Assistant Dean for Student Affairs

NAFSA: Association of International Educators; Madison (WI); On-site; USD 99,000 - 121,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Wisconsin Madison is seeking an Assistant Dean for Student Affairs to provide strategic leadership and operational oversight to advance undergraduate student success. The role reports to Academic Affairs and collaborates with deans, directors, and central offices to align college priorities and services.

The position includes direct supervision of student-facing units, coordination of initiatives, and ongoing program evaluation to improve outcomes.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5-7 years of progressively responsible experience in student affairs, academic administration, or a related area.
• Minimum of 3 or more years of experience leading and supervising staff, including managing multiple teams or functional units.
• Experience using data and assessment to inform decision-making, program improvement, and strategic planning.

Responsibilities

• Advises and collaborates with the Dean, Associate Dean, and/or Office of the Provost on critical issues and serves on committees.
• Monitors ongoing assessment and coordinates annual goals and outcomes for programs and services.
• Supports special initiatives and grant-funded programs requiring senior leadership attention.

Skills

Organizational skills

Communication

Interpersonal skills

Data-driven decision making

Cross-functional collaboration

Policy implementation

Education

Master’s degree in higher education, student affairs or related field

Tools

Student information systems

Reporting tools

Assessment frameworks

Job description

Assistant Dean for Student Affairs

Employer: University of Wisconsin Madison

Location: Madison, WI

Closing date: Sep 17, 2026

Specialty: Student Affairs

Position Type: Assistant Dean

Hours: Full-time

Employment Type: Permanent

Organization Type: College / University

Job Summary

The Assistant Dean for Student Affairs provides strategic leadership and operational oversight in support of undergraduate student success. This role is responsible for advancing initiatives that enhance the undergraduate experience, ensuring high-quality services across student-facing units, and fostering a collaborative, student-centered culture.

The Assistant Dean for Student Affairs serves as a key member of the Academic Affairs leadership team, working closely with the associate dean, assistant deans, directors, departments, central administrative offices, and external partners to align programs and services with the College of Engineering (CoE) and institutional priorities.

The CoE Academic Affairs is a dynamic and student-centered unit that includes student engagement and leadership including student organizations, K-12 outreach, career services, undergraduate and graduate advising, learning support, and scholarships, and student wellness.

This position will directly supervise one or more functional units, ensuring effective service delivery, continuous improvement, and alignment with the COE’s academic mission.

Key Job Responsibilities

• Advises and collaborates with the Dean, Associate Dean, and/or Office of the Provost on critical issues, representing the functional area of supervision at appropriate meetings and events as requested; and serves on and/or leads various program and/or university committees as directed
• Serves on various university review committees, working with a wide range of constituencies including the Faculty Senate, Deans and Associate Deans, General Counsel, and University Leadership
• Monitors on-going assessment and continuous improvement of academic programs and services by guiding the establishment of annual goals, ensuring progress towards goals is met, articulating challenges, and reporting on annual outcomes and achievements for programs and services
• Supports special initiatives and/or grant-funded programs that require senior leadership attention with respect to program design, planning, coordination, and interaction with internal and external stakeholders
• Facilitates collegial, collaborative working relationships with a broad range of stakeholders, partners with administrative and academic departments to support initiatives, and gathers input from key stakeholders to support recommendations
• Establishes priorities that align with the strategic directives of the assigned school or college and ensures units effectively carry out duties in a way that best supports the academic mission of the university; provides direct supervision of department /program leadership staff and monitors compliance with laws, regulations, university policies, procedures, and relevant contractual obligations
• May exercise supervisory authority, including hiring, transferring, suspending, promoting, managing conduct and performance, discharging, assigning, rewarding, disciplining, and/or approving hours worked of at least 2.0 FTE or equivalent employees

Department

College of Engineering, Academic Affairs

Compensation

The starting salary for the position is $110,000 (but is negotiable based on experience and qualifications).

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of 5-7 years of progressively responsible experience in student affairs, academic administration, or a related area
• Minimum of 3 or more years of experience leading and supervising staff, including managing multiple teams or functional units
• Proven experience advancing student success initiatives that support individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds, with evidence of measurable impact (e.g., retention, engagement, or satisfaction outcomes)
• Experience implementing academic or student affairs policy and procedures
• Experience working collaboratively across departments and administrative units in a complex organizational setting
• Strong organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build relationships across diverse stakeholders
• Experience using data and assessment to inform decision-making, program improvement, and strategic planning

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in a college of engineering or similarly complex academic environment
• Understanding of the engineering profession and engineering curricula, and ability to relate to engineering undergraduates and prospective students
• Demonstrated success overseeing student-facing units (e.g., advising, student engagement, student services, recruitment)
• Experience with budget management, resource allocation, and operational oversight
• Familiarity with student information systems, reporting tools, and assessment frameworks
• Experience leading cross-functional initiatives or large-scale student experience improvements

Education

Master’s degree required; preferred in higher education, student affairs, educational leadership, psychology, social science, engineering or a related field

Institutional Statement On Diversity

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promote excellence by acknowledging skills and expertise from all backgrounds and encourage all qualified individuals to apply. For more information regarding applicant and employee rights and to view federal and state required postings, visit the Human Resources Workplace Poster website.

To request a disability or pregnancy-related accommodation for any step in the hiring process (e.g., application, interview, pre-employment testing, etc.), please contact the Divisional Disability Representative (DDR) in the division you are applying to. Please make your request as soon as possible to help the university respond most effectively to you.

Employment may require a criminal background check. It may also require your references to answer questions regarding misconduct, including sexual violence and sexual harassment.

The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7).

Employment Eligibility

Please be aware that successful applicants are responsible for ensuring their continuous eligibility to work in the United States (i.e. a citizen or national of the United States, a lawful permanent resident, a foreign national authorized to work in the United States without the need of employer sponsorship) on or before the effective date of appointment. This position is an ongoing position that will require continuous work eligibility. If you are selected for this position you would have to provide proof of work authorization and eligibility to work.

The College is not an E-Verify employer and therefore we cannot accept F-1 OPT STEM Extensions for employment eligibility.

Contact Information

Beth Brandl, [e-mail]

Relay Access (WTRS): 7-1-1. See RELAY_SERVICE for further information.

Annual Security and Fire Safety Report

The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report contains current campus safety and disciplinary policies, crime statistics for the previous 3 calendar years, and on-campus student housing fire safety policies and fire statistics for the previous 3 calendar years. UW-Madison will provide a paper copy upon request; please contact the University of Wisconsin Police Department.