College Advisor, Senior

About the role

Reporting to the Senior Director of Academic Services, the Senior College Advisor works closely with other advisors across disciplines, campus partners, and department faculty to deliver coordinated, student-centered support from pre-major exploration through graduation and career preparation. The Senior Advisor provides professional academic advising to undergraduate students across a portfolio of Arts & Sciences departments, applying broad independent judgment to complex and non-routine student situations. This position brings disciplinary depth, greater autonomy in navigating difficult cases, and an active role in shaping advising practices across the college. The role is primarily office-based in a hybrid environment, with in-person student-facing events and occasional evening or weekend commitments.

Responsibilities

• Academic Advising & Student Support (55%)
  • Advise prospective, current, and returning undergraduate students across assigned departments on degree requirements, course sequencing, registration, academic policies, and progress toward degree completion, including majors and students enrolled in service or non-major courses.
  • Maintain ongoing communications with current students on registration deadlines, policy updates, curriculum changes, continuation policies, and advising resources.
  • Apply broad independent judgment to complex situations such as academic difficulty, policy exceptions, transfer equivalency, study abroad review, continuation concerns, program transitions, and students with intersecting barriers to success; make appropriate referrals.
  • Conduct difficult advising conversations with confidence, including situations where students are dissatisfied with academic decisions or policies.
  • Serve as a contact for returning and reinstatement students, addressing registration holds, reviewing academic history, and developing individualized course plans using knowledge of financial aid, international student restrictions, and institutional policies.
  • Lead the major declaration process for assigned programs, including coordinating new major orientations and maintaining online declaration and application workflows.
  • Track and enforce departmental continuation policies quarterly; initiate proactive outreach and connect students with resources such as Counseling Services, Disability Resources for Students (DRS), the Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity (OMA&D), and the Career & Internship Center.
  • Review and process graduation applications; conduct degree audit reviews and troubleshoot issues with central campus offices.
  • Maintain accurate student records, advising notes, and databases in compliance with FERPA and University records policies.
  • Compile program reports and statistics; assist with tracking enrollment patterns and student progress metrics.
  • Provide counsel to college leadership on patterns, structural barriers, and emerging student needs observed across the caseload.
• Outreach, Recruitment & Student Programming (15%)
  • Participate in and help coordinate undergraduate recruitment and yield events, transfer orientations, new student orientations, and admitted student days—primarily conducted in person.
  • Conduct prospective major information sessions, including outreach to community colleges and participation in campus events.
  • Develop and deliver group advising workshops on topics such as major exploration, degree planning, transfer pathways, and career readiness.
  • Support prospective and incoming student communications and additional student-facing programming as assigned.
• Faculty & Program Partnership (10%)
  • Serve as a knowledgeable resource to faculty on program policies, degree requirements, and advising procedures for assigned departments.
  • Work directly with program directors and undergraduate coordinators to stay current on policy changes, curricular updates, and student concerns.
  • Assist faculty in understanding and applying continuation policies, registration processes, and advising workflows.
  • Ensure department-facing and student-facing program documents, websites, and resources are accurate and up to date.
• Collaboration & Shared Advising Practices (10%)
  • Contribute to the College’s advising structure, including the development of shared tools, resources, and practices across units.
  • Participate in college-wide advising team meetings, onboarding, training, professional development, and cross-unit initiatives aligned with College priorities.
  • Maintain liaison relationships with campus partners including UAA, OMA&D, New Student and Transfer Programs, the Office of the Registrar, and the Career & Internship Center.
  • Serve as a collaborative resource for peer advisors, sharing knowledge of policies, systems, and discipline-specific advising practices.
• Special Projects & Emerging Priorities (10%)
  • Contribute to advising data, communications, policy implementation, and process improvement projects as directed by leadership.
  • Support special student populations, initiatives, or college priorities in alignment with the College’s advising mission and evolving needs.

Requirements

• Minimum Qualifications
  • Bachelor’s degree.
  • At least three years of experience in academic advising, student services, or a related higher education role.
• Additional Qualifications
  • Ability to apply independent judgment to complex and non-routine student situations, including those involving academic difficulty, policy exceptions, or intersecting barriers to success.
  • Experience conducting difficult advising conversations with professionalism and confidence, including delivering unwelcome news or enforcing academic policies.
  • Strong organizational skills and ability to manage a significant advising caseload across multiple programs simultaneously.
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills, including experience communicating with diverse student populations.
  • Ability to interpret and apply complex academic policies accurately and consistently.
  • Experience maintaining student records and advising documentation in compliance with FERPA or equivalent standards.
  • Ability to work collaboratively as part of a team while exercising independent judgment within defined responsibilities.
• Preferred Qualifications
  • Master’s degree in higher education, counseling, student personnel, or a related field.
  • Familiarity with UW advising systems and tools including SDB, EARS, DARS, and BI Portal.
  • Experience leading major declaration processes, new student orientations, or advising workshops.
  • Familiarity with transfer student advising and community college articulation processes.
  • Experience tracking and enforcing satisfactory academic progress or continuation policies.
  • Interest in contributing to shared advising practices, professional development, and a collaborative advising community.
  • Familiarity with undergraduate curriculum structures in arts, humanities, social sciences, or natural sciences disciplines.
  • Experience with student outreach, recruitment events, or community college liaison work.
  • Experience working with student populations using financial aid, international students, and student veterans.

Working Conditions

This position is primarily office-based and operates in a hybrid environment. Direct student advising appointments, orientations, recruitment activities, and other student-facing events are primarily conducted in person. Some administrative functions may be performed remotely in accordance with College and University hybrid work guidelines. Flexibility for occasional evening or weekend events is expected.