College Navigator

Baton Rouge Community College (BRCC) 

Baton Rouge, Louisiana  

Building Pathways to Success, Empowering Student Achievement, and Supporting Institutional Excellence.

The College Navigator position is an academic/holistic college advising position that applies personalized support model principles with the intention of improving student success. The personalized support model is a concierge service – where the College Navigator provides a student holistic support and service from intake until graduation/transfer/workforce. A College Navigator supports a student according to personalized principles by (but is not limited to) following best practices:

• getting to know advisees on a deeper level (knowing a student’s goals, interests, strengths, and challenges);
• proactive/intrusive advising and the creation of individual student success plans;
• maintenance of detailed advising notes and student records;
• outreach to specific populations;
• intentional referrals to other departments and services;
• regular communication and follow-up with student to monitor progress and address success barriers; and continuous evaluation of the effectives of the advising process.
• Continuous evaluation of the effectives of the advising process.

Key Responsibilities 

40%

• Assist student by identifying the program that best meets their goals and interests, provide a thorough review of program/course requirements, answers student questions, communicate at regular points throughout the student’s academic journey, guide course selection and registration, gauge student progress, provide resources to overcome challenges, and outline possible options for transfer and workforce placement.
• Use a high level of discretion and independent judgment, continuously evaluate the academic and financial plan throughout the student lifecycle, review student progress towards graduation, and make appropriate recommendations to ensure student success.
• Coach students to explore alternatives to overcome barriers to persistence or graduation. Train student to use student self-service tools. Implement advising strategies that help student reach their educational and career goals.
• Document all interactions in the appropriate institutional systems using Student Management system. Utilize appropriate systems and student data to confirm and track progression, persistence, retention, and graduation information for assigned students.

30%

• Analyze student data to identify triggers indicating a need for proactive outreach. Make appropriate resource referrals when necessary and document through Student Management system.
• Engage students through a variety of communication channels. This may include video advising, student calls, and proactive outreach.

25%

• Collaborate with other departments and functional areas to deliver an optimal student experience from inquiry through to graduation. Work with financial aid to confirm an accurate financial plan by establishing timeframes to complete the application process to be financially prepared to start and stay in school.
• Maintain a thorough understanding of all academic, registration, programs, policies and procedures including institutional policies and federal and state regulations. Identify opportunities and solutions that improve current methods and actively participate in the improvement of a constantly evolving organization.
• Complies with applicable federal and state laws as well as BRCC policies.

5%  

Minimum Qualifications 

Education 

• Master’s degree in any field.

Experience 

• An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered in lieu of a bachelor’s degree.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

Advanced:

• Excellent communication and listening abilities: persuasive and negotiation skills, strong professional writing, public speaking, interpersonal and public relations skills.
• Project management and planning capabilities.
• Ability to represent the organization in a professional manner.
• Ability to gather and collect data and build reports using analytics.
• Customer service skills combined with a strong work ethic and a self-motivated approach toward achieving consistent results.

Proficient:

• Skill in establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with students, staff, faculty and the public.
• Ability to maintain confidential and highly sensitive student information.
• Ability to multi-task and deliver work product under tight deadlines.
• Ability to collaborate with other professionals on projects and tasks.

Preferred Education

• Master’s degree in any field.

Preferred Experience

• Minimum of two (2) years of experience in academic support service programs (e.g., career counseling, academic advising, admissions, and financial aid).

Preferred Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Knowledge of Banner, learning management systems, academic program sequencing.

Benefits: As a member of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, BRCC has an attractive benefits package with a wide variety of benefit options. Benefits offered include retirement, multiple medical insurance options, supplemental insurances (dental, term life, disability, accident, vision, etc.), Tax Saver Flexible Benefits Plan (saves tax dollars on some childcare and medical expenses), holidays (14 per year, typically includes longer break at Christmas), generous annual (vacation) and sick leave benefits and Employee Assistance Program. Specific benefits depend on job category, percent effort, and length of employment. 

Why Join BRCC? 

Baton Rouge Community College offers a collaborative work environment, a commitment to employee development, and the opportunity to support the mission of student success through strong institutional operations.