Director of Advising

Fort Lewis College•Durango, CO

2d•$77,500 - $90,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Advising serves as the College’s senior institutional leader for undergraduate academic advising, providing strategic direction for the College’s advising model, policies, practices, systems and student-success outcomes. The Director translates institutional priorities related to enrollment, retention, persistence, and degree completion into an integrated advising strategy and leads implementation across professional advising and faculty advising environments. The Director of Advising provides vision and leadership for a high-accountability, student‑centered advising operation grounded in proactive, holistic advising practices. The Director leads a professional advising team operating within a caseload model and is responsible for establishing clear expectations, measurable outcomes, and consistent advising practices aligned with institutional goals. Reporting to the Vice President of Enrollment Management, the Director works closely with Academic Affairs, faculty leadership, and campus partners to ensure advising is coordinated, data‑informed, equitable, and focused on student success from enrollment through degree completion. This position directly advances the College’s Strategic Plan by supporting student persistence, retention and timely progress towards degree completion. Through proactive, equity-minded advising and early academic intervention, Academic Advisors contribute to Fort Lewis College’s commitment to being a student-ready institution – reducing structural barriers, improving student experience, and supporting successful outcomes of all students. You’ll be successful in this role if you believe advising is both a relationship-based practice and a results-driven strategy. You value trust, coaching, and professional judgement – and you believe that clear expectations, shared metrics, and accountability help advisors do their best work. You are comfortable using data to guide decisions, identify gaps, and improve systems, while remaining deeply student-centered. You enjoy building strong teams, collaborating with faculty and translating institutional goals into clear advising priorities. You understand that equity-minded advising requires both compassion and consistency – and that outcomes matter.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution
Minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in academic advising, student success, enrollment management, academic affairs or related higher-education field
Two to three years of supervisory experience of professional staff
Demonstrated experience leading and supervising professional staff, with a commitment to coaching, development and accountability
Experience developing or implementing advising strategies, polices or programs
Strong verbal and written communication skills
Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and student success
Ability to understand and effectively use student information systems, and CRM tools

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in higher education, counseling, student affairs, education, or a related field
3 years experience leading advising teams in a caseload-based or portfolio-based model
Experience working with first-generation students, low-income students, students of color, rural students, or other historically marginalized populations.
Experience establishing and using advising KPIs related to retention, progression and engagement
Familiarity with NACADA-informed advising practices, including proactive, holistic and relational advising
Ability to analyze and interpret student success data to inform strategy and practice
Experience collaborating with faculty and academic leadership to support student success

Responsibilities

Provide vision and leadership for the College’s academic advising model, ensuring alignment with enrollment, retention, and graduation goals
Establish clear advising priorities, service standards, and measurable outcomes in support of student persistence and timely degree completion
Lead the development, refinement, and assessment of advising practices using student success data, advising KPIs, and equity‑minded analysis
Partner with Enrollment Management leadership to align advising strategy with institutional enrollment and retention planning
Define and oversee advising performance expectations, including engagement, documentation quality, timeliness, and student outcomes
Use dashboards and reports to monitor advising activity, identify trends, and guide coaching and professional development
Lead regular assessment cycles to evaluate advising effectiveness and recommend improvements to practice, structure, or policy
Foster a culture of shared accountability, transparency, and continuous improvement
Hire, supervise, and develop professional advising staff
Coach advisors to balance proactive outreach, high‑quality advising interactions, and effective caseload management
Support professional growth through training, feedback, and alignment with NACADA‑aligned advising competencies
Build an inclusive team culture that values collaboration, professional judgment, and student‑centered decision‑making
Work closely with faculty, department chairs, and academic leadership to support advising alignment with curriculum and degree pathways
Collaborate with campus partners, including Financial Aid, Registrar, Housing, Student Affairs, and Career Services, to remove barriers to student success
Serve as a key partner in orientation, registration, and transition initiatives for new and continuing students
Ensure advising systems, processes, and documentation practices support consistency, accuracy, and student clarity
Provide strategic direction for the use of advising technologies, student-success systems, degree-planning tools, and related data infrastructure to support proactive advising and timely student progression.
Recommend policy and process changes to senior leadership based on student-success data, advising outcomes, and identified barriers to student progression.
Support FERPA compliance and ethical advising practices
Maintain knowledge and awareness of digital accessibility including the American with Disabilities Act and Section 508 and produces and remediates digitally accessible materials in accordance with FLC standards.
Perform other duties as assigned