Specialist, First-Year Student Success

Yavapai-College; Prescott (AZ); On-site; USD 52,000 - 72,000; Full time

Job summary

Yavapai College seeks a Specialist, First-Year Student Success to support Title III activities. You will coordinate programs, maintain records, and assist with outreach and events under director guidance, ensuring compliance with grant requirements and timely reporting.

The role requires strong data management, organization, and communication skills, with experience in higher education settings and familiarity with office software and reporting tools.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or 3+ years higher education experience in Student Affairs or related field.
• Experience with records, deadlines, and program documentation.
• Familiarity with spreadsheets, databases, and reporting tools.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate activities, schedules, and deliverables for Title III programs.
• Maintain calendars, agendas, minutes, and implementation records.
• Support outreach, events, and student communications.
• Assist with grant procedures and documentation standards.

Skills

Data tracking

Recordkeeping

Communication

Organization

Education

Bachelor's degree in Higher Education or related field

Tools

Excel

Databases

CRM / reporting tools

Grant management systems

Job description

***Please note: this is a grant-funded position and continuation is subject to funding***

The Specialist, First-Year Student Success - Title III Grant provides specialized program, administrative, data, and student-service support for approved first-year student success and Title III activities. Working under established grant objectives, procedures, schedules, and the direction of the Director, the Specialist coordinates assigned program components, maintains accurate records, supports outreach and events, monitors routine timelines and transactions, compiles data for reports, and responds to questions from students and campus partners. The position exercises independent judgment in organizing assigned work and resolving routine operational issues, while significant program, fiscal, compliance, personnel, and strategic decisions remain with the Director and designated College leadership.

Key Responsibilities:

Program and Administrative Support

• Coordinate assigned activities, schedules, task lists, communications, and routine deliverables for first-year student success and Title III programs.
• Maintain calendars, meeting materials, agendas, minutes, action-item logs, program files, and implementation records.
• Follow up with assigned participants and campus partners regarding deadlines, documentation, events, and approved project activities.
• Identify routine workflow issues, apply established procedures, and refer non-routine concerns to the Director.

Student Success Programs and Outreach

• Support orientation, transition, engagement, retention, academic-success, career-exploration, financial-literacy, AI-literacy, wellness, and related approved programming.
• Provide students with accurate information about program activities, eligibility, schedules, resources, and referral options.
• Coordinate logistics for workshops, trainings, outreach activities, events, and student communications.
• Maintain professional, service-focused relationships with students and support access to appropriate College resources.

Grant Documentation and Compliance Support

• Maintain organized documentation of assigned activities, participation, purchases, outcomes, and supporting records in accordance with established requirements.
• Apply approved grant procedures and documentation standards to assigned work and notify the Director of missing, inconsistent, or potentially noncompliant information.
• Assist with assembling supporting materials for annual performance reports, monitoring, audits, closeout activities, and routine information requests.
• Provide procedural guidance to participants on established forms, deadlines, and documentation expectations.

Data, Assessment, and Reporting

• Enter, verify, track, and compile program data related to participation, services, milestones, activities, and outcomes.
• Maintain spreadsheets, databases, dashboards, or other tracking tools and produce routine summaries and status reports.
• Review information for accuracy and completeness, identify discrepancies or trends, and elevate significant concerns.
• Support data collection and reporting for the Annual Performance Report and other approved evaluation activities in collaboration with the Director, Institutional Research, and project partners.

Budget and Purchasing Support

• Initiate and track approved purchases, reimbursements, travel, contracts, equipment requests, and other routine transactions in accordance with College procedures.
• Maintain purchase documentation and routine budget-tracking records for assigned activities.
• Compare transactions with approved categories and supporting records and refer variances or questions to the Director or Finance.
• Assist with expenditure summaries, reconciliations, inventory records, and documentation needed for review.

Communication and Collaboration

• Serve as a knowledgeable point of contact for routine program questions from students, faculty, staff, vendors, and community partners.
• Develop and distribute approved informational materials, reminders, presentations, and program communications.
• Collaborate with Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Enrollment Services, Advising, Institutional Research, Finance, and other participating departments.
• Participate in meetings, work groups, training sessions, and outreach activities as assigned.

Other Duties

• Perform other related duties as assigned in support of first-year student success, Title III activities, and College operations.

Education:

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in Higher Education, Student Affairs, Counseling, Education, Psychology, Social Work, or a related fieldorcombination of associate degree and minimum of three years of higher education experience in Student Affairs.

Experience:

• Minimum of two years of related experience in student services, higher education, program support, grant-supported activities, administrative coordination, records, outreach, or a related area.
• Experience maintaining records, coordinating activities or events, supporting students or customers, and using spreadsheets, databases, or information systems.
• Experience working with multiple deadlines and stakeholders.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

• Working knowledge of student support, program coordination, recordkeeping, customer service, and office practices.
• Ability to interpret and apply established policies, procedures, grant requirements, schedules, and approved plans to assigned work.
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, follow-through, and ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Ability to compile and review data, maintain accurate tracking tools, and prepare routine reports and presentations.
• Effective written, verbal, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to work independently within established guidelines and recognize when an issue requires escalation.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and ability to learn College, student-information, reporting, and grant-management systems.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality, exercise sound judgment, and work effectively with diverse students, employees, and community partners.
• Regular attendance is an essential job function demonstrating dependability in the performance of assigned duties.

• Experience in a community college or higher education environment.
• Experience supporting a federally funded grant, educational program, orientation, first-year experience, retention, or student-engagement initiative.
• Experience with student information systems, customer relationship management systems, reporting tools, or program assessment.
• Experience facilitating workshops, presentations, or outreach activities.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements and competencies listed represent the required knowledge, skill, and ability. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit and talk or hear. The employee must frequently use hands to finger, handle, or feel. The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, and reach with hands and arms. In addition, the employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus.

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet.