Assistant Director, Student Onboarding

Directly oversees all aspects of the Fall and Spring Student Onboarding experience including Opening Weekend (one of three annual institutional events, and includes the First-Year, Transfer, Parent and Family, and Commuter Student Orientation experiences. This event welcomes approximately 3,000 people to the university and welcomes back returning students to the community. Responsible for pre-arrival components to onboarding, which includes asynchronous learning modules and partnering with Parent and Family Relations for summer send offs. Responsible for the development of professional staff and student leaders. This position is highly collaborative and is expected to develop and maintain strong partnerships with colleagues across the institution. Periodically, this position may be asked to lead or contribute to either ad hoc or ongoing division/campus projects outside the scope of their day-to-day activities. The Division of Student Affairs is committed to grounding our policies, programs, and procedures in antiracist practice. With this commitment, we recognize the importance of educating ourselves and holding one another accountable to ensure that our work is approached through an equity, inclusion, and social justice lens. We recognize our need for ongoing development in this area, and continue to strive to improve. We expect that all members of the Division of Student Affairs are willing to engage in this work alongside us to uphold our Catholic mission in creating a welcoming environment where the dignity of all students, staff, administrators, and faculty at USD is embraced.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Direct Implementation of Onboarding Program Philosophy, Goals, and Objectives:

• Fall Orientation Programmatic and Administrative Work:
  • Manage program components, budget, logistics, and materials design for Olé Weekend. Responsible for the design and implementation of the four day long Opening Weekend.
  • Co-lead move-in planning and execution in partnership with the Residential Administration team.
  • Supervise and facilitate the creation and maintenance of an annual university dressing plan.
  • Confirm the program schedule and communicate it to the university community. Collaboratively delegate event component responsibility to those departments/individuals with specific roles.
  • Collaborate with and provide direction to campus partners regarding mission critical events, large scale social events, population-specific events, and complex logistics and operational needs during the orientation timeframe(s).
  • Collaborate with Student Activities and Involvement on population-specific events and initiatives, such as Out of State, and First-Generation events.
  • Initiate the planning and scheduling of complex events hosted in athletic facilities during Opening Weekend, including securing production elements and ensuring collaboration and follow-through with Athletics Operations staff.
  • Partner with the International Center on international student arrival and process. Ensure integration of program components for seamless onboarding experience.
  • Serve as liaison to parents, students, faculty, and staff regarding the Onboarding/orientation programs.
  • Supervise the recruitment, training, and performance of up to 20 student leaders and 1 student Chair to support the implementation of the fall first-year student orientation experience (OLÉ! Team).
• Summer Orientation Components:
  • Responsible for collaboration with Admissions, ITS, Learning Communities, Residential Life, Dean of Students, Risk Management, and Department of Public Safety (DPS) and others to ensure integration and implementation of the asynchronous pre-arrival orientation learning platforms. Assist New Student Programs staff in maintaining and updating the platform throughout the summer months. Communicate with the vendor and participate in contract negotiation.
  • Develop and implement the Summer Send-Off Program for first-year and transfer students in collaboration with the Office of Parent and Family Relations. Travel to sessions and co-present/lead with the Director of Parent and Family Relations.
  • Co-lead Radical Hospitality with a representative from Residential Administration.
  • Collaborate with stakeholders in Academic Affairs, Student Wellness, Changemaker Hub, Mission Integration, and The Commons to facilitate promotion of online learning courses (academics, social justice, and student wellness) over the summer months and promote the distribution of academic information.
  • Provide work direction to Catering and Facilities Management on all elements of food, set-ups, and custodial services.
  • Co-lead implementation of Torero Circle program.
• Spring Orientation Programmatic and Administrative Work:
  • Supervise the Onboarding team in designing and implementing the spring orientation program (serves 200 first-year and transfer students, and their loved ones).
  • Collaborate with Residential Education and Learning Communities to design a holistic welcoming experience in addition to the spring orientation.
  • Collaborate and co-design various Spring Orientation sessions with Parent and Family Relations
  • Collaborate with Academic Affairs to ensure clear communication and integration of the academic registration process into the orientation timeframe.
  • Co-lead implementation of Torero Circle program.
  • Responsible for co-leading move-in efforts with the Residential Administration team.
• Marketing/Branding & Communication Plans:
  • Responsible for the development, design, and implementation of New Toreros onboarding communication plans in Fall and Spring, including webinar series, mailing(s), personalized video series, New Toreros Website, and all Student Onboarding social media posts. Partners closely with Admissions, Parent and Family Relations, and University Creative services for cohesive and integrative approach in alignment with university branding.
  • Supervise development and distribution of branded materials for onboarding. Provide design and content direction to University Creative Services.
  • Supervise social media strategy to inform and engage students before orientation.
• Assessment:
  • Conduct analysis of initial assessment data and write reports; serve on the new student survey group.
  • Create and implement post-Orientation student surveys.
  • Utilize assessment data to make programmatic decisions.

