Assistant Director of First-Year Orientation & Family Engagement - Division of Student Affairs

Carnegie Mellon University•Pittsburgh, PA

About The Position

Carnegie Mellon University is seeking an Assistant Director of First-Year Orientation and Family Engagement within the Division of Student Affairs. The role develops and enhances the university’s relationships with incoming undergraduate students and their families. It coordinates transition programming, including the nine-day First-Year Orientation program supporting students’ intellectual, social, emotional, and cultural transition to campus, and contributes to family engagement programs that foster meaningful connections between families and the university community. The Assistant Director reports to and works under the strategic direction of the Associate Dean for First-Year Orientation and Family Engagement. The position plans and assesses orientation programming, supports related logistics, helps deliver family programs, manages a program budget, leads and develops student leaders, coordinates communications and distance education, and contributes to program assessment. The role also requires ongoing professional development in higher education, student development, orientation and transition programs, and family engagement. The position is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Applications received by November 6, 2026 will receive priority consideration. A pre-employment background check is required. Applicants must already be legally authorized to work in the United States; CMU will not sponsor an employment visa for this opportunity.

Requirements

Earned master’s degree in Higher Education, Student Affairs, or a related field.
Three to five years of experience working in higher education.
A combination of education and relevant experience demonstrating comparable knowledge may be considered.
Successful completion of a pre-employment background check.
Must be currently legally authorized to work in the United States; CMU will not sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa for this opportunity.

Nice To Haves

Experience working in Orientation, Transition, and Retention (OTR) programs in a college or university setting.
Experience in programmatic assessment, research methodologies, and data-driven decision-making.
Experience providing supervision or advisement to student leaders or employees.
Strong fiscal management skills and experience managing programmatic budgets.

Responsibilities

Work with university stakeholders and partners to design and implement First-Year Orientation, with a focus on curriculum design, student learning, and assessment.
Coordinate program logistics with university stakeholders and administrative support staff, including space reservations and allocation, dining, campus facilities, media, and audiovisual needs.
Assist with planning and implementing family engagement programs and initiatives, including Family Weekend and the Tartan Family Webinar Series.
Develop and steward an annual programmatic budget under the Associate Dean’s direction.
Lead recruitment and supervision of a team of more than 150 student leaders, including Head Orientation Counselors, Orientation Leaders, and Orientation Counselors.
Design and implement training and development for First-Year Orientation student leaders, covering leadership, teamwork, college transition, small-group facilitation, and conflict resolution.
Assist with recruiting and training family student ambassadors for signature family engagement programs.
Work with University Marketing and Communications and third-party vendors to develop departmental marketing and branding materials, including program logos, signage, apparel, and a mobile app.
Partner with University Marketing and Communications and Student Affairs Marketing and Communications to create a regular social media coverage schedule for orientation and family engagement programs.
Lead distance education for incoming undergraduate students, including websites, webinars, event livestreaming, social networking, and other emerging technologies.
Develop and implement an assessment agenda for the First-Year Orientation program and student leader learning, under the direction of the Associate Dean and the Director of Institutional Research and Analysis.
Stay current on best practices in higher education, student development, orientation and transition program management, and family engagement through professional associations, research, and publications.
Perform other duties as assigned.