Program Manager for Advising and Student Success (Student Services Professional IV)

San Diego State University’s Orientation, Transition and Family Engagement (OTFE) department is seeking a collaborative and student-centered Program Manager for Advising and Student Success. This role serves as a key resource for Coordinated Care Advisors, peer advisors, SDSU Ambassadors, and campus partners by supporting advising, registration preparation, training, outreach, and student-success initiatives throughout the academic year and during New Student Orientation.

The successful candidate will help students understand graduation requirements, advising resources, registration processes, and opportunities for academic success. They will serve as a primary point of contact for advising-related initiatives, build strong partnerships across campus, and use student-success data and feedback to strengthen programs and improve the student experience.

• →Lead Coordinated Care Advising strategy, training, outreach, assessment, and day-to-day operations across OTFE and campus partners.
• →Plan and coordinate advising, registration preparation, staffing, materials, technology, and operational details for New Student Orientation.
• →Develop and facilitate training for professional advisors, peer advisors, SDSU Ambassadors, and campus partners on academic requirements, advising tools, and registration processes.
• →Provide complex individual and group advising related to academic progress, course planning, registration, enrollment, referrals, and other student-success concerns.
• →Build collaborative relationships with Enrollment Services, academic colleges, advising units, and student-support partners to address challenges and improve coordinated services.
• →Use student-success data, participation trends, and feedback to guide outreach, evaluate programs, and recommend improvements to advising, transition, retention, and orientation initiatives.

• This is a full-time (1.0 time-base), benefits eligible, permanent/probationary position. 
• This position is designated as exempt under FLSA and is not eligible for overtime compensation. 
• Standard SDSU work hours are Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., but may vary based on operational needs.  
• The individual hired into this role will work on campus at SDSU in San Diego.

Orientation, Transition and Family Engagement helps new students and their families begin their SDSU experience with confidence and connection. The department coordinates orientation programs for first-year, transfer, and graduate students, along with sessions for parents and family supporters focused on student success resources, academic requirements, university policies, financial aid, and the transition to college. Through orientation and related welcome programs, the department builds community, connects students and families with campus resources, and supports a successful start to the SDSU experience. 

For more information regarding the Center for Orientation, Transition and Family Engagement click here.

Equivalent to graduation from a four-year college or university in a related field plus upper division or graduate course work in counseling techniques, interviewing and conflict resolution where such are job related.

Possession of the below required knowledge and abilities is typically demonstrated through the equivalent to four years of progressively responsible professional student services work experience which includes experience in advising students individually and in groups, and in analysis and resolution of complex student services problems.

A master’s degree in counseling, Clinical Psychology, Social Work, or a job-related field may be substituted for one year of professional experience. A doctorate degree and the appropriate internship or clinical training in counseling, guidance or a job-related field may be substituted for two years of the required professional experience for positions with a major responsibility for professional, personal or career counseling.

• Bring progressively responsible experience supporting students through advising, student services, or related programs.
• Provide thoughtful, inclusive advising to individuals and groups, including students navigating complex or sensitive academic concerns.
• Apply sound judgment, confidentiality, and problem-solving skills when addressing academic, registration, enrollment, and student-success needs.
• Plan and coordinate complex programs, timelines, training, and operations involving multiple campus departments and partners.
• Design, facilitate, and assess engaging training for advisors, student leaders, peer educators, and campus colleagues.
• Use advising, student-success, degree-audit, and student information systems to document support, conduct outreach, and monitor student progress.
• Analyze data, feedback, and operational trends to identify needs, evaluate programs, and recommend meaningful improvements.
• Build collaborative relationships across diverse communities while balancing multiple priorities, coordinating work, and providing functional leadership.

• A master’s degree in higher education, student affairs, counseling, or a related field.
• Experience coordinating advising, orientation, registration, transition, retention, or other student-success programs across multiple departments.
• Experience training or providing guidance to professional advisors, peer advisors, student leaders, or ambassadors.
• Experience supporting students from diverse backgrounds, including first-generation, commuter, or academically at-risk students; familiarity with EAB Navigate or a comparable student-success platform is also valued.

At SDSU, our diversity gives us power and benefits every single member of our community.  Consistent with California law and federal civil rights laws, SDSU provides equal opportunity for all in education and employment.  We encourage all members of our community to purposefully learn from one another through open and respectful dialogue and responsible engagement. We strongly preserve the right to free expression and encourage difficult conversations that help lead to improved individual and community learning and cohesion.

Principles of Community

At San Diego State University, we are a community of diverse individuals who have and represent many perspectives, beliefs, and identities. This diversity lends our community strength, and we commit to creating and sustaining an inclusive and intellectually vibrant environment that benefits all members of our university. 

SDSU’s Principles of Community is an aspirational statement that is intended to evolve over time. The statement reflects the ideals we are encouraged to uphold in our interactions with one another. 

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All university programs and activities are open and available to all regardless of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin. Consistent with California law and federal civil rights laws, San Diego State University (SDSU) provides equal opportunity in education and employment without unlawful discrimination or preferential treatment based on race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin. Our commitment to equal opportunity means ensuring that every student and employee has access to the resources and support they need to thrive and succeed in a university environment and in their communities. SDSU complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the California Equity in Higher Education Act, California’s Proposition 209 (Art. I, Section 31 of the California Constitution), other applicable state and federal anti-discrimination laws, and CSU’s Nondiscrimination Policy. We prohibit discriminatory preferential treatment, segregation based on race or any other protected status, and all forms of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation in all university programs, policies, and practices. 

SDSU is a diverse community of individuals who represent many perspectives, beliefs and identities, committed to fostering an inclusive, respectful, and intellectually vibrant environment. We cultivate a culture of open dialogue, mutual respect, and belonging to support educational excellence and student success. Through academic programs, student organizations and activities, faculty initiatives, and community partnerships, we encourage meaningful engagement with diverse perspectives. As a higher education institution, we are dedicated to advancing knowledge and empowering individuals to reach their full potential by prioritizing inclusive curriculum development, faculty and staff training, student mentorship, and comprehensive support programs. At SDSU, excellence is built on merit, talent, diversity, accessibility, and equal opportunity for all.