Manager, Student Engagement and Retention

Pepperdine University•Malibu, CA

3d•$70,304 - $77,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Manager, Student Engagement and Retention ensures a seamless and flourishing educational journey for Seaver College students by identifying and mitigating obstacles to persistence. This role acts as a strategic bridge between personalized mentorship and data-driven identification that leverages EAB Navigate and other resources to initiate proactive outreach. By coordinating across campus departments—including the Student Success Center, Student Care Team, Academic Advising, the Office of Financial Assistance, Office of International Student Services, Office of Student Accessibility, Athletics, and Career Center—the Student Continuity Manager seeks to ensure that every student has a clear, supported, and financially viable path toward graduation.

Requirements

Master’s degree in Higher Education, Counseling, Business, or related field.
3 years of experience in student affairs, success coaching, advising, or academic administration.
Expertise in proactive, time-sensitive student outreach.
Ability to mentor students on personal financial management and budgeting.
Experience in managing re-enrollment pipelines and persistence data.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, including ability to design complex spreadsheets.

Nice To Haves

5 years of experience in student affairs, success coaching, advising, or academic administration.
Experience managing retention efforts in a university context.
Professional certification from NACADA (Global Community for Academic Advising) or a recognized coaching body (e.g., ICF).
Demonstrated success in "closing the loop" with faculty, academic departments, and other internal partners on student success initiatives.
Experience in data analytics.
Proficiency with EAB Navigate, PeopleSoft.

Responsibilities

Use data from EAB Navigate and other tools consistently, and in partnership with the college's data analyst, to identify students at risk and evaluate barriers to persistence. Initiate outreach to students who demonstrate signs of disconnection, developing personalized persistence plans and coordinating high-touch interventions with the Student Success Center (SSC), Counseling Center, Student Care Team, Advising, Office of Student Accessibility, and Financial Assistance. As relevant, provide coaching and guidance on life skills such as budgeting and financial literacy. Oversee implementation and distribution of retention scholarships in partnership with the Office of Financial Aid.
Partner with the Career Center to develop tangible milestones (internships, research, certifications) that link the liberal arts curriculum to professional outcomes, reinforcing the value of the Seaver degree. Partner with academic divisions to develop and implement continuity strategies related to students' post-college goals and long-term success.
Synthesize and analyze data from Housing and Residential Life (HRL), Athletics, the Office of International Student Services (OISS), and the Office of Institutional Research (OIE) into a cohesive persistence framework to identify trends and inform retention strategies. Lead a retention team/committee. Serve as the primary liaison to faculty who have referred students at risk, ensuring communication and appropriate follow-up, within FERPA guidelines, when a student alert has been successfully addressed.
Design and lead campaigns to re-engage students who have taken an unofficial leave of absence or failed to register for the subsequent term, facilitating their return to the college. Assess patterns and barriers associated with stop-out behavior and partner with SSC's existing academic recovery programs to support student re-enrollment and success.
Coordinate with Business Services, Registrar, RLO, and academic divisions to identify and address operational or curricular friction points. Act as a secondary anchor for international students and athletes during critical transition periods. Communicate value propositions to parents/guardians.
Perform other duties as assigned.
Uphold University mission through work performed.