Director of Undergraduate Advising and Policy

This is an internal recruitment to UC Davis employees. UC Davis employees will be able to view and access the application. They need to be logged into UCPath and click on the Recruiting Workcenter to search for the role.

Job Summary

Under the general direction of the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs, the Director of Undergraduate Advising and Policy in the Graduate School of Management (GSM) provides strategic and operational leadership for undergraduate academic advising and advising-related policy. The Director is responsible for the development, implementation, assessment, and continuous improvement of best practices in undergraduate academic advising and student support.

The Director participates in strategic planning discussions and efforts related to undergraduate education in GSM by contributing advising, enrollment, and policy expertise to faculty- and dean-led planning and decision-making. The Director supports undergraduate program planning through collaboration on enrollment management, course scheduling, lecturer staffing coordination, and classroom logistics.

The position has primary responsibility for the daily leadership, management, and delivery of comprehensive academic advising services in the Business Advising Office (BAO), ensuring high-quality, student-centered support aligned with the School’s mission and institutional goals. The Director leads the advising team in interpreting and applying complex Academic Senate, University, and School policies and regulations related to undergraduate education, advising, and degree progress. In consultation with appropriate faculty and administrators, the Director supports decisions related to course planning and scheduling, academic intervention, dismissal, readmission, schedule adjustments, and other student-specific academic matters. In collaboration with the Associate Dean, the Director develops and implements advising policies, procedures, and requirements to optimize the delivery of academic advising and support services. Consistent with the BAO mission, the Director ensures the delivery of ongoing, individualized, and holistic advising designed to promote student retention, academic progress, and timely graduation.

The Director supports faculty governance and Academic Senate bodies by providing advising-related analysis, policy interpretation, and implementation support, and ensures practices are in compliance with university, campus, and school policies and regulations. The role includes coordinating and supporting undergraduate program assessment activities, including AACSB accreditation and self-study preparation, and serving as a key source of information and guidance on advising and student academic matters for campus partners, central administration, and other colleges.

The Director acts as a key liaison for GSM undergraduate initiatives and events, represents GSM advising and student support perspectives in campus-wide discussions related to undergraduate education, and participates actively on committees and councils related to undergraduate student success, advising best practices, and student services. The Director represents GSM undergraduate programs on advising- and student-support related matters in public forums, responds on behalf of the School to inquiries or complaints from the public, evaluates and certifies completion of degree requirements, and provides oversight for student academic peer advisors. The Director serves as the primary staff liaison for undergraduate advising and student academic matters with campus offices including, but not limited to: Student Conduct and Integrity, Counseling Services, Services for International Students and Scholars, Retention Centers, Undergraduate Admissions, Student Community Centers (e.g., CCC, LGBTQIA, SRRC), and other offices housed under Student Affairs. The role includes close collaboration with campus partners to deliver pre-arrival advising services, including summer programs and communications for incoming students, and to design and implement Orientation and Welcome Programs for first-year, transfer, international, and Educational Opportunity Program students. In the absence of the Associate Dean, the Director assumes delegated authority and responsibility for the effective delivery of GSM undergraduate advising and student support services.

Key Responsibilities 

50% - LEADERSHIP AND ADVISING OPERATIONS

• Develops, vets, implements, and sustains strategies to ensure efficient office operations, including management of the unit’s budget. 
• Researches, recommends, implements, and evaluates advising best practices to support student success and timely degree completion. 
• Establishes individualized educational plans for students and provides guidance on probation and dismissal decisions. 
• Assists with complex and sensitive situations involving students and parents, including conflict resolution. 
• Adjudicates student appeals in collaboration with the Associate Dean. 
• Provides leadership in reviewing and managing student caseloads from matriculation through graduation. 
• Collaborates with the campus Director of Academic Advising to develop advising assessment tools and strategies, advisor professional development activities, and campus-wide academic advising initiatives. 
• Partners with IT staff to develop and modify software that improves advising operations and efficiencies in alignment with broader campus efforts. 
• Collaborates with Student Affairs staff to establish and maintain relationships with campus groups. 

