should work to instill this same commitment in all undergraduate academic advisors. A foundational component of the position is the responsibility to coordinate, manage, and lead the undergraduate academic advising teams within each academic unit.

As the head of the Office of University Advising, the Executive Director must serve as a liaison with numerous offices including: i) the McGonigal Academic Resource Center (ARC), ii) the Office of Instiutional Research, Accreditation, and Assessment (IRAA), iii) the Council of Associate Deans of Undergraduate Education (CADUE), iv) Steinbright Career Development Center (SCDC), v) Academic Information Systems, vi) Office of the University Registrar, and vii) Retention Partners Group (RPG), among others.

Essential Functions

• Provide centralized support for academic advisors based in the colleges. Assume primary responsibility for coordinating and monitoring university-wide advising initiatives, ensuring consistent implementation across colleges and advising units.
• Serve as the primary contact for institutional strategy for academic advising (e.g., cross-college retention strategy, changes in technology, changes in SOPs that impact advising).
• Coordinate a regular meeting with academic advising leader (weekly).
• Represent advising on large-scale university initiatives (e.g., MSCHE Standard IV).
• Monitor, take action, and support advisors on emerging advising issues and institutional needs. Provide intervention in escalated significant issues as appropriate.
• Represent advising on centralized leadership groups such as Executive Council, AT Transition Planning Core Team, Retention Partner Group Core Team, AT Curricular Redesign Leads, Provost Office Policy Group, ADUE.
• Manage the centralized advising budget used for advisor development, external vendor contracts (e.g., TimeTrade, McGraw Hill Alex), and office operations.
• Represent Advising on centralized student-facing initiatives specifically through Admissions and Student Life (e.g., anti-melt events and Welcome Week events).
• Coordinating with the advisors all centralized group advising appointments including providing technical support.
• Coordinate with the academic units on the early warning system in terms of gateway course information and advisor training.
• Serve as the primary driver for advisor professional development (e.g., TimeTrade training, AVT training, DegreeWorks Training, hosting NACADA events, hosting partner office in training, updating training platforms).
• Design and deploy centralized, large-scale advising communications via email and the DrexelOne portal/app.
• Coordinate with the advisors and provide operational support for undergraduate academic standing specifically related to permanently dismissed students and tracking the progress of students on academic probation.
• Coordinate with the academic units to continuously update academic equivalencies for high school advanced credit exams.
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of a Master's Degree in Science or similar field, or the equivalent combination of education and work experience. (Please review the Equivalency Chart for additional information.)
• Minimum of 7+ years of relevant experience
• Demonstrated commitment to student success.
• Demonstrated expertise in higher education administration and leadership.
• Demonstrated expertise in student engagement and academic advising.
• Exceptional organizational and leadership abilities.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Ability to navigate complex institutional structures with diplomacy.
• Ability to innovate and improve processes and outcomes in a higher education institution.
• Experience with higher education enterprise software platforms (e.g., Banner)

Location

• University City - Philadelphia, PA

Additional Information

This position is classified as Exempt, grade N. Compensation for this grade ranges from $ 99,720.00 to $ 149,580.00 per year. Please note that the offered rate for thisposition will vary based on thesuccessful candidate’s qualifications and experience, department budget, and an internal equity review.

Applicants are encouraged to explore the Professional Staff salary structure and CompensationGuidelines & Policies for more details on Drexel’s compensation framework.For information about benefits, please review Drexel’s Benefits Brochure.

A review of applicants will begin once a suitable candidate pool is identified.

Advertised: Sep 8 2026 Eastern Daylight Time
Applications close: Oct 8 2026 Eastern Daylight Time