Associate Director

CAREER OPPORTUNITY

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR/ACADEMIC COACH

Student Support Services (SSS) TRIO Program

Appointment

Staff; 100% federally grant-funded

Classification

Exempt, salaried

Salary Range

$57,000–$62,000 annually

Reports To

Executive Director, Collegiate TRIO Programs

Location

New Orleans, Louisiana

Travel

Occasional local, state, or regional

Position Overview

Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO) invites applications for the position of Associate Director/Academic Coach in the Student Support Services (SSS) TRIO Program. This student-centered professional promotes participant recruitment, retention, persistence, academic achievement, and graduation through comprehensive academic coaching, mentoring, program coordination, assessment, and continuous improvement.

Reporting to the Executive Director of Collegiate TRIO Programs, the Associate Director/Academic Coach recruits eligible SUNO students, manages an assigned caseload of approximately 100 participants, develops Individual Academic Plans, coordinates orientations and workshops, supports the guest-speaker series and Grant Aid competition, advises the Very Involved Peers student organization, manages participant data in Blumen, prepares the Annual Performance Report, and monitors progress toward federal grant objectives.

Grant-Funded Position

This position is fully funded through the federal TRIO Student Support Services Program grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Education. Continued employment is contingent upon the availability of grant funding, continuation of the program, programmatic needs, satisfactory job performance, and achievement of applicable grant objectives. The employee must comply with federal TRIO regulations, grant terms, institutional policies, documentation standards, and reporting requirements.

Key Responsibilities

• Recruit eligible SUNO students into the SSS TRIO Program through presentations, outreach, information sessions, and collaboration with faculty, staff, community partners, and other TRIO programs.
• Provide proactive, comprehensive academic coaching and advising to an assigned caseload of approximately 100 participants and complete at least four documented contacts per participant each semester.
• Develop, implement, and monitor Individual Academic Plans that establish academic goals, graduation timelines, recommended support services, and strategies for timely degree completion.
• Assess participants’ academic, personal, financial, and career-related needs; monitor early alerts, grades, transcripts, attendance, tutoring, and other indicators; and provide timely intervention and referrals.
• Educate participants about financial aid, scholarships, financial literacy, budgeting, and financial wellness, and promote participation in tutoring, workshops, leadership development, educational enrichment, graduate-school preparation, and career exploration.
• Serve as a liaison among participants and University offices, including Academic Affairs, Financial Aid, the Registrar, Disability Services, Counseling Services, Information Technology, E-Learning, Student Affairs, faculty, and academic departments.
• Maintain accurate and timely participant records in Blumen, safeguard data integrity, document services and contacts, and prepare the Annual Performance Report and other required federal and institutional reports.
• Monitor enrollment, retention, persistence, academic standing, graduation, service delivery, and grant performance objectives; identify trends and recommend corrective or continuous-improvement actions.
• Plan, coordinate, implement, and evaluate orientations, workshops, presentations, the guest-speaker series, the Grant Aid competition, and other student-success initiatives.
• Provide functional leadership, training, mentoring, and technical support to Academic Coaches and other SSS staff, and coordinate regular case-review and program-outcome meetings.
• Advise the Very Involved Peers student organization; support student leadership and engagement; serve on University committees; and represent SUNO and TRIO at meetings, conferences, and professional-development activities.
• Assume delegated operational leadership in the Executive Director’s absence and perform other related duties consistent with the role and grant objectives.

Required Qualifications

• Master’s degree from an accredited institution in counseling, education, higher education, student affairs, social work, sociology, psychology, leadership, business administration, or a related field.
• At least five years of progressively responsible experience in academic coaching, academic advising or instruction, career guidance, counseling, or student-support services in a higher-education setting.
• Demonstrated experience planning student educational activities and applying academic policies, course sequencing, and semester course loads to support retention and timely degree completion.
• Demonstrated experience using data and technology to document services, monitor student progress, assess outcomes, and support reporting requirements.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills and demonstrated ability to maintain confidentiality and collaborate across organizational levels.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with TRIO or a comparable program serving first-generation, low-income, disabled, or historically underserved students.
• Experience with Blumen or a comparable participant-management database and preparation of the TRIO Annual Performance Report.
• Experience coordinating grant-funded initiatives, student orientations, workshops, student organizations, grant-aid processes, partnerships, or strategic and operational planning.
• Participation in academic or technology-focused professional development related to student success, retention, persistence, or graduation.

Knowledge, Skills, and Professional Attributes

• Advanced knowledge of academic coaching, advising, student development, retention, persistence, and graduation strategies in higher education.
• Working knowledge of federal TRIO regulations, grant compliance, performance reporting, and the needs of first-generation, low-income, disabled, and historically underserved students.
• Ability to manage participant data, maintain accurate case documentation, evaluate program outcomes, and prepare clear federal and institutional reports.
• Knowledge of financial aid, scholarships, academic planning, course sequencing, career planning, graduate-school preparation, and campus referral resources.
• Strong leadership, facilitation, relationship-building, project-management, organizational, analytical, written, and oral communication skills.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with students, faculty, staff, senior leaders, community representatives, and program partners in a culturally responsive environment.
• Knowledge of FERPA and sound practices for protecting student and grant-related information; proficiency with Microsoft Office, student information systems, and case-management databases such as Blumen.

Work Environment and Physical Requirements

Work is primarily performed in a professional office or classroom setting with frequent interaction with students and campus partners. Participation in orientations, workshops, recruitment activities, conferences, and student events may be required, including occasional evening or weekend assignments. The employee must be able to sit, stand, walk, climb stairs, communicate verbally and in writing, use standard office equipment, and lift or carry materials weighing up to 40 pounds, with or without reasonable accommodation. Occasional local, state, or regional travel may be required.

SUNO Benefits

SUNO offers eligible employees a comprehensive benefits package that may include:

• Health insurance: through the Louisiana Office of Group Benefits (OGB). Learn more
• Retirement: through the Teachers’ Retirement System of Louisiana (TRSL). Learn more
• Dental insurance: offered through UNUM. Learn more
• Vision insurance: offered through UNUM. Learn more
• Paid time off and University holidays: for eligible positions, in accordance with University policy. Learn more

Benefit eligibility, enrollment, employee contributions, coverage, leave accrual, and retirement participation are governed by applicable plan documents, state law, University policy, appointment type, and employment eligibility.

Application Materials

Applicants should submit a letter of interest, current résumé, unofficial transcripts for all degrees awarded, and contact information for three professional references. Official transcripts and additional documentation may be required before appointment. Review of applications will continue until the position is filled.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO) is an Equal Opportunity Employer.