Open to opportunities

Saba Akram

@sabaakram

Message

Student affairs and career services leader delivering ethical, measurable outcomes for students.

Pakistan

Message

What I'm looking for

I’m looking to lead student affairs and career services with a student-centered, ethical approach—building career readiness, placements, and alumni/community engagement. I value measurable outcomes, collaborative stakeholders, and opportunities to expand accessible (including remote) guidance.

I’m a Student Affairs and Career Services professional with 11+ years of experience in higher education administration, student engagement programming, and ethical career counseling. I specialize in student-centered service delivery, workshop facilitation, and conflict management within institutional settings.

At Fyr Advisory, I co-lead end-to-end career counseling and student services for 1,200+ students, coordinating placement strategies and readiness programs that achieved scholarship placement rates exceeding 95% at global institutions. I also planned and delivered 30+ career readiness workshops and student engagement events, improving application quality by 80%, and built a marketing and outreach approach that tripled social media engagement.

My leadership extends across alumni, schools, and NGOs: I serve as General Secretary for a 10,000+ member alumni network and previously recruited and managed 40+ international educators to support remote learning for 500+ refugee students. I’m committed to measurable student outcomes—1,500+ international university placements and 500+ scholarship-based acceptances—while keeping guidance accessible through remote collaboration.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

General Secretary

Current

Bahria University Alumni Association

Mar 2025 - Present (1 year 3 months)

Standardized meeting documentation and streamlined alumni communications, improving operational efficiency. Partnered with academic and student support leadership to strengthen alumni engagement and coordinated fundraising efforts for the BU Endowment Fund.

Alumni Engagement Stakeholder Management Event Coordination Fundraising Support Governance Networking Strategy

Current

Career & Education Advisor

Current

Fyr Advisory

Apr 2018 - Present (8 years 2 months)

Provided end-to-end career counseling and student services for 1,200+ students, coordinating placement strategies, workshops, and job-fair preparation with scholarship placement rates exceeding 95% at global institutions. Led 30+ career readiness and engagement events, improving application quality by 80% and scaling remote counseling access for students in geographically isolated areas.

Career Counseling Student Services Career Workshops Scholarship Placement Support Remote Counseling

Recruiter & Project Manager

The Educational Equality Institute

Nov 2022 - Mar 2023 (4 months)

Recruited and managed 40+ international educators to deliver remote learning programs for 500+ refugee students across multiple countries. Led cross-border program delivery and stakeholder coordination to increase participant engagement by 30% and delivered volunteer training to support career transitions.

Recruitment coordination Project Management Stakeholder Engagement Educator Volunteer Training Volunteer Event Coordination Career Coaching

Career Counselor

Islamabad College of Arts and Sciences (ICAS)

Nov 2020 - May 2021 (6 months)

Streamlined student application processes and ran targeted admissions initiatives, achieving 85 scholarship-based acceptances for 24 students (100%+ scholarship success rate). Delivered 15 college readiness workshops, managed 28 monthly applications with 100% deadline compliance, and supported retention through student conflict resolution and counseling escalations.

Admissions Support Career Counseling Workshop Facilitation Application Processing And Management Conflict Resolution Compliance

Student Counselor

Headstart School

Jul 2018 - Sep 2019 (1 year 2 months)

Spearheaded international education fairs featuring US, UK, and Turkey universities, increasing student applications by 50% and expanding counseling reach. Developed individualized admissions strategies resulting in 96 university acceptances and substantial scholarship awards, while increasing student participation by 60% through student society and co-curricular programming.

International Admissions Education Fairs Student Counseling Scholarship Outcomes Support Student Society Programming Stakeholder Engagement Conflict Guidance Support

Student Counselor

Roots Ivy International Schools

Aug 2014 - Apr 2018 (3 years 8 months)

Mentored 50+ students annually to secure 200+ university acceptances, including many full-ride scholarship offers at Ivy League and top global universities. Built early-stage career guidance for Grade 8+ students and provided personalized problem-solving support that improved long-term academic planning and institutional trust.

Student Mentoring Scholarship Driven Counseling Academic Planning Program Development Problem Solving

HR Officer & Lecturer

Bahria University

Mar 2008 - Feb 2010 (1 year 11 months)

Reduced faculty turnover by 70% by implementing structured performance management and optimizing recruitment systems. Used E-Staff HRIS to streamline hiring workflows, cutting time-to-hire by 40%, and taught Principles of Management to undergraduate cohorts of 52 with an 85% teacher evaluation score.

Human Resources E Staff HRIS Recruitment Performance Management Teaching & Instruction

Creative Manager & Concept Writer

Channel 7 Communications

Sep 2006 - Jul 2007 (10 months)

Developed and led ATL/BTL branding and advertising campaigns that secured high-profile clients and increased brand visibility by up to 50%. Created bilingual, multi-channel content for national public awareness campaigns on health, drug prevention, and social empowerment, including the Women Empowerment Bill.

Branding ATL BTL Strategy Bilingual Copywriting Creative Production