ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR / ONLINE STUDENT SERVICES

Central Michigan University; Mount Pleasant (MI); On-site; USD 60,000 - 72,000; Full time

Job summary

Central Michigan University is seeking an Associate Director of Online Student Services to provide operational leadership across the online student lifecycle. You will recruit, hire, and develop a team of assistant directors, coordinate services with university partners, and drive data-informed improvements to recruitment, enrollment, retention, and student success.

The role reports to the Executive Director of Online Student Services and requires collaboration with CMU Online, academic

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree required.
• Three years of progressively responsible professional experience in higher education, student services, enrollment management, recruitment, advising, or a related area.
• Experience supervising, training, coaching, or leading professional staff.
• Experience engaging prospective students and proactive outreach to support retention and success.
• Understanding of the student journey from recruitment to completion.
• Analytical and data-informed decision-making skills.
• Strong customer service and collaborative teamwork abilities.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to adapt to change and implement new processes.

Responsibilities

• Lead processes to support recruitment, enrollment, retention, and student success.
• Direct hiring, onboarding, training, supervision, and staff development.
• Set goals and monitor progress using data and performance measures.
• Serve as liaison to colleges and programs with data, analytics, and enrollment reports.
• Address complex student and departmental matters and coordinate resolutions.
• Collaborate with CMU Online and university partners to improve student pathways.
• Represent CMU Online on committees and cross‑functional initiatives.
• Oversee daily operations of the student services team and system usage.
• Support admissions/retention CRM platforms and system functionality.
• Represent CMU Online at recruitment events and outreach activities.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Education

Bachelor’s Degree

Master’s degree (preferred)

Staff supervision

Recruitment outreach

Data-informed decisions

Customer service

Multitasking

Change management

Team collaboration

Tools

Slate

SAP

Job description

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR / ONLINE STUDENT SERVICES

Below you will find the details for the position including any supplementary documentation and questions you should review before applying for the opening.

Please see Special Instructions for more details.

Central Michigan University is dedicated to fostering an environment that is reflective of the communities we serve. We are especially interested in highly qualified candidates who will advance and promote CMU’s mission, vision, and leadership standards.

You must submit an on-line application in order to be considered as an applicant for this position.

Cover letters may be addressed to the Hiring Committee.

Position Information

Posting Number: S-3988

Position Number: 78880

Type of Recruitment: External

Position Title: ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR / ONLINE STUDENT SERVICES

Position Summary: The associate director of CMU Online Student Services provides operational leadership for student support and engagement services throughout the online student lifecycle. Under the direction of the executive director of Online Student Services, the associate director recruits, hires, develops, and manages a team of assistant directors who support CMU Online students throughout their educational journey. The associate director leads efforts that advance recruitment, enrollment, retention, persistence, and student success by ensuring effective service delivery, communication, and coordination. The position serves as a liaison between the student services team and university partners, fostering collaboration and alignment of services and initiatives. The associate director also monitors and reports student services data and analytics to assess performance, identify opportunities for improvement, and inform unit strategies and decision-making.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree.
• Three years of progressively responsible professional experience in higher education, student services, enrollment management, recruitment, advising, or a related area.
• Demonstrated experience supervising, training, coaching, or leading professional staff, including the ability to support staff development and performance.
• Demonstrated experience engaging, qualifying, and motivating prospective students and conducting proactive outreach to support student retention, persistence, and success.
• Demonstrated understanding of the student journey from recruitment through enrollment, engagement, retention, persistence, and completion.
• Established analytical and data-informed decision-making skills, including the ability to monitor, evaluate, interpret, and report data to inform goals, initiatives, and continuous improvement.
• Demonstrated ability to provide professional, positive, and exceptional customer service while working effectively as a collaborative team member.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities, balance competing demands, organize work, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to effectively manage and adapt to change, implement new processes and initiatives, and support others through organizational and operational transitions.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in business administration, educational administration, organizational leadership, higher education administration, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience working with student information systems and related technology platforms, such as Slate, SAP , or comparable systems.
• Demonstrated experience supporting adult, nontraditional, and/or online students in a higher education environment.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Works in collaboration with the executive director of online student services to develop, implement, and evaluate processes, procedures, and service models that promote best practices and support student recruitment, retention, engagement, and success.
• Provides administrative leadership in the hiring, onboarding, training, supervision, and development of assigned staff.
• Establishes, monitors, and evaluates team and program goals aligned with CMU Online priorities, using data and performance measures to track progress, identify opportunities, and drive continuous improvement.
• Serves as a primary liaison to assigned colleges, academic departments, and academic programs, providing data, analytics, enrollment reports, and presentations to support recruitment, enrollment, retention, and programmatic decision-making.
• Provides administrative leadership in addressing complex, sensitive, or escalated student and departmental matters, coordinating with appropriate stakeholders to facilitate timely and effective resolutions.
• Collaborates closely with CMU Online and university partners, including academic advisors, to improve student pathways, enhance the student experience, and support strategic enrollment and student success goals.
• Represents CMU Online Student Services on university committees, workgroups, and cross‑functional initiatives, contributing expertise, advancing unit priorities, and fostering collaboration in support of institutional goals.
• Provides administrative oversight of the daily operations of the student services team, ensuring effective workflows, consistent service delivery, appropriate use of university systems and applications, and adherence to established policies and procedures.
• Provides applicable support as team liaison for admissions or retention and student success CRM platforms, collaborating with appropriate stakeholders to support system functionality, processes, and effective use to advance admissions and enrollment objectives.
• Represents CMU Online at recruitment, enrollment, retention, and student engagement events and outreach activities, as needed.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Supervision Exercised

