Assistant Director Orientation and Transition Programs

The Assistant Director reports to the Senior Director of Orientation and Transition programs and provides high-level support for the development, implementation, and assessment of robust transitional programming designed to support students and their families during their journey into and through the university. The Assistant Director plays a critical role to ensure smooth day-to-day operations, adherence to university policies and coordination within the office and supports events, programs, resources, and tools that promote academic, social, and cultural integration into university life and enhances a sense of community.

The ideal candidate for the Assistant Director must have experience working in a fast paced, data driven and creative environment; and a passion for working with creative and highly engaged students. This position requires strong organizational and creative skills; and the demonstrated ability to perform a variety of complex and diverse tasks. The Assistant Director will possess the interpersonal skills necessary to successfully liaise, negotiate, and collaborate with colleagues across all levels of the university and external partners. Evening and weekend hours are required multiple times throughout the year.

The New School is strongly committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace and particularly seeks applications from members of underrepresented groups, as well as candidates who share this commitment. 
 

Responsibilities and Essential Functions:

  • Serves as a Project Manager for the development of creative assets and resources for use in Orientation and Transition Programs; including Orientation, Commencement, class-specific programming
  • Oversees the creation of tools for events such as video production, event site and microsite development, and other creative projects; this includes establishing a creative workflow and liaising with appropriate internal staff, campus partners, or external vendors to manage development
  • Manages a comprehensive promotions, marketing, and communications plan for events and programs sponsored by Orientation and Transition Programs; this includes overseeing the management of multiple social media and non-person email accounts and managing projects as a departmental administrator on software platforms and systems 
  • Coordinates initiatives to support parents and families, such as Family Day, the Family Facebook group and newsletters; and serves as a liaison between various offices on family engagement such as Development, Marketing & Communications, Housing, various school partners, etc. 
  • Collaborates with the other Assistant Director in oversee the facilitation of the logistical elements of university-wide major events and transitional programming including scheduling, securing presenters, working with external planners, production teams, and vendors; and managing departmental catering, purchasing, and printing needs
  • Manages departmental coordination of and communication with staff volunteers for university-wide events such as Orientation and Commencement related programs 
  • Oversees training, on-boarding and supervision of student administrative and creative staff such as Orientation Leaders and Class Coordinators and serve as MyDay delegate for all departmental student staff
  • Assists in the management of the departmental budget through accurate tracking and receipt reconciliation, including class-specific and cohort-based programming board expenses, printing allocations, and event budgets
  • Serves as on-site coordinator for events as needed
  • Serves on divisional and university committees and leads projects as required
  • Additional duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications: 

  • Bachelor’s degree
  • Minimum three years work experience in student affairs
  • Experience with budget management and contracts 
  • Experience working in a fast-paced office environment
  • Strong proficiency in event registration and management software, Microsoft Office, Adobe, and Google products
  • Superior interpersonal, oral and written communication skills
  • Demonstrated collaboration skills with the ability to work well with diverse populations (community members, faculty, staff, and students).
  • Multicultural competence and a demonstrated commitment to diversity in all forms.
  • Ability to prioritize, handle multiple deadlines and projects
  • Experience planning and implementing large scale events preferred
  • Self-starter with an interest in working in a highly collaborative team environment
  • Ability to assist with implementation of new programs with strong attention to detail is essential
  • Willingness and flexibility to work nights and weekends

Preferred Qualifications:

Masters degree in an appropriate area of specialization (Higher Education, College Student Personnel, Education, Counseling, Social Work, etc.)