Manager, Student Engagement and Retention

Pepperdine University; Malibu (CA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 77,000; Full time

Job summary

Pepperdine University is seeking a Manager, Student Engagement and Retention for Seaver College to guide persistence initiatives across the campus. The role uses EAB Navigate and data analytics to identify at‑risk students and drive proactive interventions, ensuring a clear, financially viable path to graduation.

The position emphasizes strategic collaboration with Career Center, advising, and academic divisions, with a focus on re‑enrollment, FERPA compliance, and supporting student success.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Higher Education, Counseling, Business, or related field.
• At least 3 years in student affairs, success coaching, advising, or academic administration.
• Ability to mentor students on personal finances and budgeting.
• Experience in managing re-enrollment pipelines and persistence data.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and Google Workspace.

Responsibilities

• Proactive case management and coaching to identify at-risk students and develop persistence plans.
• Coordinate with SSC, Counseling Center, and Financial Aid to deliver high-touch interventions.
• Partner with Career Center and academic divisions to align goals with post-college outcomes.
• Monitor data from HRL, Athletics, OISS, and OIE to inform retention strategies and lead a retention team.
• Design campaigns to re-engage students returning from stop-out or not enrolling.
• Communicate value propositions to parents/guardians.

Skills

Mentoring

Data-driven outreach

Student outreach

Project coordination

Office & Workspace tools

Education

Master’s degree in Higher Education or related field

Tools

EAB Navigate

PeopleSoft

Excel/Sheets

Job description

The Manager, Student Engagement and Retention ensures a seamless and flourishing educational journey for Seaver College students by identifying and mitigating obstacles to persistence. This role acts as a strategic bridge between personalized mentorship and data-driven identification that leverages EAB Navigate and other resources to initiate proactive outreach. By coordinating across campus departments—including the Student Success Center, Student Care Team, Academic Advising, the Office of Financial Assistance, Office of International Student Services, Office of Student Accessibility, Athletics, and Career Center,the Student Continuity Manager seeks to ensure that every student has a clear, supported, and financially viable path toward graduation.

Duties

• Proactive Case Management and Coaching: Use data from EAB Navigate and other tools consistently, and in partnership with the college's data analyst, to identify students at risk and evaluate barriers to persistence. Initiate outreach to students who demonstrate signs of disconnection, developing personalized persistence plans and coordinating high-touch interventions with the Student Success Center (SSC), Counseling Center, Student Care Team, Advising, Office of Student Accessibility, and Financial Assistance. As relevant, provide coaching and guidance on life skills such as budgeting and financial literacy. Oversee implementation and distribution of retention scholarships in partnership with the Office of Financial Aid.
• Strategic Integration of Student Goals: Partner with the Career Center to develop tangible milestones (internships, research, certifications) that link the liberal arts curriculum to professional outcomes, reinforcing the value of the Seaver degree. Partner with academic divisions to develop and implement continuity strategies related to students' post-college goals and long-term success.
• Systematic Monitoring and Faculty Feedback: Synthesize and analyze data from Housing and Residential Life (HRL), Athletics, the Office of International Student Services (OISS), and the Office of Institutional Research (OIE) into a cohesive persistence framework to identify trends and inform retention strategies. Lead a retention team/committee. Serve as the primary liaison to faculty who have referred students at risk, ensuring communication and appropriate follow‑up, within FERPA guidelines, when a student alert has been successfully addressed.
• Stop-Out and Academic Recovery: Design and lead campaigns to re‑engage students who have taken an unofficial leave of absence or failed to register for the subsequent term, facilitating their return to the college. Assess patterns and barriers associated with stop‑out behavior and partner with SSC's existing academic recovery programs to support student re‑enrollment and success.
• Advocacy: Coordinate with Business Services, Registrar, RLO, and academic divisions to identify and address operational or curricular friction points. Act as a secondary anchor for international students and athletes during critical transition periods. Communicate value propositions to parents/guardians.
• Perform other duties as assigned.
• Uphold University mission through work performed.

The above information has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job.

Skills and Qualifications

Required

• Master’s degree in Higher Education, Counseling, Business, or related field.
• 3 years of experience in student affairs, success coaching, advising, or academic administration. Expertise in proactive, time‑sensitive student outreach.
• Ability to mentor students on personal financial management and budgeting.
• Experience in managing re‑enrollment pipelines and persistence data.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, including ability to design complex spreadsheets.

Preferred

• 5 years of experience in student affairs, success coaching, advising, or academic administration.
• Experience managing retention efforts in a university context.
• Professional certification from NACADA (Global Community for Academic Advising) or a recognized coaching body (e.g., ICF).
• Demonstrated success in "closing the loop" with faculty, academic departments, and other internal partners on student success initiatives.
• Experience in data analytics.
• Proficiency with EAB Navigate, PeopleSoft.

This is a Restricted, Exempt, 40 hour per week position.

Expected Pay Range: $70,304 - $77,000 per year

The above pay range reflects what Pepperdine University reasonably expects to pay for this position at time of posting. Actual compensation may vary based on relevant factors such as work experience, market conditions, education/training, and skill level. In addition to base pay, Pepperdine offers a robust and highly competitive benefits package.

Pepperdine is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of any status or condition protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. Pepperdine is committed to providing a work environment free from all forms of unlawful discrimination and harassment. Engaging in unlawful discrimination or harassment will result in appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal from the University.

Pepperdine is religiously affiliated with the Churches of Christ. It is the purpose of Pepperdine to pursue the very highest employment and academic standards within a context that celebrates and extends the spiritual and ethical ideals of the Christian faith. While students, faculty, and staff represent many religious backgrounds, Pepperdine is permitted under applicable law and reserves the right to seek, hire, and promote persons who support the goals and mission of the institution, including the right to prefer co-religionists who support Pepperdine's Christian mission.

Qualified individuals should be able to show respect for workplace differences, and have the ability to work effectively with individuals from different backgrounds.

Offers of employment are contingent upon successful completion of a criminal, education, and employment screening. The University conducts such screenings in compliance with applicable laws and with the objectives of evaluating risk and supporting a safe environment for students, faculty, staff, and guests; safeguarding key University assets including people, property, information, and the University’s reputation; and providing comprehensive job‑related information to University leaders to enable them to make prudent hiring decisions. Individuals will be required to disclose any criminal convictions on a designated form after receiving a conditional offer of employment; failure to disclose accurate information may result in withdrawal of the offer or termination of employment. Qualified individuals with criminal histories will be considered for employment in compliance with applicable laws, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance.