Associate Director, Student Persistence

Job description

The Associate Director develops, implements, and assesses interventions that address student needs and barriers to persistence and support continued enrollment and degree completion. The role analyzes students’ academic progress, engagement, resource utilization, enrollment, retention, and graduation data to identify emerging needs, understand barriers to persistence, and inform intervention priorities. Working with offices within Newcomb-Tulane College and partners across the university, the Associate Director translates findings into coordinated interventions, determines how to use or adjust resources, services, and processes to address identified needs, and manages implementation from planning through assessment. The Associate Director tracks progress and student outcomes, addresses implementation challenges, and works with partners to refine interventions as student needs evolve. The role strengthens how the Office of Student Persistence collects, documents, analyzes, and uses intervention data to inform persistence strategies and assess their effectiveness in improving students’ academic experiences and access to timely, coordinated support. It draws on existing Power BI reports and CRM data, develops and implements data-collection methods, and evaluates collection and reporting practices to ensure data accuracy, quality, and integrity.
• Demonstrated knowledge of student retention, persistence, degree progression, and data-informed student persistence practices.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze student and retention data, identify trends and patterns, and translate findings into actionable strategies and priorities.
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills with demonstrated attention to data accuracy, integrity, and detail.
• Experience developing, implementing, and assessing student persistence interventions and operational workflows.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and experience with case management and data visualization tools such as Salesforce and Power BI.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate data findings and recommendations to audiences with varying levels of data expertise.

REQUIRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:
• Master’s degree in education or a related field and a minimum of one (1) year of experience in student support or a closely related role within an educational setting,

OR
• Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of six (6 years of experience in student support or a closely related role within an educational setting.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
• Master’s Degree in Higher Education or a related field.