UCAM Academic Coach

POSITION SUMMARY:

Date application must be received for priority consideration by: August 25, 2026
Anticipated Appointment Begin Date: September 8, 2026
Closing Date or if blank, Open Until Filled:
Job Family Group: Administrative and Professional
Division/Department: Academic and Student Affairs/Disability Resources/UCAM
Compensation Range (commensurate with experience): $3,733.75-$3,855 monthly or $44,805-$46,260 annually @ 1.0 FTE
FLSA Status: Exempt
Appointment Basis: 12-month
Time Type: Full-time
Benefits Eligible: Yes
Renewable/Non-renewable/Grants/Limited Duration/Temporary: Non-renewable
This position is supported by non-recurring funds designated for specific studies, projects, or programmatic initiatives. Such funding sources may include, but are not limited to, grants, gifts, contracts, awards, incidental student fees, targeted federal or state appropriations, or self-supporting program revenues. Positions supported by these sources are classified as non-renewable, and annual reappointment is contingent upon the continuation of funding. In the event of a loss or reduction of funding, appointments supported by these sources may be terminated without advance notice.
This position must possess and maintain a current, valid Driver License: No
This position is designated as a critical, security-sensitive or safety-sensitive position; therefore, the incumbent must successfully complete a Criminal Background Check: Yes
Lead Work/Supervisory Responsibilities: No
Work Location Type: On-campus
Work Hours: M-F (8:00a – 5:00p) occasional weekend and weeknight hours. Hours are subject to change with notice.
Worker Status: Must be able to legally work in the United States without visa sponsorship

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS TO APPLICANT:

• Each applicant is required to provide (as attachments to the online application) the following supplemental documents: (1) a letter providing some detail of the applicant’s qualifications and interest in the position; and (2) current resume/CV. - PLEASE NOTE - during the application process, you will be prompted to attach these documents in the area titled "Resume." Please either combine ALL documents into ONE attachment, OR upload each item separately in this section. Failure to upload ALL of the required documents may disqualify application from consideration.
• For inquiries and additional information, please contact Human Resource Services via email at hrs@sou.edu or by phone at (541)552-8553.
• To view SOU’s very generous benefits and pension programs available to eligible positions, please visit https://inside.sou.edu/assets/hrs/Benefits/Benefit_Flyer/2024_Prospective_Candidate_Benefit_Overview_012024.pdf
• Our benefits package is an important complement to the offered salary and our Total Compensation Calculator, https://inside.sou.edu/hrs/comp-calc.html, demonstrates our value and commitment to our employees.

POSITION DESCRIPTION:

The UCAM (University Coaching and Academic Mentoring) program is a fee-for-service support program for SOU students with or without documented learning differences, executive functioning challenges, or mental health diagnoses. The Academic Coach works in an intensive, one-on-one professional coaching and mentoring capacity to assist students in identifying and achieving personal, academic, and professional goals. The coach introduces holistic success strategies, tracks educational milestones, and serves as a vital campus connection point to foster autonomy and institutional persistence.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Psychology, Education, Special Education, Social Work, or a closely related human service discipline.
• At least one (1) year of professional experience working directly with neurodivergent individuals (e.g., Learning Disabilities, ADHD, Autism Spectrum) or individuals with documented mental health diagnoses within an educational or clinical framework.
• Demonstrated knowledge of executive functioning deficits and practical intervention methodologies.

Preferred Requirements

• Master's degree in a related field or formal post-secondary academic coaching certification.
• Familiarity with post-secondary ADA compliance, academic accommodations architecture, and student development theories in higher education.

Essential Functions

Duties - The following examples are typical work activities that are meant to illustrate the general range of work functions and are not meant to be all-inclusive or restrictive:

(75%) Professional and Individualized Academic Coaching

• Maintain an active individual coaching caseload of 20 student coaching hours per term, delivering intensive weekly 1-on-1 coaching sessions.
• Conduct holistic intake assessments to evaluate student needs regarding executive functioning, time management, prioritization, and self-advocacy.
• Collaborate with students to build structured academic and personal action plans, identifying realistic short- and long-term milestones.
• Train students on utilizing crucial institutional toolkits, including SOU-issued platforms (Workday, Navigate, and Moodle), to independent proficiency.
• Provide close monitoring of course enrollment tracking, assignment progression, and major milestones; submit proactive updates and detailed term-by-term notes.
• Document detailed interactions and utilize the institutional CAREs and AIM platform to log notes, ensuring appropriate tracking and early alert interventions.

(15%) Program Operations and Core Instruction

• Contribute directly to the curriculum and delivery of specialized UCAM courses or structured group workshops for program cohorts.
• Facilitate focused study blocks, accountability labs, and skill-building sessions centered around study skills and adaptive academic technologies.
• Participate actively in the preparation, organization, and execution of the UCAM Fall Orientation program for arriving cohorts and their families.

(10%) Institutional Collaboration and Event Support

• Establish seamless collaborative relationships with Disability Resources, Student Health and Wellness, and academic departments to streamline student accommodations and wrap-around support.
• Engage in regular departmental staff meetings, student affairs professional development, and policy compliance review sessions.
• Provide visible on-the-ground support for university-wide programming and enrollment milestones, including Preview Days, Preview Weekends, and Week of Welcome.
• Other duties as assigned.

Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities

• Excellent communication skills; demonstrated ability to effectively communicate information in a clear and understandable manner, both verbally and in writing.
• Demonstrated customer service experience requiring a very high level of diplomacy and professionalism to effectively handle a broad range of sensitive interpersonal situations.
• Demonstrated ability to interpret and consistently apply a wide variety of complex policies and procedures where specific guidelines may not always exist.
• Expressed ability to work with frequent changes in policies and procedures, under pressure of deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrated ability to proactively assess work operations and anticipate potential problems; ability to develop and implement strategies for preventing/resolving problems.
• Great ability to effectively perform work of a highly sensitive and confidential nature that requires access to information. Must be able to exercise sound judgment and discretion, tact, and diplomacy.
• Takes initiative in independently planning, organizing, and performing work assignments within broadly defined parameters
• Demonstrated ability to work with a high level of productivity and accuracy/attention to detail.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills with the demonstrated ability to set own priorities to coordinate multiple assignments with fluctuating and time-sensitive deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to initiate, establish, and foster communication and teamwork by maintaining a positive, cooperative, productive work atmosphere in and outside the University with the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships within a diverse population and with those from various cultural backgrounds.
• Willingness to and work effectively in a heavily bureaucratic environment which requires regular interaction with a number of levels within the organization and multiple outside agencies.
• Working knowledge or ability to quickly learn, university infrastructure, policies, and procedures.
• Demonstrated skills in an institutional/educational environment utilizing a customer-oriented and service-centered attitude.
• Demonstrated experience teaching, tutoring, or coaching students in an academic environment.
• Familiarity with a wide range of learning strategies to promote academic success.
• Knowledge of executive function challenges and their impact on college students.
• Knowledge of student development theories and growth mindset.
• Ability to assess student needs quickly, apply evidence-based strategies, and meet students where they are without judgment.
• Skilled at establishing rapport in one-on-one settings and fostering a supportive, inclusive, and culturally responsive environment.
• Ability to react calmly and act professionally in the face of student distress.
• A demonstrable commitment to promoting and enhancing diversity.
• General proficiency with common computer software, including word processing, spreadsheets, databases, websites, and social media Ability to effectively use information technology to support academic coaching and communication.

Physical Demands

• Normal office activities such as sitting/standing at a desk, using a computer, answering phones, and communicating in person both in writing and via phone with others.

Special Conditions

• Must be willing to travel and attend training programs off-site for occasional professional development.
• Must be able to work additional hours and adjust working hours to meet special jobs. May be called back periodically to perform work as needed on an emergency basis.
• Must be able to successfully pass a pre-employment background check.
• This position classification has been defined as exempt and is not subject to the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
• The person holding this position is considered a mandatory reporter under the Oregon Revised Statutes and is required to comply with the requirements set forth by the Oregon Department of Human Services.
• This position is supported by non-recurring funds designated for specific studies, projects, or programmatic initiatives. Such funding sources may include, but are not limited to, grants, gifts, contracts, awards, incidental student fees, targeted federal or state appropriations, or self-supporting program revenues. Positions supported by these sources are classified as non-renewable, and annual reappointment is contingent upon the continuation of funding. In the event of a loss or reduction of funding, appointments supported by these sources may be terminated without advance notice.  

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SOU is an equal access AA/EOE committed to achieving a diverse and inclusive workforce

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Southern Oregon University will provide, if requested, reasonable accommodation to applicants in need of accommodation in order to provide access to the application, interviewing, and selection process. You are not required to note the presence of a disability on this application. If, however, you require a reasonable accommodation in the application and/or interview process due to disability, requests must be made in a timely manner to Human Resources.

Diversity Statement:
Southern Oregon University is a welcoming community committed to inclusive excellence and the celebration of diversity. Without diversity, our educational process is diminished. Working together in support of our commitment to diversity, we strengthen and enrich our role as learners, educators, and members of a tightly connected global community. We encourage those who share in our commitment to diversity, to join our community and we expect all our employees to demonstrate an ability and desire to create an inclusive campus community.

SOU Land Acknowledgement
We want to take this moment to acknowledge that Southern Oregon University is located within the ancestral homelands of the Shasta, Takelma, and Latgawa peoples who lived here since time immemorial. These Tribes were displaced during rapid Euro-American colonization, the Gold Rush, and armed conflict between 1851 and 1856. In the 1850s, the discovery of gold and settlement brought thousands of Euro-Americans to their lands, leading to warfare, epidemics, starvation, and villages being burned. In 1853 the first of several treaties were signed, confederating these Tribes and others together – who would then be referred to as the Rogue River Tribe. These treaties ceded most of their homelands to the United States, and in return, they were guaranteed a permanent homeland reserved for them. At the end of the Rogue River Wars in 1856, these Tribes and many other Tribes from western Oregon were removed to the Siletz Reservation and the Grand Ronde Reservation. Today, the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon (www.grandronde.org) and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians (www.ctsi.nsn.us) are living descendants of the Takelma, Shasta, and Latgawa peoples of this area. We encourage YOU to learn about the land you reside on and to join us in advocating for the inherent sovereignty of Indigenous people.

Notice to Prospective Employees
Section 485 of the Higher Education Act, and The Federal Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act of 1990 (now referred to as the “Clery Act”), require that prospective employees be notified of the availability of SOU’s Annual Security and Fire Safety Report. The report provides the annual statistics and campus policies for the reporting of and responding to campus crimes and fires; access to campus facilities; conduct code and campus policies on the use, possession, and sale of drugs/alcohol; and educational/information programs to inform the campus community about campus security procedures and crime prevention.

An electronic copy of the Annual Security Report (ASR) can be accessed at the following link: https://cps.sou.edu/clery-act-annual-security-report/.  A physical copy of the ASR is available at no charge upon request. To request a copy, please visit the Office of the General Counsel located in Churchill Hall, 1250 Siskiyou Boulevard, Ashland, Oregon 97520.  For more information, call 541-552-7095, or email clerycoordinator@sou.edu.