Assistant Director of Student Onboarding

5431

In the Catholic tradition the Student Affairs Division strives to create an inclusive educational environment which motivates and supports student learning and personal development serves the University community and inspires students to make a positive contribution to society. Our philosophy and approach is to collaboratively work with Academic Affairs and all areas of the University to create an integrated learning environment.

The Student Affairs Division is a dynamic student centered and learning organization. We are poised to create a vibrant and active co-curricular learning experience for all students. Our emphasis on leadership development and social change allows us to work on developing future ethical leaders to serve in a complex global and changing world. We are committed to fostering a sense of belonging and continuously building toward a just welcoming and caring community for all.

The University of San Diego an engaged and contemporary Catholic institution was founded by the Diocese of San Diego and the Society of the Sacred Heart in 1949. Governed by an independent board of trustees since 1972 USD remains committed to a liberal arts education grounded in the Catholic intellectual tradition and the pursuit of truth goodness and beauty. Inspired by this centuries old tradition of Catholic higher education the University welcomes people of all faith traditions and any or no religious background. The future success of USD relies on the contributions of those who seek to foster the development of engaged global citizens and an earnest confrontation of humanitys urgent challenges.

This recruitment is open to current University of San Diego employees only. Only current USD employees are eligible to apply and be considered for this position.

Directly oversees all aspects of the Fall and Spring Student Onboarding experience including OLÉ! Weekend one of three annual institutional events which includes the First-Year Transfer Parent and Family and Commuter Student Orientation experiences. This event welcomes approximately 3000 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 OLÉ! 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 OLÉ! 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. ix) Serve as liaison to parents students faculty and staff regarding the Onboarding/orientation programs.

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.
• Assist with the implementation of 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
• Assist with Radical Hospitality initiative with a representative from Residential Administration.
• Collaborate with stakeholders including but not limited to Academic Affairs Student Wellness Public Safety 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

Spring Orientation Programmatic and Administrative Work

• 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.
• Assist with the implementation of 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
• Assist with Radical Hospitality initiative with a representative from Residential Administration.
• Collaborate with stakeholders including but not limited to Academic Affairs Student Wellness Public Safety 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

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 OLÉ! 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 Senior 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 Black Student Resource Commons 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 Recruitment andTraining Committee content alignment with Co-Curricular Learning Outcomes and the Thriving Student Model coordination and implementation of sessions and schedule. Includes Resident Assistants Scholastic Assistants OLE! Team and Commuter Assistants.

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 professional staff member 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.
• Attend and support regular staff meetings.
• Supervise 2-4 student staff during peak times (May-September)

Budget Oversight

• Responsible for the recruitment hiring onboarding and continual development of professional and student teams.
• 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.

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.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelors degree required. Masters degree in student affairs counseling or related field preferred. A bachelors degree and one additional year of work experience may substitute for the Masters degree at the rate of one year of work experience is equivalent to two years of experience.
• Two years experience coordinating large scale events in a higher education setting required.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in new student orientation and/or programs strongly preferred.

Performance Expectations- Knowledge Skills andAbilities:

• Excellent communication skills; possess the ability to expertly communicate in writing.
• Excellent computer skills in Microsoft Office (all applications) website maintenance and Google Suite preferred.
• Ability to learn and use CMS Cascade web design Banner Noetix MySanDiego Portal and other systems as they are implemented.
• Ability to work effectively with faculty staff students and parents.
• Ability to apply various organizational skills in order to prioritize workload effectively satisfy deadlines under time pressure and work on multiple concurrent tasks.
• Is flexible and composed in a versatile work environment with evolving work situations.
• Ability to work collaboratively with all offices performing duties essential to the achievement of delivering an excellent new student orientation experience.
• Establish and maintain strong working relationships with faculty staff administrators students and families.
• Possess thorough knowledge of general office practices and procedures and very good business English and proofreading skills.
• Assume responsibility address problems and exercise independent judgment when making decisions and interacting with diverse personalities and populations.
• Ability to develop and use empathic listening skills communicate with clarity and maintain an attitude that conveys respect assistance honesty and resourcefulness.
• Ability to travel during summer months to support the Summer Send Off program in collaboration with Parent Relations.
• Possess thorough working knowledge of diversity equity and inclusion concepts and applies them to supervisory advisory and programmatic efforts.
• Familiarity with Catholic higher education and willingness to support the Catholic mission and vision of the University.

$5858.67 - $6050.00 per month; Excellent Benefits

The University of San Diego offers a very competitive benefits package including; medical dental vision a retirement contribution given to you by the University and access to on-campus Fitness Centers. Please visit the benefits section of our website to view all of the perks and benefits that USD has to offer.USD: Human Resources: Benefits

The salary range provided in this posting reflects what we reasonably expect to pay for this position. Actual compensation offered or earned is dependent on experience education and other factors including departmental budget.

Click the Apply Now button to complete our online addition please upload a cover letter and resume to your application profile for the hiring managers review. If you have any questions or difficulties please contact the Employment Services Team at

Hours: 37.5 hours per week

Closing date:December 22 2025

Note: External job postings will be up for at least three days. After that time applications will be reviewed by the hiring manager/committee throughout the posting period. A candidate may be selected at any time which could then close this posting on a date earlier than listed.

The University of San Diego is a smoking and tobacco-free campus. For more information visit Experience:

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