Supervisory Academic Counseling Specialist - SME

Supervisory Academic Counseling Specialist - SME

Department: Department of Transportation

Location(s): Kings Point, New York

Salary Range: $146754 - $190779 Per Year

Job Summary: This position is established as Director of the Academic Center of Excellence and is responsible for managing and directing the activities of staff engaged in (1) providing assistance in the planning and administration of the academic counseling program through oversight of the Academic Center for Excellence (ACE) and (2) attending to all other amenities that facilitate the learning environment and provide professional development opportunities to instructors.

Major Duties:

• As a Supervisory Academic Counseling Specialist, you will: 1. Program Leadership and Management - Plan, organize, and direct the activities of the Academic Center for Excellence, ensuring compliance with regulations and alignment with institutional goals. Develops and implements policies, objectives, and strategies to enhance academic support services and achieve organizational priorities. 2. Strategic Planning and Program Evaluation - Advise senior leadership (Academic Dean and Provost) on all aspects of the Center’s programs, assesses program strengths and weaknesses, and identifies opportunities for operational improvement. Monitors, evaluates, and adjusts programs to meet evolving academic and student needs. 3. Supervision and Collaboration - Provide leadership and direction to staff, ensuring work is collaborative, efficient, and integrated with other departments. Promotes cross-divisional coordination and ensures staff are well-trained and adhere to established policies and procedures. 4. Policy Development and Representation - Develop and interpret authoritative policy guidance, conducts research on complex academic or policy issues, and represents the Center in meetings with high-level officials and external organizations. Negotiates agreements, presents program assessments, and influences implementation of institutional or agency-wide initiatives. The ideal candidate for this position will be a professional with proven experience providing leadership and development of a comprehensive academic counseling program, which involves counseling and advisement to students who are having academic difficulties, creating plans for academic success, and acting as a liaison between students, faculty, and coaches to ensure students reach their full scholastic potential.

Qualifications: To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must (1) meet the Education Requirement for the series, (2) provide a copy of transcripts for verification, AND (3) meet either the education or experience qualifications for the grade at which you are requesting consideration. To qualify for the GS-14, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-13, it must include: Experience directing and overseeing academic advising or student support services, assessing program effectiveness, ensuring compliance with institutional policies, and advising senior leadership on strategies to enhance academic performance and retention. Experience formulating and applying academic or student support policies, leading cross-departmental initiatives, and representing the organization in meetings to influence program direction and improve institutional effectiveness. KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas: Leadership – Influences, motivates, and challenges others adapts leadership styles to a variety of situations. Program Management - Plans, organizes, and manages resources for achieve specific goals. Oral and Written Communications – expresses information effectively to individuals or groups. Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. For additional information about applying to Federal positions, please click on the following link: https://www.opm.gov/frequently-asked-questions/employment-faq/federal-hiring/how-do-i-apply-for-federal-jobs/ All applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

How to Apply: You must submit a complete application package (including resume, vacancy questions and supporting documents) no later than 11:59 (EST) on the closing date of the announcement. To begin, click the Apply Online button on the job announcement. Follow the directions to register, submit all required documents and complete the assessment questionnaire. You may review your saved application(s) at https://help.usajobs.gov/ If you are having difficulty applying online, please contact the DOT Automated Staffing Office via email at: Transjobs@dot.gov.

Application Deadline: 2026-01-16