Department: Academic Affairs
Classification: Education Support Spec 3
Job Category: Classified Staff
Job Type: Full-Time
Work Schedule: Full-time (1.0 FTE, 40 hrs/wk)
Location: Fairfax, VA
Workplace Type: Hybrid Eligible
Sponsorship Eligibility: Not eligible for visa
sponsorship
Pay Band: 04
Salary: Salary commensurate with education and
experience
Criminal Background Check: Yes
About the Department:
The Office of the Provost is the primary central administrative
unit for the university’s academic programs. Its range of interests
include curriculum, instructional personnel, assessment,
accreditation, international initiatives, and oversight of the
overall academic mission. Within the Office of the Provost, the
Office of Undergraduate Education manages undergraduate academic
programs that stretch across all colleges and schools at George
Mason University. These include university-level curriculum
approval, general education (Mason Core), University Studies
programs, the Office of Academic Advising, and Mason Impact
initiatives that support transformational learning for
undergraduate students, including the Office of Student Creative
Activities and Research (OSCAR), Office of Community Engagement and
Civic Learning (CECiL), and Office of Fellowships. In all of our
work, we seek to inspire undergraduate students to become engaged
citizens and well-rounded scholars who are prepared to act in a
diverse, global world, by creating and sustaining innovative
programs that enhance our students’ academic experience and
contribute to their academic success. We are dedicated to ensuring
that students from all backgrounds have equal access to all of our
programs.
A critical component of the Office of Undergraduate Education, the
Office of Academic Advising (OAA) leads the academic advising
community at George Mason University and serves students not
formally enrolled in a major. OAA commits to creating ongoing,
personal, and purposeful educational partnerships with students and
colleagues and to contributing to student success by providing
resources and by teaching students to develop the skills required
to become life-long learners capable of effective
self-advocacy.
About the Position:
Reporting to the Assistant Director for the Office of Academic
Advising (OAA), the Exploratory Academic Advisor lays the
foundation for academic success at George Mason and beyond by
guiding students in the selection of a major based on their
academic, career, and personal goals and aspirations, and
transitioning students to advisement within an academic unit. The
Exploratory Advisor takes a holistic advising approach with
students and discusses academic, career, and personal interests.
The Exploratory Advisor makes connections to class selection and
career goals, and provides information on major selection, academic
policies, procedures, and practices. Also, this includes helping
students through various academic requests, forms, and appeals. The
Exploratory Advisors at George Mason contribute to George Mason’s
strategic goals of preparing career-ready graduates while
increasing graduation and retention rates. Additionally, the
Exploratory Advisors contribute to the activities within the Office
of Academic Advising and the George Mason Advising Community.
Works occasional evening and weekend hours to support activities
and required events.
Responsibilities:
Advising
- Guides an assigned caseload of students from George Mason
Orientation to major selection that aligns with their academic,
career, and personal goals and ambitions, and transitions them to
advisement within an academic unit;
Communicates with academic units about students terminated from
their major to provide quality and consistent academic advising
toward a new major;
Provides individual and group advising meetings for students in
person and virtually;
Communicates prompt, thorough, and accurate responses to
student questions and concerns through email, phone, texts, and
other communication platforms;
Advises students in course selection, major declaration,
program requirements, and university guidelines, and maintains
continued interaction and follow-up with assigned students;
Discusses academic interests and makes connections between
career and personal goals;
Provides information on academic policies, procedures, and
practices;
Assists with registration and other necessary procedures for
degree progress and timely graduation;
Works with students on warning, probation, returning from
suspension, and termination from the major to develop student
success plans and increase the likelihood of timely major selection
and degree completion;
Refers students to appropriate university resources (Success
Coaching, Career Services, Counseling and Psychological Services,
Learning Support Services, Student Support Advocacy Center, and
others);
Organizes and maintains office files and student records;
Completes meeting summaries, enters advising notes, uploads
pertinent documents, and enters important communications in the
university communication platform; and
Responds to questions from the general university undergraduate
education email account.
