Specialist, Area of Study Advising (Student Affairs)

Austin Community College; Austin (TX); Hybrid; USD 49,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

Austin Community College is seeking a Specialist, Area of Study Advising in Student Affairs to deliver academic advising and related student support. The role may be performed in person or virtually, supporting Guided Pathways and ensuring equitable access for a diverse student body.

Responsibilities include counseling on courses, program selection, financial aid, and transfer planning, with emphasis on at-risk students. Strong communication and confidentiality are essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Two years related work experience required.
• Bilingual English-Spanish preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide academic advising and student support.
• Assist with financial aid processes and eligibility guidance.
• Maintain student records and prepare reports.
• Coordinate referrals to college and community services.
• Promote career- and transfer-related programs.

Skills

Bilingual: English - Spanish

Interpersonal skills

Public speaking

Organizational skills

Confidentiality

Initiative

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Job Posting Title:

Specialist, Area of Study Advising (Student Affairs)

Austin Community College employees are required to maintain a domicile in the State of Texas while working for the college and throughout the duration of employment. - AR 4.0300.01

Austin Community College is a public two-year institution that serves a multicultural population of approximately 41,000 credit students each Fall and Spring semester. We embrace our identity as a community college, as reflected in our mission statement. We promote student success and community development by providing affordable access, through traditional and distance learning modes, to higher education and workforce training, including appropriate applied baccalaureate degrees, in our service area.

As a community college committed to our mission, we seek to recruit and retain a workforce that:

• Values intellectual curiosity and innovative teaching.
• Is attracted by the college's mission to promote equitable access to educational opportunities.
• Cares about student success and collaborates on strategies to facilitate success for populations including; first generation college students, low-income students, and students from underserved communities.
• Focused on student academic achievement and postgraduate outcomes.
• Welcomes difference and models respectful interaction with others.
• Engages with the community both within and outside of ACC.

Job Description Summary:

To provide academic advising and related student support services and to facilitate Austin Community College's (ACC) Guided Pathways model. Work may be performed in-person or virtually.

Job Description:

Description of Duties and Tasks

1. Guides students during advising sessions regarding educational issues such as course and program selection, class scheduling, TSI compliance, Academic Standard Progress, adjustment to college life, study habits, career planning, and financial wellness.
2. Supports students during advising sessions with the application, award, and administration of financial aid to ensure eligible students have access to and leverage federal and state aid for the completion of academic awards.
3. Assesses needs for assistance, financial aid, or additional training, and refers students to the appropriate services.
4. Responsible for effective caseload management and implementation of interventions that promote student success and retention, with special emphasis supporting students who are academically at-risk/under-prepared.
5. Educates individuals using basic coaching techniques to help them understand and overcome personal, social, or behavioral challenges affecting their educational or career/employment objectives.
6. Coordinates referrals to college and community services as needed, including student mental health counseling.
7. Reviews transcripts, Interpret test scores and other information to determine college readiness and compliance with the TSI.
8. Maintains expert advising knowledge of assigned Area(s) of Study.
9. Maintains accurate and complete student records as required by laws, institutional policies, and administrative regulations.
10. Prepares students for later educational experiences (transfer) by encouraging them to explore career opportunities and to persevere with challenging tasks.
11. Confers with instructors, administrators, and other professionals to discuss students' progress, resolve academic, financial, and other challenges, and to determine priorities for students and their resource needs.
12. Documents advising recommendations, directives, interventions, and other pertinent information in the district's various information management platforms; reply to emails and telephone calls timely regarding program or course issues.
13. Gathers data and prepare reports on students and activities as required by supervisor or ACC leadership.
14. Participates in and promote career- and employment-related programs and events, such as transfer/career planning presentations, work experience programs, job/transfer fairs, and career/transfer workshops.

Knowledge

• Understanding of and commitment to the principles and best practices associated with Student Success specifically, effective educational plan development, timely and effective academic coaching strategies, graduation and transfer processes, short-term services and activities that support program persistence and completion.
• Student databases, information management systems, caseload management, Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and general administrative support.
• Multicultural education programs and systems and the importance of cultural competence in promoting student success.
• College admissions and onboarding processes, program offerings and educational pathways, and managing the transition to college.

Skills

• Maintain an established work schedule including weekend and evening hours.
• Effective interpersonal and public speaking skills.
• Effective organizational and planning skills.
• Disseminate complex information effectively to the intended recipient.
• Maintain confidentiality of work-related information and materials.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships that foster continued student success.
• Exhibit cultural competence when working with all students and other members of the college community.
• Demonstrate initiative, follow-through, tact, diplomacy, and good judgment in dealing with constituents.

Technology Skills

• Use a variety of spreadsheet, word processing, database, and presentation software.

Required Work Experience

• Two years related work experience.

Required Education

• Bachelor's degree

Four (4) years of related work experience or an Associate's degree plus two (2) years of related work experience may be substituted for the required education (plus the required experience noted below)

Other Preferred Qualifications

• Bilingual: English - Spanish

Physical Requirements

• Work is performed in a standard office or similar environment.
• Subject to standing, walking, sitting, bending, reaching, pushing, and pulling.
• Occasional lifting of objects up to 10 pounds.

Safety

• Work safely and follow safety rules. Report unsafe working conditions and behavior. Take reasonable and prudent actions to prevent others from engaging in unsafe practices.

Salary Range (PG 3)

$48,630 - $55,284

Number of Openings:

1

Job Posting Close Date:

November 10, 2026

Clery Act

As required by the US Department of Education, employees are required to report violations under Title IX and, under the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act (Clery Act), select individuals are required to report crimes. If this position is identified as a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified, trained, and provided resources for reporting.

Austin Community College produces an Annual Security Report as required by the Clery Act. This report includes statistics from the previous three years concerning reported crime that occurred on campus; public property adjacent to and accessible from campus; and in certain non-campus buildings/property owned or controlled by ACC. The report includes institutional policies concerning campus security and other safety information.

For direct access to the current Annual Security Report, visit www.austincc.edu/asr . You may obtain a hard copy by contacting the Clery Compliance Officer ( [e-mail] ). For an overview, see ACC's Clery Act website.

Disclaimer

The above description is an overview of the job. It is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of duties and responsibilities of the job, nor is it an all-inclusive list of the skills and abilities required to do the job. Duties and responsibilities may change with business needs. ACC reserves the right to add, change, amend, or delete portions of this job description at any time, with or without notice. Employees may be required to perform other duties as requested, directed, or assigned. In addition, reasonable accommodations may be made by ACC at its discretion to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions of the job.