Supervisors are expected to support the Leadership Standards of Central Michigan University and foster a culture that inspires excellence. The Leadership Standards define how we lead and treat others on our team. As leaders, it is our responsibility to seek input from our teams to continuously improve our leadership abilities and our demonstration of the standards. Additionally, it is our responsibility to encourage and support the growth and development of those whom we lead. At CMU , we encourage employees to grow both personally and professionally, and thus advance CMU’s culture of excellence.

Message to Applicants

Central Michigan University is dedicated to fostering an environment that is reflective of the communities we serve. We are especially interested in highly qualified candidates who will advance and promote CMU’s mission, vision, and leadership standards.

You must submit an on-line application in order to be considered as an applicant for this position.

Cover letters may be addressed to the Hiring Committee.

Employee Group

Professional & Administrative -Salary

Pay Range

$60,000 - $72,000 per year

Division

Academic Affairs

Department

CMU Online

Position Status

Regular

Employment Status

Full-Time

FTE

1.00

Position Type

12 month

Weekly Work Schedule

Mon-Fri, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. / weekends and evenings as needed

Location

Mount Pleasant, MI

About the Department

Central Michigan University has a more than 125-year legacy of preparing students to become leaders and changemakers in their communities and in their personal and professional lives.

We serve nearly 15,500 students on our Mount Pleasant campus, in satellite locations around the state and throughout the country, and through flexible online programs. Many of our approximately 300 undergraduate, master’s, specialist and doctoral programs in the arts, media, business, education, human services, health professions, liberal arts, social sciences, medicine, science and engineering are nationally ranked for excellence.

CMU leads the nation in leadership development programming through our Sarah R. Opperman Leadership Institute, and we are proud to be among only 5% of U.S. universities in the top two Carnegie research classifications. Our faculty work with graduate and undergraduate students in areas such as Great Lakes research, medical innovation, engineering technology and more.

Central is home to 17 men’s and women’s Division 1 sports including football, basketball, gymnastics, baseball, wrestling and more. Our student-athletes achieve great success in competition and in the classroom, capturing Mid‑American Conference championships and maintaining an average cumulative GPA of 3.17.

CMU is located in Mount Pleasant, a community that blends the best of small‑town living with big‑city amenities. It’s part of the culturally varied and vibrant Great Lakes Bay Region that also includes Saginaw, Bay City, Midland and the state’s largest Native American community, centered on the Saginaw Chippewa Isabella Reservation in Mount Pleasant.

Area residents enjoy the mix of outdoor activities, cultural events, shopping and dining options, and family attractions. Other major Michigan destinations and attractions — Lansing, Grand Rapids, Detroit, Traverse City, wineries, beaches, golf and ski resorts, and many more — are within easy reach of the city’s central location in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.

CMU employees enjoy access to a nationally recognized wellness program along with health care and benefits that exceed regional, state and national norms.

Central Michigan University is a place where we value students and work for their success, where we act as family, and where employees are engaged, appreciated and have extraordinary opportunities to make a difference.

We intentionally maintain and strengthen the hallmark CMU culture that sets us apart from our peers by expecting CMU leaders and employees to model the following Leadership Standards and develop them within their teams.

Please review the Leadership Standards before applying for this position.

CMU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and institution. CMU does not discriminate against persons based on age, color, disability, ethnicity, familial status, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, height, marital status, national origin, political persuasion, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, race, religion, sex, sex‑based stereotypes, sexual orientation, transgender status, veteran status, or weight.

CMU does not discriminate on the basis of sex in the education program or activity that it operates, including admission and employment, and is required by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 not to discriminate in such a matter.

Inquiries about the application of Title IX can be made to CMU’s Title IX Coordinator, the US Department of Education’s Assistant Secretary, or both.

Phone: [phone]
Office: 103 E. Preston St.
Bovee University Center, suite 306
Mount Pleasant, MI 48858
Email: [e-mail]

Posting Ends

Open Until Filled Yes

CMU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and institution. CMU does not discriminate against persons based on age, color, disability, ethnicity, familial status, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, height, marital status, national origin, political persuasion, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, race, religion, sex, sex‑based stereotypes, sexual orientation, transgender status, veteran status, or weight.

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