Director of Student Success

Hawkeye Community College’s Division of Student Affairs is looking for a full time Director of Student Success to join their team. The Division of Student Affairs offers a broad range of support services to help students achieve success as a college student and beyond. We work collaboratively with faculty, staff, students and the community to support student engagement, learning and success at Hawkeye Community College. Their team promotes the continuous improvement of the college experience by helping students to connect, collaborate and commit to engage in activities, programs, and opportunities as they achieve their goals. If you want to make a difference on behalf of students, then this will be ideal for you!

The Director of Student Success position has two main components: AmeriCorps RedTails LEAD program administration and student retention success.

Seventy-five percent (75%) of this position is responsible for providing college wide administrative leadership and oversight for the AmeriCorps RedTails LEAD program. This position ensures that members and site supervisors have high quality experiences while meeting the compliance regulations for the program.

Twenty-five percent (25%) of this position evaluates, develops and executes college wide retention strategies to improve the education experience and increase success/completion/graduation rates. Using data informed equity minded practices and interventions, this position collaborates with departments across campus to provide a co-created vision and actionable steps towards improvement of student retention from enrollment to graduation with careful consideration to equity and a practice of data driven decisions.

Overall, the Director of Student Success demonstrates a sensitivity to and understanding of the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, disability, and racial/ethnic backgrounds of community college students. Unless otherwise approved under Hawkeye’s remote work policy, regular on campus and/or onsite attendance is considered an essential function of the position.

Hawkeye Community College is a comprehensive community college focused on meeting the needs of the community by providing quality, affordable learning experiences for a diverse student body through our Adult Learning Center, Business and Community Education Department as well as through more than 50 career and technical programs and liberal arts transfer programs. Hawkeye Community College’s mission is about empowering students, strengthening businesses and enriching communities with a vision to improve the quality of life in the communities we serve.

Essential Duties

AmeriCorps RedTails LEAD program director related duties (75% of position)

• Oversee all operational aspects of the AmeriCorps RedTails LEAD program, as the program director including utilizing sound human resource and inclusion practices and principles for recruitment, interviewing and enrollment, including processing background checks and maintaining required documentation, orientation, training, evaluation, suspension and exiting of members.

• Define and revise a Theory of Change for how the AmeriCorps program activities will lead to long term results, including performance measures with outputs and outcomes

• Develop and utilize appropriate data collection instruments, analyze data gathered, report on the performance as demonstrated by the data, and utilize this data to make improvements to the program.

• Ensure that member placements are developed based upon the program design outlined in the grant and that member activities contribute to the program goals.

• Develop and conduct a comprehensive AmeriCorps member training plan, designed to ensure that members receive all federal and state required trainings, and maintain appropriate documentation thereof.

• Work with site supervisors to ensure that members have the skills and training necessary to successfully carry out their specific service activities.

• Provide members with opportunities to develop professionally, maintain safety for themselves and others, and apply skill sets gained during service.

• Responsible for ensuring compliance to local, state, and national regulations, program development, implementation, and improvement.

• Conduct site visits and monitor data collections and timesheets.

• Analyze data and coordinate implementation of internal tracking using College systems to prove project success.

• Provide training and technical assistance to members and site supervisors, compiling reports and providing input for the grant renewal application.

• Maintain member and site supervisor webpages, reviewing and updating program policies.

• Develop and maintain working relationships with key stakeholders

• Actively participate in managing the budget of the AmeriCorps program.

• Work cooperatively with financial and leadership staff to develop practices that effectively plan for and manage program funds and provide for accurate documentation.

• Actively engage with and serve as the liaison between Volunteer Iowa and RedTails LEAD AmeriCorps program including weekly updates, required trainings, and ongoing monitoring/compliance visits.

• Other duties as assigned.

Retention/Equity & Student Success/Increasing student completion rates (25% of position)

• Examine student success data with input from others using a collaborative process and an equity lens and evaluate current and recommended retention activities.

• Determine and align appropriate strategies and resources necessary to achieve increased student retention and graduation rates, which includes producing a more holistic view of the student experience, and highlighting institutional structures that can impede students from succeeding.

• Complete a comprehensive retention plan by disaggregating data and presenting it in an user-friendly way, including multidisciplinary involvement/input that aligns resources to achieve retention goals.

• Collaborate with the Enrollment Management Team, and others, to help the college focus on directional choices, create retention strategies and implement targeted intervention initiatives that will best move the college forward and maintain successful academic progress and student retention.

• Expand current data and research that will help to lead efforts and inform college practices for student success and retention across the college across demographic identifies, academic colleges/programs/majors/courses.

• Collaborate with department chairs, faculty, and Academic College Success advisors and others to develop, update, and implement targeted interventions to increase student retention and success.

• Assist in the development and oversight of grant proposals to secure external funding for comprehensive retention programs.

• Regularly update college leadership on the progress of retention strategies.

• Initiate and maintain professional relationships with diverse groups, demonstrate sensitivity to the needs of a diverse student population including low-income, first-generation, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color), disabled, underrepresented, non-traditional, and international, immigrants, refugees, asylees, ELL (English language learning) students.

