Director of Student Affairs

Mount Tamalpais College; San Rafael (CA); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Vacation and holiday pay

Professional development

Job summary

Mount Tamalpais College is seeking a Director of Student Affairs to lead non‑academic student support services, including counseling, outreach, and alumni programs. You will supervise the Learning Specialist and Alumni Affairs Associate, and develop systems that enhance student wellbeing and access to resources.

The role involves collaboration across departments, coordination with prison staff, and occasional evenings/Sundays on-site at San Quentin.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in student affairs/student development, counseling, social work, psychology, or related field; Master’s degree preferred.
• At least five years in higher education, student services, counseling, or reentry-related work.
• Experience supervising staff and managing programs.
• Experience developing and improving support systems, including documentation, referrals, and follow-up.

Responsibilities

• Lead Student Affairs functions to support student wellbeing, belonging, and access to resources.
• Develop and implement Student Affairs systems with CAO, Registrar, Advising, and other staff.
• Document, triage, refer, and follow up on student concerns and needs.
• Support accreditation and institutional effectiveness work related to student services, learning support, and alumni outcomes.
• Coordinate with San Quentin staff and external partners to support students and alumni.

Skills

Supervising staff

Interpersonal communication

Cultural competence

Time management

Education

Bachelor's degree in student affairs

Master's degree preferred

Tools

MS Office

Google Workspace

CRM systems

Job description

The mission of Mount Tamalpais College is to provide an intellectually rigorous, inclusive Associate of Arts degree program and college preparatory program, free of charge, to people at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center; to expand access to quality higher education for incarcerated people; and to foster the values of equity, civic engagement, independence of thought, and freedom of expression. Mount Tamalpais College is a national leader in providing quality higher education opportunities to incarcerated people and in expanding access to higher education within California’s prison system and nationwide. In recognition of our work, the organization was awarded the 2015 National Humanities Medal by President Obama.

The Director of Student Affairs leads Mount Tamalpais College’s nonacademic student support functions, including student affairs, student support counseling, learning support, career support, alumni support, and reentry resource navigation, and directly supervises the Learning Specialist and Alumni Affairs Associate.

This position develops and maintains systems that support student wellbeing, belonging, access to resources, connection to the College, and continuity of support, from new student onboarding through enrollment, release, transfer from San Quentin, and alumni engagement.

The Director of Student Affairs leads the College’s delivery of non-clinical student support counseling and case coordination. This includes: meeting directly with students; helping students navigate personal, institutional, interpersonal, reentry-related, and prison-related barriers; coordinating referrals to appropriate MTC staff and relevant support services; documenting, triaging, and tracking student concerns within the scope of Student Affairs, and routing other issues to the appropriate MTC staff; managing special student support challenges, including student conduct concerns or other complex situations requiring careful judgment, sensitivity, strong interpersonal communication skills, and meticulous coordination and tracking.

This role requires excellent interpersonal, analytical, and supervisory skills, discretion, cultural humility, clear professional boundaries, and the ability to work directly with students in moments of stress, confusion, conflict, transition, or crisis.

The Director of Student Affairs must be able to provide a high level of non-clinical support while also recognizing the limits of the College’s role and making appropriate referrals when student needs fall outside the scope of the College’s capacities or mandate.

The Director of Student Affairs ordinarily spends up to one-third of their time inside the prison and the rest of their time working remotely or at the Mount Tamalpais College office in San Rafael. On prison escort days, the position is physically active, including escorting faculty a half mile through the prison to the Education area and between different classroom areas and remaining in the prison for a three-hour shift. The position also requires regularly lifting up to 15 lbs. Work hours may include at least two evenings per week and some Sundays inside San Quentin.

