Director of Student Care and Completion

South Piedmont Community College; Polkton (NC); On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

South Piedmont Community College seeks a founding Director of Student Care and Completion to build and lead a new office serving Anson and Union counties. This role coordinates care services to address barriers to enrollment, persistence, and completion, aligning outreach, intake, referrals, and follow-up with campus policies and community resources.

The Director will supervise staff, develop operating models, track outcomes with data, and report to college leadership.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in a related field.
• Five years of experience in a community college.
• Experience in student success, advising, or case management.
• Experience supervising staff or leading cross-departmental initiatives.
• Ability to analyze student data to identify needs, guide outreach, and evaluate outcomes.
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills.

Responsibilities

• Establish and lead the Office of Student Care and Completion by developing its operating model, goals, procedures, referral pathways, and measures of success.
• Supervise, develop, and evaluate staff; define responsibilities; and establish consistent processes for student intake, referrals, documentation, case coordination, and follow-up.
• Build and maintain collaborative relationships with faculty, academic leaders, advising, academic support, counseling, financial aid, and community partners.
• Manage the office’s budget, records, and reports in accordance with college policies.
• Establish and oversee an early alert process using faculty referrals and indicators of student difficulty.
• Coordinate proactive student outreach at critical points during the term and registration periods.
• Collaborate with faculty to strengthen engagement with early alert processes and ensure referrals result in action.
• Establish accessible processes for students and employees to request assistance with various needs.
• Oversee Care navigation services connecting students with basic needs support.
• Coordinate with college offices and community partners to connect students with emergency assistance.
• Ensure timely connection to resources for mental health, safety, accessibility, or specialized needs.
• Track referrals, outreach, student engagement, and progress toward goals.
• Analyze data and gather feedback to improve service delivery and office operations.
• Prepare regular reports for leadership on activities and outcomes.

Skills

Communication

Relationship building

Data-driven decisions

Leadership

Program evaluation

Cross-department collaboration

Education

Master’s degree

Tools

Student Information Systems

Case management tools

Reporting systems

Job description

The Director of Student Care and Completion is a full-time, 12-month position serving campus locations in Anson and Union counties, NC. South Piedmont Community College seeks a founding leader to establish and direct a new office focused on supporting student retention, persistence, and completion. This position will integrate retention services, including the early identification of students experiencing academic or personal challenges and the coordination of timely, sustained outreach, with care services designed to address barriers such as food insecurity, housing instability, transportation, childcare, technology needs, and unexpected financial hardship. Under the direction of college leadership, the Director will develop and implement office policies, processes, and services; supervise staff; build collaborative partnerships across the college and within the community; and use data and evidence-based practices to evaluate effectiveness and improve student outcomes. This position will help create a coordinated, student-centered support model that identifies concerns early, connects students with appropriate resources, ensures timely follow-up, and promotes equitable access, continued enrollment, and successful completion of educational goals. Comprehensive Benefits Package to include health insurance with the NC State Health Plan for Teachers and State Employees, retirement benefits through the NC Retirement System, Paid Time Off, and a supplemental cafeteria plan.

• Establish and lead the Office of Student Care and Completion by developing its operating model, goals, procedures, referral pathways, and measures of success.
• Supervise, develop, and evaluate staff; define responsibilities; and establish consistent processes for student intake, referrals, documentation, case coordination, and follow-up.
• Build and maintain collaborative relationships with faculty, academic leaders, advising, academic support, counseling, financial aid, other college offices, and community organizations to coordinate student support and improve student outcomes.
• Manage the office’s budget, records, and reports in accordance with college policies and institutional requirements.
• Establish and oversee an early alert process using faculty referrals and appropriate indicators of student difficulty, including attendance, coursework, academic progress, and registration patterns.
• Coordinate proactive student outreach at critical points during the academic term and registration periods, establishing expectations for timely contact, needs assessment, action planning, referrals, and follow-up.
• Collaborate with faculty and academic leaders to strengthen engagement with early alert processes, address academic obstacles, connect students with appropriate resources, and ensure referrals result in meaningful action.
• Establish accessible processes for students and employees to request assistance with academic, personal, financial, and other needs that may interrupt enrollment or completion.
• Oversee Care navigation services, including needs assessment, resource coordination, referrals, and follow-up, connecting students with assistance for food, housing, transportation, childcare, technology, and other basic needs.
• Coordinate with college offices and community partners to connect students with emergency financial assistance and other support programs, ensuring services are accessible and administered in accordance with college policies.
• Ensure students experiencing mental health concerns, safety issues, accessibility barriers, or other specialized needs are promptly connected with qualified college personnel or appropriate community resources.
• Track referrals, outreach, student engagement, services provided, and follow-up; monitor course persistence, term-to-term retention, continued registration, and progress toward educational goals.
• Analyze student information and outcome data, gather feedback from students and stakeholders, and recommend improvements to service delivery, student engagement, and office operations.
• Prepare regular reports for college leadership on office activities, student outcomes, emerging needs, program effectiveness, and resource requirements.
• Maintain knowledge of college policies, applicable regulations, and institutional and community resources to support effective coordination of student care and completion services.

Required Qualifications

• Master’s degree from an accredited institution in higher education, counseling, social work, education, public administration, or a related field.
• Five years of experience working in a community college.
• Progressively responsible experience in student success, academic advising, student support, case management, or a closely related area.
• Experience supervising staff or leading cross-departmental initiatives.
• Ability to use student information to identify student needs, guide outreach efforts, and evaluate program effectiveness and outcomes.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to build effective working relationships with students, faculty, staff, and community partners.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience establishing or leading an early alert, retention, student care, or coordinated student support program.
• Knowledge of state and federal resources and assistance programs that help community college students address barriers to enrollment, persistence, and completion.
• Knowledge of community resources and support services available to students in Anson and Union counties.
• Experience using student information systems, referral and case management tools, and student success and outcome reports.

Special Conditions Eligibility Summary

South Piedmont Community College provides equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees based on job related criteria without reference to race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, disability, genetic information, or any other legally protected classification. Applicants are requested to complete questions at the end of the online application process that are strictly voluntary. Answers to these questions will not be provided to the hiring manager, selection committee, or any other employees of South Piedmont other than the Human Resources Office. The Human Resources Office uses this information to maintain accurate confidential records on the composition of each applicant pool. If you require accommodation due to a disability in order to complete the application process, please make your request to the Human Resources Office.