Director of Student Support Services

EDvance•Sf, CA

1d•Remote

About The Position

EDvance College is a nonprofit, accredited institution of higher education built for and by the early education workforce. We reimagine higher education so it works for working educators and strengthens outcomes for children, families, and communities. Our mission is to empower the early education workforce to learn, transform, and lead through reflective, practice-based higher education. Through accessible, earn-and-learn degree pathways, we support educators to earn their degrees, advance in the field, and lead change in their communities. Our model is grounded in real classrooms and designed around the realities of working adults. We combine practice-based coursework, high-touch support, and strong employer partnerships to remove traditional barriers to higher education and connect learning directly to practice. At EDvance, our students are both earners and learners - working professionals earning their degrees while employed full time in the field. Their work is the primary site of their learning, and our systems, policies, and student services are designed around that reality: Students balance work and school daily - deadlines and policies reflect that. Supports connect to students' roles rather than competing with them. Services build on the expertise students already bring to their practice. Access is non-negotiable: evening availability and plain-language communication are essential. As EDvance continues to grow, we are moving from a start-up institution into a more scaled and integrated model. This means building stronger systems and deepening alignment across teams to expand our reach. This Director will bring a keen eye to what it will take to scale and maintain the strong student belonging, retention, and graduation rates we've worked hard to build, ensuring we stay grounded in the relationships and student-centered approach that define our work. We are looking for team members who are deeply committed to educators, can lead and are open to change, and motivated to build and refine systems that support student success at scale.

Requirements

Eight (8) or more years of progressive experience in student services, student affairs, or adjacent roles in higher education, workforce development, or mission-driven nonprofits with five (5) years management experience.
Bachelor's degree required; Master's preferred in education, social work, counseling, higher education leadership, or a related field. Seven or more years of relevant experience will be considered in lieu of a Master's.
Demonstrated experience designing and launching new programs, departments, or systems from the ground up.
Working knowledge of Title IV, Title IX, and ADA requirements as they intersect with student services.
Demonstrated understanding of adult learners and the realities of supporting working students.
Experience with student information systems, CRM platforms, and data-informed decision-making.
Demonstrated ability to supervise and develop staff, or readiness to do so as the team grows.

Nice To Haves

Experience working with first-generation students, working adults, or historically underrepresented populations.
Experience building or scaling early alert systems and case management workflows.
Familiarity with EOPS, TRIO, Promise programs, or comparable embedded support models.
Experience with earner/learner program design, competency-based education, or workforce-aligned higher education models.
Background in early childhood education, workforce development, or community college systems.
Fluent in a language other than English, particularly Spanish.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute a multi-year Student Support Services strategy aligned with EDvance's earner/learner model and graduate outcome goals, including a future-state alumni strategy.
Stand up a re-designed Student Support Services department as a distinct yet highly connected area, designing systems, policies, and partnerships that scale from solo operator to full team.
Evaluate the current systems - including early alert system, Student Support and Stabilization plans, and Academic and Writing Coach models - and determine how to scale what is working.
Coordinate with Admissions, Workforce, Financial Aid, Early Childhood Studies, and (eventually) career development to ensure smooth guidance for students between departments.
In partnership with the Early Childhood Studies Department and the Registrar, evaluate which responsibilities currently held within Student Support Services more appropriately belong elsewhere (e.g., cohort and section designation), and lead clean handoffs.
Hire, supervise, and develop Student Services staff as the department grows.
Design an experience that reflects who EDvance students are and prepares them for a competency-based, workforce-aligned model.
Build an advising and coaching model that treats students as adults with goals and expertise, designing supports that build agency rather than dependency. Partner with the Early Childhood Studies Department to align Academic and Writing Coaches with the broader student support ecosystem.
Design the workflows, escalation paths, and documentation that allow EDvance to catch students early and intervene meaningfully, including clear routing for student questions during transitions, leave periods, and institutional breaks so that no student inquiry falls into a gap.
Oversee the development and delivery of student-facing workshops, learning resources, and supplementary supports - including Google Workspace orientation, financial wellness sessions in partnership with Trust Plus, and the plain-language tech support students need to navigate the tools required for success.
In collaboration with Institutional Effectiveness, lead the design, implementation, and evaluation of pilots (e.g., remote enrollment, pre-sessional language programs, alternative leave pathways), and translate successful pilots into institutional policy and practice.
Partner with the Early Childhood Studies Department and faculty to strengthen the cohort experience as a core driver of student persistence, designing supports that build community, peer connection, and a sense of belonging across the student journey.
Partner closely with faculty as the first point of contact for students, building shared workflows, referral pathways, and feedback loops that allow Student Support Services and Early Childhood Studies Department to support students seamlessly together.
Oversee the planning and implementation of graduation, designing a meaningful culminating experience that honors students' achievements and serves as a bridge to alumni engagement.
Oversee the strategic selection and management of vendors for financial literacy (Trust Plus), mental health, and disability programs. Responsible for the entire lifecycle of these partnerships, encompassing vendor evaluation, contract negotiation, and rigorous budget oversight to ensure service excellence.
Build referral networks for food, housing, childcare, transportation, and other basic needs that affect adult learner persistence.
Translate the underlying principles of EOPS, TRIO, and similar embedded support models into EDvance's earner/learner context.
Manage the Student Intranet site, including content, page architecture, and ongoing updates across student-facing and Early Childhood Studies pages.
Own end-to-end production of the monthly Student Newsletter via Mailchimp, coordinating with the departments to surface stipend information, partnerships, and events.
Partner with the implementation team to map current Student Support Services workflows (early alert, contact logs, dashboards, communications) into the new SIS, identify automation opportunities, and ensure the function is well-positioned in the new system.
Own (or, where appropriate, delegate and oversee) student-facing technology troubleshooting, including Google Workspace account access, two-step verification, Canvas access, and password resets, in coordination with the institution's super-admin.
Maintain a clear rationale for which roles hold which admin permissions across systems (Canvas, Google Workspace, Element 451), in service of clean role boundaries and scalable operations.
Ensure student-facing materials, communications, and supports are available in the languages students need. For students in EDvance's Spanish-language pathway, this includes operating a parallel Spanish-language student success function - including bilingual case management, workshops, communications, and faculty partnership - at full parity with the English-language program.
Own EDvance's accommodations process in partnership with contracted providers, ensuring timely and confidential access.
Coordinate Title IX and student grievance processes with designated institutional officers, ensuring clear pathways and due process.
Build Student Services systems and documentation that align with Title IV requirements and hold up to federal audit.
Develop Student Services policies that are clear, equitable, and scalable.
Oversee and scale the existing early alert system to meet the needs of a growing student population.
Design dashboards and reports that surface student risk early and translate data into action.
Build structures and processes to gather, surface, and act on student feedback, ensuring that Student Services design reflects the expertise and lived experience of EDvance's earner/learner students.
Steward EDvance's strong student success and belonging data, using it to inform department strategy.
As Student Services scales, design an alumni strategy that keeps graduates connected to EDvance, to one another, and to the ECE field, and that surfaces outcome stories elevating EDvance's graduates.