Associate Director, Specialized Support Initiatives [CAMPUS ONLY Recruitment]

This is a CAMPUS ONLY recruitment. Only current employees, or former employees with current Preferential Rehire rights will be considered for this position. Former employees with Preferential Rehire rights should apply through the external candidate gateway and identify themselves as such in their application to be considered for this position.

Current UCSC employees must apply to the job posting in the Internal Candidate Gateway. You can access the internal job posting at the link below:

https://ucpath.universityofcalifornia.edu/peoplesoft-native/EMPLOYEE/HRMS/c/HRS_HRAM_EMP.HRS_APP_SCHJOB.GBL?Page=HRS_APP_JBPST&Action=U&FOCUS=Employee&SiteId=12&JobOpeningId=66276&PostingSeq=1

If you are a current UCSC employee and apply through the External Candidate Gateway, you will not be considered for this position.

HOW TO APPLY

For full consideration, applicants should attach their resume and cover letter when applying for a job opening. For guidance related to the application process or if you are experiencing difficulties when applying, please review the Applicant Resources on our website.

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INITIAL REVIEW DATE (IRD)

UC Santa Cruz jobs are posted until filled. All application materials submitted by 11:59 pm on the IRD will be routed to the hiring team for consideration. NOTE: Applicants who miss the IRD are still encouraged to apply; their materials will still be forwarded for consideration if requested by the hiring team. Application materials cannot be accepted outside of the jobs portal. Applications cannot be edited on an applicant's behalf. For more information about the IRD and the applicant review process, view this link.

The IRD for this job is: 09-07-2026

ABOUT UC SANTA CRUZ

UC Santa Cruz is a public university like no other in California, combining the experience of a small, liberal arts college with the depth and rigor of a major research university. It's known as an unconventional place where innovation and experimentation is part of the campus's DNA. That playful, bold spirit still thrives today, all on a campus renowned as among the most beautiful in the world.

DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW

The Division of Student Affairs and Success (DSAS), led by the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Success, consists of nearly 800 professional staff and 2100 student staff spanning five major units. Deeply devoted to offering students a transformational educational experience, our division provides campus-wide coordination and leadership of student success programs, activities, and initiatives.

DSAS also does their work through a range of resource centers dedicated to providing direct student support. Work is grounded in educational equity, institutional responsibility, and an unfettered commitment to supporting the whole student. DSAS aspires to ensure every student feels welcome, supported, and a sense of belonging during their time on campus. Efforts are informed by robust and dynamic relationships with campus leadership, faculty, students, and staff from across the campus, reflecting the broad campus commitment to ensuring student success. Beyond UC Santa Cruz, our team is involved in numerous professional organizations and highly engaged in the local community.

The Student Success and Equity area includes all of the units and over 125 state, federal, student service fees, and gift fund sources, and an annual operating budget of nearly $18 million. The Retention and Validation (R&V) units within Student Success and Equity are composed of Educational Opportunity Programs (EOP), Services for Transfer Reentry and Resilient Scholars (STARRS), and African, Black, and Caribbean Student Success (ABC SS). R&V staff provide holistic and humanizing support by acknowledging the lived experiences of students, and consider the social, political, economic, environmental, and historical contexts impacting a student's experience. R&V staff offer programs and activities that create a sense of belonging and invite students to be a part of our community. R&V staff embrace and develop connections and cooperative relationships with colleagues and community partners to create a meaningful and personalized network of support for students. The mission of Educational Opportunity Programs (EOP) is to provide various academic and personal support programs to first-generation college students, low-income students with diverse social and personal identities, and from historically marginalized backgrounds, so that they may achieve their academic, professional, and personal goals and become active leaders in their communities. The Services for Transfer and Resilient Students (STARRS) mission is to advance social mobility for transfer, re-entry, and independent students by providing transformative higher education experiences. STARRS guides students who disproportionately enter higher education through community colleges, including those who have experiences with: transferring, returning to school at an older age, military, being parents, foster care, homelessness, incarceration, or family trauma. The Office for African, Black, Caribbean (ABC) Student Success advocates for the holistic success of ABC students. Through assessment and cross-campus collaboration, ABC Student Success secures campus-wide strategic initiatives and priorities by addressing equity gaps, climate issues, enrollment, retention, and graduation rates of ABC students at University of California Santa Cruz.

More information can be found at: https://belong.ucsc.edu/low-income-first-gen/eop/

JOB SUMMARY

Under the direction of the Executive Director of Retention and Validation, the Associate Director of Specialized Support Initiatives provides strategic leadership and oversight for a portfolio of programs designed to support students with varied pathways and lived experiences.

The Associate Director oversees the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of programs including Undocumented Student Services, Military-Connected Student Services, Re-entry Student Programs, and the Resilient Scholars Program. The role supervises professional staff members, ensuring coordinated, high-quality services that support student success, well-being, and degree completion.

The incumbent establishes systems and practices for program delivery, student support, and case management, including access to financial resources, legal services, and campus and community-based supports. The Associate Director serves as a key liaison to campus partners, systemwide initiatives, and external organizations, and represents the department in efforts to strengthen institutional capacity to support student success.

The position is responsible for program assessment, data-informed decision-making, and effective stewardship of resources, including budgets and funding allocations. The Associate Director contributes to departmental leadership, strategic planning, and campus-wide initiatives focused on improving student outcomes.

APPOINTMENT INFORMATION

Budgeted Salary: $105,000 / Annually. Salary commensurate with skills, qualifications and experience.
Under California law, the University of California, Santa Cruz is required to post a reasonable estimate of the compensation for this role. The salary shown above is the budgeted amount the University reasonably expects to pay and the salary extended should not exceed this posted amount.

Benefits Level Eligibility: Full benefits

Schedule Information:

• Full-time, Fixed
• Percentage of Time: 100%, 40 Hours per Week
• Days of the Week: Mon-Fri
• Shift Includes: Day

Employee Classification: Career appointment

Job End Date: None

Work Location: UC Santa Cruz Main Campus

Union Representation: Non-Represented

Job Code Classification: 000300 (ACAD ACHIEVEMENT MGR 1) - Grade 24

Travel: Never or Rarely

JOB DUTIES

30% - Strategic Leadership

• Provides strategic leadership for a portfolio of student support programs serving undergraduate and graduate student populations with distinct lived experiences and pathways to the university.
• Oversees the vision, development, and implementation of programs including: Undocumented Student Services, Military-Connected Student Services, Re-entry Student Programs, and the Resilient Scholars Program: Students who are formerly incarcerated, on probation or parole, arrested or convicted but not incarcerated, impacted by a family member or loved one's incarceration (Underground Scholars Program), students who have experienced housing instability or lacked safe, stable, and permanent housing-whether before college or while enrolled, and students with current or former experiences in the foster care or child welfare system, no matter the length of time or age at the time of care, including out-of-home placements. This may have included: Foster or group homes, Transitional housing (THP+FC, THP+NMD, THP+, THPP), Legal guardianship or kinship care, Youth designated as Ward of the Court or Probation Youth, AB 12 recipients (Hope Scholars Program).
• Develops and implements a comprehensive strategy that supports student access, persistence, well-being, and degree completion across programs.
• Utilizes data-informed and research-based practices to design responsive programming that supports students' academic, personal, and professional development.
• Maintains advanced knowledge of policies, trends, and emerging issues impacting these student populations and adjust programmatic direction accordingly.
• Represents the department in campus-wide initiatives and planning efforts related to student success and support services.
• Serves as a key liaison/department's representative to systemwide and external partners, including participation in UC-wide convenings, professional networks, and community-based collaborations.
• Cultivates and maintains relationships with organizations, agencies, and partners that provide critical resources and services to students.
• Ensures a strength-based approach in assessing student personal, academic, and career success and alignment to department, division, and campus priorities.
• Builds collaborative relationships to help provide integrated programs, programming, and/or services.
• Supports campus campaigns/efforts to secure external funding, when needed.
• Develops and maintains complex or sensitive relationships with external organizations critical to program success.
• Represents the organizations to UC, the local community, and other relevant audiences.
• Serves as a liaison and partner with UC Immigrant Legal Services and UCOP.
• Responds to all UCOP requests and ensures all reports are submitted in a timely manner.
• Collaborates in other program management areas as needed.
• Participates in departmental leadership, planning, and administrative activities.

