Director for Family Engagement

University of Texas at Austin

2d•$90,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Director for Family Engagement provides leadership and operational oversight for the University’s comprehensive engagement of parents and families from admission through graduation. The position leads Family Engagement and Texas Parents as a stand-alone unit within Student Life and ensures that families are informed, connected, and equipped to support student success while respecting student autonomy and privacy. The Director develops and implements the unit’s strategy for family engagement; oversees signature programs including Family Orientation and Family Weekend; directs the Texas Parents Association, membership, and philanthropic initiatives; leads family communications and resource navigation; supervises staff; manages budgets and revenue-generating operations; and builds partnerships across the University. The position collaborates closely with Longhorn Orientation, Enrollment Management, colleges and schools, University communications, development partners, and other campus units to create a coordinated and welcoming family experience.

Requirements

Master’s degree in higher education, student affairs, educational leadership, communications, business, public administration, or a related field.
At least six years of progressively responsible experience in parent and family programs, student affairs, student success, alumni or constituent engagement, advancement, enrollment management, communications, or a related area, including program or team leadership responsibility.
Demonstrated success developing strategy and leading complex, high-visibility programs or services within a large organization.
Experience supervising and developing professional staff and leading teams through change.
Experience managing substantial budgets, revenue-generating activities, contracts, or financial operations.
Exceptional written, verbal, presentation, interpersonal, and customer-service skills, including the ability to communicate effectively with families, students, senior leaders, campus partners, and external stakeholders.
Demonstrated ability to build partnerships, influence without direct authority, navigate sensitive situations, and exercise sound judgment with confidential information.
Experience using assessment, engagement, operational, or financial data to evaluate effectiveness and inform decisions.
Ability to work occasional evenings, weekends, peak periods, and University events as required.
Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Nice To Haves

Eight or more years of progressively responsible experience, including leadership of parent and family engagement or a comparable constituent-facing portfolio.
Experience at a large, complex, public research university.
Experience leading family orientation, family weekend, membership, advancement, donor stewardship, or large-scale event portfolios.
Experience overseeing a self-sustaining or auxiliary-style operation and developing diversified revenue strategies.
Knowledge of FERPA, student privacy, risk management, accessibility, records management, and other laws or policies relevant to family engagement and student affairs.
Experience with constituent relationship management, family engagement, event registration, content management, or digital communication platforms such as CampusESP.
Bilingual proficiency in English and Spanish.

Responsibilities

Establish and implement a university-wide vision and multi-year strategy for engaging parents and families across the student lifecycle, aligned with institutional priorities and Student Life goals.
Position Family Engagement as the University’s primary resource for parents and families, with a clear philosophy that helps families support student learning, belonging, well-being, persistence, and timely graduation.
Provide the Assistant Vice President and campus partners with insight on emerging parent and family needs, expectations, concerns, and trends; translate those insights into responsive programs, communications, and services.
Ensure engagement strategies are welcoming and accessible to families with varied backgrounds, locations, languages, structures, and levels of familiarity with higher education.
Provide leadership and oversight for Family Orientation, Family Weekend, Mooov-In engagement, regional gatherings, webinars, resource fairs, receptions, and other in-person and virtual opportunities that connect families to the University.
Partner with Longhorn Orientation to align Family Orientation with the new-student transition while maintaining distinct family-focused content, operations, communications, registration, and assessment.
Develop a year-round engagement calendar that responds to key moments in the student experience and provides families with timely information and meaningful opportunities for connection.
Oversee Texas Parents awards, scholarships, recognition programs, and related selection and stewardship processes, including the Outstanding Student Award, Staff Merit Award, Mike Wacker Award, and Parents’ Fund Awards.
Ensure programs reflect UT Austin traditions, high standards of hospitality, appropriate risk management, and a consistent Longhorn family experience.
Lead a comprehensive communications strategy for parents and families, including the Texas Parents and Families Portal, websites, newsletters, social media, email campaigns, presentations, and urgent or time-sensitive messages.
Ensure communications are accurate, timely, coordinated with University messaging, and designed to help families understand campus resources, policies, deadlines, and appropriate pathways for student support.
Oversee high-quality response and referral services for families navigating a complex university environment, including the escalation of sensitive, urgent, or high-profile concerns.
Represent Family Engagement as a University spokesperson and presenter for family audiences and advise campus partners on effective parent and family communication.
Direct the Texas Parents Association, the University’s official association for undergraduate parents and families, including membership strategy, benefits, retention, fulfillment, partner relations, and community-building efforts.
Provide strategic and financial oversight for a largely self-sustaining operation supported by membership gifts, program fees, brick paver gifts, sponsorships, and other earned or philanthropic revenue.
Collaborate with development and advancement partners to strengthen parent philanthropy, donor stewardship, sponsorships, endowments, and opportunities that support students and expand family engagement.
Ensure accurate gift, membership, and revenue administration; responsible stewardship of donor intent; and compliance with University financial, development, contracting, and data-management requirements.
Recruit, supervise, develop, and evaluate professional staff; establish clear priorities, performance expectations, decision rights, and a collaborative, service-oriented team culture.
Oversee unit operations, budgets, staffing plans, contracts, purchasing, technology platforms, records, facilities, event logistics, and vendor relationships.
Develop sustainable business practices, standard operating procedures, service standards, and continuity plans appropriate for a high-volume, public-facing unit.
Exercise sound judgment in managing reputational, financial, operational, privacy, and safety risks, including occasional evening, weekend, peak-period, or emergency response responsibilities.
Build and sustain partnerships with colleges and schools, Enrollment Management, Student Affairs, University Events and Experience, communications, development, athletics, safety and support services, and other campus stakeholders.
Represent Student Life on University committees and in regional and national professional networks related to parent and family engagement.
Establish learning and program outcomes; use participation, satisfaction, communication, membership, revenue, and service data to assess impact and guide resource allocation and continuous improvement.
Monitor national research, professional standards, legal requirements, technology, and emerging practices affecting parent and family engagement in higher education.
Perform other related functions as assigned.