Assistant Director, Student Success

Student Success

Grade 2.1, Exempt

Location: Remote

University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) seeks an Assistant Director, Student Success in the Office of Student Affairs. Reporting to the Director of Student Success, the Assistant Director will be responsible for closely collaborating with the Director to provide hiring, training, supervision and coaching up to 12 Success Coaches. The Success Coach empowers students on their UMGC journey by listening, guiding, motivating, and celebrating the student's success from the point of enrollment through graduation. Intentional, targeting outreach allows the Success Coach to co-create with the student an academic plan, provide the right resources at the right time, connect them to the University community and motivate them to achieve their goals. Success Coaches will provide concierge level support to an assigned population of students through multi-channel student engagement including inbound and outbound calls, texts, virtual advising appointments, and emails to students to ensure they are on a path to successfully matriculate to their desired credential. The Assistant Director is responsible for the overall success of the team under their leadership including training and development of Success Coaches, adherence to early academic outreach, case management, and the successful matriculation of qualified new and returning students. Other areas of responsibility include quality assurance, performance management, workforce management, and business process design and implementation.   

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:

• Facilitate training and skill development of new Success Coaches with the training team as well as current team members by conducting role plays, mock calls, live shadowing, observations of recorded calls and effective team meetings
• Demonstrate the delivery of consistent, constructive and performance enhancing coaching feedback based on observations conducted and by conducting and documenting regular assessments that provide specific, affirmative feedback on quality and knowledge of institution, program, administrative and admissions policies.
• Conduct monthly performance coaching sessions with each direct report to develop a nimble and collaborative team that nurtures trust, accountability, and a shared vision for outstanding service to new and returning students from the point of application through graduation through inbound and outbound calls, SMS, chat, virtual advising appointments, and emails to students to ensure they are on a path to successfully matriculate to their desired credential
• Develop, communicate, and execute operational strategies to set and achieve team and unit goals on a daily, weekly, monthly basis to ensure new and returning student growth targets are met
• Develop the team to provide best-in-class service using a consultative approach
• Manage daily operations by tracking workforce metrics such as call volumes, phone queues, service levels, task completion, schedule adherence and other workforce metrics and taking action to address performance gaps, prioritize work or adjusting staff scheduling, as needed
• Provide input and feedback on both strategic and operational projects and their impact on the day-to-day operations of front-line staff activities and the student population
• Collaborate with Director to execute outreach activities and stitch in campaigns in support of student retention and re-engagement, on-boarding, student success and successful student matriculation to their desired credential so that enrollment growth and retention targets are met
• Handle calls from students who wish to speak to a supervisor for any reason at any time without hesitation.
• Seek to provide same day resolution for any escalated issue with a commitment to uncovering unspoken needs and eliminating both real and perceived barriers for every student in every situation
• Maintain a consistent, positive, and motivating presence to champion organizational and departmental change to enhance student service and team performance
• Motivate, develop, and recognize team members in order to develop succession planning, empower team members to take on special projects, improve employee engagement and reduce regrettable turnover
• Actively participates in virtual phone screening and interviewing to ensure effective hiring and selection of new team members
• Perform other job-related duties as assigned

DUTY STATEMENTS:

• Employees that live within 50 miles of the University are required to work university commencement
• Employees are required to work some evening and weekend hours
• Employees may be required to work certain holiday hours based on business need

REQUIREMENTS FOR 100% REMOTE ROLE:

• Equipment shall be provided by the successful hire.
• UMGC will provide necessary office supplies, a laptop, monitor, and headset.
• Network communication to non-public UMGC online information technology services and data shall be made only using the UMGC Virtual Private Network (VPN) to ensure data is transmitted through encrypted channels and proper authentication.
• All computing equipment that is used, whether purchased by UMGC or the individual, must be connected to broadband internet through an Ethernet connection.
• All computing equipment that is used must be connected to broadband internet with upload and download speeds of at least 25MBPS. You must also hardwire your laptop to the router through an ethernet connection.
• Candidates may not perform personal business during scheduled work hours except for non-work time, such as scheduled breaks.

REQUIRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor's degree
• At least one (1) year of successful leadership or at least one (1) year of demonstrated proficiency in guidance, instruction, direction to a group or project within a service delivery organization or contact center
• The selected candidate must have the ability to prioritize and manage competing demands in a fast-paced environment while motivating others
• Candidate must possess superior organizational and communication skills including the development of presentations and business proposals.  In addition, the candidate must demonstrate: a strong understanding of management and leadership characteristics, the ability to successfully lead a diverse team
• Candidate must be extremely well organized and analytical with an ability to work well under pressure
• Must be flexible and agile in responding to evolving business priorities

PREFERRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• Master's degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher learning
• Successful track record of leading teams with a collaborative leadership style; ability to coach, mentor, and develop others
• Experience working with military or veteran personnel, preferably in a higher education environment
• Proven track record of leveraging data and metrics to meet or exceed business goals and objectives
• Experience in the areas of enrollment management, student recruitment, and quality assurance
• Experience leveraging CRM, contact center, and other enterprise-wide business technologies is also preferred

All submissions should include a cover letter and resume.

The University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination. UMGC is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, ancestry, political affiliation or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

Workplace Accommodations:

The University of Maryland Global Campus Global Campus (UMGC) is committed to creating and maintaining a welcoming and inclusive working environment for people of all abilities. UMGC is dedicated to the principle that no qualified individual with a disability shall, based on disability, be excluded from participation in or be denied the benefits of the services, programs, or activities of the University, or be subjected to discrimination. For information about UMGC's Reasonable Workplace Accommodation Policy or to request an accommodation, applicants/candidates can contact Employee Accommodations via email at employee-accommodations@umgc.edu. 

Benefits Package Highlights:

• Generous Time Off: Enjoy 22 days of paid vacation, 15 days of sick leave, 3 personal days, and 15 paid holidays (16 during general election years). For part-time employees, time off rates will be prorated based on the number of hours worked.

• Comprehensive Health Coverage: Access to health care, medical with vision, dental, and prescription plans for both individuals and families, effective from the 1st of the month following your hire date.

• Insurance Options: Term Life Insurance, Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance, and Long-Term Disability (LTD) Insurance. Part-time employees working less than 0.5 FTE are not eligible for LTD.

• Flexible Spending Accounts: Available for medical and dependent care expenses.

• Retirement Plans: Choose between the Optional Retirement Program (ORP) or the Maryland State Retirement and Pension System (MSRPS).

• Supplemental Retirement Plans: include 401(k), 403(b), 457(b), and various Roth options. The university does not provide matching funds.

• Tuition Remission: Immediate availability for Regular Exempt Staff. Spouses and dependent children are eligible for undergraduate tuition remission after two years of service. NOTE: For part-time employees (at least 50 percent of the time), tuition remission benefits are prorated.

Hiring Rate: