Employment / Lead Advisor
SUMMARY
The Lead Advisor for Shepherds College (SC) will provide leadership to advisors and promote student growth towards Appropriate Independence™, facilitate academic progress, advocate for student needs, develop goals and supports in order to promote student achievement, and instruct as assigned. Hours: Full-time; 1st shift weekdays; 45 Hours; On-call responsibilities for medical and behavioral emergencies.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
include the following. Other duties may be assigned.
Leadership:
- Promote close working relationships with parents, students, and staff.
- Assist in administering the student conduct, discipline, and complaint policies while directing students to acknowledge and manage responsible personal conduct.
- Develop, problem solve, and evaluate goals and objectives under advising.
- Assess student needs and provide/facilitate support services to respond to those needs.
- Evaluate the performance of staff in assigned areas of responsibility.
- Supervise the completion of documentation.
- Promote continuous improvement within advising.
- Assist advisors in working through behavioral concerns and parent contact as needed.
- Coordinate and provide leadership in developing advising caseloads, student profiles, and student support plans.
- Fulfill classroom/instructional responsibilities, as assigned
- Evaluate and assess prospective students, as assigned
- Attend faculty/staff meetings, as assigned
Advisor:
- Provide academic advisement, personal and professional guidance, and career counseling for an assigned group of students through regular individual meetings and personal connections
- Act as the primary liaison and point of first contact between parents of advisees and Shepherds College
- Interact with instructors regarding the academic goals of individual students
- Collaborate with parents in an effort to promote student success
- Understand the medical needs of students; work with nursing to ensure those needs are met
- Communicate with community professionals regarding medical and psychological health needs
- Maintain a file for each student
- Update student profiles for advisees
- Manage behavioral issues among students and help implement behavior plans as needed, communicating regularly with academic and residential life staff regarding behavioral concerns
- Complete required documentation, assessments, and communication
- Assist students with finances, personal care, and health management
Interactions:
- Work effectively with team members
- Maintain positive and supportive relationships with students and their families
- Treat students, staff, and parents with respect and dignity
- Communicate in a courteous and professional manner
- Actively participate in trainings and meetings
- Consistently demonstrate Christ-likeness in actions and words
Skills / Qualifications:
- Bachelor degree is required; degree in social work, psychology or special education is a plus
- Experience working with individuals with intellectual disabilities
- Commitment to student learning and development
- Effective communicator, including verbal and written communication
- Strong organizational skills
- Possess a high level of professionalism, including the ability to maintain confidentiality
Must give satisfactory evidence of having experienced the New Birth through Jesus Christ. Must give satisfactory evidence of having been obedient to the Lord in believer's baptism. Must willingly and without mental reservation subscribe to a high standard of personal separation from worldliness and to Jesus Christ as Lord. Shall be a member in good standing of a Bible-believing church of like faith and practice. Must accept the Articles of Faith last adopted by Shepherds Board of Directors without mental reservation. Is expected to attend the regularly stated local church services as work schedule will allow.
Shall have a physical exam, including chest x-ray or T.B. test which certifies freedom from communicable disease within 90 days before beginning employment. A medical report must be completed by the attending physician and filed with Shepherds prior to beginning employment. This exam and certification must be completed annually.
Shall have had a Hepatitis B vaccination within 5 years before beginning employment or be tested for Hepatitis B Surface Antigens within 90 days before beginning employment. A medical report must be completed by the attending physician and filed with Shepherds prior to beginning employment. Testing must be completed annually for all staff who have not received the Hepatitis B vaccination or after 5 years following Hepatitis B vaccination.
Shall have an understanding of, liking for, and respect for individuals with intellectual disabilities; a personality suitable for work with individuals with intellectual disabilities; and a capacity to perform the kinds of work required in this ministry.
EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE
Bachelor's degree (B. A.) from four-year college or university, preferably in a field related to special education; other related experience and/or training is a plus
LANGUAGE SKILLS
Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations. Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public.
MATHEMATICAL SKILLS
Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, commissions, proportions, percentages, area, circumference, and volume.
REASONING ABILITY
Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form. Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to stand and sit. The employee is occasionally required to walk; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, and ability to adjust focus.
WORK ENVIRONMENT
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
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