30% - Program Oversight

• Provides oversight for program implementation, service delivery, and student engagement across all functional areas.
• Ensures programs deliver coordinated services including: advising and student support, emergency funding and resource distribution, legal and external service referrals, community-building and engagement opportunities.
• Guides Program Coordinators as subject matter experts responsible for program development, student engagement, and campus education.
• Oversees case management services that support students with financial, academic, and personal challenges.
• Ensures development of systems and processes for student intake, case tracking, and service coordination.
• Provides guidance on complex and sensitive student situations, ensuring appropriate coordination with campus and external partners.
• Collaborates with campus partners including Financial Aid, Basic Needs, Counseling Services, Admissions, and academic departments.
• Monitors program effectiveness, identifies service gaps, and implements improvements.
• Keeps abreast of campus and local resources and referrals in residency, financial aid, scholarships, immigrant rights community advocacy, legal services, crisis intervention, social services, etc.

20% - Supervision

• Supervises professional and student staff, which includes program coordinators, retention specialists, achievement advisers, undergraduate student staff and graduate students associated with the program.
• Independently plans, assigns, directs and prioritizes staff activities, tasks and projects to ensure adherence to established procedures and an appropriate distribution of labor based on individual skill sets and departmental goals.
• Reviews staff work for technical accuracy, timeliness, completeness, and adherence to standards.
• Identifies training needs and coordinates professional development opportunities. Trains staff in proper methods, procedures, and standards of performance.
• Independently conducts performance evaluations and establishes measurable goals. Provides coaching and feedback to team members.
• Exercises independent judgment to initiate and effectively recommend disciplinary actions in compliance with university policies, collective bargaining agreements and campus procedures.
• Makes effective recommendations for salary actions.
• Manages the recruitment process, including selecting finalists and making the final hiring decision for unit staff.

10% - Program Evaluation & Reporting

• Leads assessment and evaluation efforts across all programs within the portfolio.
• Develops and implements tools to track student engagement, service utilization, and outcomes.
• Collaborates with institutional research, data analysts, and campus partners to analyze trends and inform decision-making.
• Prepares reports for campus leadership, systemwide partners, and funding entities.
• Ensures timely and accurate submission of reports and responses to systemwide requests.
• Makes data-informed recommendations to enhance program effectiveness and student outcomes.
• Plays a key role in the outreach and support to student organizations. Ensures communications to campus stakeholders are made regarding plans, needs, and changes to programs and collaborations.
• Coordinates Program Coordinator outreach and training efforts of other campus departments such as Admissions, Career Services, Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS), etc.
• Participates in educating the campus community about the challenges of students within specialized programs including: Undocumented Student Services, Military-Connected Student Services, Re-entry Student Programs, and the Resilient Scholars Program: Students who are formerly incarcerated, on probation or parole, arrested or convicted but not incarcerated, impacted by a family member or loved one's incarceration (Underground Scholars Program), students who have experienced housing instability or lacked safe, stable, and permanent housing-whether before college or while enrolled, and students with current or former experiences in the foster care or child welfare system, no matter the length of time or age at the time of care, including out-of-home placements. This may have included: Foster or group homes, Transitional housing (THP+FC, THP+NMD, THP+, THPP), Legal guardianship or kinship care, Youth designated as Ward of the Court or Probation Youth, AB 12 recipients (Hope Scholars Program).
• Participates in ongoing training by and with campus units, external agencies, and conferences on current issues, theories, and communication techniques.
• Promotes and advocates for the special needs and experiences of students from low-income, first-generation, and intersectional backgrounds.
• Prepares monthly, quarterly, and annual reports documenting patterns and trends in student cases and emerging best practices/solutions in serving students.
• Researches, monitors, and tracks policy issues and practices related to student success, retention, and graduation.

