Assistant Director, Academic Advisement

Georgia State University•Atlanta, GA

About The Position

The Division of Student Success seeks an Assistant Director to provide leadership within the University Advisement Center. The role supervises Graduation Counselors and provides direct advisement services to undergraduate students. The position focuses on graduation counseling, degree progression, student retention, consistent application of academic policies, and continuous improvement. The successful candidate is described as forward-thinking, student-centered, and solutions-oriented, with a commitment to strengthening student graduation and retention outcomes.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree and three years of supervisory or management experience, or a combination of education and experience.
Strong oral and written communication skills, with the ability to resolve complex student issues through follow-up and coordination.
The application submission must include a complete and accurate GSU application, resume, and three professional references; cover letter is optional.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree and at least five years of experience in student affairs, student retention, academic advising, or related higher education roles.
Experience supervising, mentoring, or serving as a lead worker for advising or student-facing staff.
Experience leading academic processes, student retention initiatives, or cross-campus projects.
Ability to use data and analytics to inform student success interventions and operational improvements.
Proficiency with Banner, Excel, and student success platforms such as EAB Navigate and Degree Works, or comparable systems.

Responsibilities

Supervise Graduation Counselors, including hiring, onboarding, training, performance evaluation, and professional development.
Establish expectations, workflows, and accountability measures for consistent, high-quality graduation counseling.
Coach and support counselors handling complex student cases and foster a collaborative, solution-focused team culture.
Oversee graduation advising strategies for high-credit, off-progression, and at-risk students.
Ensure timely and accurate degree evaluations, graduation plans, and policy interpretations.
Monitor degree progression barriers and partner with Assistant Directors and Directors on resolution strategies.
Lead the development and execution of graduation initiatives and targeted completion campaigns.
Serve as an escalation point for complex academic policy interpretations, degree exceptions, substitution requests, and cross-college issues.
Ensure counselors apply policies consistently and in alignment with Board of Regents and institutional regulations.
Collaborate with colleges, the Registrar, Financial Aid, and Enrollment Services to resolve high-impact student cases.
Recommend policy clarifications and process improvements based on case trends and outcomes.
Use data systems to monitor graduation trends, counselor caseloads, and intervention effectiveness.
Analyze retention, progression, and completion data to inform staffing, outreach, and resource allocation.
Prepare reports and insights for Director-level leadership to support institutional planning and performance metrics.
Use data to drive continuous improvement in graduation counseling practices.
Partner with Assistant Directors, College Advising Offices, and Academic Advisors I-III to align advising standards and messaging.
Represent the Graduation Counseling team on cross-functional committees focused on retention, curriculum, and academic operations.
Serve as a subject-matter leader in degree progression and completion strategies across the university.
Support onboarding and training for broader advising staff as needed.
Develop and oversee counselor training frameworks covering policy updates, degree evaluation practices, and data tools.
Establish quality assurance processes to ensure accuracy, consistency, and compliance in graduation counseling.
Identify professional development opportunities for the team.
Support presentations, workshops, and internal communications related to graduation pathways and academic policy.
Provide direct advisement services to undergraduate students.