Associate Director, Student Experience and Academics

• Coaches and advises students 1:1 holistically on career, academic, and student life topics.
• Builds strong and sustainable relationships and maintains existing relationships with employers.
• Facilitates onboarding, career programming, academic advising sessions, and milestone tracking.
• Collaborates with faculty, alumni, and central Booth departments to deliver integrated student support.
• Coordinates communication and student engagement initiatives, including events, newsletters, and resource platforms.
• Tracks student progress and provides interventions for students at risk or in need of additional support.
• Contributes to team-wide learning by sharing expertise in your SME area and participating in cross-training to build a resilient, collaborative team.
• Fosters a culture centered on positivity, inclusivity, responsiveness, innovation, and professional growth.
• Partners with Careers SME and help students align academic choices with career ambitions.
• Serves as the primary academic advisor for MiM and MiF students, guiding them through curriculum planning, course registration, and graduation requirements.
• Develops and maintains advising tools, planning guides, and onboarding materials to support academic decision-making.
• Interprets and communicates academic policies to students, ensuring compliance and supporting informed decision-making.
• Monitors academic progress and works with students at risk, making referrals to tutoring, wellness, or academic resources.
• Liaise with faculty, registrar, and faculty directors to ensure clear communication of expectations and policies.
• Coordinates communication from students and faculty to inform future advising structures and academic program enhancements.
• Supports student onboarding through academic orientation, Q&A sessions, and continuous touchpoints throughout the program year.
• Leads facilitation of academic policies including substitution, petitions, accommodations and probations.
• Conducts regular knowledge-sharing sessions to equip peers with advising frameworks, academic policies, and student support scenarios.
• Develops a core advising toolkit that can be used by non-SME team members to triage academic inquiries.
• Manages on-boarding efforts related to coursework and academic planning delivered through various channels and on-line tools. Works mostly independently to facilitate graduation-related functions related to academic and degree requirements.
• Has a deep understanding related to the development of programming for non-academic matters, such as health and wellness and curricular programming. Designs and produces material for the handbook and other academically-related publications.
• Performs other related work as needed.

• Bachelor’s degree.
• Master’s degree.

• At least five years of experience in academic advising, academic operations, or student support within higher education.

• Demonstrated proficiency with MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook).
• Familiarity with advising systems, student records platforms, and learning management tools, such as Canvas.

• Strong understanding of academic policy, curriculum structures, and graduate-level program design.
• Engage with diverse student populations and support varying academic needs and aspirations.
• Highly organized, empathetic, and solutions-focused with excellent interpersonal communication skills.
• Outstanding verbal, written, and presentation skills, as well as organizational skills.
• Work independently with little supervision; possess a self-motivated disposition; identify opportunities for improvement and recommend effective changes, all while achieving key objectives resulting in desired outcomes.
• Excellent strategic planning, critical thinking, analytical, and persuasion skills.
• Handle multiple detailed tasks/projects simultaneously and meet strict deadlines with frequent interruptions.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively and diplomatically with colleagues, as well as with students, faculty and corporate contacts in a multitude of communication methods, including in-person, email, and phone.
• Professional demeanor, including tact, discretion, and a customer service-oriented approach.

• Occasionally work various hours, sometimes early mornings, late evenings, and weekend days.
• This position is currently expected to work a minimum three days per week in the office.

• Resume/CV (required)
• Cover Letter (required)

University of Chicago