College Advisor, Senior

University of Washington • Seattle, WA

4d • Hybrid

About The Position

The College of Arts & Sciences has an outstanding opportunity for a Senior College Advisor to join their team. Reporting to The Senior Director of Academic Services, the College Advisor, Senior works closely with other College Advisors across disciplines, campus partners and department faculty to deliver coordinated, student-centered support from pre-major exploration through graduation and career preparation. The College Advisor, Senior 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. The Senior Advisor brings disciplinary depth, greater autonomy in navigating difficult cases, and an active role in shaping advising practices across the college. 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.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree and at least three years of experience in academic advising, student services, or a related higher education role
• Demonstrated ability to apply independent judgment to complex and non-routine student situations, including those involving academic difficulty, policy exceptions, or students with 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
• Demonstrated ability to interpret and apply complex academic policies accurately and consistently
• Experience maintaining student records and advising documentation in compliance with FERPA or equivalent confidentiality standards
• Ability to work collaboratively as part of a team while also exercising independent judgment within defined responsibilities

Nice To Haves

• 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
• Demonstrated 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

Responsibilities

• Advise prospective, current, and returning undergraduate students across assigned departments on degree requirements, course sequencing, registration, academic policies, and progress toward degree completion, including both majors and students enrolled in service or non-major courses
• Manage ongoing communications to current students in assigned majors on topics such as registration deadlines, policy updates, curriculum changes, program and University continuation policies and other advising resources, ensuring students have accurate, timely information to support their academic progress.
• Apply broad independent judgment to complex, non-routine student situations, including academic difficulty, policy exceptions, transfer equivalency and study abroad review processes, continuation concerns, program transitions, and students with intersecting barriers to success, making referrals as appropriate.
• Conduct difficult advising conversations with confidence and professionalism, including situations where students are dissatisfied with academic decisions, University, College and program policies, or continuation policy outcomes; draw on deep program knowledge to navigate these interactions effectively
• Serve as a contact for returning and reinstatement students, addressing registration holds, reviewing academic history, and developing individualized course plans using extensive knowledge from financial aid, international student restrictions, College and University policies.
• Lead the major declaration process (including capacity constrained admissions) for assigned programs, including coordinating new major orientations and maintaining online declaration and application workflows
• Track and enforce departmental continuation policies on a quarterly basis; initiate proactive outreach and connect students with appropriate campus resources including Counseling Services, Disability Resource for Students (DRS), the UW 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
• 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 UW 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
• Support additional student-facing programming and events in alignment with departmental and college priorities, as assigned
• 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 that department-facing and student-facing program documents, websites, and resources are accurate and up to date
• Contribute actively to the College's advising structure, including the development of shared tools, resources, and practices across units
• Actively support and participate in college-wide advising team meetings, onboarding, training and professional development programming, and cross-unit initiatives aligned with the College's priorities
• Maintain liaison relationships with campus partners including UAA, OMAD, New Student and Transfer Programs, the Office of the Registrar, and the Career & Internship Center
• Serve as a collaborative resource for peer advisers across the college, sharing knowledge of policies, systems, and discipline-specific advising practices
• Contribute to advising data, communications, policy implementation, and process improvement projects as directed by the Academic Services Director or college leadership
• Support special student populations, initiatives, or college priorities that arise in alignment with the College's advising mission and the evolving needs of the unit

Benefits

• Opportunities for professional growth and development
• A collaborative and supportive work culture
• Meaningful work supporting student persistence, timely graduation, and academic exploration in a world-class public research university.
• A collaborative advising community that values professional judgment, adaptability, and thoughtful innovation in student services.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior