Job Abstract

Viterbi Admission and Student Engagement (VASE) is seeking an Assistant Director to join our Graduate Academic Services and Programs team.  The Viterbi Graduate Academic Services and Programs unit provides advisement services and programs to graduate engineering students. This position will be responsible for managing academic services at the Graduate level for both Ph.D. and M.S. students.  Support for graduate students includes advisement and overseeing processes for CPT/OPT, Reduce Course Load, Leave of Absences, Academic Progress, degree requirements, DEN D clearances, coordination with Viterbi’s department, staff and faculty, understanding USC Graduate School’s policies and procedures, and general academic advisement. 

The ideal candidate must be collaborative, creative, and organized, have excellent communication skills, and skilled in project management.

Primary Responsibilities Include:

•  Understand and be well-versed in advising and student development theory and be able to apply these concepts to their practice and delivery of services.

•  Advise on matters of curriculum, course and degree requirements, graduate school procedures, and graduation counseling and clearance.  Monitor student progress and update database information.

•  Evaluate student problems, academic, administrative or personal and refer student to appropriate student services office for additional support. Liaise with other offices on behalf of students to facilitate problem resolution.

•  Manage and oversee Graduate Student Processes including CPT, OPT, RCL, LOA, Graduate School policies and procedures and advisement for qualifying and dissertation exams.

•  Liaise with Viterbi departments to provide program support.

•  Gather data and prepare reports to assess all programs.

•  Assist in the development of content and in maintenance of program website.

•  Attend departmental, school, and university meetings relevant to student services.  Maintain currency on all policy and procedural changes.

•  Collaborate with student affairs colleagues in the planning and implementation of student services and events.

•  Assist faculty and staff on special projects as assigned.

Job duties may be added or modified as needed.

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.

Additional Information

This is “a hybrid position. The Assistant Director will be expected to work minimum of 3 days per week on site.  The expectation is that staff will be present to join events, meetings, and activities on an as-needed basis. 

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.

Preferred Qualifications

Master’s degree. Knowledge of USC programs and services. Experience with database systems. Strong organizational skills and ability to set priorities in order to complete assignments within deadlines. Ability to be flexible and adaptable in the face of changing priorities and fluctuating workloads.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's degree. Combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education. Minimum Experience: 1 year. Minimum Skills: Student program or services experience.

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+.

USC is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or USC policy. USC will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring ordinance. We provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. Applicants with questions about access or requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should contact USC Human Resources by phone at (213) 821-8100, or by email at uschr@usc.edu.  Inquiries will be treated as confidential to the extent permitted by law.

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