Assistant Program Director, TRIO SSS

Michigan State University; Okemos (MI); On-site; USD 75,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Michigan State University seeks an Assistant Program Director for TRIO Student Support Services within the Office of Undergraduate Education. Lead and coordinate grant operations, intake, eligibility, data systems, and program evaluations to ensure compliance and student success.

The role partners with the Director to align activities with federal TRIO SSS regulations, prepare annual reports, and support tutoring and retention initiatives. Evening/weekend coverage may be required.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Higher Education, Student Affairs, Social Work, Counseling, or related field.
• 3-5 years of working experience in higher education, with TRIO program or related student support experience.
• Demonstrated knowledge of federal TRIO SSS regulations, eligibility, services, and performance objectives.
• Strong data analysis skills interpreting retention, academic standing, and graduation data.
• Experience using student information systems and database platforms to manage participant records.
• Experience supervising graduate and undergraduate student staff.
• Experience supporting budget monitoring in a grant-funded environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead intake and eligibility review to ensure federal criteria compliance.
• Oversee TRIO SSS database administration and data integrity.
• Assist with APR preparation and reporting.
• Support program evaluations measuring student outcomes against objectives.
• Provide backup for Academic Success initiatives and tutoring programs.

Skills

Leadership & supervision

Data analysis

Regulatory compliance

Communication

Project management

Education

Master’s degree in Higher Education or related field

Tools

Excel

Student Information Systems

Database management

Job description

Assistant Program Director for TRIO Student Support Services

Our Unit:

The Michigan State University Office of Undergraduate Education oversees undergraduate academic policies and facilitates institutional wide initiatives focused on enhancing undergraduate learning. We engage in everything from the orientation and welcome of first-year students to the enhancement and oversight of selected academic programs and co-curricular initiatives. Focused around the five opportunity areas for student success https://undergrad.msu.edu/strategy-retention/sues, Undergrad Ed seeks to ensure every student MSU admits can learn, thrive, and graduate.

The Pathways Persistence Programs are an affirming, dynamic network of programs within the Office of Undergraduate Education dedicated to fostering student success by supporting persistence, academic excellence, and community. Aligned with MSU’s commitment to ensure all students can learn, thrive, and graduate, these programs address barriers to success and create structures that promote equitable outcomes. Grounded in equity and social justice, the Pathways Persistence Programs work to close opportunity gaps and support students’ persistence toward graduation.

Program Overview:

TRIO Student Support Services at Michigan State University is a federally funded program supported by the U.S. Department of Education through 2030. The program is housed within the Pathways Persistence Programs unit and is led by the TRIO SSS Director. It serves first generation students, students from limited income backgrounds, and students with disabilities.

Each year, TRIO SSS supports more than 600 students through coordinated, student-centered services designed to promote persistence and degree completion. Services include proactive advising and success coaching, peer mentoring, academic and career workshops, tutoring, a summer transition program, high impact learning opportunities, financial literacy support, and preparation for graduate and professional study.

Position Overview:

The Assistant Program Director (APD) for TRIO Student Support Services serves as a key member of the program’s leadership team, reporting directly to the Program Director. In this capacity, the APD collaborates closely with the Director to ensure the seamless execution of the federally funded grant, maintaining strict adherence to the approved Plan of Operations and federal regulations. The role is designed to fortify program operations through strategic outreach, compliance, and data collection. By overseeing data systems and assisting the Director with conducting compliance reviews, the APD ensures the program remains high-functioning and audit-ready.

While the Director holds primary administrative accountability, the APD is responsible for leading specific core programmatic functional areas. This includes spearheading the intake and eligibility review process to ensure all participants meet federal criteria, as well as managing the TRIO SSS database with meticulous attention to detail, assisting with the critical preparation of the Annual Performance Report (APR) and leading comprehensive program evaluations to measure student outcomes against established objectives. Furthermore, the APD serves as a strategic support for academic success initiatives, providing essential backup and leadership for program components such as academic tutoring, strategic retention planning, and holistic student development workshops.

This position requires occasional evening and weekend work to support program activities and events.

