Associate Director of Pre-Health Advising

Tacoma, United States

Posting Number:

0602934

Recruitment Type:

Open to All Applicants

Position Title:

Associate Director of Pre-Health Advising

Position Type:

Staff

Benefits Status:

Benefits Eligible

FLSA:

Non-Exempt

Hiring Range:

$26.92-$28.85 per hour, plus excellent benefits.

Location

Tacoma, WA 98447.

Department:

College of Natural Sciences

Posting Date:

09/24/2025

Closing Date

When a sufficient number of qualified applicants has been identified.

Work Schedule:

Full-time; Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm.

General Description:

The Associate Director of Pre-Health Advising is responsible for coordinating the university’s pre-health programs across multiple academic units. This role designs and manages a cohesive support system that spans the entire student lifecycle, from prospective student recruitment through alumni application to professional schools. The Associate Director will lead cross-departmental initiatives with the Office of Admission, the Center for Student Success, and academic units to enhance student persistence, elevate postgraduate outcomes, and solidify the university’s reputation as a premier institution for healthcare career preparation in the Pacific Northwest. This position reports to the Dean of the College of Natural Sciences.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

Provide expert, in-depth advising, including development of workshops, to students and alumni navigating the highly complex and competitive application processes for health professional schools (e.g., medical, dental, physical therapy), with a particular focus on supporting students from marginalized backgrounds. This includes holistic application review, personal statement development, and interview preparation.
Coordinate the campus’s work to support students and alumni in pursuing careers in healthcare.
Strategically source and cultivate relationships with healthcare organizations to create a robust pipeline of high-impact experiential learning opportunities (clinical internships, shadowing, etc.).
Direct the development and maintenance of strategic partnerships with graduate programs (both internal and external) and healthcare systems to create streamlined pathways for PLU graduates.
Coordinate the work of the faculty advisors serving on the Pre-Health Sciences Advising Team and train new faculty advisors to ensure advising excellence.
Serve as the relationship builder and mentor for undergraduate pre-health students.
Analyze national trends in health professional school admissions to drive continuous program improvement and ensure student competitiveness.
Conduct program assessment, analyzing student progression, retention, and postgraduate placement data to report on program success to senior leadership.
Direct the content strategy and maintenance of all pre-health communications, including the creation of a “Pre-Health at PLU” website, to ensure information is accurate, compelling, and up-to-date.
Manage all correspondence and data for prospective, current, and former pre-health students. Serve as the primary liaison with the Office of Admission to support recruitment efforts of students interested in careers in healthcare, particularly those from marginalized backgrounds.
Collaborate with the Center for Student Success (CSS) to help students successfully transition to appropriate healthcare-relevant degree programs at PLU or other degrees. Engage with students about declarations for their majors, minors, and concentrations.
Collaborate with Admission, CSS, and academic units to support transfer students.
Perform other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Expert knowledge of health professional school admissions requirements, timelines, and national trends.
Demonstrated ability in program development, management, and assessment, with a proven ability to analyze data and generate reports to inform strategic decision-making.
High-level communication skills with the ability to work with and lead cross-functional teams, manage and resolve conflict, and effectively advise a diverse constituency, including students, faculty, and university leadership.
Excellent interpersonal and intercultural skills necessary to engage effectively with individuals from a wide range of identities and backgrounds.
High degree of professionalism and discretion in handling confidential and sensitive student information.
Excellent time management, organizational, and scheduling skills with the ability to prioritize work and maintain attention to detail in an environment with frequent interruptions.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and other relevant software.
Ability to work both independently and collaboratively, accommodating diverse working styles and perspectives.

Required Qualifications:

2 or more years of job-related experience, including some experience in academic advising, career counseling, or a related student support role, preferably in a higher education setting.
Demonstrated knowledge of the admissions processes for medical, dental, and other health professional schools.
Bachelor’s degree.
Finalist applicants must satisfactorily complete pre-employment background checks.

Preferred Qualifications:

Master’s degree.
Experience in an academic system or in higher education.
Experience working with undergraduate students.
Experience with professional degree programs.
Experience in event management and/or office management.

Work Conditions:

Position is performed in an office setting, sitting and keyboarding are required daily in up to four-hour intervals.

Physical Requirements:

Special Instructions to Applicants:

Other Information:

PLU is a small, private university where caring means more than kindness and consideration — it means a bold commitment to expanding well-being, opportunity, and justice. Because PLU is a community committed to the creation and advancement of knowledge through diversity and inclusion, the university actively recruits a diverse faculty, staff, and student body. PLU is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from members of historically underrepresented and minoritized groups, women, veterans, persons with disabilities, and others who would bring broadly diverse perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds in educational, research or other work activities.

PLU offers an excellent benefits package including tuition remission for employees and their dependents, generous retirement plan, medical, dental, paid vacation and sick leave, major holidays off (including Christmas/New Year’s break and extra time off during the summer), and many other great university benefits. PLU is a qualifying employer under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program as a 501©(3) tax-exempt organization.

For general application questions or if you need accommodations at any point in the application and/or interview process, please contact the Human Resources Office at 253-535-7185 or humr@plu.edu.

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