Manager of Pre-College Operations

The Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy; Medford (MA); Hybrid; USD 65,000 - 99,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading educational institution in Massachusetts is seeking a Manager for Pre-College Programs to oversee operational strategies and ensure a positive experience for high school students. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in residential life and project management. Responsibilities include coordinating over 20 programs, managing communications with students, and collaborating with various stakeholders. This role offers a hybrid working environment and involves a pay range of $65,900 to $98,800.

Benefits

Hybrid work model

Professional development opportunities

Qualifications

• 5-8 years in residential life, specifically with high school students.
• Demonstrated success in complex project management.
• Strong analytical skills and experience with data platforms.

Responsibilities

• Drive operational goals and strategies for Pre-College team.
• Manage communications with students and families.
• Supervise student workers and operational support.

Skills

Project management

Communication skills

Collaboration

Crisis management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field

Tools

Technolutions Slate

Oracle Peoplesoft SIS

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

Overview

Department Summary
As part of a mission-driven institution, University College (UC) at Tufts University strives to make education accessible to all, fostering learning and engagement across a wide spectrum of audiences. UC is committed to expanding access to Tufts and transforming the lives of diverse learners across generations through innovative and high-quality educational opportunities, career acceleration, and community connections. Since our school's establishment in 2018, UC has experienced rapid growth and is planning significant expansion, including a variety of new professional non-credit credentials, high school programs, and new degrees, all while broadening access to Tufts’ exceptional educational offerings. UC currently offers a variety of educational content through Tufts Pre-College Programs, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, and the new Center for Professional and Workforce Impact. Operating in a dynamic environment, UC is positioned to become a leading presence in the greater Boston area in the next 5 years. Visit universitycollege.tufts.edu to learn more.

What You'll Do

Job Summary
This position is a member of the Tufts Pre-College Programs team within University College. The team’s mission is to provide high school students with access to Tufts-quality education, enriching their academic journey while fostering early engagement with the Tufts academic community. Tufts Pre-College Program offerings are dynamic and continually evolving, offering residential, commuter, and virtual options across a variety of subject areas. Current offerings include short, intensive programs in the spring and summer, as well as college courses, and accelerator seminars designed to give high school students an immersive college experience both academically and socially. All programs are developed and taught by Tufts faculty and staff and are supported by the dedicated University College Pre-College team.

In collaboration with Tufts Pre-College Programs Director and Associate Director, the Manager drives the operational goals and strategies for the Pre-College team and is a critical player in all operational aspects of 1000+ minor students’ experience while participating in Pre-College programs, ensuring a safe and positive educational, experiential, and residential environment. The Manager advances the planning, preparation, and execution of 20+ Pre-College on-campus programs that help students identify with and prepare for a transformative college experience with effective and efficient administrative processes. The Manager leads year-round planning and implementation in partnership with the University College team, internal Tufts departments and external vendors. The Manager is the primary point of contact for the onsite residential team and for other campus partners and vendors throughout the year. The role also leads all communications and reporting related to pre-college operational needs, ensuring students, parents, and administrators have key information precisely when required and with accurate and engaging content that builds and retains trust for this population, addresses requirements, and leads to positive experiences.

This role requires a high level of organization, collaboration, attention to detail, ability to juggle many moving pieces and priorities, and the ability to build and maintain strong positive relationships with internal and external stakeholders in a highly complex, sensitive, and matrixed environment. To drive successful program implementation, the Manager optimizes student and operational materials, inclusive of orientations, application testing, communications, and student support mechanisms, aligning all with Pre-College Programs, University College, and Tufts strategy. They also engage in related collaborations that ensure ideal administrative management for the full enrollment, application, and program experience cycle, engaging in cross-functional collaboration with and support of University College leadership, Pre-College Programs team, Center for Professional and Workforce Impact, Marketing, and other teams. The position is a team player, ready to help where needed, problem solve, and work toward the greater good of the University as a whole.