Primary Duties:

Strategic Leadership, Supervision & Management (Other) (35%)

• Collaborate with the Director in daily operations, logistics, and staff supervision as needed.
• Directly supervises assigned graduate and undergraduate student staff, including hiring, training and evaluation, ensuring alignment with program goals and federal requirements.
• Monitor and analyze program expenditures in collaboration with the Director to ensure alignment with approved grant categories and federal cost principles.
• Support the Director in ensuring that all program operations and services comply with federal TRIO SSS regulations and the approved grant Plan of Operations.
• Contribute to strategic planning, policy development, and continuous improvement efforts aligned with federal performance objectives.
• Serve as acting lead in the absence of the Program Director when delegated.
• Carry out additional responsibilities as needed to support the overall success of the program.
• Assist Director with annual recruitment and outreach for new incoming students.
• Manage the program application intake, review, and eligibility verification process.
• Establish and maintain professional partnerships with regional pre-college Upward Bound and Talent Search programs to facilitate the "TRIO-to-TRIO" pipeline for admitted students.
• Collaborate with external partners at two-year (e.g., Lansing Community College, Grand Rapids Community College) to identify and refer eligible admitted transfer students to the SSS project.
• Work with program staff to plan and implement student programming initiatives.
• Represent the TRIO SSS program at national, regional, and campus-wide student success initiatives, conferences, orientations, and academic support events.
• Oversee administration of the TRIO database system ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant entry of participant and service data.
• Maintain primary responsibility for TRIO database administration, data integrity, and performance metric tracking.
• Assist in preparing and validating the Annual Performance Report and other reports required by the university and the U.S. Department of Education.
• Use institutional data, engagement metrics, and student feedback to assess prior initiatives, inform program planning, and monitor student persistence and success outcomes.

Outreach, Partnerships, & Advocacy (30%)

• Assist Director with annual recruitment and outreach for new incoming students.
• Manage the program application intake, review, and eligibility verification process.
• Establish and maintain professional partnerships with regional pre-college Upward Bound and Talent Search programs to facilitate the "TRIO-to-TRIO" pipeline for admitted students.
• Collaborate with external partners at two-year (e.g., Lansing Community College, Grand Rapids Community College) to identify and refer eligible admitted transfer students to the SSS project.
• Work with program staff to plan and implement student programming initiatives.
• Represent the TRIO SSS program at national, regional, and campus-wide student success initiatives, conferences, orientations, and academic support events.

Research, Assessment, & Data-Informed Practice (15%)

• Oversee administration of the TRIO database system ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant entry of participant and service data.
• Maintain primary responsibility for TRIO database administration, data integrity, and performance metric tracking.
• Assist in preparing and validating the Annual Performance Report and other reports required by the university and the U.S. Department of Education.
• Use institutional data, engagement metrics, and student feedback to assess prior initiatives, inform program planning, and monitor student persistence and success outcomes.

Student Success Strategy & Supplemental Advising (15%)

• Monitor participant engagement and academic progress through data analysis to support persistence, academic standing, and graduation benchmarks.
• Serve as back up to the Academic Success Lead in supervising assigned success initiatives and strengthening advising systems, documentation practices, and accountability processes.
• Support TRIO SSS academic advising initiatives such as outreach campaigns, group advising presentations, and college advising liaison partnerships.
• Analyze retention and academic standing data to inform advising strategies.

Teaching & Curriculum Development (5%)

• Collaborate with the Program Director to coordinate, develop curriculum, and teach (as assigned) 1-credit UGS 110 first-year seminar courses for students in the TRIO SSS Program.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, age, disability or protected veteran status.

Required Degree

Masters -Master’s degree in Higher Education, Student Affairs, Social Work, Counseling, or related field.

Minimum Requirements

• Master’s degree in Higher Education, Student Affairs, Social Work, Counseling, or related field.
• 3-5 years of working experience in higher education, with at least 2 years of experience working in a TRIO program or closely related college access or student support initiative.
• Demonstrated knowledge of federal TRIO SSS regulations, eligibility determination, allowable services, and performance objectives.
• Strong data analysis skills with experience interpreting retention, academic standing, and graduation data to inform student success strategies
• Experience using student information systems and database platforms to manage participant records and service tracking
• Experience supervising graduate and undergraduate student staff, including hiring, training, and performance evaluation
• Experience supporting budget monitoring in a grant funded environment, with understanding of federal cost principles
• Demonstrated ability to translate regulatory guidance into policies, procedures, and documentation standards
• Experience advising first generation, limited income, and students with disabilities in higher education
• Strong written communication skills, particularly in compliance documentation and reporting

Desired Qualifications

The ideal candidate for this position will possess the following qualifications:

• Direct responsibility for preparing or submitting a TRIO Annual Performance Report
• Experience leading internal compliance reviews or audit preparation
• Experience designing advising benchmarks aligned with federal persistence and completion objectives
• Experience leading or assessing a Summer Bridge or transition program
• Advanced proficiency in Excel or other data analysis tools used for performance tracking
• Experience contributing to grant writing, continuation proposals, or competitive renewals
• Experience teaching a first-year seminar or credit bearing course
• Demonstrated success improving retention, academic standing, or graduation outcomes through targeted interventions
• Experience supporting preparation, validation, or review of program reports such as an Annual Performance Report