Assistant Director, Academic Advising and Student Success

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Bargaining Unit:
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• End Date if Temporary:
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Standard Work Schedule:
• Building:
• Salary Range: $65,800 - $71,000

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Senior Director of Academic Advising and Student Success, the Assistant Director of Academic Advising and Student Success serves as the primary advisor for multiple cohorts of EMBA students. This role provides holistic support across all facets of the EMBA student experience, from academic advising and policy guidance to program navigation and community engagement. The Assistant Director leads the coordination and execution of student services and activities for their assigned class, ensuring alignment with program goals and institutional standards. Additionally, the Assistant Director is responsible for implementing and managing academic policies and procedures across all EMBA program formats. As a collaborative member of the broader Student Affairs team, the Assistant Director also contributes to the support and success of students in other degree programs as needed.

The Office of Student Affairs at Columbia Business School (CBS) supports the academic and community experience for MBA, Executive MBA, and MS students by creating an inclusive environment in which all students feel a sense of belonging, agency, and partnership in co-creating their optimal student experience. The Office of Student Affairs is composed of four teams that work collaboratively to enhance the student experience: Academic Advising and Student Success, Student Life and Engagement, Programs and Events, and Operations and Student Services.

The Assistant Director, Academic Advising and Student Success, will work with the Executive MBA (EMBA) student population, a rigorous, globally recognized MBA designed for experienced professionals simultaneously advancing their careers and pursuing a graduate degree. The EMBA program offers a dynamic, flexible structure that supports the unique needs of working executives while maintaining the academic excellence of the full-time MBA. Students bring a high level of professional insight to the classroom, creating a vibrant, collaborative environment that enriches the Columbia learning community.

About Columbia Business School

For over a century, Columbia Business School (CBS) has helped develop leaders and builders of enterprises who drive value for their stakeholders and society at large through our MBA, MS, PhD, and Executive Education programs. We are equally committed to cultivating new scholars and teachers and to creating and disseminating pathbreaking knowledge, concepts, and tools that advance the understanding and practice of management through our faculty research and PhD programs. Our vision is simple: to develop ideas and leaders that transform the world, from the very center of business.

Our ever-evolving curriculum, featuring pioneering courses, STEM certification, and immersive experiential learning, prepares students to excel in key areas such as digital transformation, entrepreneurship, innovation, twenty-first-century finance, the intersection of business and society, and climate and sustainability. The CBS administration enables CBS’s educational and scholarly mission through strategic and operational guidance and support, optimizing School resources through well-designed, transparent processes with a culture of respect for all.

Responsibilities

Student Engagement and Community Building

• Works to ensure an outstanding educational experience and builds a strong sense of community by working with the class as a whole, and with individual members of the class from the time they are admitted through graduation. 

Communication and Student Support

• Proactively communicates EMBA schedules, policies, procedures, and other notices, and provides timely responses to inquiries and requests, representing the administration. 

• Solicits student feedback and monitors class dynamics. Works with academic and cluster representatives, including scheduling calls/meetings.

Academic Review and Advising  

• Manages the academic review process, including the awarding of academic honors as well as monitoring satisfactory academic performance.

• Creates academic reports for use in end-of-term student academic review and creates individual student letters when applicable.

• Provides information, notification, and guidance to students on matters related to acceptable academic progress, including probation, dismissal, and the appeal process. 

• Creates and leads presentations and communications related to student academic advising, course selection, minimum GPA requirements for satisfactory academic progress and graduation, degree requirements, tutoring, leaves of absence, cross-registration, and other related areas, providing individual consultations to students as needed. 

• Manages the makeup exam process for all EMBA-NY populations. 

• Liaises with the University Office of Disability Services to ensure services are provided for EMBA students who need them. 

• Monitors student progress toward graduation and assists with the certification of degree eligibility for all EMBA students. 

• Advises students regarding elective course selection, creating reports and documents for use in the elective course selection process

• Works with the Samberg Institute to set up the pre-MBA work for incoming students. Communicates pre-term information to faculty. 

Program Operations and Collaboration

• Works with the program manager for class activities, orientation, residence weeks, and graduation. 

• Participates in the International Seminar program, which includes travel to international locations to work with students and manage course programming, as needed.  

Content Management and Project Support

• Updates and maintains designated portions of the EMBA student website to ensure information is current, while maintaining compliance with school policies.  

• Works with the Academic Advising and Student Success team on various academic projects and initiatives. 

• Performs other assignments and projects as needed. 

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and/or equivalent required, Master's degree preferred.  Minimum 2-4 years related experience required, preferably in higher education.
• Must be detail-oriented and have excellent interpersonal and organizational skills and an ability to work on multiple projects in a high-volume environment.
• Must be proficient with Microsoft Office.
• Excellent communication skills to work successfully with students, staff, and faculty.
• The ability to exercise discretion and judgment in confidential matters is required.
• Ability to work weekends and evenings is required. 

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.