Executive Director - University Academic Advising

Texas Woman’s University•Denton, TX

22h•Onsite

About The Position

The Executive Director of University Academic Advising provides strategic leadership and oversight for university-wide academic advising initiatives to support student success and retention. Texas Woman’s University employs a shared advising model, and this role is responsible for driving, aligning, and leading this approach across central advising teams, academic colleges, and departments. This position is responsible for developing, implementing, and assessing advising standards, protocols, and professional development programs, while ensuring alignment with institutional goals. The Executive Director supervises advising leadership and staff, leads hiring processes, manages budgets, and oversees the Academic Advising Center, encompassing lower-division advising professionals, specialized advising for at-risk, dual credit, online, exploring majors, and prospective students. Serving as the primary liaison between advising teams, faculty, and university leadership, this position ensures cohesive communication, collaboration, and alignment with academic programs. The Executive Director also manages advising and retention software implementation, develops early intervention strategies, and utilizes data-driven practices to improve student outcomes. Work is performed independently under limited supervision and performance is based upon completion of assignments and results obtained. The performance evaluation is conducted through the performance evaluation system and in accordance with the University Policy & Procedures.

Requirements

Master’s degree required.
At least five years of higher education academic advising experience, including supervision of employees, program development experience, and experience working with special populations of students at a university level.
Experience collaborating with university administration, academic component administrators, faculty, and staff on a multitude of issues.
Regular and reliable attendance at the University during regular scheduled days and work hours is an essential function of this position.
All employees share the responsibility of maintaining information security and privacy requirements within the university by adhering to Federal and State regulations, and TWU Policies & Procedures.
Knowledge of academic advising and student success initiatives.
Knowledge of academic programming related to advising and academic support.
Knowledge of professional advising standards and practices.
Knowledge and application of principles and ethics associated with developmental academic advising.
Knowledge of university programs, policies, and practices.
Knowledge of effective supervision techniques and practices.
Knowledge of management methods and ability to provide leadership, administrative guidance and direct training and supervision.
Ability to apply budgeting and fiscal planning techniques within financial constraints.
Ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with students, faculty, administrators, staff, the public, and service providers.
Ability to work creatively, collaboratively, and effectively as a team member and independently to promote teamwork within the organization.
Excellent verbal, written and interpersonal skills.
Ability to use a personal computer and other office equipment, including related university software and email.

Nice To Haves

Doctoral degree strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead, develop, and coordinate university-wide academic advising initiatives.
Supervise academic advising leadership with line manager supervision of academic advisors.
Lead hiring process for academic advising staff.
Guide academic advisors to ensure high-quality service to students and stakeholders.
Serve as the liaison to all campus entities regarding academic advising processes, ensuring a strong relationship exists between academic advising and academic programs.
Lead professional development activities for academic advisors.
Develop and present professional development workshops/trainings for advisors, affiliated faculty, and staff.
Propose and manage academic advising budgets.
Oversee the Academic Advising Center, consisting of cross-teams of academic advisors.
Develop and implement Academic Advising Center standards and office protocols.
Develop and implement common experiences for students surrounding academic advising.
Directly oversee advising of special populations, including at-risk, probation and suspension, dual credit, online, exploring majors, and prospective students.
Develop and implement the overall assessment of advising practices.
Oversee the development and implementation of proactive parallel planning for undergraduate students.
Respond to academic advising complaints and appeals.
Develop and implement proactive intervention strategies targeting at-risk student populations.
Create a dynamic early intervention protocol ensuring high-quality student service and faculty feedback.
Utilize data, research, and reports to support university-wide retention and persistence goals.
Work directly with faculty, academic leaders, and university leadership to ensure open communication between academic advising and college/university structures.
Coordinate with the Vice Provost for Student Success to ensure alignment between academic advising and student achievement metrics.
Oversee the implementation and ongoing development of a broad-based academic advising and retention software.
Ensure academic advisors and university stakeholders receive appropriate training on best practices for utilizing academic advising and retention software.
Address problems, challenges, and issues related to implementing academic advising software and develop solutions.
Serve as primary liaison with academic advising and retention software vendors and other external academic advising organizations.
Organize and lead various academic advising committees structured to ensure appropriate ongoing professional development, job training, and onboarding activities.
Produce and distribute reports.
Monitor professional advising standards and ensures alignment with professional advising best practices.
Responsible for establishing job standards, while providing opportunities for professional development and leadership.
Assist in grant preparation.
Support the overall efforts of the division of student success within the academic affairs organization by assisting colleagues as needed.
Perform other duties as requested.