Specialist, First-Year Student Success

Yavapai College•Prescott, AZ

6d•Onsite

About The Position

This is a grant-funded position that provides specialized program, administrative, data, and student-service support for approved first-year student success and Title III activities. The Specialist coordinates assigned program components, maintains accurate records, supports outreach and events, monitors routine timelines and transactions, compiles data for reports, and responds to questions from students and campus partners. The position exercises independent judgment in organizing assigned work and resolving routine operational issues, while significant program, fiscal, compliance, personnel, and strategic decisions remain with the Director and designated College leadership.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in Higher Education, Student Affairs, Counseling, Education, Psychology, Social Work, or a related field or combination of associate degree and minimum of three years of higher education experience in Student Affairs.
Minimum of two years of related experience in student services, higher education, program support, grant-supported activities, administrative coordination, records, outreach, or a related area.
Experience maintaining records, coordinating activities or events, supporting students or customers, and using spreadsheets, databases, or information systems.
Experience working with multiple deadlines and stakeholders.
Working knowledge of student support, program coordination, recordkeeping, customer service, and office practices.
Ability to interpret and apply established policies, procedures, grant requirements, schedules, and approved plans to assigned work.
Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, follow-through, and ability to manage multiple priorities.
Ability to compile and review data, maintain accurate tracking tools, and prepare routine reports and presentations.
Effective written, verbal, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills.
Ability to work independently within established guidelines and recognize when an issue requires escalation.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and ability to learn College, student-information, reporting, and grant-management systems.
Ability to maintain confidentiality, exercise sound judgment, and work effectively with diverse students, employees, and community partners.
Regular attendance is an essential job function demonstrating dependability in the performance of assigned duties.

Nice To Haves

Experience in a community college or higher education environment.
Experience supporting a federally funded grant, educational program, orientation, first-year experience, retention, or student-engagement initiative.
Experience with student information systems, customer relationship management systems, reporting tools, or program assessment.
Experience facilitating workshops, presentations, or outreach activities.

Responsibilities

Coordinate assigned activities, schedules, task lists, communications, and routine deliverables for first-year student success and Title III programs.
Maintain calendars, meeting materials, agendas, minutes, action-item logs, program files, and implementation records.
Follow up with assigned participants and campus partners regarding deadlines, documentation, events, and approved project activities.
Identify routine workflow issues, apply established procedures, and refer non-routine concerns to the Director.
Support orientation, transition, engagement, retention, academic-success, career-exploration, financial-literacy, AI-literacy, wellness, and related approved programming.
Provide students with accurate information about program activities, eligibility, schedules, resources, and referral options.
Coordinate logistics for workshops, trainings, outreach activities, events, and student communications.
Maintain professional, service-focused relationships with students and support access to appropriate College resources.
Maintain organized documentation of assigned activities, participation, purchases, outcomes, and supporting records in accordance with established requirements.
Apply approved grant procedures and documentation standards to assigned work and notify the Director of missing, inconsistent, or potentially noncompliant information.
Assist with assembling supporting materials for annual performance reports, monitoring, audits, closeout activities, and routine information requests.
Provide procedural guidance to participants on established forms, deadlines, and documentation expectations.
Enter, verify, track, and compile program data related to participation, services, milestones, activities, and outcomes.
Maintain spreadsheets, databases, dashboards, or other tracking tools and produce routine summaries and status reports.
Review information for accuracy and completeness, identify discrepancies or trends, and elevate significant concerns.
Support data collection and reporting for the Annual Performance Report and other approved evaluation activities in collaboration with the Director, Institutional Research, and project partners.
Initiate and track approved purchases, reimbursements, travel, contracts, equipment requests, and other routine transactions in accordance with College procedures.
Maintain purchase documentation and routine budget-tracking records for assigned activities.
Compare transactions with approved categories and supporting records and refer variances or questions to the Director or Finance.
Assist with expenditure summaries, reconciliations, inventory records, and documentation needed for review.
Serve as a knowledgeable point of contact for routine program questions from students, faculty, staff, vendors, and community partners.
Develop and distribute approved informational materials, reminders, presentations, and program communications.
Collaborate with Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Enrollment Services, Advising, Institutional Research, Finance, and other participating departments.
Participate in meetings, work groups, training sessions, and outreach activities as assigned.
Perform other related duties as assigned in support of first-year student success, Title III activities, and College operations.