Essential Duties

Program Operations – Strategy and Implementation:

• Is responsible for the development and implementation of the operational strategy for 20+ pre-college programs serving 1000+ minor students.
• Assessment and improvement: Proactively engages with program teams to ensure smooth operations and troubleshoots as needed. Drives the after-action process related to programmatic needs and opportunities, reporting, and resulting updates with all operational offices and UC team. Strategizes to optimize approaches, negotiates and fosters relationships with partners, ensures implementation of adjustments and related communications.
• External Vendor Management: Negotiates and manages engagement with Tufts Pre-College's Residential Life, transportation, insurance, and other vendors. Leads contract revision.
• Policy: Advises Pre-College Director and University College Associate Dean on strategy for policies related to staff, instructor, and high school student interactions; directs implementation that ensures compliance.
• Health Services: Leads agreement creation with insurance vendor and implements related processes for student coverage. Leads discussions and negotiations with Tufts offices to provide services to Pre-College students and implement related processes.
• Supervises temporary nurse. Ensures on-campus vaccination clinic addresses needs.
• Manages all financial aspects of vendor and partner engagement

Residential and On-Campus Life:

Designs and directs all residential life-related processes for Pre-College Programs in collaboration with internal and external partners, including driving all strategy, planning, proactive and ad hoc improvements, and implementation. Ensures completion of partner responsibilities and participates in implementation as necessary. Areas of responsibility include student move-in, arrivals, and departures; on-call responsibilities and emergency management; extracurricular programming; training; optimizing space use; dining; access and IDs; and other related needs.

Provides and applies advanced, specialized subject matter knowledge to develop, implement, supervise, evaluate, and improve program operations.

Supervision: Directs a cohort of student workers and/or temps who implement operational support.

Communications Management:

• Manages communications to and from students and families regarding all operational topics, including new and existing Slate emails, forms, logs and tracking, website language, application testing, and training modules. Collaborates with technical and Pre-College teams to implement updates and improvements, assesses and adjusts timing and content of communications.
• Collaborates on the content and implementation of Pre-College marketing events, information sessions, webinars, and orientations.
• Contacts and responds to parents’ concerns and needs related to operations and on-campus experience.
• Optimizes use of tools and AI to provide timely and accurate responses to applicant, student, and parent questions and needs.
• Employs analytics and tracking mechanisms to assess performance, draws implications from data in sophisticated ways, and iterates to improve performance

What We're Looking For

Basic Requirements:

• Knowledge and experience typically acquired by a bachelor’s degree and 5-8 years in residential life, specifically working with high school-aged students and/or undergraduates
• Deep understanding of the application of student development in practice.
• Direct experience with on-call crisis and supervision of residential staff.
• Ability to manage and evaluate competing priorities and track many details successfully to execute the day-to-day
• Demonstrated success with excellent complex project management and process improvement skills
• Demonstrated ability to handle sensitive matters with judgment, tact, and diplomacy, and make supportive independent decisions
• Demonstrated ability to employ excellent communications and relationship management skills with internal and external stakeholders.
• Prior systems management and analytical experience using student-facing and student record management data platforms including Technolutions Slate, Oracle Peoplesoft SIS, Modern Campus Destiny One/Extended Education, StarRez and/or others
• Strong Microsoft Office Suite skills, including Excel
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail
• Collaborative, all hands on deck, and team player approach to work
• Positive attitude and a constantly proactive thinker

Preferred Qualification:

• Master’s degree and 8-10 years’ experience in a related work environment, especially experience working with selective Pre-College programs.
• Ability to use social media platforms, survey analysis tools, and various digital tools and applications

This job involves responsibilities that are performed in a hybrid working environment.

With manager approval, University College Pre-College Programs staff may work remotely up to three days per week from September through April. Staff may also work fully in-person if that is their preference. When business needs require it, for example during onboarding, pre-college team retreats, and UC Roundtable meetings, the position is expected to be in the office more frequently. The Manager role may be required to be in-person on campus 5 days/week as a standard from May through August, when pre-college programs are in session, with a minimum of 3 days/week and on-call duties during this time period. During peak programming time, Pre-College Programs staff may need to work some night and weekend hours (planned and unplanned, remote and in-person) to respond to student and staff needs, including some weekends for check-in days. Specific schedules will be planned in coordination with the Pre-College Programs Director.

Pay Range
Minimum $65,900.00, Midpoint $82,300.00, Maximum $98,800.00