Executive Director of the Student Academic Success Center - Office of the Provost

Carnegie Mellon University•Pittsburgh, PA

5d•Onsite

About The Position

The Executive Director of the Student Academic Success Center provides strategic vision and operational leadership for comprehensive programs that advance undergraduate and graduate student learning, equitable access to education, persistence, and academic success. Reporting to the Senior Associate Vice Provost for Academic Engagement and Student Success, the Executive Director leads a multidisciplinary team, aligns resources and services with institutional priorities, and uses evidence-based practices and assessment to drive continuous improvement. The Success Center provides learning support, communication and language support, disability resources, and persistence and success services. Its programs serve students through tutoring, supplemental instruction, success coaching, communication and language development, disability accommodations and coaching, and individualized persistence outreach. The Executive Director cultivates an inclusive, student-centered environment grounded in equity-minded, asset-oriented, and data-informed practices, and fosters team accountability, trust, collaboration, and professional growth. The role oversees program operations, staffing, budgets, resource allocation, assessment, and infrastructure improvements. It also collaborates with university leaders and campus partners to develop evidence-based approaches to education and learning, including approaches involving AI, supports professional learning for the advising community, and oversees workshops, presentations, and orientations for internal and external audiences.

Requirements

Master’s degree in higher education administration, counseling, or a related field, with deep knowledge of student development and learning theory; comparable knowledge gained through a combination of education and meaningful experience may be considered.
Seven years of progressive professional staff supervisory experience in academic support, advising, or student support services.
Experience creating a student-centered vision and aligning a higher education department around it to deliver academic support and service to students.
Experience researching, benchmarking, and strategically implementing best practices in academic support.
Current knowledge of and adherence to legislation and policies related to student support, including ADA/504-mandated post-secondary academic services for students with disabilities.
Demonstrated advocacy for and delivery of academic and retention outcomes for diverse undergraduate and graduate student populations, including international, low-income, first-generation, and students with diverse learning needs and abilities.
Ability to communicate effectively in writing and orally with students, parents, campus partners, and senior-level audiences.
Experience with teaching and/or instructional design for university-level students.
Demonstrated experience designing and assessing support programs.
Experience creating and managing an operational budget of $2.5 million.
Must be currently legally authorized to work for Carnegie Mellon University in the United States; the university is not a qualifying employer for the STEM OPT benefit.

Responsibilities

Cultivate, oversee, and monitor comprehensive academic support programs for undergraduate and graduate students across learning support, communication and language support, disability resources, and persistence and success.
Lead course-aligned and skill-based tutoring, supplemental instruction, and success coaching programs, including oversight of more than 150 student staff serving over 10,000 sessions annually.
Oversee communication and language support programs, including services for multilingual learners and approximately 25–30 student staff.
Oversee disability resources and services, including academic and housing accommodations, coaching, and other programming.
Oversee individualized persistence and success support, particularly for students on leave or academic action.
Supervise, coach, and foster collaboration across four director-level direct reports, one associate director, 15 additional staff, and approximately 200 student workers.
Provide strategic direction for operations, including administrative support, human resources processes, budget execution, and daily team functions.
Set priorities in collaboration with the Senior Associate Vice Provost, establish effective procedures, and guide infrastructure improvements.
Advocate for and direct resource allocation, including creation and management of the Center’s budget.
Review student retention data and other learning outcomes, revise academic support programs as needed, and implement strategies to improve student learning success.
Collaborate with the Senior Associate Vice Provost and campus partners to innovate around education and learning techniques and strategies, including AI, using evidence-based research and practices.
Support the advising community through professional learning and awareness of current legal and policy developments.
Oversee workshops, presentations, and orientations about student academic support for internal and external audiences.