Assistant Director of Student Success

National Louis University; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 58,202 - 84,393; Full time

Job summary

National Louis University is seeking an Assistant Director of Student Success to enhance undergraduate student experiences and persistence toward graduation. The role will supervise 2-3 Student Success Coaches and manage a personal caseload while guiding academic, career, and personal success for cohorts of students.

The successful candidate will champion first‑generation and underrepresented student support, collaborate with senior leadership on strategic initiatives, and lead wraparound

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Education, Counseling, Social Work, or related field; Master's Degree preferred.
• 3+ years of professional advising, teaching, counseling, social work or related field.
• 1+ year of leadership experience in higher education.
• 3+ years of experience working with a diverse student population.

Responsibilities

• Onboarding and supervision of Coaching staff with key outcomes met.
• Oversee planning, execution and budgeting for Coaching initiatives.
• Provide direct academic advising to a small caseload of 25–30 students.
• Build collaborations with academic and student services departments to coordinate wraparound supports.
• Maintain and revise the student support model with leadership to meet KPIs and goals.
• Oversee processes such as One Stop coverage, caseload assignments, and retention models.
• Support student transitions and persistence to second year and employment outcomes.

Skills

Advising / Counseling

Leadership

Diversity & Inclusion

Student support

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Education, Counseling, Social Work, or related field

Master's Degree preferred

Tools

Banner

Retain

Smartsheets

Job description

Overview

Who We Are:

National Louis is a 135+ year old university that has been grounded in the values of innovation, access, excellence, and equity from its inception. As an institution, we believe in providing access to educational opportunity and that education is our greatest lever for social and economic mobility. We are a student-focused community that is committed to continuous improvement and superior student service. We believe that through education we are able to empower change and build healthy communities. Our hard‑working community is based on collaboration and respect for all team members and students.

What You Will Do:

The Assistant Director of Student Success is an integral component of the signature undergraduate student experience at NLU, actively working towards supporting student transitions, persistence toward graduation, student's satisfaction and sense of belonging and sustainable employment in their major upon completion. The ADSS will work to optimize the student experience while utilizing a holistic system of support and leadership. The ADSS will directly supervise 2-3 Student Success Coaches (SSC) as well as maintain a student caseload of their own. SSCs are responsible for providing intensive undergraduate student support and serving as a guide for academic, career, and personal success for cohorts of students. The ideal Assistant Director will be influential and passionate about supporting first generation and underrepresented college students. The ADSS will also work closely with the Executive Director of Student Success and Associate Directors of Student Success to oversee strategic initiatives for the Undergraduate College at NLU. The candidate must have a general belief that all students have the ability to succeed and be personally driven to change the opportunity gap that currently exists in education and presents barriers toward a successful transition to college and persistence towards graduation.

Essential Responsibilities

• Onboarding and supervision of Coaching staff ensuring key outcomes are met including 1:1 completion, registration and degree evaluations, SAP/SAR appeals, EAB reporting, and other advising and career milestones and protocols. Ensure Coaches are using varied interventions to stay in close communication with their caseload of students - using developmental and intrusive advising practices as well as motivational interviewing. Providing regular guidance, feedback and development for team members driving towards their performance and developmental goals.
• Oversee planning, execution and budgeting for Coaching initiatives, including: Summer Coach Meetings, Student Coaching transitions, Student Registration, population-specific retention initiatives, and fall college and university onboarding and welcome back events.
• Provide direct academic advising and coaching support to a small caseload of 25‑30 students. Coaching should ensure students are meeting their program requirements by registering them for courses, providing major and career exploration guidance, and effectively communicating the degree requirements in accordance with university policies. As well as help build a student's self-advocacy on campus by helping them access wraparound supports available as needed. Use in‑person engagement (sometimes modified to virtual face‑to‑face engagement) and technology (texting and calls) for interventions to stay in close communication with their caseload of students. As well maintaining accurate and timely student records in platforms such as Banner, Retain, and Smartsheets, and leveraging available data and reports to guide coaching work.
• Build collaborative relationships with department chairs, faculty, Career Bridge staff, Enrollment, Student Affairs and Thrive & Wellness Center services, International Student Services, Student Finance Office staff, Learning Support, Enrollment, Center for Student Accessibility Resources, and external partners to coordinate strategies that ensure strong wraparound supports partnership and effective referral systems are in place. Assists in coordination and promotion of events, programming and services offered by other University departments.
• Works with the Executive Director of Student Success and Student Success Leadership Team to maintain and revise the student support model and wraparound resources to best serve students' needs while being open to changing policies and practices as needed ensuring the team meets all aspects of stated key performance indicators and annual strategic goals.
• In collaboration with the Executive Director of Student Success and Associate Directors of Student Success, oversee processes such as One Stop drop‑in coverage, Coach caseload assignments, SAP and SAR review and appeals, student escalations, and Y1 and Y2 retention models.
• Other duties as assigned to support student transitions and persistence to the second year, student satisfaction and sense of belonging and sustainable employment in their major upon degree completion.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Education, Counseling, Social Work, or related field, Master's Degree preferred.
• Three plus (3+) years of professional experience in advising, teaching, counseling, social work or related field with proven track record.
• One plus (1+) year of demonstrated leadership experience in higher education.
• Three plus (3+) years of experience working with a diverse student population.

Work Environment / Physical Demands / Travel Requirements

This position may require travel between the Chicago, Wheeling, and Lisle campuses. Occasional Saturday work is expected to support events such as open house, Admit Day, Grad Fest and Commencement. Candidate should be willing to communicate via text/phone with students at night and on weekends.

NLU Inclusion Statement

National Louis University is deeply committed to serving its community, advancing access and equity, and ensuring that all individuals are welcomed and valued. We are dedicated to fostering a culture where diversity, equity, and inclusion remain at the core of who we are. These are more than just words to us: they are truly a way of life for the NLU community. We recognize that differences in abilities, age, ethnicity, gender (identity and expression), race, religion, sexual orientation, socio‑economic status, and background bring richness to our work environment. We affirm diverse perspectives, innovative contributions, and authentic presentations of self from every member within the NLU community. We believe inclusion is grounded in the actions we intentionally take each day. Our goal is to inspire and empower NLU employees and community members to cultivate an environment where we collectively focus on uplifting and advancing our institutional culture.

Compensation and Benefits

At National Louis University, we offer our employees an innovative environment to work together and inspire the ideas that will make an impact. As our external environment changes, our employees are provided the opportunities and tools needed to grow both personally and professionally to remain successful. NLU employees and dependents are offered a wide range of benefits, including but not limited to, Health Insurance benefits, Retirement benefits, Paid Time Off and Educational Opportunities. Additional information regarding full‑time staff benefits can be found here.

The salary range of the grade for this position is $58,202.00 to $84,393.00 annually. Compensation decisions are dependent upon the facts and circumstances of each position and candidate. Offers are based on multiple factors permitted by law, including but not limited to: budgetary considerations, job‑related knowledge/skills, experience, market considerations, tenure and standing with the university (applicable to current employees), and internal equity.