SOAR Senior Associate Director

The Student Opportunities and Achievement Resources (SOAR) Program is a program within the Office for Inclusion and Diversity. The Senior Associate Director reports directly to the Assistant Provost for Diversity and Inclusion. The Senior Associate Director will provide coordination and support for marginalized and underrepresented and underserved populations, through robust partnerships with Enrollment Management, Financial Aid, Undergraduate Academic Affairs, and Student Affairs.

This position has three main focus areas: assessment, coaching, and outreach.

The Senior Associate Director will be responsible for coordinating unit assessment efforts, with the Assistant Provost of Diversity and Inclusion. The Senior Associate Director, will serve as the unit’s Navigate manager. In this role, the person is responsible for coordination, development, and implementation of formal and informal assessment of SOAR. The position will be responsible for creating reports of individual and collective team data.

This position will have supervisory responsibility for the direct oversight of two Assistant Directors, that are full-time staff positions.

The Senior Associate Director will serve as a Coach, partnering with academic units across campus. In the coaching aspect of this position the Senior Associate Director will meet with underrepresented students to help support their personal, professional, and academic success. The Senior Associate Director will be responsible for ensuring referrals are tracked and closed in a timely manner.

The Senior Associate Director will be responsible to promote the visibility of SOAR and coordinate communication outreach. This position will design and provide resources that enhance students personal, academic, and social identity development with a comprehensive lens on historically marginalized populations.

This person will collaborate with other campus partners to create resources, programs, and services to address the intersectional nature of identities and support student’s academic achievement.

The Senior Associate Director will also work in concert with the Assistant Provost for Diversity and Inclusion to coordinate and facilitate the Black College Institute.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Assist in creation and development of the SOAR Program resources and offerings, focusing on coordinating efforts across departments to promote student success, broadly defined for underrepresented and underserved students.


Partner with the colleges to the Career Center, the Academic Support Center, the Cultural and Community Centers, and Student Affairs to ensure coordination and collaboration related to underrepresented student success.

Assist in the development of annual and long-range goals, reporting, and assessment of SOAR programmatic efforts.

Performs other duties as assigned.

Master’s degree required. Extensive experience working with underrepresented and underserved students. Experience in community development and program management with a demonstrated knowledge and understanding of race/ethnicity/class, college access issues.

Demonstrated ability to plan and implement educational and informational programs in a diverse cultural environment.

Strong interpersonal skills in order to communicate and collaborate effectively with a broad range of constituencies including students, staff, and faculty.

Have a working knowledge of student development theory, social justice training and diversity education.
Advanced computer skills involving databases, spreadsheets, word processing, web based interactive communications, social media and/or other applications utilizing software applicable to function.

Understanding of complex organizational structures, including student success. Experience in building professional partnerships with university departments, student groups, and community partners.

Master’s Degree or significant coursework in Higher Education Administration, Counseling, Psychology, Social Work, or related fields. Prior experience working with Navigate, financial aid, banner, and other student progress monitoring software.

Experience working in the Navigate platform a plus.

Familiarity with available campus and community resources and help students navigate these resources.

Appointment Type

Regular

Review Date

12/19/2022

The successful candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check.

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech pushes the boundaries of knowledge by taking a hands-on, transdisciplinary approach to preparing scholars to be leaders and problem-solvers. A comprehensive land-grant institution that enhances the quality of life in Virginia and throughout the world, Virginia Tech is an inclusive community dedicated to knowledge, discovery, and creativity. The university offers more than 280 majors to a diverse enrollment of more than 36,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students in eight undergraduate colleges, a school of medicine, a veterinary medicine college, Graduate School, and Honors College. The university has a significant presence across Virginia, including the Innovation Campus in Northern Virginia; the Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke; sites in Newport News and Richmond; and numerous Extension offices and research centers. A leading global research institution, Virginia Tech conducts more than $500 million in research annually.