Assistant Director, Student Transitions and Family Programs

University of Dayton; Dayton (OH); On-site; USD 55,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Dayton is seeking an Assistant Director of Student Transitions and Family Programs in Dayton, OH. The role focuses on onboarding programs for new students, planning Family Weekend, and coordinating family communications throughout the year.

The position reports to the Executive Director of Student Engagement and Wellbeing and involves collaborating with campus partners to integrate academic advising into orientation, promote student health and belonging, and support commuter and

Qualifications

• BA degree.
• A minimum of one year experience as a student orientation leader or related undergraduate, graduate, or professional experience addressing student transitional needs, event management, admissions, student onboarding, student success, student engagement, new student programming, student affairs, family engagement, or retention efforts.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills with a track record of working effectively with others.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate all logistics for New Student Orientation, creating a red carpet experience for incoming students and their families.
• Hire, train, and supervise Orientation and Welcome Leaders and co-coordinate OWL training for staff.
• Plan and coordinate Welcome Weekend in collaboration with onboarding and STFP teams to create an impactful experience for all incoming students.
• Design a Family Weekend experience engaging students, families, and siblings, partnering with campus colleagues and Dayton establishments.
• Oversee family communications via emails and collaboration with Parent Leadership Council, Alumni Relations, and marketing to share information with families.

Skills

Verbal communication

Written communication

Interpersonal skills

Education

BA degree

Master's degree in College Student Personnel, Higher Education, Counseling, or related field

Tools

TouchNet

BlackThorn

LMS systems

Guidebook

Job description

Assistant Director, Student Transitions and Family Programs

Job No: 503993
Work Type: Staff Full Time (1500 hours or greater)
Location: Dayton, OH
Category: University Staff
Department: Stdnt Transitions & Family Programs - 700300
Pay Grade: A - Exempt
Advertised: October 26, 2026
Applications close: November 16, 2026

Position Summary:

Are you a passionate education professional, eager to welcome new students to the University of Dayton community? The University of Dayton is seeking an assistant director, student transitions & family programs! This position will create critical programming for incoming students (including New Student Orientation and Welcome Weekend), coordinate communication with family members, and plan Family Weekend for the University of Dayton campus. Come join our UD community!

Reporting to the executive director, student engagement and wellbeing, the assistant director of student transitions & family programs works in collaboration with the senior assistant director, student transitions & family programs and executive director, student engagement and wellbeing to ensure the successful manifestation of all aspects of development, coordination, implementation, and assessment of critical student onboarding programming, communication with families, and student community building for commuter and transfer students. Programming includes New Student Orientation (January and June), Welcome Weekend (August), Camp Blue (August), and Family Weekend (September). This position is focused on family engagement, planning Family Weekend and coordinating family communication throughout the year, Welcome Weekend, co-supervising student leaders, and planning portions of New Student Orientation. The assistant director also supports the departmental assessment, communication, technology, student leadership development strategies, and key community building initiatives, including community building programs for commuter and transfer students.

The assistant director builds meaningful relationships with colleagues across campus that encourage strategic collaboration and advance key university outcomes, including the inclusion of academic advising and course registration into new student orientation and building a red-carpet onboarding experience for our incoming students. Using best practices and centering student development, all onboarding programming will support student success, student health and wellbeing, academic foundation building, and building social connection, ultimately working toward goals of retention, decreasing melt, and building belonging for all students.

The assistant director indirectly and directly supervises undergraduate student leaders, including the Orientation and Welcome Weekend Leaders, Camp Blue Counselors, and student coordinators. The assistant director works in collaboration with staff and faculty across campus and off-campus partners to maintain the University of Dayton's commitment to intentional, integrated, and successful onboarding experiences for all undergraduate students, ultimately setting them up for success as a UD student.

New Student Orientation:

• Work with the full STFP team to coordinate all logistics for new student orientation, creating a red carpet experience for our incoming students and their families.
• Manage detailed logistics of planning New Student Orientation, including managing schedule distribution, nametag logistics, room reservations, and planning, and technology to ensure consistent communication amongst all campus partners, families, and incoming students.
• Collaborate with the senior assistant director to hire, train, and supervise Orientation and Welcome Leaders.
• Co-coordinate OWL training with the senior assistant director to ensure that student staff are well trained and prepared for the full summer of programming.

Welcome Weekend:

• Plan and coordinate OWL training in August to ensure that OWLs are prepared for Welcome Weekend
• Create the Welcome Weekend schedule in collaboration with the onboarding and STFP teams, and coordinate with campus partners to create an impactful Welcome Weekend experience for all incoming students.

Family Weekend:

• Plan and design a Family Weekend experience that will engage current students, families, and siblings. Events should include partnering with campus colleagues and building collaborations with local Dayton establishments.

Family Communication:

• Work with families as partners in their students’ education, building meaningful relationships with them and collaborating with the first generation committee, Parent Leadership Council, and Alumni Relations to strategically connect with family members
• Oversee the [e-mail] and [e-mail] email addresses to ensure strategic parent and family communication that aligns with institutional priorities, goals, and strategic direction
• Coordinate with marketing and communications to build a strategic family communication digest email that shares critical information with families about their students’ experiences, details about upcoming events, and overviews campus resources.

Student Transitions and Family Programs General Responsibilities:

• Serve on relevant committees
• Participate as a full member of the Student Transitions and Family Programs team, contributing to shared initiatives, and supporting all members of the team to celebrate shared success
• Perform other duties as assigned by the direct supervisor
• Manage budgets responsibly to ensure long-term financial sustainability of the programs
• Assess programming and maintain a commitment to continuous improvement

Minimum Qualifications:

• BA degree.
• A minimum of one year experience as a student orientation leader or related undergraduate, graduate, or professional experience addressing student transitional needs, event management, admissions, student onboarding, student success, student engagement, new student programming, student affairs, family engagement, or retention efforts.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills with a track record of working effectively with others.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree in College Student Personnel, Higher Education, Counseling, or a related field.
• Two or more years of professional experience addressing student transitional needs, event management, admissions, student onboarding, student success, student engagement, new student programming, student affairs, family engagement, or retention efforts.
• The ability to maintain a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Demonstrated experience with recruiting, training, supervising, and evaluating student staff or student leaders.
• A thorough understanding of student development theory.
• Ability to thrive in a team-based educational environment that values high expectations, integrity, and leadership, while possessing positive attitude and enthusiasm.
• Ability to handle confidential information, work independently, and work as part of a team.
• Experience building strong collaborations with colleagues across campus.
• Proven ability to handle multiple projects, set priorities, meet deadlines, and maintain a high level of attention to detail in a fast paced environment.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the experience of successfully supporting students, building meaningful relationships with colleagues, and public speaking.
• Proficiency working with a variety of IT systems, such as TouchNet, BlackThorn, LMS systems, Guidebook, etc.
• Demonstrated ability to inspire others to share a vision.
• Demonstrated ability to work successfully within a diverse community and provide educational programming from a non-judgmental perspective.
• Knowledge of and appreciation of our Catholic Marianist work environment.
• The ability to work a flexible schedule, including occasional evenings and weekends.

Closing Statement:

Informed by its Catholic and Marianist mission, the University is committed to the dignity of every human being. Informed by this commitment, we seek to increase diversity in all of its forms, achieve fair outcomes, and model inclusion across our campus community. The University is committed to policies of affirmative action designed to increase the employment opportunities of individuals with disabilities and protected veterans in compliance with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1973.

Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. The University does not provide work visa sponsorship for this position.

• Staff Full Time (1500 hours or greater) 1