10% - Grant & Budget Management

• Oversees financial planning and resource allocation across programs.
• Monitors budgets, reviews financial reports, and ensures compliance with university and funding guidelines.
• Supports grant development, implementation, and reporting processes where applicable.
• Ensures responsible stewardship of funds related to student support services, including emergency funding and scholarships.
• Contributes to long-term sustainability planning for programs and services.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in related area and/or equivalent experience/training.
• Demonstrated experience developing, leading, and/or overseeing student support programs in a higher education setting, particularly for students with varied pathways and lived experiences.
• Experience providing advising, counseling, or case management support to students navigating academic, financial, legal, or personal challenges.
• Demonstrated ability to supervise, train, and develop professional staff, including setting goals, managing performance, and fostering a collaborative team environment.
• Excellent leadership and management skills.
• Advanced knowledge of student development theory, counseling practices, and holistic student support approaches.
• Knowledge of trends, policies, and issues impacting college student populations, including but not limited to undocumented students, military-connected students, re-entry students, and students with experience in foster care, housing instability, or involvement with the justice system.
• Experience designing, implementing, and assessing programs or services that support student success, persistence, and well-being.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex and sensitive situations, exercise sound judgment, and coordinate appropriate interventions across multiple stakeholders.
• Experience with case management systems, student tracking, and coordinated care models.
• Strong analytical skills, including the ability to collect, interpret, and use data to inform decision-making, program improvement, and reporting.
• Knowledge of program evaluation methods and the ability to assess outcomes and effectiveness of services.
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain collaborative relationships with campus partners, community organizations, and external stakeholders.
• Knowledge of applicable federal, state, and institutional policies related to student services, including privacy, confidentiality, and ethical standards.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Master's degree in Education, Counseling, Social Work, or related field.
• Experience overseeing multiple programs or functional areas within a student services or student affairs unit.
• Experience working with or coordinating services that include legal, financial, or basic needs support resources.
• Familiarity with systemwide initiatives, intersegmental partnerships, or large-scale collaborative programs.
• Experience managing budgets, grants, or funding allocations in support of student programs or services.
• Experience developing and delivering training or educational programming for staff, faculty, or campus partners.

SPECIAL CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

• Selected candidate will be required to pass a pre-employment criminal history background check.
• Selected candidate must pass the employment misconduct disclosure process.
• Ability to work long periods of time at a computer with or without accommodation.
• Clery Act: This position has been identified as a Campus Security Authority (CSA); required to report crimes, incidents, and disciplinary referral statistics as required by the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (20 USC * 1092(f)).
• Ability to maintain appearance and conduct suitable for working in a professional setting.
• The selected candidate has the option to work a hybrid work schedule. If a hybrid work schedule is confirmed, the selected candidate must be able to work successfully from a home/remote office and be able to fulfill the requirements of the UCSC telecommuting agreement.
• Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends as directed.
• Selected candidate will be required to complete training within established time frames as directed including UC compliance training.
• The University of California has implemented a Vaccination Policy covering all employees. Employees, including new hires, are required to comply with any applicable policies relating to the University of California vaccine program.
• Per the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act (CANRA), this position has been identified as a Mandated Reporter. The selected candidate will be required to report known or suspected child abuse or neglect as defined by CANRA and will be required to sign a Statement Acknowledging Requirement to Report Child Abuse prior to commencing employment. CANRA Penal Codes, and related definitions, requirements, and responsibilities may be obtained here.
• Exercise the utmost discretion in managing sensitive information learned in the course of performing their duties. Sensitive information includes but is not limited to employee and student records, health and patient records, financial data, strategic plans, proprietary information and any other sensitive or non-public information learned during the course and scope of employment. Understands that sensitive information should be shared on a limited basis and actively takes steps to limit access to sensitive information to individuals who have legitimate business need to know. Ensure that sensitive information is properly safeguarded. Follow all organizational policies and laws on data protection and privacy. This includes secure handling of physical and digital records and proper usage of IT systems to prevent data leaks. The unauthorized or improper disclosure of confidential work-related information obtained from any source on any work-related matter is a violation of these expectations.

MISCONDUCT DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENT

As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts a conditional offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; received notice of any allegations or are currently the subject of any administrative or disciplinary proceedings involving misconduct; have left a position after receiving notice of allegations or while under investigation in an administrative or disciplinary proceeding involving misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of misconduct with a previous employer.

• "Misconduct" means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer. For reference, below are UC's policies addressing some forms of misconduct:
  • UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
  • UC Anti-Discrimination Policy
  • Abusive Conduct in the Workplace

SAFETY STATEMENT

All UCSC employees must understand and follow job safety procedures, attend required health and safety training, proactively promote safety at work, and promptly report actual and potential accidents and injuries.

NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY

EEO/AA

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status or other protected categories covered by the UC Anti-Discrimination Policy.

It is the policy of the University of California to undertake affirmative action and anti-discrimination efforts, consistent with its obligations as a Federal and State contractor.