MnSCU Academic Professional 2 - Academic Advisor

Academic Advisor

The Academic Advisor at Normandale Community College serves as a member of a professional team providing comprehensive academic and career advising services for students who are: clarifying their academic and career interests, preparing for admission to majors, pursuing declared majors, planning for transfer, and changing their academic goals. Academic advisors will be required to participate and lead college and department strategic initiatives designed to eliminate educational equity gaps, improve completion rates for degree seeking students, and develop a more culturally competent, service-oriented institutional culture.

This position provides leadership for the department, in collaboration with the Director and Associate Directors, to coordinate and assess programming and activities for assigned student caseloads and general academic programs. This position advocates for students navigating academic and financial obstacles, and helps navigate petitions, appeals and concerns. Academic advisors work collaboratively with student affairs departments, faculty and administration to meet the strategic goals of the department, division and institution.

This position will actively advance the college's strategic goals, including achieving equity in educational outcomes and supporting a culturally responsive and service-oriented culture, through individual and departmental efforts.

Minimum:

• At least three (3) years of full-time experience working in higher education, a bachelor's degree may substitute for one (1) year of professional experience and a master's degree for 18 months.
• Experience working with post-secondary students or students who are preparing for post-secondary enrollment, including but not limited to: academic advising, career counseling, financial aid, admissions, records/registration, student housing, guidance counseling, or other student support functions.
• Excellent communication skills including verbal, written, and interpersonal communication, which may include public speaking and large group presentations.
• Proven ability to manage competing priorities in a high-volume setting with a high degree of accuracy, ensuring completeness and correctness in documentation, communication, and data entry.

Other knowledge, skills, and abilities that we will be interviewing for:

• Knowledge of racial equity and intercultural responsiveness
• Ability to understand and communicate complex ideas and procedures to students, staff, and other stakeholders.
• Student‑centered problem‑solving skills, including the ability to assess individual student needs, identify barriers, and determine appropriate solutions or next steps while applying relevant policies, procedures, or program requirements in a supportive, empathetic, and equity‑minded manner.
• Demonstrated flexibility and adaptability, including the ability to adjust to changing policies, processes, and priorities.

Preferred:

• Master's degree in student affairs, higher education, or related field
• Experience working in academic advising in a college or university
• Experience utilizing multiple types of technology to provide advising and/or caseload management services including student information systems, student success software, communication tools, and data dashboards
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize daily work including complex tasks and projects
• Experience working collaboratively as part of a team
• Fluency in Somali or Spanish

The College regrets that it is unable to offer H-1B sponsorship at this time. The successful candidate, under U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services regulations, must be able to accept work in the U.S. by the day employment begins.

An offer for this position may be contingent upon the completion of a background check.

Normandale is the largest community college in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system, annually serving almost 17,000 students from a diverse set of backgrounds, nearly 55% of whom are students of color and 27% are first-generation. We offer opportunities for individuals to grow, learn, and advance their careers while working for an organization that is committed…