Req #: 247033 Department: FOSTER SCHOOL OF BUSINESS Appointing Department Web Address: https://foster.uw.edu/graduate-programs/specialized-masters-programs/ Job Location Detail: Hybrid eligible up to 2-days per week telework Posting Date: 06/23/2025 Closing Info: Closes On 07/07/2025 Salary: $5,909 - $8,863 per month Shift: First Shift Notes: As a UW employee, you will enjoy generous benefits and work/life programs. For a complete description of our benefits for this position, please visit our website, click here. (https://hr.uw.edu/benefits/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2018/02/benefits-professional-staff-librarians-academic-contract-covered-exempt-20250130-a11y.pdf) As a UW employee, you have a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state and around the world. UW employees offer their boundless energy, creative problem-solving skills, and dedication to build stronger minds and a healthier world. UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits and natural beauty. The Michael G. Foster School of Business consistently ranks among the top business schools in the United States. With more than 3,000 students across 14-degree programs, 60,000 alumni contributing to companies’ and economies’ successes around the world and based in one of America’s fastest growing and most vibrant cities. At the Foster School of Business, our purpose is that together we foster leaders, insights, and progress to better humanity. **The Foster School is looking for an outstanding Academic Counselor Lead of Student Services to join the Specialty Masters program team.** The Academic Counselor Lead, will report to the Director of Student Affairs of the Specialty Masters programs. This position ensures that students receive comprehensive guidance throughout their academic journey, from application, registration, to degree completion. Additionally, this role is designed to lead student support, implement the academic advising framework, and work on a collaborative team that serves diverse, high qualified students in the Specialty Masters program. Balancing multiple responsibilities such as academic advising, event coordination, and admissions review processes are key. The position will interact regularly with other staff, faculty, matriculated students and alumni in a wide range of advising, admissions, and administrative tasks. The role demands availability to support evening and Saturday graduate classes, events, and activities, often on a last-minute request. We are searching for a motivated individual who can work in a flexible environment, exercise independent judgment, develop new approaches, while working collaboratively on a larger team. This position requires strong people skills and knowledge of university procedures, rules, systems, and policies. The person in this position must be able to communicate effectively with applicants, matriculated students, faculty and staff with widely varying academic backgrounds, work experiences, and nationalities. Key Responsibilities: _Student Affairs:_ Organizing academic advising strategy, supporting recruitment and students' transition into the program, and coordinating student events. _Academic Administration:_ Managing course enrollments, tuition charges, scholarships, and class schedules. Creation and management of budget for student committees and events. Grade review and compiling data. _Admissions:_ Assisting with graduate admissions review, processes, and recruitment events. This role requires strong interpersonal skills, knowledge of university procedures, and the ability to work collaboratively with diverse populations. By fulfilling these responsibilities, the Academic Counselor Lead helps maintain high standards and a consistent service to graduate students in the Specialty Masters programs. There are several aspects which make this role complex. This position requires balancing multiple responsibilities such as academic advising, event coordination, and admissions review processes. Requiring the individual to have a high level of knowledge of each of the Specialty Masters areas that students are enrolled in. This position also requires a high level of flexibility, and teaching of a leadership course. The role demands availability to support evening and Saturday classes, events, and activities, often on a last-minute request. Independent judgment and development of new approaches is required for this role. Working collaboratively within a larger team is crucial for making informed decisions and providing effective student support. A large part of this will be handling student disputes and resolving conflicts. Working with a diverse group of graduate students will require addressing and resolving conflicts with sensitivity and professionalism, this can be demanding, especially in a dynamic educational setting. **DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES** **Student Affairs – 60%** • Responsible for organizing and implementing academic advising projects and activities • Serve as main point of contact for students, being available to meet in person, via zoom, etc. • Advise current students on all aspects of the Specialty Masters programs to assist them through degree completion, including registration, necessary authorizations, monitoring degree progress, and providing information to program leadership of any problems or unmet requirement(s). • Support students with their transition into a professional graduate programs by helping them resolve challenges and connect them to campus resources. • Collaborate with program leadership to plan and lead large parts of the student orientation experience. • Develop and manage student onboarding strategies, including engagement programs in Salesforce & Canvas. • Serve as lead in coordinating student events with the program social committee/ambassadors. • Manage event logistics including but not limited to venue reservations, catering, vendor coordination, and event management. • Work with career coaches to develop career