20% - SCHOOL/CAMPUS COMMITTEE PARTICIPATION AND SUPPORT

• Maintain close liaison relationship with campus support networks, services, and constituency groups. 
• Serve on various campus-wide committees including but not limited to: Registrar’s Office/Dean’s Office, Advising Technology, Advising Directors, Council of Associate Deans, as well as serve School faculty governance committees as requested, including the Undergraduate Programs and Policies Committee and the Business Major Program Committee. 
• Coordinate with Economics and Agricultural and Resource Economics departments on advising and other matters for the Business Economics Cluster. 
• Develop routine interactions and strategies for collaboration with campus partners engaged in enhancing student experiences and success. 
• Participate in professional development programs to learn and apply advising best practices for students, and coordinate programming for special student populations. 
• Develop, present and participate in outreach and integration programs for prospective and current undergraduate students.
•  Represent the GSM at campus-wide events related to undergraduate advising and student services.

15% - Curriculum and Course Planning

• Work with instructors to effectively manage quarterly course enrollment; work closely with the Office of the University Registrar and the GSM course scheduler to identify pinch points; update course enrollment data and find trends; project future course enrollment and offerings to align with student demand and student credit hour models; work closely with Associate Dean of Programs and Curriculum, Accounting Academic Director, and Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs to support the development, maintenance, and execution of undergraduate teaching plans, including exceeding faculty sufficiency required for accreditation; arrange regular teaching plan meetings. 
• Act as liaison between students and faculty to determine areas of improvement in undergraduate program curricula; bring curricula and undergraduate regulation issues to appropriate committees; work with advising team to input course changes and submit to Academic Senate; update General Catalog and GSM website with curriculum and course changes.

10% - MANAGEMENT AND SUPERVISION

• Manages and provides strategic direction for BAO operations; oversees the recruitment, selection, onboarding, and supervision of staff; delegates work and assigns responsibilities to ensure effective workflow and service delivery; conducts performance evaluations and administers corrective actions; provides conflict resolution and employee relations support; and assesses and evaluates the utilization and effectiveness of peer advisors within BAO.

5% - ADVISING

• Work with students to successfully navigate the degree process. 
• Advise on course planning, academic intervention, dismissal, readmission, late actions, and other matters of similar import for individual students. 
• Evaluate, establish and deliver specialized advising structures to assist students. 
• Provide individual and group advising to ensure appropriate course loads and course balance based on both the student’s academic goals and academic preparedness, including referrals for academic skills development. 
• Foster positive relationships with students to encourage open communication and a positive experience.
•  Assess needs and present options and resources for assistance and support to students with regard to personal, academic, financial or other difficulties as needed.

Minimum Qualifications 

• Bachelor's degree in related area and/or equivalent experience/training
• Five years of experience applying advanced holistic academic advising/guidance techniques to serve undergraduates in an accredited institution of higher education.
• Five years of experience with general curricular elements and structures (e.g., courses, units, prerequisites, majors and minors), teaching planning and enrollment management, and with rules and regulations governing undergraduate education established at varying levels of faculty oversight (e.g., Davis Academic Senate and School Faculty Assemblies).
• Five years of experience demonstrating problem solving skills to identify and document patterns of undergraduate student academic needs and develop strategies and programs to successfully meet those needs at an accredited institution of higher education.
• Advanced organizational and planning skills to set work priorities under pressure of deadlines.
• Effective interpersonal and public communication and listening skills to interact positively and cooperatively with students, parents, faculty, administrators, staff and the general public. Strong in both written and oral presentations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Five years of experience working directly with faculty to refine undergraduate regulations, academic advising policies and procedures and curriculum planning.
• Experience using multicultural and student development theories in advising within an academic environment including awareness of pressures encountered by students of all backgrounds at a major research university.
• Experience working at a UC, and UC Davis in particular, in undergraduate academic advising.
• Knowledge of the academic environment and pressures encountered by students at a major research university, including students from under-represented groups and from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
• Knowledge of university, federal and state policies and laws regarding privacy of information and confidentiality of student records.
• Skills to extract from complex situations those elements of greatest relevance, especially verifiable data and metrics, and present that information succinctly to aid in program and school-wide decision-making.