Associate Director of Student Success

The Associate Director of Student Success is responsible for developing and managing a staff of student success coaches managing student service initiatives that assist students to be successful. This leader will support and execute the vision and purpose of the University through effective performance management, coaching to deliver exceptional service to our diverse student population, providing clear direction and guidance to their team, managing and measuring work using data to drive areas of focus for their staff.

The Associate Director of Student Success is responsible for managing key initiatives, partnering with peer Associate Directors of Academic Advising to drive understanding, calibration, integrity, and consistency throughout the department. The Associate Director will collaborate closely with Admissions, Financial Aid, Academic Operations, Faculty, and with Student Affairs to improve service to students and adjust team priorities based on interdepartmental needs.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES & RESPONSBILITIES

Manage Advising team to ensure a high level of service is provided consistently and metrics and goals are achieved. Provide daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly success metrics updates to the team and conduct advisor performance observations, providing feedback on retention, service levels, knowledge assessments, and competencies.

Review student performance metrics and staff communication methods and volume to measure effectiveness of outreach strategies. Support, develop, and administer all student advising procedures as described in the course catalog, student handbook, and other regulatory documents.

Provide management with daily, weekly, and term reports on the performance of their Student Advising Team. Collaborate with peer ADs on initiatives to assist in the overall student experience for the University. Manage staffing, scheduling, and team performance in a timely manner through a values-based approach and with a focus on the appropriate behaviors and processes.

Guide Advisors on how to handle at-risk students with life and other circumstances to ensure online course attendance. Connects individual contributions with departmental and organizational goals. Manage escalated service-related issues or complaints. Continue ongoing maintenance of Standard Operating Procedures.

Fostering positive energy and positive morale for the staff. Identify opportunities to create, improve, and implement innovative services that support student success. Strong attention to detail, problem-solving skills, and task management experience is required, along with demonstrated excellence in written and verbal communication.

REQUIREMENTS

May require occasional travel to other locations. Requires the ability to work a manager schedule, including more than 40 hours, evenings, weekends to accommodate student and department needs. Perform other duties as assigned.

COMPETENCIES

• Drive results can be counted on to meet and exceed goals appropriately and successfully, consistently a top performer, modeling correct behaviors and process execution.
• Customer Focus, dedicated to student development and success, establishes and maintains effective relationships with students and earns their trust and respect, exceptional counseling, coaching, and mentoring skills.
• Self-Knowledge, knows personal strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and limits.
• Managing Vision & Purpose, communicates compelling and inspired vision or sense of core purpose, can inspire and motivate entire units or organizations.
• Building Effective Teams, defines success in terms of the whole team and creates a feeling of belonging in the team.
• Developing Direct Reports, provides challenging and stretching tasks and assignments by constructing compelling development plans and executing them.
• Confronting Direct Reports, deals with problems direct reports firmly and in a timely manner.
• Managing & Measuring Work, clearly assigns responsibility for tasks and decisions while monitoring process progress and results.
• Learning on the Fly, learns quickly and open to change.
• Interpersonal Savvy, builds appropriate rapport as well as constructive and effective relationships.

KNOWLEDGE

• Background in managing and evaluating processes and personnel using data.
• Knowledge of online delivery methods and effective communication in both traditional and online educational forums is essential.
• Knowledge of college student development and student success theory and/or experience working with students from orientation to graduation, non-traditional student populations, student advising, or undergraduate retention.

QUALIFICATION

• Education & Experience:
• Bachelors Degree from an institution accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or international equivalent.
• 5 years of working in a customer service or learning and academic services area.
• 2 years of management experience with a direct reporting relationship of 10 or more.
• Masters Preferred from an institution accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or international equivalent - Preferred.
• 5 years of experience with leading student advising in a fast-paced post-secondary education environment - Preferred.
• 3 years of experience leading a team - Preferred.