Assistant Dean of Student Success

About Pacific Oaks College and Children's School

Pacific Oaks College and Children's School, located in Pasadena, California, is a nonprofit institution rooted in Quaker values and a strong social justice heritage. The College offers bachelor’s, master’s, a doctorate, and certificate programs in education, human development, counseling, and related fields, while the Children’s School is internationally recognized for its pioneering work in anti-bias education, emergent curriculum, and peaceful conflict resolution. Together, they foster inclusive, culturally responsive learning environments that honor the unique potential of every individual. Employees join a mission-driven community committed to respect, diversity, social justice, and lifelong learning.

About the Department

The Division of Student Affairs advances student success by integrating student support services, engagement initiatives, and operational coordination within a cohesive, student-centered framework. The department provides leadership for student advocacy, engagement, retention, and development while ensuring effective administration of divisional operations, assessment, communication, compliance, and cross-functional collaboration. Through strategic partnerships with Academic Affairs, Admissions, Finance, internal and external partners, Student Affairs works to create an inclusive and supportive environment that promotes student achievement, belonging, persistence, and overall success while supporting the efficient delivery of services and institutional goals.

About the Position

The Assistant Dean of Student Success provides leadership, oversight, and coordination for student success, retention, persistence, and engagement initiatives across Pacific Oaks College. Reporting directly to the Dean of Student Affairs, the position serves as the primary operational leader for student success efforts, ensuring students receive proactive, coordinated, and student-centered support throughout their educational journey.

In coordination with the Dean of Student Affairs, the Assistant Dean of Student Success oversees the day-to-day delivery of student support services and works closely with other Student Services and Systems departments to promote student achievement. The position focuses on removing barriers to persistence and degree completion while serving as the operational designee for the Dean of Student Affairs on divisional initiatives, assessment, and cross-functional strategy.

Responsibilities

• Lead the implementation and operational management of institutional retention initiatives across all student populations and learning modalities.
• Supervise and develop advising and success management to ensure consistent service standards and the achievement of institutional departmental goals.
• Monitor and analyze student success data to identify trends and develop data-informed recommendations for strategic institutional planning.
• Collaborate with student care and support management to oversee complex case management and coordinated interventions for students facing multifaceted challenges.
• Partner with campus stakeholders in Academic Affairs, Financial Aid, and Enrollment Services to resolve systemic barriers to student achievement.
• Manage the administration of student conduct processes and institutional compliance requirements as directed by the Dean of Student Affairs.
• Drive continuous process improvement by evaluating service delivery models and workflows to enhance the overall student experience and operational efficiency.

Note: While this list captures the core focus of the position, we look forward to sharing the full scope of responsibilities with finalists during our interview stages.

Minimum Qualifications

• Master’s degree from an accredited college or university in Student Affairs, Higher Education Administration, Education, or a related field.
• Seven (7) years of progressive management experience in student services, student affairs, student advising/coaching, or higher education administration.
• Two (2) years of experience in a high-contact customer service or student support environment.
• Experience implementing student success interventions and retention strategies, particularly related to first-generation students, adult, and online learners.
• Demonstrated experience supervising college professional staff.
• Experience utilizing student information technologies, early alert systems, and student outcome data.

Preferred Qualifications

• 10 years of progressive management experience in college student services.
• Experience leading student retention and persistence initiatives.
• Experience in online, hybrid, and nontraditional higher education environments.
• Experience developing and implementing data-informed student success strategies.
• Experience working collaboratively with financial aid, registrar, advising, and other college departments to identify and resolve student barriers to persistence and degree completion.
• Experience with student conduct processes and/or student case management approaches.

Location

This position requires the employee to work at the designated campus location and may occasionally require night or weekend hours depending on operational needs.

Anticipated Salary

The hiring range for this position is $88,000 to $113,000, consummate with qualifications and experience.

Compensation & Benefits

This opportunity is budgeted at $81,280.00-89,335.00 base compensation. Additional compensation factors may impact total compensation. To learn more about our competitive benefits and additional rewards, including generous paid time-off, medical and dental insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, retirement plan with employer contribution, multiple flexible spending accounts, tuition reimbursement, click the link below.

https://www.pacificoaks.edu/about/careers-pacific-oaks/

Pacific Oaks is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Pacific Oaks participates in E-Verify and verifies identity and employment eligibility of all persons hired.