Assistant Director, Student Life

Emerson College; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 59,000 - 72,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health plans

403(b) retirement plan

Paid time off

Job summary

Emerson College seeks an Assistant Director, Student Life & Support Services to provide holistic non-clinical support to students across campuses, coordinating referrals and resources.

The role partners with SAS, academic departments, and Campus Health to ensure timely disability accommodations, crisis response, and program transitions throughout the student experience.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in higher education or related field; a Master's degree in social work, counseling is preferred.
• A minimum of three years of experience in academic environments with experience in case management and/or counseling.
• Familiarity with, or the ability to learn quickly, the use of student software and management systems such as Maxient, Workday, and Banner.
• Evening and weekend work hours will be required for this position; may require timely on-campus response.

Responsibilities

• Meet individually with students to provide support and referrals and follow up to ensure ongoing support.
• Create and update student cases through online management systems and maintain confidential documents.
• Coordinate with Student Accessibility Services (SAS) and academic department admins to implement disability support and accommodations.
• Provide support for students with mid-term grade concerns.
• Assist in after-hours consultation and support for students in crisis or urgent concerns.
• Advise students and coordinate referrals with campus partners across ELA and Boston.
• Analyze impacts and coordinate follow-ups to ensure students receive needed assistance.
• Collaborate with campus partners to support programmatic efforts for Emerson LA students.
• Oversee ELA Food Pantry and Student Lunchbox initiatives in conjunction with ELA team.
• Train faculty/staff on managing students of concern and act as resource for questions.
• Coordinate communication between Boston and LA clinicians for holistic support across campuses.
• Meet with students and families to provide high-level support and guidance.
• Utilize data systems to monitor student progress and identify those needing extra support.
• Propose and support initiatives to improve student experience and satisfaction.
• Support campus-wide events and programs and assist with residential life as needed.

Skills

Case management

Counseling

FERPA awareness

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent in higher education or related field

Master's degree in social work or counseling preferred

Tools

Maxient

Workday

Banner

Job description

Assistant Director, Student Life & SupportServices

Join our community and experience Emerson College!

The Assistant Director, Student Life & Support Services willprovide holistic support to the students of Emerson College LosAngeles by managing all student concerns and support services toensure their success prior to and while enrolled in the program.The Assistant Director works closely with colleagues from the ELAand Boston campuses to provide support and casemanagement to allEmerson Los Angeles participants and to provide a seamless andsupportive process as students transition through the variousphases of their program preparation through the duration of theirtime in the program. The Assistant Director will liaise withvarious campus offices and services to share resources andreferrals, including. The Assistant Director provides non-clinicalsupport to students in crisis or distress related to medical andpsychological concerns, life traumas, or other events or hindrancesthat may limit a student's success.

ESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES

• Meet individually with students, as needed, to provide supportand referrals to resources and services. Provide timely follow upwith students to ensure they have ongoing support and are engagingwith referrals and resources.
• Create and update student cases through online managementsystems and organize and maintain confidential case documentsappropriately and with care.
• Manage relationship with Student Accessibility Services (SAS),working closely with SAS and academic department administrators toprovide and ensure timely and appropriate implementation ofdisability support and accommodations to students registered withSAS.
• Provide support for students with mid-term gradeconcerns.
• Provide occasional after-hours consultation and support toon-call staff responding to students in crisis or other urgentstudent concerns.
• Advise students and help resolve issues by exploring options,navigating systems, and providing connections to resources. Thisrequires coordinating appropriate referrals and interventions withcampus partners at ELA and in Boston including, but not limited to,Student Financial Services, Student Life, Academic Advising,Education Abroad, Student Accessibility Services, Residential Life,and Campus Health and Wellness.
• Analyze impacts, systems and student support and coordinateappropriate follow-ups and interventions with other offices anddepartments to ensure students receive assistance needed from theEmerson community.
• Strategically collaborate with campus partners to support theprogrammatic efforts of the unique student needs of the Emerson LAprogram.
• In conjunction with the ELA Student Life team, coordinateoversight and semesterly evaluation of the ELA Food Pantry and theStudent Lunchbox initiative.
• Assist in training faculty and staff in managing and respondingto students of concern, and serve as a resource for faculty and administrators who have questions or concerns about a student.
• Through supervision of the ELA therapists, identify, address,and support student trends; track student access and use; andstreamline communication between Boston and LA clinicians forholistic student support across campuses.
• Meet with and counsel students and their families who areinterested in/are in need of high-level support.
• Utilize college data collection systems to identify and managestudents who may be struggling or could benefit from extra support throughout their ELA semester. Monitor and communicate ongoingstudent progress.
• Propose, create, manage, and support initiatives and/orpolicy/procedural updates that aim to improve the studentexperience and overall satisfaction at ELA.
• Performs related duties and responsibilities asassigned/requested, including but not limited to: Assist withcampus-wide events and programs such as move-in, orientation, FirstFridays, and the like; Occasionally support residential life staff;Provide general student support as needed within the ELAcampus.
• Plan, implement, and evaluate all aspects of diversifiedcampus-wide activities and programs such as, but not limited to, Welcome Week, Wrap Party, monthly cultural programming, orientation, theme park day, LA city excursions and civicengagement programs.
• Interface directly with students by attending student lifeevents and programs and gather satisfaction feedback from studentparticipants to implement into future student life initiatives and objectives.
• Provide oversight and leadership to the student employmenthiring process and serve as the main liaison to the Boston StudentEmployment department.
• Other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

- Qualifications are deemed required or preferred and represent what is needed to effectively perform job.

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in higher educationor a related field is required; a Master's degree in social work,counseling is preferred.
• A minimum of three years of experience in academic environmentswith experience in case management and/or counseling.
• Familiarity with, or the ability to learn quickly, the use ofstudent software and management systems such as Maxient, Workday,and Banner.
• Evening and weekend work hours will be required for thisposition. Position may require a timely on-campus response underemergency andtime-sensitive circumstances.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

- May be representative,but not all-inclusive, of those knowledge, skills, and abilitiescommonly associated with the job.

• Ability to remain abreast of emerging trends in higher education particularly among international, first-generation anddiverse student populations.
• Experience with diverse and international student populations,including an understanding of the challenges/barriers thesestudents may face.
• Must demonstrate awareness and understanding of FERPA, CleryAct, HECMA standards, and other issues and standards pertaining tocase management in a higher education setting.
• Must be able to manage sensitive and confidential informationand demonstrate excellent written, oral, interpersonal,organizational, and communication skills.

PHYSICAL ABILITIES

- Activities commonly associated with the performance of the functions of this job.

• Requires ability to lift and move objects that are light
• Requires ability to move materials occasionally

WORK ENVIRONMENT

- Environmental or atmospheric conditions commonly associated with the performance of the functions of this job.

• Usual Office Conditions

Disclaimer: This job description in no way states or impliesthat these are the only duties to be performed by the employeeoccupying this position. Employees may be required to follow otherjob-related instructions and to perform other job-related duties asrequested, subject to all applicable state and federal laws.Certain job duties described herein may be subject to possiblemodification in accordance with applicable state and federallaws.

Compensation: $58,850.00 - $72,150.00 annually, commensurate withexperience.

Grade of Position: 23-07E

Employment Category: Regular

Scheduled Weekly Hours: 36.25

In addition to a competitive salary, Emerson College is committedto the health and well‑being of our employees and family members. We offer a generous benefits package to regular staff scheduled towork 20+ hours per week. Emerson EmploymentCategories influence work schedules, benefits eligibility, and time off policies. Benefits include outstanding health planswith limited out-of-pocket expenses, dental plans, generoustime-off programs, and a 403(b) retirement benefit with a 9%employer contribution once eligible. Additional benefits, such aslife and disability coverage and commuter offerings, are available.

Please refer to our benefitswebsite for a full list of benefits and eligibilityrequirements.