Core Job Responsibilities:

• Lead Mount Tamalpais College’s Student Affairs function, including systems and services that support student wellbeing, belonging, access to resources, connection to the College, and continuity of support.
• Develop, implement, and improve Student Affairs systems in collaboration with the Chief Academic Officer, Registrar and Director of Academic Advising, academic directors, Senior Program Administrator, and other staff.
• Create and maintain systems for documenting, triaging, referring, and following up on student concerns, support needs, conduct concerns, and patterns of need.
• Contribute to developing and maintaining policies, practices, and procedures that support a respectful, inclusive, equitable, and academically rigorous college environment.
• Support accreditation and institutional effectiveness work related to student affairs, learning support, alumni outcomes, student support counseling, and related areas.

Student Support Counseling, Case Coordination, and Conduct

• Meet directly with students to provide non-clinical student support counseling, resource navigation, problem-solving support, and follow-up.
• Support students navigating personal, institutional, interpersonal, reentry-related, or prison-related barriers that affect their ability to participate meaningfully in the College.
• Serve as the lead staff member for escalated student support situations, including time-sensitive student needs, student conduct concerns, emergencies affecting student participation, and complex situations requiring coordination across staff or departments.
• Coordinate with San Quentin staff, CDCR and volunteer programs, community-based organizations, and other partners as appropriate to support students and alumni.
• Recognize the limits of the College’s role and make appropriate referrals when a student’s needs fall outside the scope of non-clinical student support counseling.

Learning Support and Accessibility-Related Support

• Supervise and support the Learning Specialist and ensure that learning support systems are effective, accessible, ADA-compliant, and well coordinated with faculty, academic advising, and student affairs.
• Oversee systems for identifying, documenting, and responding to student learning support needs.

Alumni Affairs, Reentry, and Career Support

• Supervise and support the Alumni Affairs Associate and oversee systems for alumni support, alumni engagement, and communication with former students.
• Lead the development and coordination of career-related support systems, including career counseling, career exploration, professional development, and post-release planning resources.

Other Responsibilities:

• On-the-Ground Support: escort faculty into San Quentin regularly during the week, and provide onsite support for faculty and students while classes are in session
• Academic and Student Affairs Team Participation and Collaboration: participate in weekly team meetings and regular staff check-ins
• All-Staff Engagement: participate in monthly all-staff meetings, and other organization-wide meetings, activities, and events, to foster a cohesive organizational culture, build relationships with colleagues across various departments, and stay informed about broader organizational initiatives and strategic priorities

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in student affairs/student development, counseling, social work, psychology, human services, sociology, or a related field; master’s degree preferred. Equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience may be considered.
• At least five years in progressively responsible, relevant experience in higher education, student services, counseling, case management, reentry, or a related field, including significant experience providing direct support to individuals navigating complex issues
• Experience supervising staff
• Experience developing and improving support systems, including documentation, referrals, coordination, and consistent follow-up

Key Success Factors:

• Cultural competence: ability to work well with diverse populations with a broad range of backgrounds
• Strong sense of personal responsibility and exceptionally self-motivated
• Commitment to fostering a collegial and collaborative work environment
• Demonstrated ability to maintain appropriate professional boundaries and demonstrate discretion with sensitive information.
• Sound judgment and strong interpersonal skills when supporting individuals experiencing distress, conflict, or complex barriers to participation
• Strong attention to detail: commitment to accuracy and thoroughness
• Ability to communicate cordially and effectively with diverse constituents, including students, faculty, staff colleagues, prison staff and administrators, donors, and others
• Ability to manage multiple competing priorities under tight deadlines
• Strong organizational and time management skills; capacity to switch frequently between multiple tasks
• Proficiency in computer skills such as MS Office Suite, Google Workspace products (Docs, Sheets, Groups, Calendar), case management or CRM systems, or similar tools

Compensation and Benefits:

Mount Tamalpais College offers competitive compensation, flexible work policies, and a collaborative work environment. Our benefits package includes medical, dental, and vision insurance, and the full cost of each plan is covered by Mount Tamalpais College. We also offer vacation and holiday pay, as well as opportunities for professional development

Statement of Non-discrimination:

Mount Tamalpais College provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.