Director, Student Services

The newly established College of Health Science (CHS) at Pepperdine University is seeking a Director of Student Services. The director will be a primary leader responsible for the successful delivery of student services to undergraduate and graduate students in both CHS in-person and online academic programs. Their primary responsibility will be to oversee operations related to all CHS student services, including, but not limited to: student success, academic advising, student experience, career services, spiritual life, and missional service-learning.

The director will report to the Dean of the College of Health Science and will be expected to collaborate closely with the deans/directors of all CHS academic and co-curricular programs. In collaboration with the dean and associate dean of the CHS, the director will lead the effort to hire support staff to coordinate each of the aforementioned areas, with the understanding that in the early years of CHS operation, a single coordinator may have responsibility for one or more of the areas. The director will be supported in their role by a robust pre-existing student services’ infrastructure with well-developed resources at Pepperdine University.

The director will lead a team in developing student services programs for CHS students, in partnership with existing University student life programming and personnel. They will provide leadership to student services staff to establish a proactive approach in all areas to address academic, personal, spiritual, and professional needs, and respond to unforeseen challenges in a way that conveys genuine care for each member of the CHS community.

Duties

• Set goals and develop strategic initiatives that enable the student services team to work together effectively and efficiently to meet student needs. 
• Hire, train, and supervise coordinators for each major area of student services: student success, academic advising, career services, student experience, as well as administrative support. Provide ongoing mentorship and professional support to staff. Develop individualized training and development plans to enhance skills, performance, and career growth.
• Provide strategic oversight and direction to coordinators in the following areas:
  • Developing promotional materials to acquaint students with each area of student services;
  • Establishing student success programs including but not limited to tutoring, academic coaching, and learning skills workshops, as well as development and distribution of resources to help student manage their own academic success;
  • Enacting academic advising strategies to help students understand academic requirements and address factors related to student retention, including but not limited to academic standing, leaves of absence, academic accommodations, and probation;
  • Developing students' career readiness through programming related to job search strategies, resume and cover letter preparation, interviewing skills, networking and more. Programming related to student life, spiritual life, and the delivery of a missional service-learning experience for CHS students in each program annually;
  • Strategically partnering with faculty, staff, and administrators to establish, evaluate, and optimize policies, procedures, and services related to student success as well as compliance with institutional and governmental policies. 
• Perform other duties as assigned.
• Uphold University mission through work performed.

The above information has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job.

Skills and Qualifications

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree and at least 5 years of experience in student services, or a graduate degree and at least 3 years of experience in student services.
• Experience providing guidance to students and young adults, including appropriate referrals to internal and external resources.
• Knowledge of theoretical and practical aspects of student development, engagement, belonging, and success.
• Understanding of student records, policies, and procedures.
• Ability to make evidence-based judgements and maintain confidentiality.
• Demonstrated responsiveness to the needs of a diverse student population with a proven ability to advance belonging.
• Experience leading diverse teams, encouraging collaboration, and productively addressing conflict.
• Highly organized, with strong attention to detail and time/task management.
• An active and abiding Christian faith, with a sincere commitment to furthering Pepperdine Unive