Director of Academic Advising and Student Success

Job Description

The College of Architecture, Arts, and Design seeks a collaborative and student-centered Director of Academic Advising and Student Success to join our Academic Affairs unit in a holistic approach to providing integrated support for undergraduate academic advising and success.

The position will serve as a vitally important member of the AAD Academic Affairs team, contributing to a collaborative and coordinated approach to undergraduate academic advising, student support, and student success across the college’s four schools. The unit aims to support students from recruitment through graduation by fostering academic engagement, motivation, and meaningful integration across the undergraduate experience. Along with all members of the dean’s office academic affairs unit, this position partners with our university colleagues and cross-campus units to promote student persistence, achievement, wellbeing, and timely progress to degree.

Key responsibilities and expectations of the position include:
• Leading the undergraduate academic advising team and advising functions for the college
• Managing data analysis and reporting for advising, retention, and graduation
• Serving as an advising representative and liaison on behalf of the college to university committees and partners; or identifying a designee to do so, as appropriate
• Designing, developing, and implementing initiatives, interventions, and strategies that promote students’ academic success
• Serving as primary advisor for Explore AAD students (AAD’s undecided majors) and teaching the First-Year Experience course (AAD 1004) for those students every fall.
• Coordinating transfer credit evaluation review and processing (including AP, IB, CLEP, and VCCS transfer guide.)
• Collaborating with colleagues and partners to support a seamless, student‑focused experience from recruitment through graduation

The successful candidate will be creative and highly collaborative; with proven commitment to build and maintain constructive and trusting professional relationships; and demonstrable skill in managing sensitive circumstances and conversations in a respectful and thoughtful manner. The successful candidate will enhance and strengthen an academic advising team and academic affairs unit deeply committed to supporting our students’ success and well-being.

Required Qualifications

• Master’s degree in higher education, student affairs, counseling, education, or a related field; or a bachelor’s degree with equivalent training and/or professional experience in academic advising or student services.
• Demonstrated knowledge of academic advising principles and practices aligned with NACADA’s core competencies (conceptual, informational, relational).
• Experience conducting data analysis and leveraging metrics to monitor student progress and inform programming and interventions that support persistence
• Proven ability to motivate teams toward shared goals by fostering a collaborative working environment and engaging individuals' expertise.
• Excellent communication, problem‑solving, and interpersonal skills; ability to work both collaboratively and independently.
• Demonstrated success in working effectively with diverse populations, including students, faculty, staff, families, alumni, and campus partners.
• Demonstrated strengths in organization, time management, priority-setting and meeting deadlines.
• Proven commitment to maintain high level of confidentiality and handle sensitive information in compliance with FERPA and university policies.

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional experience in higher education academic advising, student success, or academic affairs within a college or departmental unit.
• Experience with university academic policies, degree audits, graduation clearance processes, and early academic alert/referral systems.
• Experience coordinating new student orientation, first‑year/transfer initiatives, or new student welcome programming.
• Experience training and onboarding advisors, facilitating professional development, and/or skill-building in advising best practices.
• Demonstrated skill with student information and success management systems and advising technologies (such as Navigate, Banner, Slate); competency with Microsoft Office/Google Workspace
• Experience developing or assessing initiatives that improve retention and timely progress to degree.

Application Materials

For full consideration, interested candidates are required to submit the following:

• Cover letter addressing interest, relevant experience and/or expertise, and alignment with the position's responsibilities
• Updated resume/CV
• Statement of advising/student success philosophy
• Contact information for three professional references (name, title, relationship, email, and phone)

Overtime Status

Exempt: Not eligible for overtime

Appointment Type

Regular

Salary Information

Salary range is $80,000-90,000 per year

Hours per week

40+

Review Date

Wednesday, April 1, 2026

Additional Information

The successful candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check.

Commitment to the Principles of Community

Virginia Tech affirms the inherent dignity and value of every person, rejects all forms of prejudice and discrimination, and commits to creating inclusive environments that nurture learning and growth for all. The successful candidate will contribute to and uphold these principles in all aspects of their work.

About Virginia Tech

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech pushes the boundaries of knowledge by taking a hands-on, transdisciplinary approach to preparing scholars to be leaders and problem-solvers. A comprehensive land-grant institution that enhances the quality of life in Virginia and throughout the world, Virginia Tech is an inclusive community dedicated to knowledge, discovery, and creativity. The university offers more than 280 majors to a diverse enrollment of more than 36,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students in eight undergraduate colleges, a school of medicine, a veterinary medicine college, Graduate School, and Honors College. The university has a significant presence across Virginia, including Blacksburg, the greater Washington, D.C. area, the Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke, sites in Newport News and Richmond, and numerous Extension offices and research institutes. A leading global research institution, Virginia Tech conducts more than $650 million in research annually.

Virginia Tech endorses and encourages participation in professional development opportunities and university shared governance.  These valuable contributions to university shared governance provide important representation and perspective, along with opportunities for unique and impactful professional development.