Executive Director, Student Success

Grand Valley State University; Allendale Charter Township (MI); On-site; USD 103,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Vision insurance

Dental insurance

Life insurance

Retirement contributions

Wellness resources

Tuition waiver

Job summary

Grand Valley State University in Allendale, MI seeks an Executive Director for Student Success to provide strategic leadership for advising programs and student success initiatives across campus.

The role oversees multiple centers, coordinates with IT and Registrar, and directs the use of Navigate for student success analytics. A Master's degree plus 10+ years in the field are required, with higher education leadership experience highly preferred.

Qualifications

• Master's degree required in a relevant field.
• Minimum of 10 years of related work experience in student success.
• Administrative or academic leadership experience.
• Experience supervising professional staff and fostering collaboration.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Experience working in higher education.

Responsibilities

• Serve as campus lead for academic advising and develop advising systems, policies, and procedures across the campus.
• Coordinate campus efforts to support and enhance advising as a student success strategy.
• Oversee Student Academic Success Center and related centers and supervise the Student Success Software Specialist.
• Lead faculty-led initiatives in First-Year Academic Experience and related programs.
• Collaborate with Institutional Analysis on student success data and follow-up with identified students.

Skills

Academic advising

Staff supervision

Data analysis

Oral and written communication

Collaboration

Education

Master's degree

Higher education administration

Doctorate (in progress or earned)

Tools

Navigate

Job description

Executive Director, Student Success

Allendale, MI
Full Time

Grand Valley State University is searching for an ExecutiveDirector for Student Success. We are looking for a collaborativeleader and strategic thinker who has a deep understanding ofacademic advising and student success. This role provides oversightand leadership for the First-Year Academic Experience, StudentAcademic Success Center, Laker Academic Success Center, andExploratory Advising Center, and is also responsible for campuscoordination and support of academic advising. This position servesas campus administrator for student success software (Navigate),including supervision of the Student Success Software Specialist.The successful candidate will possess at least a Master's degree,preferably in higher education administration, student developmentor a related field.

Salary & Benefits:

Minimum starting salary of $114,000, commensurate withexperience.

Comprehensive benefits package including medical, vision, dental,life insurance, generous employer retirement contributions,wellness resources and tuition waiver effective on date ofhire.

Primary Duties:

1. Serve as campus lead for academic advising; develop advisingsystems, policies, and procedures across the campus that provideequitable access to advising services as well as the statedoutcomes of advising. Coordinate campus efforts to support andenhance academic advising as a key student success strategy.
2. Serve as campus academic representative for software andtechnologies related to advising and student success. Work closelywith Information Technology, the Office of the Registrar,Enrollment Development, and Student Affairs on the integration oftechnologies that support advising and student success.
3. Provide leadership, oversight, and supervision for the StudentAcademic Success Center, Laker Academic Success Center, ExploratoryAdvising Center and the Student Success Software Specialist.Provide guidance on support for program offerings, staffing,budgeting, and assessment.
4. Oversee faculty-led student success initiatives including theFirst-Year Academic Experience and related course offerings,Student Success Network, Linked Courses/Learning Communities, andacademic advising at New Student Orientation. Supervise the facultydirector of the First-Year Academic Experience. Ensure allfaculty-led initiatives are integrated into overall institutionalefforts to enhance student success.
5. Lead Academic Affairs coordination with the Oliver WilsonScholars (OWS) program.
6. Collaborate with Institutional Analysis on the development andimplementation of student success data including efforts toidentify students needing support and assistance. Work with campuspartners to ensure that students respond to these efforts and thatfollow-up connections with identified students are effective.
7. Perform other duties as required/assigned by leadership.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Master's degree is required, preferably in higher educationadministration, student development or related field.
• Minimum of ten (10) years of related work experience in the areaof student success.
• Administrative or other significant academic leadershipexperience.
• Experience leading and supervising professional staff, includingsetting expectations, providing feedback, supporting professionaldevelopment, and fostering a collaborative team environment.
• Experience working with students, staff, and faculty of diversebackgrounds.
• Strong organizational skills.
• A flexible and collegial work and communication style.
• Comfort with high levels of responsibility andaccountability.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Excellent analytic ability.
• Prior experience working in higher education.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• In progress or earned doctorate, preferably in higher educationadministration, student development or related field.
• Deep understanding of best practices related to student successand the ability to use data to make decisions that support studentsuccess.
• Direct experience in using technology systems and data dashboardsto guide student success efforts.
• Experience integrating career design and career readiness intostudent success strategies, helping students connect theiracademic, co-curricular, and experiential learning to meaningfulcareer pathways.
• Experience leading or developing first-year advising programsthat support students' transition to college, foster belonging andengagement, and promote academic success, persistence, and degreecompletion.

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United Statesand must not require sponsorship now or in the future.

Application Deadline:

Application review begins on September 23, 2026. This posting may be closed at any time at the discretion of the University.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able toperform each essential duty satisfactorily. Must have the physicalstamina to work long hours and/or more than 5 days per week. Therequirements listed are representative of the knowledge, skilland/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made toenable individuals with disabilities to perform the essentialfunctions. The information contained in this job description is forcompliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act as amended bythe ADA Amendment Act (2008), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Actof 1973, and other applicable federal and state laws that prohibitdiscrimination on the basis of disability. GVSU will providereasonable accommodations to qualified individuals withdisabilities upon request. See www.gvsu.edu/equalopportunity/. TDDCallers: Call Michigan Relay Center at 711 (in State) or1-800-833-7833 (out of State).

Grand Valley State University is an Antidiscrimination/EqualOpportunity Employer, which includes providing equal opportunityfor protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.University policy extends protections to additionalidentities.