Assistant Director, Student Engagement

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Salary Range: $75,000 - $85,000

Position Summary

Reporting to the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs for High School & Non-Degree Programs and with a dotted reporting line to the Executive Director of Student Life, the Assistant Director of Student Engagement will support comprehensive student services across the School of Professional Studies (SPS). This position supports the Assistant Dean from May to August and the Executive Director for the remainder of the year. The incumbent serves as a key leader in student conduct administration, residential life oversight, and safety planning for special populations within pre-college and non-degree programs. The Assistant Director oversees and adjudicates student conduct cases from initial incident response through resolution, develops safety planning protocols to ensure student well-being, and maintains comprehensive documentation while analyzing trends to inform senior leadership.

The Assistant Director also leads comprehensive co-curricular programming initiatives designed to enhance the student experience and foster community among the diverse populations served by SPS, including graduate, non-degree, international, and high school students across both in-person and online/hybrid learning environments. The incumbent provides strategic leadership for student organizations and clubs, plans and executes New Student Orientation programs, and creates opportunities for student leadership development and civic engagement. The role requires extensive collaboration with campus partners, including Academic Affairs, Residence Life, Campus Safety, and Student Support Services, to ensure seamless service delivery and maintain strong working relationships across departments.

Responsibilities

STUDENT CONDUCT & POLICY COMPLIANCE

• Serve as a co-hearing officer for all student conduct cases in pre-college and non-degree programs.
• Investigate, manage, and resolve student conduct cases in compliance with institutional policies, ensuring timely and fair adjudication.
• Collaborate with faculty, staff, and administration to address violations of the student code of conduct, including academic integrity, harassment, discrimination, and other behavioral infractions.
• Track and document student conduct cases, maintaining detailed records and case files in a secure, confidential manner.
• Contribute to the development and revision of student conduct policies to reflect current legal standards, campus climate, and student needs.
• Advocate for student well-being throughout the conduct process, ensuring fair treatment and access to mental health, academic, and community resources when needed.
• Analyze and conduct data to identify trends, areas of concern, and opportunities for preventative measures. Prepare regular reports for senior leadership on conduct trends, case resolutions, and the effectiveness of student conduct processes.
• Oversee student and staff compliance related to:
  
  
  
  • Title IX;
  • Title VI; and
  • Protection of Minors.
  
  
  
  

SAFETY PLANNING & INCIDENT RESPONSE

• Work closely with program leadership to update and adapt safety protocols as needed, reflecting changes in program dynamics, student needs, or external factors.
• Update all staff manuals and training materials to reflect the most up-to-date university policies related to safety and emergencies.
• Organize staffing response and program communications related to external risks and emergencies.
• Manage sensitive conversations with parents/guardians in the event of incidents, offering reassurance, detailed explanations, and follow-up steps.
• Ensure continuous communication with program staff, keeping them updated on incidents and any required actions or follow-ups.
• Organize debriefing sessions for staff after incidents to assess the response, share lessons learned, and identify areas for improvement.
• Serve as the point of contact for staff who may witness or need to report an off-campus incident, which would require an NYPD report being made.
• Work in collaboration with Academic Affairs to plan for safety on class field trips. Serve as a point of contact for incidents that occur during field trips.

ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT AND CLUB MANAGEMENT

• Manages the recruitment, selection, and onboarding of Student Life Summer Coordinators.
• Manages the Faculty Student Engagement Fund.
• Work in Collaboration with Alumni Relations planning and executing our annual SPS Homecoming tailgate event.
• Serve as an advisor to various SPS Student Organizations, providing guidance and support to student leaders to execute club priorities.
• Meet with the Executive Board members to provide guidance in the areas of university policy, budgeting, programming, officer training, and leadership development.
• Serve as the advisor to new student groups seeking recognition from one of the university governing boards. Develop and maintain a comprehensive training curriculum for board members of SPS student groups.
• Manages club budgets and processes student reimbursements, vendor contracts, and payments.
• Maintains and publishes a calendar of student activities and a resource manual for clubs and student organizations.
• Develop and execute student leadership workshops for student leaders.
• Manages and hosts the annual SPS Next event.
• Support SPS Orientation and Graduation.
• May be responsible for supervising the work of one 1 or more employees.

RESIDENTIAL LIFE FOR SPECIAL POPULATIONS

• Maintain all Residential Life responsibilities for the SPS graduate student population, serving as the school liaison for Columbia Residential.
• Facilitate Columbia Residential and Off-Campus Housing resources, webinars, and workshops.
• Manage communication to students, facilitate move-in/move-out, approve student applications, and perform other duties as needed.
• Support training for all residential life staff for Visiting and Pre-College programs.
• Support the development of residential policies and procedures.

PERFORMS OTHER DUTIES AS ASSIGNED OR REQUESTED

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required, and 3 years of related experience.
• A resume and cover letter with salary requirements must be submitted to be considered for the position.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree preferred.
• Experience working with pre-college summer programs preferred.
• Experience working in a University or Pre-College residential life preferred.
• Teaching or training experience preferred.

Other Requirements

• Ability to work with multiple stakeholder groups in a fast-paced collaborative environment.
• Ability to take initiative and manage a variety of tasks and projects simultaneously, with impeccable attention to detail.
• Effective writing, editing, proofreading, and presentation skills; ability to write evidence-based correspondence and reports. Ability to manage budgets.
• Knowledge of advanced functions of MS Office applications (Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint).
• Knowledge of Google Suite (Docs, Sheets, Slides, and other related applications).
• Proven ability to work effectively within a collaborative team setting.
  Ability to handle confidential information in a mature, professional manner.
• Serves in an on-call capacity during the Summer Session, which takes place May-August.
• Required to live on campus from June to August.
• Significant evening and weekend work.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.