Assistant Director, MFD Student Services

The Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science seeks to hire an Assistant Directors, Student Services to join its team. The Student Services Advisor I position counsels and/or provides undergraduate and graduate students with a range of services covering academic counseling and advisement, registration, and student programming. Ideal candidates will have experience in Student Services, College Advising/Counseling, and Student/Co-curricular Programming.

Responsibilities include the following:

• Provides academic counseling for undergraduate students. Advises on matters of curriculum, course and degree requirements, transfer credit evaluation, and graduation counseling and clearance. Monitors student progress.
• Evaluates student problems, academic, administrative, or personal, and refers student to appropriate student services office for additional counseling. Liaises with other offices on behalf of students to facilitate problem resolution.
• Maintains Undergraduate student records and files of all advising sessions to track and report outcomes.
• Assists with graduate student records and files to track and report outcomes.
• Maintains current on policies, procedures, and regulations pertaining to admissions, financial aid, registration, transfer credit evaluation, course and degree requirements, graduation requirements, petitions, and other student services.
• In collaboration with the student affairs director and student workers, oversees the social media strategy for our student programs.
• Assists with creating promotional content and designs for new classes, policy changes, student-oriented events, and classes.
• Interfaces with faculty, administrators, and students regarding grading policies, academic progress, and student promotability.
• Maintains and compiles student statistical data. Prepares reports for internal and external use.
• Assists with the coordination of student events including commencement, orientation, receptions, and award ceremonies.
• Serves as a professional resource for Mork Family Department student organizations at USC.
• Provides support for our first-year students, including orientation advising and welcome week activities   
• Performs other related duties as assigned or requested.

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience in academics, career programs, and/or student services
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills
• Ability to learn new tools and systems quickly
• Willing to provide academic counseling both in person and online
• Ability to establish relationships of trust with a diverse multi-cultural population including parents, students, school officials, staff, and faculty
• Strong presentation skills for both large and small groups
• Ability to handle confidential information with discretion

The USC Viterbi School is committed to increasing diversity of its staff and welcomes applications from women, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, veterans, and individuals with disabilities. The Student Services Advisor is expected to maintain the highest ethical standards and to maintain strict confidentiality across all facets of their work. We seek a candidate that will promote an environment that fosters inclusive relationships and creates unbiased opportunities for contributions through ideas, words, and actions that uphold principles of the USC Code of Ethics.

Additional Information:

The hourly rate range for this position is $28.43 - $31.92.  When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope of responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state, and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

This is a hybrid position. The Assistant Director of Student Services is expected to work onsite for a minimum of 3 days per week. This position is not eligible for fully remote work.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are central to the mission of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering. Viterbi staff are expected to facilitate a culture of support and service, to model civility and respectful engagement at all times, and to maintain the highest ethical standards and to maintain strict confidentiality across all facets of their work.

Required Applicant Documents:

A resume/CV and a cover letter are required. Please feel free to upload your application materials in a single document.

USC and the Viterbi School:

The University of Southern California (USC), founded in 1880, is in the heart of downtown L.A. and is the largest private employer in the City of Los Angeles. As an employee of USC, you will be a part of a world-class research university and a member of the “Trojan Family,” which is comprised of the faculty, students, and staff that make the university what it is.

Founded in 1905, the USC Viterbi School of Engineering is named for Andrew Viterbi who developed an algorithm to connect the world’s citizens. Similarly, the school, located in Los Angeles, a global center for arts, technology and international business in the heart of the Pacific Rim, is a hub for entrepreneurship that connects students from 64 countries.

USC Viterbi is a pioneer in restoring sight to the blind; restoring memory to sufferers of Alzheimer’s; and socially assistive robots to aid seniors with stroke or children with autism. It is the home of the first operational quantum computing center in academia. Our alumni include Neil Armstrong, first human on the moon; A.C. Mike Markkula, co-founder of Apple; and Wanda Austin, former CEO of the Aerospace Corporation.

The USC Viterbi School is consistently ranked among the top graduate programs (U.S. News and World Report). Under the leadership of Dean Yannis C. Yortsos, the school helped re-imagine the 21st century engineer, pioneering the Grand Challenge Scholars Program in schools across the globe. Our mission is to serve California, the nation and the world. At USC Viterbi, we call this the enabling power of Engineering+.

Education: Bachelor's degree Combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education. Work Experience: 1 year 2 years preferred Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: Student program or services experience.