MBA Pro+ Graduate Student Success Counselor

About San Francisco Bay University: 

Have you ever wondered why higher education feels stuck? Or thought, what if we could rebuild it from the ground up? Imagine a university where disciplines don’t dictate the subjects, where learning is transdisciplinary, open-ended, flexible, and deeply connected to real-world needs. A place where we learn across disciplinary boundaries, work through skills that matter, and turn critical ideas into real action.

If you’ve ever dreamed of tearing up the rulebook, or rethinking education in bold, creative, and disruptive ways, you might belong here. San Francisco Bay University is embarking on an ambitious experiment in higher education, and we’re looking for the people who will make it real. 

San Francisco Bay University (SFBU), an innovative, nonprofit, WASC-accredited, university situated in the heart of Silicon Valley in Fremont, California, seeks a forward-thinking and experienced Graduate Student Success Counselor, working hand-in-hand with our proprietary AI technology to oversee the learning experiences of SFBU’s MBA Pro+ students. This first-of-it’s-kind online MBA is nearing completion and getting ready for launch in Fall 2026. We are excited to recruit and develop our founding cadre of Pro+ staff members to facilitate our innovative courses. For more information about the MBA Pro+, please visit: https://proplus.sfbu.edu 

Students in the MBA Pro+ are guided through personalized and adaptive learning experiences in each course as they progress through real-time interactive discussions with sophisticated and engaging faculty avatars in tandem with you, the Pro+ Student Success Counselor. The faculty avatars have socratic discussions about key course concepts and case studies with each student and provide feedback and guidance for further study. The virtual professors are responsive to students’ individual learning needs, preferences, and potential neurodivergence thereby providing truly personalized education with evidenced-based effective pedagogy.  

After each interaction, faculty members leading the course or course section are provided  with assessment recommendations with respect to learning objective mastery for each student to review, validate, and/or provide further feedback. As students complete the course, summative assessment recommendations are provided to the faculty for final grading. Students who would benefit from additional support, aren’t keeping pace, or are otherwise disengaged are flagged for Student Success Counselor intervention and intrusive advising. Together with course faculty and other SFBU staff, we work to ensure every Pro+ student is successful and has a great experience at SFBU.  

Position Overview: 

The MBA Pro+ Graduate Student Success Counselor, reporting to the Assistant Provost for Academic Operations and Student Success, serves as a student success advocate for MBA Pro+ students by providing holistic advising, transition support, and proactive outreach throughout the student life cycle. The counselor supports student persistence, academic success, and timely degree completion by connecting students with academic resources and support services, monitoring student progress, and empowering students to take ownership of their educational journey. This is a full-time, exempt position under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).  

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: 

• Bring humanity, empathy, care, and compassion to the MBA Pro+ learning experiences by building trusting relationships and guiding and encouraging students in their learning journey as they progress through Pro+ courses. 

• Access, organize, and maintain academic and co-curricular information for MBA Pro+ graduate students within assigned caseloads. 

• Develop in-depth knowledge of SFBU graduate degree programs, curricula, university policies, academic requirements, student support services, and campus resources. 

• Cultivate collaborative relationships with academic and administrative departments to support student success initiatives. 

• Leverage best practices to encourage student motivation, engagement, persistence, and retention in an online learning environment. 

• Assess personal, social, and emotional concerns that may affect academic success and make referrals to appropriate campus or external resources as needed. 

• Support MBA Pro+ graduate students through a successful transition to SFBU by connecting them with academic resources and support services, including tutoring, peer mentoring, workshops, and student success programming. 

• Conduct ongoing virtual advising and student success coaching, with a minimum of 12 advising sessions per student throughout the MBA Pro+ program, while maintaining proactive communication and timely follow-up to support persistence, academic success, and timely degree completion. 

• Ensure accurate and timely recordkeeping by documenting advising sessions, student interactions, and academic progress within the appropriate student information system.  Collaborate with faculty and staff to identify and address academic trends, concerns, and barriers affecting student performance and retention. 

• Prepare reports and analyze student success data, trends, and outcomes to support institutional assessment, planning, and retention initiatives. 

• Develop and implement student retention and engagement strategies, particularly for underrepresented or at-risk student populations. 

• Attend and facilitate meetings as needed, contributing updates, documenting action items, and supporting follow-up efforts to advance student success and departmental priorities.  

• Perform other duties as assigned. 

Minimum Qualifications: 

• MBA/MS/MA from an accredited college or university in a related field is required. A Bachelor’s degree with at least six (6) years of progressively responsible experience in student support services may be considered. 

• 3 to 5 years of progressively responsible student services and/or advising work experience.  

• Experience working with diverse online populations, including overseas students 

• Demonstrated ability to handle sensitive and confidential information with discretion. 

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate clearly, professionally, and effectively with students, faculty, staff, and external stakeholders across diverse settings. 

• Proficiency with Salesforce and other relevant platforms such as student information systems (SIS), learning management systems (LMS), and Microsoft Office or Google Workspace tools.  

• Ability to work occasional evenings or weekends for student workshops, orientations, or outreach events. 

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: 

• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills, with the ability to foster a supportive and student-centered environment. 

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate clearly and professionally across diverse populations and virtual environments. 

• Demonstrated initiative and ability to independently manage projects from concept to implementation. 

• Strong organizational, time management, and multitasking skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment. 

• Ability to work effectively and independently in a remote or hybrid work environment while maintaining accountability, responsiveness, and productivity. 

• Strong presentation, facilitation, and student engagement skills. 

• Sensitivity to the needs of diverse student populations, including international students and students from historically underrepresented backgrounds. 

• Ability to encourage, empower, and coach students toward independent decision-making and personal accountability. 

• Proficiency in using student information systems, learning management systems, Salesforce, Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, and related technology platforms. 

Work Environment & Physical Demands: 

• Job duties may be performed in an in-office, hybrid, or remote work environment, depending on the agreed-upon arrangement.  

• If remote, must have reliable internet connection and ability to maintain a productive remote workspace 

• Physical demands may include lifting up to 20 lbs, bending, sitting, and driving. 

• The employee is occasionally required to sit or stand for long periods. 

Salary Range: $75,000-$90,000, depending on experience.  

Application Process: PLEASE SUBMIT A COVER LETTER AND A RESUME FOR YOUR APPLICATION TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THIS ROLE. 

This position description is not intended to cover or contain a comprehensive list of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change, or new ones may be assigned at any time, with or without notice. 

SFBU is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer: SFBU is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all employees and applicants for employment. SFBU does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices based on race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation or any other characteristic protected by law. 

In accordance with federal and state disability laws, San Francisco Bay University provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you require assistance during the application or interview process, please contact SFBU Human Resources at [email protected].