Student Services Manager

Stanford University; Palo Alto (CA); Hybrid; USD 105,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

Stanford University’s Biology Department is seeking a full-time Student Services Manager to support students, trainees, and faculty. This role partners with the Assistant Director for Student Services and works within the Student Services Office to advance the department’s teaching mission.

Responsibilities include degree progress advising, milestone tracking, schedule coordination, and program management for Honors, BSURP, BioBridge, and related programs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and three years of relevant experience, or combination of education and relevant experience.
• Experience with Stanford systems (Axess, PeopleSoft, CourseDog, MAP) or similar platforms.
• Experience supervising and training peer advisors.
• Proficiency with Smartsheet, Google Forms/Surveys, Wiki pages and similar tools.
• Experience coordinating events, conferences, or seminars including vendor management.

Responsibilities

• Administer an area or program in student services and evaluate decisions on program eligibility.
• Collaborate with others to resolve program issues, interpret policies, and mediate sensitive issues.
• Provide guidance on academic progress and degree planning for students.
• Develop outreach plans and maintain external university liaison.
• Prepare reports and summaries from multiple data sources.
• Train and supervise staff, volunteers, and student workers.

Skills

Academic advising

Student services

Policy interpretation

Interpersonal skills

Communication

Data analysis

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

Axess

PeopleSoft

CourseDog

MAP

Job description

This position has been deemed critical by the School of Humanities and Sciences Dean’s Office and is exempt from the hiring freeze.

Work Arrangement

Hybrid work schedule (at least 3 days per week on-site). May require working flexible hours, including occasional nights and weekends.

Budgeted Salary

The budgeted base salary range for this position is $105,000 to $115,000 annually.

Department/Program Description

The Department of Biology at Stanford University is devoted to discovering fundamental knowledge of the living world: from the behavior of single molecules to dynamics of cells, organisms, populations, and interactions of biological systems with our planet. We are dedicated to developing innovative training experiences for the next generation of biologists and to building an inclusive learning environment that unites members from diverse disciplines and life experiences. The Department is the largest in the School of Humanities and Sciences with over 100 active and emeritus faculty, lecturers and research staff, over 240 PhD and postdoc trainees and over 60 non-academic staff who advance the department’s research and teaching missions. The department serves over 220 undergraduate students who major in Biology and more than 3,600 enrollees in our courses each year. Learn more about the department at biology.stanford.edu.

Position Summary

The Department of Biology is seeking a full-time Student Services Manager to provide a full range of support to our students. This role serves as a key member of the Student Services Office team working directly with students, trainees, faculty, and staff.

Under the direction of the Assistant Director for Student Services, this senior specialist position plays a critical role in advancing the teaching mission of the Biology Department. Specific areas of responsibility include:

• Advising and degree progress of all Biology Undergraduate Students. This includes conducting ongoing degree progress monitoring, documenting formal quarterly audits, and manage all degree milestones from major declaration through graduation.
• Lead and monitor the resolution of academic progress issues by partnering with department leaders and colleagues in central office and partners at the School of Humanities and Sciences.
• Serve as lead coordinator and parter with the Directors of Undergraduate Studies for strategic
• curriculum planning, oversight of teaching loads, and TA allocations. This requires maintaining expert knowledge of university catalog requirements, academic policies, and the Biology curriculum across multiple tracks. Advice on exceptions to policies, processing petitions. Offer input on course offerings based enrollment trends, analysis of course demand patterns, and provide data-driven recommendations for curriculum adjustments.
• Manage all aspects of course scheduling including classroom assignments, TA section coordination, enrollment management, permission codes, room changes, and final exam scheduling.
• Serve as primary departmental contact for Registrar's Office on course submissions, bulletin updates, classroom requests, and enrollment systems (CourseDog, Axess, MAP).
• Program management of department-wide coordination of: Honors, BSURP (Biology Summer Undergraduate Research Program), and BioBridge Peer Advisor program. This role also monitors the department IntroSems and Sophomore Seminars offerings.

