Retention Coordinator

Retention Coordinator

Reconnect students. Remove barriers. Drive completion.

Indian River State College is seeking a strategic and student-focused Retention Coordinator to advance institutional goals around persistence, re-engagement, and credential completion.

In this role, you will lead targeted outreach to formerly enrolled, adult, transfer, and returning students—helping them navigate re-entry, overcome barriers, and move confidently toward graduation. You’ll supervise outreach and communication staff, strengthen admissions and re-admission processes, and collaborate across departments to ensure students experience a clear, supported pathway to completion.

This position blends counseling, operations, supervision, and data-informed strategy. If you are passionate about student success and motivated by measurable impact, this role offers the opportunity to shape both individual outcomes and institutional progress.

About Us

Indian River State College is a leading public institution located on Florida’s Treasure Coast, serving students across multiple campuses in four counties. We are dedicated to academic excellence, innovation, and community engagement, offering associate and bachelor’s degrees, workforce training, and continuing education programs.

At The River, we believe every student’s and employee’s story matters. We value the different perspectives, experiences, and talents that come together on our campuses, creating a learning environment and workplace that’s supportive, inclusive, and inspiring. With flexible options online, on campus, and hybrid, we design learning experiences that meet students where they are and prepare them for real-world success. Programs like the Promise Program open doors by providing eligible students with tuition-free access, ensuring every learner has the opportunity to thrive.

Why Join the River

When you join Indian River State College, you become part of a forward-thinking and supportive community where your work truly matters. Your role is more than a job; it’s an opportunity to shape the future, uplift students, and be part of a mission-driven college that is changing lives every day.

What We Offer

At Indian River State College, we value the well-being and professional growth of our employees. Our comprehensive benefits package includes:

· Health & Wellness: Medical, dental, vision, flexible spending accounts, life insurance, supplemental plans, and access to our Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

· Affordable Coverage: PPO/HMO options starting at just $50/month for individual coverage and $180/month for family coverage.

· Retirement Security: Participation in the Florida Retirement System (FRS), plus tax-deferred annuities and Roth 403(b) options.

· Time for You: Generous paid vacation, personal, and sick leave to support work-life balance.

· Perks & Discounts: Reduced rates on services and tickets to local attractions.

· Growth & Development: Professional development programs, leadership training, and opportunities to advance your career.

JOB SUMMARY

Under general supervision, this position advances student retention, re-engagement, and completion initiatives aligned with the College’s student success goals. The Retention Coordinator leads targeted outreach to formerly enrolled, adult, transfer, and returning students to support persistence and degree completion. Responsibilities include coordinating admissions processes for bachelor’s admission and returning students, supervising outreach and student communication staff, and collaborating with academic and administrative departments to remove barriers to continued enrollment, retention, and credential completion.

SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Student Outreach, Counseling, and Re-Engagement

• Conduct proactive outreach via phone, email, text, and other communication platforms to students who have withdrawn, stopped attending, or are at risk of non-completion.
• Provide one-on-one retention-focused counseling on program options, credit evaluation, degree pathways, and completion planning.
• Assess student readiness for re-enrollment and continued enrollment; guide students through re-entry and re-admission procedures as needed.
• Supervise and train retention support staff assisting with outreach, documentation, and student follow-up.
• Ensure timely follow-up and accurate documentation of student interactions, barriers, and interventions in CRM/SIS systems.
• Develop and maintain sustained engagement strategies that support term-to-term persistence and credential completion for returning and continuing students.

Admissions Operations, Retention, and Student Success Coordination

• Streamlines and improves the bachelor’s and transfer admissions processes both internally and externally to increase the enrollment of qualified candidates.
• Coordinates and improves returning, transfer, and bachelor’s admission processes for returning and continuing students to support retention and timely completion.
• Supports the re-admission and enrollment processes for returning, bachelor’s, and transfer students as part of a broader retention strategy.
• Guides students through institutional requirements while emphasizing academic planning, momentum, and completion timelines.
• Identifies academic, financial, and scheduling barriers that impact retention and connects students with appropriate campus resources and support services.
• Serves as a liaison among academic departments, advising, financial aid, and student services to promote coordinated retention efforts.
• Monitors student caseloads to track persistence, enrollment continuity, and progress toward completion.
• Provides coaching and training to staff on retention-centered practices, student re-engagement strategies, and institutional policies.
• Oversees daily operations of the college retention and communication office, supervising staff and student workers, ensuring timely and effective outreach, monitoring service metrics, and collaborating with academic and student support areas to address barriers impacting student persistence and completion.

Data, Reporting, and Institutional Collaboration

• Tracks returning, transfer, and bachelor’s student persistence, retention, and completion outcomes to measure progress toward institutional goals.
• Maintains accurate records of student interactions, interventions, and outcomes in CRM and SIS systems.
• Develops and analyzes reports on retention trends, stop-out recovery, returning success, and completion pathways.
• Collaborates with Institutional Research and Student Success teams to support data-informed retention strategies.
• Participates in the development and implementation of institutional re-engagement and retention initiatives.
• Explores, evaluates, and supports the responsible use of data-informed and AI-enabled tools to improve efficiency, communication, and operational effectiveness across retention and student success functions

Completes all other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS, KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited institution.
• Minimum of five (5) years’ experience in student success, retention, admissions, advising, or enrollment-related roles in a college or university setting.
• Supervisory experience or demonstrated leadership of student success, outreach, or support teams.
• Demonstrated ability to assess and track student persistence, retention, and completion efforts.
• Ability to develop, plan, and implement short- and long-range retention and student success strategies.
• Experience working with adult learners, transfer students, or returning student populations strongly preferred.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to manage sensitive student information with professionalism and confidentiality.
• Proficiency in Spanish preferred.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

This position classifies the physical exertion requirements as light work involving lifting no more than 20 pounds at a time with frequent lifting or carrying of objects weighing up to 10 pounds. Even though the weight lifted may be very little, a job is in this category when it requires a good deal of walking or standing, or when it involves sitting most of the time with some pushing and pulling of arm or leg controls. To be considered capable of performing a full or wide range of light work, you must have the ability to do substantially all of these activities. If someone can do light work, we determine that he or she can also do sedentary work, unless there are additional limiting factors such as loss of fine dexterity or inability to sit for long periods of time.

• Requires extended periods standing and walking during events.
• Work schedule may include evenings and weekends to accommodate program needs.
• Primarily office-based, but occasional outdoor work may be needed.

ADDITIONAL EXPECTATIONS:

Requirements are representative of minimum levels of knowledge, skills and/or abilities. To perform this job successfully, the employee must possess the abilities or aptitudes to perform each duty proficiently. Additionally, all employees of the College are expected to maintain professional standards of communication, able to learn and apply new technology, and abide by all policies and procedures. Continued employment remains on an “at-will” basis.

This description is intended to indicate typical kinds of tasks and levels of work difficulty that will be required of positions given this title and shall not be construed as declaring every specific duty and responsibility of the particular position. This job description is not intended to be a contract for employment, and the employer reserves the right to make any necessary revisions to the job description at any time without notice.