Student Impact and Outreach
- Supports orientation and admissions events, peak registration
timeframes, administrative and programming responsibilities,
curriculum development, and or other duties as assigned;
- Engages in proactive outreach efforts to maximize student
retention and success;
- Identifies and shares co-curricular opportunities, such as
study abroad, undergraduate research, civic engagement,
internships, student activities, and other university events;
and
- Develops and distributes electronic and physical resources and
materials for student advising.
Training and Technology
- Participates in university-wide advising training, attending
academic advising-related conferences, contributes proposals to
available institutions or organizations within the academic
advising profession, and engages in ongoing professional
development;
- Collaborates with academic units across the university to
develop student support networks and general support; and
- Utilizes the university's digital systems, tools, and CRM to
advise students, track student progress, record student
interactions, and make university-wide referrals.
Other duties as assigned
- Attends regular meetings with staff, faculty, and key
stakeholders involved in the development and implementation of
programs;
- Serves on committees and other projects as assigned;
- Develops programming for Exploratory students to maintain and
increase student success;
- Leads departmental specializations, such as advising,
retention, or transition to support university-wide strategic
initiatives;
- May supervise federal work-study students for specialized
areas; and
- Participates in first-year student experience and retention
programming, outreach, and university technology platforms (CRM,
website, degree audit) for Exploratory students.
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in related field or the equivalent
combination of education and experience;
- Professional experience working in a university setting
(typically 1 to 2 years);
- Experience serving and supporting diverse student
populations;
- Professional experience in academic advising, counseling,
guiding, mentoring, tutoring, and/or success coaching;
- Demonstrated working knowledge of student transitional
issues;
- Demonstrated knowledge of academic advising and career
development as it pertains to exploratory, undeclared, terminated
(from major) and non-degree undergraduate students;
- Verbal and written communication, organizational, and outreach
skills;
- Conflict resolution skills;
- Ability to work to meet deadlines, work accurately and quickly
with attention to detail, and be able to manage multiple complex
programs and projects simultaneously;
- Demonstrated ability to work with a culturally and ethnically
diverse population of students, faculty, and staff; and
- Demonstrated commitment to customer service.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Master’s degree in related field;
- Experience with or demonstrated knowledge of one or more of the
following areas: academic curriculum planning, orientation,
disability services, veteran’s services, career services, student
involvement, and student rights and responsibilities;
- Experience with educational systems (e.g., SIS, CRM, LMS,
degree audit, retention platforms);
- Experience with crafting innovative student communications,
developing programs for specific student populations, and impacting
student outcomes; and
- Knowledge of university curriculum, policies and
processes.
Instructions to Applicants:
For full consideration, applicants must apply for
Exploratory Academic Advisor at
https://jobs.gmu.edu/. Complete and submit the online
application to include three professional references with contact
information, and provide a Cover Letter/Letter of Intent with
Resume for review.
Posting Open Date: October 20, 2026
For Full Consideration, Apply by: November 2, 2026
Open Until Filled: Yes
Mason Ad Statement
George Mason University is a nationally ranked R1 research
university committed to creating a more just, free, and prosperous
world. With 40,000 enrolled students, George Mason is the largest
and most diverse public research university in Virginia, offering
degree programs at the master's, doctoral, and professional level,
along with certificates and credentials.
George Mason fosters an All Together Different environment for
students, faculty, and staff, driven by our core beliefs. We
believe in inclusivity over exclusivity; we believe in advancing
our mission by being willing to take risks, not avoiding them; and
we believe our best work is possible when we apply our diversity of
origin, identity, circumstance, and thought.
Equity Statement
George Mason University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action
employer, committed to promoting inclusion and equity in its
community. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for
employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual
orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or
veteran status, or any characteristic protected by law.
Campus Safety Information
Mason’s Annual Security and Fire Safety Report is available at
http://police.gmu.edu/annual-security-report/