The Student Services Manager operates with significant autonomy while collaborating closely with faculty leadership (Director of Undergraduate Studies and Department Chair), central university offices (Registrar, VPUE, H&S Dean's Office), lecturers, and other department team members.

The ideal candidate will be proactive and will manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment by being resourceful in finding creative solutions to complex issues. While being a strong advocate to students, the Student Services Manager will be confident in explaining and upholding policy, implementing and improving current processes, and tracking the many details related to degree progress, curriculum, and departmental undergraduate programs.

Given the size of the department, this position is expected to work with other student services team members for support of graduate students, co-terms and postdoctoral trainees. This includes collecting and processing appointment documents, monitoring effective dates and initiating extensions if needed. This position could also assist in running reports and maintaining records of the trainee’s funding. To be effective in this support role, the Student Services Manager must have a general working knowledge and awareness of University resources for graduate students and postdoctoral trainees (i.e. minimum salaries, stipend payments, benefits, etc.).

This is a 100% FTE, continuing, exempt position.

Preferred Requirements

Additional highly preferred qualifications for this position includes:

• 3+ years of experience in academic advising or student services in a higher education setting.
• Experience with Stanford systems (Axess, PeopleSoft, CourseDog, MAP) or similar university platforms.
• Experience in supervision and training of students as peer advisors.
• Proficiency with web-based tools such as Smartsheet, Google Forms/Surveys, Wiki pages, & similar platforms.
• Experience coordinating events, conferences, or seminars, including vendor management and logistics coordination.
• Ability to interpret and apply university policies and procedures, and to exercise sound judgment on sensitive or confidential matters.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to partner effectively with faculty, staff, students, and external vendors.
• Strong communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.

Discretion in handling confidential personnel and academic matters.

Responsibilities

Core Duties

• Administer an area or program in student services, evaluate andrecommend decisions on program eligibility. Review decisions recommendedby other staff.
• Collaborate with others to help resolve program issues andconcerns, interpret policies, and mediate complex and sensitive issues. May be tasked with evaluating and recommending programimprovements.
• Resolve multi-dimensional matters in response to students incrisis, at risk, or who have other program issues, counsel students andparents on sensitive and confidential issues.
• Provide guidance and counsel, oversee and develop a wide range ofprograms and services, analyze effectiveness and make recommendationsfor future programs.
• Reconcile complex issues; analyze diverse transactions frommultiple sources.
• Summarize data from multiple sources, prepare manage reports andpresentations.
• Identify and evaluate data needs, manage the implementation anddevelopment of technology.
• Develop and implement plans for outreach efforts, develop andmaintain external community and university liaison, represent departmentand university at meetings and events.
• Provide advice to students on a range of issues, including, butnot limited to, academic progress, academic program policies, careerplans, accessibility, community standards, etc., in order to guide themin making appropriate choices and decisions. May have to elevate issuesto a senior advisor.
• Apprise students of research, fellowship and scholarshipopportunities, make recommendations and may award grants.
• Serve as a subject matter expert to students and otherdepartments; represent unit/department.
• May lead, create and contribute to development of businesspractices and organizational change to improve processes andworkflow.
• May oversee, analyze and assist in financial processes anddevelopment of budgets.
• Serve as a key member of a project team.
• May train and supervise other staff, volunteers, student andtemporary workers.

Minimum Education and Experience

Bachelor’s degree and three years of relevant experience, orcombination of education and relevant experience.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Strong communication skills to clearly and effectivelycommunicate information to internal and external audiences, clientgroups, and management.
• Advanced analysis and problem solving skills.
• Advanced computer skills, including experience with MicrosoftOffice Suite.
• Advanced customer service skills.
• Relevant computer systems/technology experience.
• Understanding of financial transactions.
• Ability to ensure and apply compliance with legal, financial, anduniversity policies and external regulations.