Maintain Strategic Partnerships and Communication with Onboarding Stakeholders:

• Responsible for maintaining and initiating communication and collaboration with the following stakeholders, including but not limited to:
  • Information Technology Services, Student Affairs, Academic Affairs on student technologies and digital assets such as the portal, New Toreros Website, and other critical new student technology resources
  • General university community and Opening Weekend Committee on student onboarding endeavors
  • Work closely with the Residential Life and New Student Programs teams to integrate onboarding with the first year residential and learning community experience with a focus on fostering authentic relationships and sense of belonging.
  • Maintain strong collaboration and partnership with the Director of the Office of Parent and Family Relations to ensure family members and supporters participate in a robust and informative orientation experience alongside their students.
  • Initiate coordination with University Ministry, Student Support Services, and Outdoor Adventures regarding pre-orientation group arrival, promotion of programs, and overall cohesion between the programs.
• Cross-Functional Activity Based Team Leadership:
  • Serve on the Student Leader Preparation and Development Committee and/or Student Leader Recruitment and Selection committee, responsible for training content alignment with Co-Curricular Learning Outcomes and the Thriving Student Model, coordination and implementation of sessions and schedule. Includes Resident Assistants, Scholastic Assistants, Transfer Scholastic Assistants, OLE! Team, Commuter Assistants, Fraternity and Sorority Life Executive Board, and Associated Student Government Executive Board.
  • Serve as member of the Student Leader Recruitment and Selection committee, integrating recruitment efforts and competencies for multiple student leader groups.

Staff Selection, Supervision, and Professional Development:

• Responsible for the recruitment, hiring, onboarding and continual development of professional and student teams.
  • Train, develop, and supervise one graduate student staff in all areas of responsibility. Meet one-on-one on a weekly basis to provide guidance, direction, and support in carrying out responsibilities. Provide regular feedback regarding areas of strength and growth. Identify areas for additional training and development.
  • Lead regular staff meetings.
  • Supervise 4-5 student staff during peak times (May-September).
• Budget Oversight:
  • Oversees budgets totaling over $400k.
  • Maintain New Student Orientation budget, including direct reconciliation, tracking, and following through on all charges, purchases, and interdepartmental transfers.
  • Creates and presents budget reports and updates to the Director of New Student Programs, Associate Dean for Student Success, Dean of Students, and Vice President of Student Affairs on an as needed basis.
• Additional Responsibilities:
  • Be informed, knowledgeable of, and follow current University policies and procedures.
  • Maintain orientation filing system.
  • Maintain knowledge and involvement with current and emerging practices and professional associations.
  • Carry out other tasks as assigned.
  • Contribute to or lead additional divisional/campus projects outside of typical duties to help further accomplish student or organizational goals. Additional assignments may be seasonal, ad hoc, or ongoing, depending on the project.

Special Conditions of Employment:

Effective June 1, 2023, based on CDC guidance, the University strongly encourages all campus members to stay up to date with Influenza and COVID-19 vaccination recommendations.  For more regarding information USD's COVID-19 protocols, please visit sandiego.edu/onward.

Background check:  Successful completion of a pre-employment background check.

Degree Verification Requirement: Persons offered employment in this position will be required to provide official education transcripts for degree verification purposes.