Learning Specialist

UWMSN University of Wisconsin Madison; United States; Hybrid; USD 60,000 - 81,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Wisconsin–Madison invites applications for an Academic Advising Manager to support MD and MPH students. This Learning Specialist role reports to the Assistant Director of Student Success and collaborates with program directors, faculty, and staff to enhance learning and achievement.

Responsibilities include advising, understanding curricula and licensure exams, monitoring progress, and coordinating services with the MD team and MPH specialization.

Qualifications

• Minimum of two years full-time professional experience in academic support, learning assistance, student success, academic advising, or related educational work.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Acts as main point of contact for students and provides information about educational options and requirements.
• Processes and responds to academic inquiries according to policies.
• Contributes to campus-wide advising by sharing best practices with leadership.
• Engages students proactively to support success.
• Maintains advised curriculum knowledge and may assist with policy/curriculum exceptions.
• Supervises unit staff and plans resources for advising/academic services.
• Maintains confidentiality and FERPA-compliant records.
• Develops and runs academic advising events like workshops and panels.

Skills

Excellent written and verbal comms

Education

Bachelor’s Degree

Master’s degree preferred

Job description

Academic Advising Manager

Academic Affairs within the UW School of Medicine and Public Health invites applications for a Learning Specialist position supporting students in the Doctor of Medicine (MD) and Master of Public Health (MPH) programs. Reporting to the Assistant Director of Student Success, the successful candidate will collaborate closely with program directors, faculty, and academic staff to promote student learning, academic achievement, and overall success.

Key responsibilities include providing individualized academic advising, maintaining a strong understanding of program curricula and licensure/board examinations, and monitoring student academic progress to identify and address learning needs. The Learning Specialist will serve as one of four specialists supporting MD students and as the primary Learning Specialist for MPH students. Given the collaborative structure of the MD program, the Learning Specialist team works closely together to coordinate support, share best practices, and ensure consistent, high-quality services for students across the curriculum. The ideal candidate will possess expertise in evidence-based learning strategies and academic coaching, demonstrate a strong commitment to student success, and excel at building collaborative relationships with students, faculty, and staff. Experience supporting learners in medical, public health, or other health professions programs and familiarity with professional licensure examinations are highly desirable.

This position may require some work to be performed in-person, onsite, at a designated campus work location. Some work may be performed remotely, at an offsite, non-campus work location. The work schedule is flexible and will be determined at the time of hire.

Key Job Responsibilities:

• Serves as a main point of contact for students and provides information about educational options and academic requirements; assists with identifying and assessing interests, skills, and values to match appropriate field of study/career options, and refers students to appropriate institutional resources
• Receives, processes, and responds to academic inquiries according to established policies and procedures
• Participates in the campus-wide advising community providing input to leadership regarding the development of advising, recruitment, and co/curricular programs offered by the school/college
• Proactively engages students as needed
• Maintains expertise with advised curriculum and may assist in developing and recommending exceptions for policy and curriculum
• Supervises unit staff and/or plans, organizes, allocates resources, assesses performance, and leads the operational activities of a function within the advising or academic services portfolio, such as program management and/or curriculum management
• Maintains confidentiality and accurate student records and processes and responds to academic inquiries according to established institutional and Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) policies
• Develops and implements academic advising events such as workshops, panel discussions, and guest speakers

Required Qualifications:

• Minimum of two years full-time professional experience in academic support, learning assistance, student success, academic advising, or related educational work
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working in health professions education, graduate education, or other highly competitive academic programs
• Experience using assessment data for continuous improvement

Education:

Bachelor’s Degree required; masters degree preferred, particularly in education, educational psychology, learning sciences, or related field.

Department:

School of Medicine and Public Health, Student Services, Student Academic Success Services. Student Academic Success Services falls under the broader umbrella of Student Services, which is dedicated to supporting the success and professional development of all SMPH learners. Serving as a central hub for student support, the department partners closely with faculty and academic affairs, and as well as UW-Madison campus units to create a student-centered environment that empowers learners to thrive in and beyond their health professions education.

Compensation:

The starting salary for the position is $70,221 annually; but is negotiable based on experience and qualifications.

Benefits:

• generous vacation, holidays, and sick leave
• competitive insurances and savings accounts
• retirement benefits

For more information, refer to the campus benefits webpage.

Institutional Statement on Diversity:

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, or opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals. The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promote excellence by acknowledging skills and expertise from all backgrounds and encourage all qualified individuals to apply.

For more information regarding applicant and employee rights and to view federal and state required postings, visit the Human Resources Workplace Poster website. To request a disability or pregnancy-related accommodation for any step in the hiring process (e.g., application, interview, pre-employment testing, etc.), please contact the Divisional Disability Representative (DDR) in the division you are applying to. Please make your request as soon as possible to help the university respond most effectively to you.

Employment may require a criminal background check. It may also require your references to answer questions regarding misconduct, including sexual violence and sexual harassment. The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7). The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report contains current campus safety and disciplinary policies, crime statistics for the previous 3 calendar years, and on-campus student housing fire safety policies and fire statistics for the previous 3 calendar years. UW-Madison will provide a paper copy upon request; please contact the University of Wisconsin Police Department.

Eligibility Requirements:

University sponsorship is not available for this position, including transfers of sponsorship and TN visas. The selected applicant will be responsible for ensuring their continuous eligibility to work in the United States (i.e. a citizen or national of the United States, a lawful permanent resident, a foreign national authorized to work in the United States without the need of an employer sponsorship) on or before the effective date of appointment. This position is an ongoing position that will require continuous work eligibility and will require eligibility to work for the full duration of the appointment. If you are selected for this position, you must provide proof of work authorization and eligibility to work. The department will not be able to support a request for a J-1 waiver. If you choose to pursue a waiver and apply for our position, neither the UW nor UWMF will reimburse you for your legal or waiver fees.

Contact Information:

Beth Miller, [e-mail]. 608-265-8696

Relay Access (WTRS): 7-1-1. See RELAY_SERVICE for further information.

Work with purpose, make an impact, and grow your career.

Hi there? The University of Wisconsin–Madison is committed to equity, inclusion and employee well-being as we proudly work to improve the lives of people in Wisconsin and beyond. UW–Madison offers a wide range of professions that cover various interests and skill levels. We employ everything from accountants to arborists, chefs to custodians, editors to electricians, graphic designers to groundskeepers, HR associates to HVAC technicians, librarians to locksmiths, mechanics to medical assistants, painters to police officers, web designers to welders, and absolutely everything in between! No matter what you are looking for professionally, chances are you will not only find it but will thrive at it while working at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.