The Placement Exchange Job Board

The Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering seeks to recruit a Director of Student Affairs (Student Services Advisor II) to join its outstanding team of faculty, staff, and students. Under the direct supervision of the Department Business Manager, the Director will work in close partnership with the faculty leadership of MFD, including the Department Chair and/or Associate Chairs, as well as the leadership of the Viterbi Admissions and Student Engagement (VASE), to oversee all aspects of student and academic affairs and services for the Mork Family department. The Director of Student Affairs oversees Bachelor's, Master’s, and Ph.D. programs with a student population totaling approximately 500. The ideal candidate is expected to nurture a culture of service and support, demonstrates good judgement while being highly motivated, and a detail-oriented team player. 

Primary Responsibilities:

Leadership & Strategy (30%)

• Works in close partnership with departmental and School-wide leadership to deliver strategic alignment and implement program goals and methodologies that are integrated with the Viterbi School's broader academic and business plans.
• Manages Student Services workforce: recruits, screens, hires, trains, and directly supervises two Student Services I staff.
• Drives team operational strategies and execution of services; schedules and assigns work. Assesses performance and provides feedback, counseling, or corrective action, as needed, to ensure high team productivity and performance.
• Maintains a leadership role on departmental and university committees to stay well-informed on issues impacting student services and to ensure that programs are well-represented.
• Serves as the primary subject matter expert/resource for information regarding all MFD academic programs; stays informed of emerging trends in student services and look for opportunities to address these trends in program goals.

Student Service Administration (70%)

• Manages full-service academic advisement and counseling services across current BS, MS, and Ph.D. students.
• Drives operational innovation to ensure efficient delivery of best practices across all service areas. Harnesses new technologies and practices to improve service delivery.
• Oversees the development of the MFD Schedule of Classes each semester.
• Coordinates Ph.D. admission, Curriculum, TA assignments, Ph.D. Progress Review, PDP, and Academic Teaching schedule. Processes MS and Ph.D. paperwork, including petitions and graduation applications, and clearance.
• Organizes annual Screening Exam under the guidance of faculty committees. Advertises the exam, registers prospective examinees and responds to inquiries.
• Develops and leads student-related events in partnership with other MFD staff. Organizes department-level student recruitment and advisement events. Attends recruitment events for prospective graduate students including the annual AIChE event. Oversees and organizes PhD recruitment and activities with the VASE office.
• Advises various Mork Family Department student groups and meets with student group leaders. Assists students in organizing co-curricular activities.
• Attends student-related meetings.
• Plans and administers communications programs to publicize student services; plans and executes other outreach strategies to make students and other constituencies aware of services. Develops MFD-wide communications strategy; monitors the development of written materials and staff presentation guides to ensure consistency in the delivery of information.
• Manages communications with faculty, staff, and administrators to facilitate the attainment of program objectives. Monitors progress and adjust plans or targets as needed.
• Interacts with other university departments and with external organizations as required to coordinate and negotiate service, including but not limited to Classroom Scheduling, Grades Dept, Degree Progress, Articulation, Registration, Office of Campus Wellness and Crisis Intervention, VASE, and Academic Review as it pertains to academic affairs.
• Resolves complex student service issues in partnership with VASE. Provide mental health referrals for students in distress.
• Manages student-wide data collection and ensure data integrity. Collect and analyze data to identify trends and develop forecasts.

Executes other duties as assigned.

The Director of Student Affairs is expected to demonstrate impeccable ethics and collegiality, and to promote an environment that fosters inclusive relationships and creates unbiased opportunities for contributions through ideas, words, and actions that uphold principles of the USC Code of Ethics.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s Degree in Student Affairs, Higher Education, Counseling or Related Field

• At least three years of experience in academic advising at a non-profit institution of higher education
• Project/Program Management skills that can view things from a micro and macro level
• Previous experience in working with content management websites like WordPress, as well as data-driven websites like Qualtrics and Wufoo
• Proven interpersonal skills with the ability to work effectively with students, families, faculty, staff and administrators
• Demonstrated organizational skills, and be able to undertake multiple tasks simultaneously while being able to prioritize
• Demonstrated ability to handle sensitive and confidential information
• Must be a self-starter, able to carry out assignments with minimal instruction and supervision
• Must be willing to travel for new student orientation

Additional Information:

This is a hybrid position. The Director of Student Affairs will be expected to work onsite for a minimum of 3 days per week. This position is not eligible for fully remote work.

The hourly rate range for this position is $34.10 - $38.76. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope of responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state, and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are central to the mission of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering. Viterbi staff are expected to facilitate a culture of support and service, to model civility and respectful engagement at all times, and to maintain the highest ethical standards and to maintain strict confidentiality across all facets of their work.

Required Applicant Documents:

A resume/CV and a cover letter are required. Please feel free to upload your application materials in a single document.

USC and the Viterbi School:

The University of Southern California (USC), founded in 1880, is in the heart of downtown L.A. and is the largest private employer in the City of Los Angeles. As an employee of USC, you will be a part of a world-class research university and a member of the “Trojan Family,” which is comprised of the faculty, students, and staff that make the university what it is.

Founded in 1905, the USC Viterbi School of Engineering is named for Andrew Viterbi who developed an algorithm to connect the world’s citizens. Similarly, the school, located in Los Angeles, a global center for arts, technology and international business in the heart of the Pacific Rim, is a hub for entrepreneurship that connects students from 64 countries.

USC Viterbi is a pioneer in restoring sight to the blind; restoring memory to sufferers of Alzheimer’s; and socially assistive robots to aid seniors with stroke or children with autism. It is the home of the first operational quantum computing center in academia. Our alumni include Neil Armstrong, first human on the moon; A.C. Mike Markkula, co-founder of Apple; and Wanda Austin, former CEO of the Aerospace Corporation.

The USC Viterbi School is consistently ranked among the top graduate programs (U.S. News and World Report). Under the leadership of Dean Yannis C. Yortsos, the school helped re-imagine the 21st century engineer, pioneering the Grand Challenge Scholars Program in schools across the globe. Our mission is to serve California, the nation and the world. At USC Viterbi, we call this the enabling power of Engineering+.

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About University of Southern California (USC)

USC is the leading private research university in Los Angeles—a global center for arts, technology and international business. With more than 47,500 students, we are located primarily in Los Angeles but also in various US and global satellite locations. As the largest private employer in Los Angeles, responsible for $8 billion annually in economic activity in the region, we offer the opportunity to work in a dynamic and diverse environment, in careers that span a broad spectrum of talents and skills across a variety of academic and professional schools and administrative units. As a USC employee and member of the Trojan Family—the faculty, staff, students, and alumni who make USC a great place to work—you will enjoy excellent benefits, including a variety of well-being programs designed to help individuals achieve work-life balance.

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