As part of the application for this role, please submit a cover letter - that will be read with care - that addresses your interest in the role, and how your skills align to this work. We'd be particularly interested to hear how all of your experiences tie together to prepare you to help to create meaningful programs for an academic advising community.  Due to system limitations, you will need to submit your cover letter and resume as a single document.

The Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education (OVPUE) and the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (CRLT) at the University of Michigan are hiring for a Director of Advising Initiatives.

You will play a key part in shaping the future of advising and student success by driving innovative initiatives, refining processes, and aligning strategies across the entire organization.

You will draw on both your aptitude and experience training and development, advising, and ability to scan and analyze a landscape, see gaps, and create solutions in community. You will report directly to the Assistant Vice Provost for Advising Strategy and Student Success. This role will also receive comprehensive support and additional supervision from the Managing Director, Educational Development and Assessment Services, Center for Research on Learning and Teaching.

You will work on the tactical portions of learning and development, designing and implementing a comprehensive advisor training and development program grounded in relevant research, theories, and professional standards. You'll be intentional about the work to equip our incredible advisors with the knowledge and skills needed to deepen their skills in delivering high quality, proactive, strengths-based services, and to continue developing as professionals. You will support a wide range of other innovative projects related to advising and student success.

This is a hybrid position with work required onsite across the Ann Arbor campus.

We'd love to offer accommodations you may need in pursuit of employment. Submit requests for accommodations, or general questions, to talent.acquisition@umich.edu You can also view the full job description here .

OVPUE oversees the Student Success Initiative, a collaborative effort to enrich the academic experience for a diverse community of over 32,000 undergraduate students. In partnership with faculty, staff, students, and administrators, OVPUE incorporates cutting-edge research and new technologies to implement a range of collaborative innovations and initiatives, which span a spectrum of support services, more centralized resources, and best practices culled from our own institution and from others. OVPUE also provides shared resources and leadership for the academic advising community on campus.

CRLT is the nation's first teaching center. They are dedicated to the support and advancement of evidence-based learning and teaching practices and the professional development of all members of the campus teaching community. CRLT is part of the Provost's Office and partners with faculty, graduate students, postdocs, and academic leaders across U-M's 19 schools and colleges to develop and sustain a university culture that values and rewards teaching, respects and supports individual differences among learners, and creates equitable learning environments in which diverse students and instructors can excel.

In addition to a career filled with purpose and opportunity, the University of Michigan offers a comprehensive benefits package to help you stay well, protect yourself and your family and plan for a secure future. Benefits include:

• Generous time off
• A retirement plan that provides two-for-one matching contributions with immediate vesting
• Many choices for comprehensive health insurance
• Life insurance
• Long-term disability coverage
• Flexible spending accounts for healthcare and dependent care expenses
• Maternity and parental Leave

Advisor Training & Professional Development (50%)

• Design and implement a comprehensive, multimodal, tiered training and development program for staff, faculty, and peer academic advisors and coaches, in partnership with the university's Advising Council.
• Develop and launch online training course(s) on validating approaches to advising, coaching, and mentoring in partnership with campus training and technology teams.
• Collaborate with educational technology units on campus to design trainings on advising and student success technology tools.
• Define learning outcomes, develop assessments, and report on the effectiveness of training programs; aim for continuous improvement.
• Engage with relevant professional associations and help connect U-M advisors and coaches with professional development opportunities.
• Explore new ways to recognize and promote the growth of advisors and coaches, such as advising certificates and advisor recognition programs.

Advising & Student Success Projects (50%)

• Contribute to the development of shared advising standards, policies, procedures, and resources.  
• Design an advising curriculum with recommendations for tailoring support to students' needs over the course of their undergraduate experience.
• Create assessment tools to help advising and coaching units track learning outcomes and demonstrate the impact of advising.
• Participate in educational technology committees and projects to help shape the future of advising and coaching at U-M.
• Explore ways to increase the visibility of advising and student success resources and improve communication.

• Deep understanding of advising approaches, student development theory, and counseling gained through professional training and experience, or an advanced degree in a related field such as Higher Education, Social Work, etc.
• 5+ more years direct experience advising students in an academic setting
• Demonstrated experience planning training & professional development opportunities
• Experience as lead facilitator of trainings, courses, and/or workshops
• Project management skills demonstrated through experience with both independently led and collaborative projects

Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes.

Depending on the selected candidate's qualifications, this position may be underfilled at a lower classification.

The University of Michigan conducts background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer and may use a third-party administrator to conduct background checks.  Background checks are performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days.  The review and selection process may begin as early as the eighth day after posting. This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled anytime after the minimum posting period has ended.

The University of Michigan is an equal employment opportunity employer.