Student Success Specialist

The University of Texas at Austin; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 60,000 - 74,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Texas at Austin is seeking a Student Success Specialist in the Special Education department to deliver targeted technical assistance and subject-matter expertise that strengthens supports, programs, and partnerships for deaf students’ successful transitions through education and career pathways.

The role involves leading capacity-building activities, analyzing programs, and collaborating across secondary and postsecondary education, workforce partners, and community

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in education, student affairs, counseling, rehabilitation counseling, career development, workforce development, deaf education, or a related field.
• Five or more years of experience in student success, transition, disability services, student affairs, career development, vocational rehabilitation, workforce development, advising, or a related education or training setting.
• Knowledge of practices that support student readiness, transition, engagement, persistence, completion, and career development, including accommodations, communication access strategies, and assistive technologies.
• Experience providing consultation, training, professional development, or program improvement support.
• Familiarity with laws and policies affecting deaf people in postsecondary education, training, and employment.
• Ability to analyze programs, practices, services, or student pathways and develop practical recommendations.
• Experience facilitating groups and supporting organizations through planning or improvement processes.
• Experience working with deaf people and deaf communities.
• Strong consultation, facilitation, analytical, organizational, and written communication skills.
• Proficiency in American Sign Language.

Responsibilities

• Provide targeted technical assistance and consultation to schools, postsecondary institutions, vocational rehabilitation programs, workforce partners, and other organizations to identify problems of practice, clarify priorities, and develop practical strategies for improving student success and career pathways.
• Lead and facilitate structured capacity-building activities, including cohorts, institutes, working groups, individualized consultation, peer-learning activities, training, and follow-up support that help participants apply learning within their own settings.
• Analyze programs, services, practices, and student pathways to identify strengths, gaps, barriers, and opportunities for improvement; synthesize findings and work with partners to develop actionable recommendations and improvement plans.
• Provide subject-matter expertise related to student readiness and success, including transition planning, college and career readiness, advising, student engagement and belonging, persistence, completion, career development, work-based learning, and movement into employment or further training.
• Support collaboration across secondary education, postsecondary education, vocational rehabilitation, Pre-ETS, career and technical education, workforce, career services, and community partners to strengthen coordinated pathways and reduce gaps between systems.
• Help partners use data and evidence to guide program and practice improvement, including identifying useful indicators, examining available data, establishing priorities, monitoring progress, and adapting strategies based on findings.
• Develop and contribute to tools, training, resources, and applied planning materials that support targeted technical assistance and help organizations implement evidence-based and promising practices.
• Maintain current knowledge of research, policy, and effective practices related to deaf student success, transition, and career development, and collaborate across NDC teams to connect partners with additional expertise or more intensive technical assistance when appropriate.

Skills

Consultation

Facilitation

Analytical

Organizational skills

Written communication

American Sign Language

Interpersonal skills

Adaptability

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in education, student affairs, counseling, rehabilitation counseling, career development, workforce development, deaf education, or related field

Master's degree in a related field

Job description

Student Success Specialist

Hiring Department: Special Education

Position Open To: All Applicants

Weekly Scheduled Hours: 40

FLSA Status: Exempt from FLSA

Earliest Start Date: Dec 01, 2026

Position Duration: Expected to Continue Until Sep 30, 2027

Location: Texas

Job Details

The purpose of this position is to provide targeted technical assistance and subject-matter expertise that helps organizations strengthen the supports, programs, practices, and partnerships that prepare deaf people for successful transitions into and through continuing education, training, and career pathways.

Responsibilities

• Provide targeted technical assistance and consultation to schools, postsecondary institutions, vocational rehabilitation programs, workforce partners, and other organizations to identify problems of practice, clarify priorities, and develop practical strategies for improving student success and career pathways.
• Lead and facilitate structured capacity-building activities, including cohorts, institutes, working groups, individualized consultation, peer-learning activities, training, and follow-up support that help participants apply learning within their own settings.
• Analyze programs, services, practices, and student pathways to identify strengths, gaps, barriers, and opportunities for improvement; synthesize findings and work with partners to develop actionable recommendations and improvement plans.
• Provide subject-matter expertise related to student readiness and success, including transition planning, college and career readiness, advising, student engagement and belonging, persistence, completion, career development, work-based learning, and movement into employment or further training.
• Support collaboration across secondary education, postsecondary education, vocational rehabilitation, Pre-ETS, career and technical education, workforce, career services, and community partners to strengthen coordinated pathways and reduce gaps between systems.
• Help partners use data and evidence to guide program and practice improvement, including identifying useful indicators, examining available data, establishing priorities, monitoring progress, and adapting strategies based on findings.
• Develop and contribute to tools, training, resources, and applied planning materials that support targeted technical assistance and help organizations implement evidence-based and promising practices.
• Maintain current knowledge of research, policy, and effective practices related to deaf student success, transition, and career development, and collaborate across NDC teams to connect partners with additional expertise or more intensive technical assistance when appropriate.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in education, student affairs, counseling, rehabilitation counseling, career development, workforce development, deaf education, or a related field.
• Five or more years of experience in student success, transition, disability services, student affairs, career development, vocational rehabilitation, workforce development, advising, or a related education or training setting.
• Demonstrated knowledge of practices that support student readiness, transition, engagement, persistence, completion, and career development, as well as an understanding of effective accommodations, communication access strategies, and assistive technologies.
• Experience providing consultation, training, professional development, or program improvement support.
• Familiarity with relevant laws and policies affecting deaf people in postsecondary education, training, and employment.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze programs, practices, services, or student pathways and develop practical recommendations and action plans.
• Experience facilitating groups and supporting organizations through planning or improvement processes.
• Experience working with deaf people and deaf communities.
• Strong consultation, facilitation, analytical, organizational, and written communication skills.
• Proficiency in American Sign Language.

Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

• Seven or more years of experience in student success, transition, student affairs, vocational rehabilitation, career development, workforce development, or related practice.
• Experience leading cohorts, institutes, working groups, communities of practice, or other sustained capacity-building activities.
• Experience supporting programs related to college and career readiness, advising, persistence and completion, work-based learning, career exploration, Pre-ETS, or transition planning.
• Experience using program or student outcome data to identify barriers and guide improvement.
• Experience strengthening collaboration across education, rehabilitation, workforce, or community systems.
• Master's degree in a related field.

Salary Range

$60,000 - $74,000

Working Conditions

• Typical office environment

Required Materials

• Resume/CV
• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor
• Letter of interest

Employment Eligibility

Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

Retirement Plan Eligibility

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

Background Checks

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer,complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

Pay Transparency

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor's legal duty to furnish information.

Employment Eligibility Verification

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form. You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States. Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment. Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

E-Verify

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university's company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

• E-Verify Poster (English and Spanish) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (English) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

Compliance

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.