Senior Associate Director, Advisement Center

Thank you for your interest in working at William Paterson University.

William Paterson University is a purpose-driven, proudly diverse community—designated as both a public Hispanic-Serving Institution and Minority-Serving Institution—committed to creating transformative academic, professional, and personal experiences as a powerhouse of progress. We foster a workplace that values growth, flexibility, and community, and we are recognized as a 2024 and 2025 Forbes’ Best Employers by State, 2025 Great College to Work For, and honored with the NJBIZ Empowering Women Award. 

Our 1,000 dedicated staff members enjoy competitive benefits, a four-day summer workweek, tuition support, and strong opportunities for internal promotion. Situated on a scenic suburban campus just 20 miles from New York City, WP offers a diverse, inclusive environment where your contributions fuel student success, economic and social mobility, and community engagement. Together, we empower our students through intentional, holistic support within flexible, innovative, and inclusive settings—preparing graduates to thrive professionally and personally, and to lead with a commitment to progress in New Jersey and beyond. 

JOB SUMMARY

Reporting to the Executive Director of Academic Achievement, the Senior Associate Director of Academic Advisement provides strategic oversight for advisement operations that promote undergraduate student retention, persistence, and success. The Senior Associate Director supervises a team of professional advisors and ensures that comprehensive, student-centered advising services are delivered to undergraduates, from matriculation through graduation.

This role serves as a key partner in developing and implementing advisement strategies that enhance academic progress, student engagement, and institutional outcomes. The Senior Associate Director oversees the day-to-day management of the Advisement Center, ensuring alignment with university goals and compliance with academic policies and standards. Responsibilities include training and evaluating staff, monitoring key performance indicators, assessing program effectiveness, and fostering collaboration across academic and student support units to remove barriers to degree completion.

Grounded in a holistic advising philosophy, the Senior Associate Director champions innovation, equity, and excellence in advising practice, creating a culture where students are empowered to make informed decisions, achieve their goals, and thrive throughout their academic journey.

PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Manages the team of at least fifteen professional advisors through regular supervision, training, program development, and as-needed support.
• Responsible for outlining directives, managing distribution of caseload, and long-term assessment of advisor progress and outcomes.
• Maintains a caseload of undergraduate advisees and works with them on key concerns (as needed) and documents interventions around major selection and change, goal setting and transition, navigating barriers to success, course sequencing, registration, and decision making around course withdrawal and repeat, and pathways to graduation.
• Chiefly responsible for overseeing advisor outreach and intervention around alerts and concerns raised through student success platforms.
• Utilizes technology to review advisor performance, delivery of services and strategy development towards persistence and retention.
• Also responsible for content management and communication plans within the platform.
• Teaches at least one section of a year-long first-year success program, supervises advisors’ teaching of their sections, develops materials and Blackboard master shell for program, and supports development of first-year programming.
• Contributes to Will. Power curriculum development and partners with the Registrar to manage advisor and facilitator placements.
• Leads the creation and integration of Blackboard course materials to support instructional delivery.
• Manages the development of university-level events and programs, including Major/Minor Fairs, Group Advisement and Registration events, Orientation, and other advisement–focused programs to support the success of undergraduate students. This includes oversight of advisor development and the implementation of the Center's programming portfolio.
• Responsible for managing advisor assignments, including auditing caseloads to ensure accuracy, addressing student concerns around advisor interactions, and managing the assignment system and updates.
• Collaborates with campus partners around allied programs, supports the development of collaborations in programming, services, and advocacy across campus.
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