Senior Program Manager, UMKC Division of Student Success

University of Missouri-Kansas City; Kansas City (MO); On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

University benefits package

Job summary

University of Missouri-Kansas City seeks a Senior Program Manager to lead the Men of Character Academy (MoCA), guiding vision, strategy, and continuous improvement for a 75-undergraduate cohort. You will supervise Success Coaches, graduate assistants, student leaders, and campus partners to advance academic excellence, persistence, and career readiness.

The role emphasizes developing a four-year developmental curriculum, establishing measurable outcomes, and building partnerships across Academic

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent and at least 4 years of related experience.
• Master's degree in Higher Education, Student Affairs, Counseling, or related field preferred.
• Experience designing and leading student success initiatives in higher education.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for MoCA, including vision, planning, and continuous improvement.
• Develop and implement a four‑year developmental curriculum focused on academics, leadership, and career readiness.
• Set program goals, outcomes, and assessment strategies for student learning and success.
• Monitor data to drive improvement and demonstrate program effectiveness.
• Supervise and develop Success Coaches, graduate assistants, and student leaders.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Project management

Facilitation

Partnership building

Public speaking

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree in Higher Education / Student Affairs (preferred)

Job description

Overview

The Senior Program Manager provides strategic leadership for the Men of Character Academy (MoCA), UMKC's comprehensive student success initiative designed to foster academic excellence, persistence, leadership development, career readiness, and belonging among 75 undergraduate scholars. The Senior Program Manager is responsible for the vision, implementation, assessment, and continuous improvement of MoCA while leading a team of Success Coaches, graduate assistants, student leaders, faculty fellows, and campus and community partners.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership and oversight for all aspects of MoCA, including vision, planning, implementation, growth, assessment, and continuous improvement.
• Develop and implement a comprehensive, four-year developmental curriculum focused on academic excellence, personal identity development, leadership, wellness, career readiness, financial literacy, and personal growth.
• Establish program goals, measurable outcomes, and assessment strategies that evaluate student learning, persistence, retention, graduation, and post‑graduate success.
• Monitor and analyze program data to drive continuous improvement and demonstrate program effectiveness.
• Benchmark national best practices in success initiatives, student development, and retention programming.
• Provide holistic support to MoCA scholars through proactive outreach, coaching, mentoring, and individualized success planning.
• Supervise, train, and evaluate Success Coaches, graduate assistants, peer mentors, and student leaders.
• Coordinate interventions that address academic, personal, financial, and career‑related barriers to student success.
• Support students experiencing academic or personal challenges and connect them with appropriate campus resources.
• Build and sustain collaborative partnerships across Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Athletics, Career Services, Residential Life, Honors, Undergraduate Research, faculty, alumni, employers, and community organizations.
• Collaborate with faculty and campus partners to create meaningful academic, leadership, research, and experiential learning opportunities.
• Develop relationships with external organizations that expand mentoring, internship, scholarship, and career opportunities for MoCA scholars.
• Design and oversee high‑impact programming that fosters belonging, leadership, community engagement, personal identity development, professional growth, and career preparation.
• Coordinate workshops, networking events, speaker series, service opportunities, and leadership experiences aligned with MoCA learning outcomes.
• Support initiatives that strengthen pathways from high school through college completion and beyond.
• Promote civic engagement and meaningful community partnerships that enhance student learning and leadership.
• Develop and implement communication strategies that clearly communicate program expectations, opportunities, and resources to students and stakeholders.
• Oversee program marketing, website content, social media, annual reports, and other communications that highlight student success and program impact.
• Manage program budgets, scholarships, reporting requirements, and operational processes.
• Represent MoCA and Student Success on university committees and at local, regional, and national conferences and events.

Other Responsibilities

• Serve as a campus leader and advocate for student success initiatives.
• Perform other duties and special projects as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• A Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience, and at least 4 years of experience from which comparable knowledge and skills can be acquired.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Higher Education, Student Affairs, Counseling, Educational Leadership, Social Work, or a related field.
• Five or more years of experience designing, implementing, and leading student success, retention, mentoring, or leadership development initiatives in higher education.
• Experience using assessment data to evaluate program outcomes and guide strategic decision‑making.
• Experience supervising professional staff or student employees.
• Demonstrated success building collaborative partnerships with community organizations, employers, or alumni.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, project management, and leadership skills.
• Experience presenting at regional or national conferences and representing institutional initiatives externally.

Benefits

This position is eligible for University benefits. As part of the total compensation, the University offers a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental and vision plans, retirement, paid time off, short‑ and long‑term disability, paid parental leave, paid caregiver leave, and educational fee discounts for all four UM System campuses.

Legal Notice

Equal Employment Opportunity
The University of Missouri is an Equal Opportunity Employer. To request ADA accommodations, please call the Office of Equity & Title IX at 816-235-6910.