Academic Advising Lead

Competition 1488

This position is a part of the Non-Academic Staff Association (NASA).

This position offers a comprehensive benefits package which can be viewed at: Faculty & Staff Benefits.

Location - This role is hybrid with a mix of remote and in-person work at North Campus Edmonton.

Working at the University of Alberta

The University of Alberta acknowledges that we are located on Treaty 6 territory, and respects the histories, languages and cultures of First Nations, Métis, Inuit and all FirstPeoples of Canada, whose presence continues to enrich our vibrant community.

The University of Alberta is a community of knowledge seekers, change makers and world shapers who lead with purpose each and every day. We are home to over 14,000 faculty and staff, more than 40,000 students and a growing community of 300,000 alumni worldwide.

Your work will have a meaningful influence on a fascinating cross-section of people — from our students and community members, to our renowned researchers and innovators, making discoveries and generating solutions that make the world healthier, safer, stronger and more just. Learn more.

Working for the Alberta School of Business

The Alberta School of Business is one of the world's leading institutions in business education and research and is the first and longest continually accredited business school in Canada. We're positioned to help shape the future of business with over 140 tenured, tenure track faculty and full and part-time academic teaching staff members who are at the forefront of cutting-edge research and innovative teaching. With 3,400 students in our undergraduate program and 950 students in our graduate programs (including 58 PhD students), we are dedicated to fostering a welcome and supportive environment where every student has the opportunity to thrive and reach their full potential. We equip our faculty and students with the latest insights and tools to ensure students receive a transformative learning experience that prepares them for success in a rapidly evolving business landscape.

Since 1916, the innovative ideas, entrepreneurial spirit and leadership of the school's more than 33,000 alumni have strengthened businesses and communities worldwide. We actively foster partnerships with local businesses, organizations and government agencies, allowing our students and faculty to address real-world challenges and contribute directly to the local and global economy. Our outreach programs extend beyond the classroom, empowering students to use their skills for the betterment of society.

At the Alberta School of Business, you'll be part of a dynamic and forward-thinking community that values collaboration, inclusivity and continuous growth, making it an exceptional place to contribute your talents and expertise.

For more information about the school, please visit our website at: https://www.ualberta.ca/business.

Position 

Working closely with and reporting to the Manager, Undergraduate Programs, the Academic Advising Lead (AAL) is the lead hand academic program advisor for the Business Undergraduate Office (UG Office). In addition to participating in all advisor-type responsibilities, the AAL provides functional supervision, leadership and training for staff in the UG Office.

The AAL ensures the effective day-to-day advising operations, by applying their extensive student service experience, communication, relationship skills, and works independently with limited oversight to achieve objectives. The AAL also works with the Manager to implement enrolment strategies, such as defining/operationalizing annual admissions requirements, ensuring student ability to register, operational changes to allow increased registrations and foreseeing impacts to major/minor management, out-of-faculty registrations, etc.

Duties 

Functional Supervision and Leadership

• In collaboration with the Manager, Undergraduate Office and Associate Dean, ensures effective operation of Undergraduate Office team.
• Provides leadership, guidance and direction for situations and issues which require investigation or response. Ensure consistent and equitable approach is taken for issue escalation.
• Engages staff and fosters a collaborative approach based on trust and open communication.
• Monitors advising team's workload and tasks to ensure deadlines are met and works with Manager, Undergraduate Office to redistribute work as necessary.
• Works with Manager, Undergraduate Office to develop key metrics and dashboards to measure and evaluate the effectiveness of the Office's service delivery model and supporting team.
• Promotes the vision of the Undergraduate Office, and by extension, the Alberta School of Business, to support an engaged team, that in turn, creates a more engaging and welcoming environment to students.
• Provides statistical reporting for the Manager Undergraduate Office regarding workflow, program (student) statistics, Accreditation requests, etc.

Policy and Process Development

• Identifies opportunities and provides ideas, proposals and solutions to the senior management team regarding policy, service, process, and opportunities for improvement.
• Identifies potential issues, collaborating in the development of and implementation of changes.
• Initiates and leads regular discussions regarding efficient processes and implements changes.
• Participates and leads as subject matter expert in process mapping sessions to promote systemic change towards more effective, consistent and equitable processes.

Student Advising and Admissions

• Provides advising services to undergraduate students across five degree programs, 11 majors, special students and visiting students, as well as provides support for 3 certificates and the Peter Lougheed Leadership College.
• Increases student academic success by helping students make informed decisions about their educational goals.
• Has a thorough knowledge of current course offerings, regulations relating to majors, minors, compulsory and prerequisites courses, so that advice given at registration as well as to students being advised subsequently will be accurate.
• Proactively directs and consistently disseminates information to promote student satisfaction and retention.

Training

• Trains support staff positions within the Undergraduate Office on all academic operational tasks such as advising techniques, admissions requirements/processing, transfer credit awarding, cohort assignment and scheduling, program and certificate requirements, degree sequencing, course pre-requisites, co-requisites, restrictions, records management, systems configuration and maintenance, academic standing, faculty and university policy applications (e.g. deferred exams, re-exams, course withdrawals, academic probation, out-of-faculty requests, etc.), academic deadlines, convocation processes, etc.
• Trains staff to use and maintain enterprise systems and other applications such as Campus Solutions (incl. Academic Advisement), Slate, EDRMS/Alfresco, Tableau, Acuity (or other scheduling/ticketing tools), etc.

Records Management

• Considering the needs of the Undergraduate Office, promotes and implements records management best practices.
• Ensures practices are put in place to guarantee completeness of the student record, both in Campus Solutions and Alfresco.

Governance and Calendar

• Provides expert knowledge and advice in relation to University governance, policy and procedure as related to the University Calendar.

Faculty Representation

• Sets example and participates in faculty and university events such as Orientation, Open House, Recruitment events, Convocation Reception, other student-focused or lead activities, etc.

Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree in a related field is required. A master's degree is an asset.
• 5 years of directly related work experience in a post-secondary environment.
• Training and experience with university administrative systems in student administration, including PeopleSoft/Campus Solutions, Electronic Document Records Management/Alfresco and the Undergraduate Admission System (Slate).
• Supervisory experience is an asset.
• Superior customer service skills are required with the ability to exercise empathy, adaptability and patience.
• Must demonstrate a strong desire to work in a team-based environment to meet team goals and to maintain a collaborative, efficient team dynamic, contributing to a positive team culture; including the ability to work with little direct supervision.
• High attention to detail and analytical assessment required.
• Ability to exercise independent judgment and proven problem-solving abilities.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication (oral and written) skills in addition to public speaking skills required.
• Exceptional organizational and time management skills.
• Working knowledge of University of Alberta academic policies and procedures is an asset.
• Training in Mental Health First Aid, suicide intervention or similar is an asset.