• Other duties as assigned.

Required Education & Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Education, Counseling, Higher Education Administration, or a related field.

Qualifications

• Three (3) years of demonstrated experience in the management and administration of a department or program, including oversight of a grant or grants, staff supervision, budget management, and resource management experience.

• Experience in student retention, advising, or other student support services.

• Experience in service program administration and/or management in areas such as AmeriCorps, or related area.

• Demonstrated ability to lead, manage, coordinate and supervise staff, and a broad and diverse range of activities and people.

• Demonstration of results-oriented programs and initiatives for student success and retention.

• Demonstrated ability to assess programs/initiatives.

• Superior listening and critical thinking skills and the ability to multitask (prioritize, manage multiple priorities, and meet deadlines).

• Experience with retention data collection and reporting and attention to detail.

• Demonstrated ability to become knowledgeable of the range of varied student services available, enrollment services/processes, academic policies, requirements, and procedures of Hawkeye Community College.

• Demonstrated ability to understand the mission and objectives of AmeriCorps, the Corporation for National and Community Service and the Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service.

• Strong interpersonal/human relations skills and proven ability to work across organizational boundaries as an effective member of a leadership team and demonstrated ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of campus and community constituencies.

• Demonstrated excellent verbal and written communication skills.

• Demonstrated ability to maintain confidentiality.

• Demonstrated proficiency using Microsoft Office and Google Suite programs as well as Administrative Information Systems (Colleague, Banner, PeopleSoft, etc.).

• Demonstrated ability to collect, analyze and report retention-related data.

• Demonstrated ability to work in a fast-paced environment and possess excellent organizational skills.

• Demonstrated ability to interpret and communicate college policies and procedures and associated federal, state and local regulations.

• Demonstrated ability to demonstrate strong interpersonal communication.

• Demonstrated ability to work with a culturally diverse student population, faculty, staff, and the general public.

• Demonstrated commitment to diversity and inclusion in accordance with Hawkeye Community College’s Mission, Vision and Institutional goals.

Preferred Education & Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Education, Counseling, Higher Education Administration, or a related field.

• Five (5) years of experience in student retention, advising, or other student support services.

• Two (2) years of experience in management of an AmeriCorps or national program.

• Three (3) years of management/leadership experience working with BIPOC, first-generation, limited income, non-traditional, or disproportionately impacted students in a higher education setting.

• Working knowledge of postsecondary academic advising, student development theory, retention strategies, and best practices in providing holistic support to students in a community college.

• Experience in coalition building or community organizing.

Working Conditions

Anticipated schedule is Monday through Friday from 8:00am – 4:30pm with potential for occasional evenings and weekends.

Requires skills for succeeding in an office environment, using technology. Requires good hand-eye coordination including visual acuity to use a keyboard and read technical information; arm, hand and finger dexterity, including ability to grasp. Work is performed in an office setting. Sit, stand, bend, lift and move intermittently during working hours. During course of day, interact with student, faculty and staff in person, by telephone and computers.

Employment Status

This is a grant-funded position designated for a three-year appointment with an opportunity for grant renewal.

Full time, exempt position with comprehensive or competitive benefits program including health, dental, vision, life, and LTD insurance, a Section 125 plan for medical and dependent care expenses; holiday, personal, sick, and vacation leave; tuition reimbursement; and a choice of retirement programs—IPERS (defined benefit) or TIAA (defined contribution).

Application Procedure

• Complete an online application at www.hawkeyecollege.edu/employment

  • Submit/upload a cover letter addressing the following:

    • Describe your experience managing and administering a department/program focused on student retention or other student support services.

  • Submit/upload a resume.

  • Submit/upload 3 professional references with a minimum of 1 being from a current/past supervisor.

• Submit the online application and all required materials by Sunday, October 16 at 11:59 p.m.

All application materials must be submitted by Sunday, October 16, 2022 by 11:59 PM CST.

Hawkeye Community College is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer, committed to equity and diversity in its educational services and employment practices: hawkeyecollege.edu/about/diversity-inclusion/equal-opportunity. The College does not discriminate on the basis of sex; race; age; color; creed; national origin; religion; disability; sexual orientation; gender identity; genetic information; or actual or potential parental, family, or marital status in its programs, activities, or employment practices. Veteran status is also included to the extent covered by law. Any person alleging a violation of equity regulations shall have the right to file a formal complaint. Inquiries concerning application of this statement should be addressed to: Equity Coordinator and Title IX Coordinator for employees, 319-296-4405; or Title IX Coordinator for students, 319-296-4448; Hawkeye Community College, 1501 East Orange Road, P.O. Box 8015, Waterloo, Iowa 50704-8015; or email equity-titleIX@hawkeyecollege.edu, or the Director of the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, Citigroup Center, 500 W. Madison, Suite 1475, Chicago, IL 60661, phone number 312-730-1560, fax 312-730-1576, email: OCR.Chicago@ed.gov.

If any applicant is in need of a reasonable accommodation in completing the application process, please notify a member of Human Resource Services.