workshops/programming/resources for students. • Teaching and curriculum building of a Leadership Course. • Make Canvas announcements - based on yearly communication schedule. • Manage Specialty Masters programs newsletters and organize occasional events for students and alumni in partnership with the Associate Director of Industry Partnerships. • Work collaboratively with faculty, staff, and students to align program objectives, to develop mutually beneficial opportunities. • Assisting in planning and coordinating events such as graduation, study tours, treks, etc. • Act as liaison with the UW Graduate School to ensure UW and Foster School policies and procedures are followed. • Develop, manage and monitor student social committee budgets. • Budget manage and oversee procurement and expense approvals for student-led events. • Attend and assist Specialty Masters programs events, such as recruiting and admission events, orientation, graduation, Student Affairs Team’s events, company tours, and other departmental events. • Collaborate with other departments within the Foster School to ensure that activities are aligned with the school’s strategic plans. • Develop programs that support student engagement with alumni in collaboration with the Student Affairs Team, and Foster alumni relations. • Coordinate student community engagement initiatives such as evening coffee chat connections, program dinners, and other events. **Admissions – 25%** • Assist in coordinating graduate admissions processes, including responding to prospective student inquiries, managing application material, and assisting in recruitment events, while ensuring adherence to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. • Prepare admission decision materials and convey admissions decisions to candidates in the Graduate School’s Slate Program and programs’ CRM system. • Represent the advising team at information sessions and recruitment events, deliver presentations and answer prospective student questions. • Assist with admissions committee processes including application review, scoring, and data collection. • Maintain and update recruitment marketing materials and websites with current cohort statistics to ensure accuracy and effectiveness. • Serve as liaison with the UW Graduate School to ensure compliance with UW and Foster School policies and admissions standards. • Support and enhance admissions pipeline strategies through data analysis, personalized communication, and process improvement initiatives. **Academic Administration – 15%** • Process and monitor course enrollments, tuition charges, and scholarship allocations. • Provide guidance and processing support for international student CPT requirements. • Input final grades into internal records each quarter and flag discrepancies or issues to program leadership. • Assist with budget tracking for student-focused events and contribute to regular financial reporting. • Collect, extract, and organize data from systems like Salesforce for reporting or process improvements. • Collaborate with program leadership to allocate resources effectively for student orientations. • Manage and support quarterly course administration by coordinating with faculty to schedule classes, confirm rooms, and publish the academic calendar for current students. • Follow university purchasing protocols to process transactions and support administrative needs. • Make purchases and manage transactions following University policies and procedures. • Review and update program-related websites, communication materials for accuracy and relevance. • Possibility of supervising student workers **• Other duties as assigned** **MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS** Master's Degree in Business, Social Sciences, Education, or similar and a minimum 2-years experience. **Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.** **ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS** • Demonstrated ability to successfully manage diverse work assignments and priorities, meet deadlines, and multitask efficiently. • Strong organizational skills with attention to detail and initiative. • Excellent communication and presentation skills. • Strong interpersonal skills and proven success working in a highly collaborative professional environment. • Ability to relate positively with culturally diverse populations. • Strong technological savvy and a high level of proficiency with the MS Office Suite. • Experience with managing databases or student information systems, ensuring accuracy and confidentiality. • Ability to work independently as well as part of a team; leadership skills to guide or mentor others when necessary. • Ability to adapt to changing environments, procedures, and student needs in a dynamic educational setting. • Ability to address and resolve conflicts with sensitivity and professionalism. **DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS** •Familiarity with educational policies, academic advising processes, and student support services in a higher education setting. •Knowledge of CRM software and/or advanced database skills. **WORKING CONDITIONS** This position will have a set schedule of Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday 9:00am – 6:00pm and 8:30am – 5:30pm the other days with opportunities to hybrid work, but schedule may vary, days/times, depending on program needs. Evening and weekend work will be required at times. **Application Process:** The application process may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process. These assessments may include Work Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others. Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment, you will be prompted to do so the next time you log into your “My Jobs” page. If you choose to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed. University of Washington is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, among other things, race, religion, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information.