Student Support Specialist

Description and Requirements

Are you searching for a rewarding, fulfilling position that offers challenging work and the ability to make a big impact while working side-by-side with a team of fun, innovative people? Ideally, would you like this position to be with an organization that makes a positive contribution to the world? If so…we would love to hear from you!

About UsUniversity of Phoenix is a leading higher education institution founded in 1976 by Dr. John Sperling. Our mission is to improve the lives of our students, their families and future generations through higher education. Our values (which hopefully you share) are: Brave. Honest. Focused.
Our University values and embraces all team members and their unique perspectives. We fundamentally believe in fostering an environment which deeply respects, celebrates, and actively encourages a diverse workforce. We are committed to hiring – and learning from – those who share our passion to help others achieve their educational aspirations.
We offer excellent benefits, an effective recognition program, and outstanding learning and development tools, including tuition vouchers for employees and their qualified family members.About the Position
Student Support Specialists (Academic Counselors) work in a fast-paced, home-based virtual office environment to provide academic advisement, coaching, and customer service to students throughout the student lifecycle. Student Support Specialists are available throughout their assigned shift to accept/make student calls and complete work items delivered based on system priority. Student Support Specialists use the University’s coaching model to partner with students, build connections, create action plans, motivate, and resolve student issues. Individuals in this role are the bridge for the student and University administration, ensuring students have access to information, policies, procedures, and requirements they need to make informed decisions. Student Support Specialists are natural problem solvers, on many occasions dealing with student issues that require research, de-escalation, and critical thinking. Individuals in this role must be available throughout their assigned shift to accept/make student calls and complete work items delivered based on system priority.

IMPORTANT: You must reside in one of the following states: AZ, CO, ID, MT, NM, NV, OR, TX, UT, WA, WY
About You• You are known for your ability to connect with people, building trusting relationships, and like to be someone others can count on. • You thrive in an environment that is supportive with continuous feedback so you can be extremely helpful to those you connect with.• You are a careful, analytical, thoughtful decision-maker and you enjoy having clear expectations and an opportunity to develop real expertise in your work. • You have excellent written and interpersonal communication skills and exceptional organizational skills. • You are known for being dependable, consistent, and methodical.   

Schedule: This position is expected to start on February 26th, 2024.
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Schedule during the first three months of onboarding is Monday – Friday, 8:00am – 5:00pm AZ Standard Time. The first 5 weeks of employment are considered the “training period”. Attendance is mandatory during the training period for success in this job.• After the training period, your schedule will be either 9:00am – 6:00pm or 10:00am – 7:00pm (in your time zone), as determined by the needs of your department. 

What You’ll Do:

1. Engage in meaningful interactions and develop rapport across a diverse population of students to facilitate their academic progression.

2. Be available to accept and make an average of 20-30 inbound and outbound student calls while also completing 20-25 work items systematically delivered to a Student Support Specialist.

3. Create specific action plans to remove roadblocks and/or resolve complex student concerns to support their advancement and long-term success.

4. Assess student needs using all available tools, including the University’s coaching model and resources, to plan interventions to support student progression.

5. Act as a subject matter expert for students with respect to degree options, program requirements and graduation. Provide students with accurate, complete, and timely information on University policies and procedures.

6. Coordinate with students on all credit options to develop an academic plan that is best suited to their needs and career goals while taking into consideration how to minimize cost and time to graduation.

7. Establish and maintain professional working relationships across internal departments to ensure students benefit from a variety of professional knowledge and perspectives.

8. Recommend changes, share student and other feedback on ways to continuously improve the student experience.

9. Perform other duties as assigned or apparent.

NOTE: The Primary Accountabilities above are intended to describe the general content and requirements of the position and are not intended to be an exhaustive statement of duties. Incumbents may perform all or most of the Primary Accountabilities listed above. Specific goals or responsibilities will be documented in incumbents’ performance objectives as outlined by the incumbents’ immediate manager.

MINIMUM EDUCATION AND RELATED WORK EXPERIENCE:

IMPORTANT: You must reside in one of the following states: AZ, CO, ID, MT, NM, NV, OR, TX, UT, WA, WY

• Bachelor’s Degree Required

• This is a work from home position. All work must be completed in a designated home office in an approved state of residence.

ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS:

• Computer proficient with an ability to learn and navigate various complex proprietary software applications

• Experience with CRMs, Microsoft applications, video conferencing, MS Teams

• General knowledge of the higher education industry and current trends

• General knowledge of fields of study, such as business, education, technology, counseling and/or nursing

• Strong analytical skills to assess and evaluate students’ needs and determine appropriate courses of action

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills to engage and influence students accurately and effectively convey UOPX information

• Self-motivated and able to work effectively in a virtual team environment or independently

• Able to perform and manage multiple tasks efficiently and effectively

Related job titles: Customer Service Representative, Academic Advisor, Academic Support Specialist, Call Center Lead, Crisis Center

#LI-Remote

As an Equal Opportunity employer, we particularly encourage applications from members of historically underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, women, individuals with disabilities, veterans, LGBTQ community members, and others who demonstrate the ability to help us achieve our vision of a diverse and inclusive community.

If you are an active-duty military member seeking employment when off-duty, compliance with Department of Defense Joint Ethics Regulation, 5500-7-R, is required prior to starting employment with University of Phoenix. You are advised to contact your base Judge Advocate General to seek such approval and answer any questions.

Pay RangeThe annual pay range for this position is $34,700 (minimum), $54,600 (midpoint), and $74,500 (maximum).*Pay Range
The hourly pay rate range is $16.01 (minimum), $25.19 (midpoint), and $34.38 (maximum). The annualized amount, not including eligible overtime pay, is $34,700 (minimum), $54,600 (midpoint), and $74,500 (maximum).**Typical hiring range is between the minimum and midpoint of the above pay range. Actual starting base pay may vary based on factors such as education, experience, skills, location and budget.Your work is critical to helping adult learners achieve their dreams, and we’re committed to rewarding you for your efforts. We offer a competitive, comprehensive total rewards package designed to help you achieve your health, financial, educational and work-life balance goals. Full-time employees are eligible for:

• Medical, dental and vision plans; Flexible Spending Accounts; Health Savings Accounts; Life and Disability insurance; and our Wellness incentive program;
• Competitive 401(k) employer match;
• Substantial tuition discount for you and eligible dependents; and,
• A generous time off package, including paid vacation, sick time and company holidays.*