Assistant Director for Orientation

Department: University Life - New Student and Family Programs

Classification: Professional Faculty

Job Category: Administrative or Professional Faculty

Job Type: Full-Time

Work Schedule: Full-time (1.0 FTE, 40 hrs/wk)

Location: Fairfax, VA

Workplace Type: Hybrid Eligible

Salary: Salary range starting low $60k; commensurate with education and experience

Criminal Background Check: Yes

About the Department:

New Student and Family Programs (NSFP) is a centralized and comprehensive department, within the Division of University Life (UL), whose primary purpose is to foster engagement, build community, establish tradition, and affect retention through three coordinated initiatives: undergraduate orientation and new student programs, parent and family outreach, and leadership development. With special attention to transition and the first-year experience, the New Student and Family Programs office provides innovative programs and services that facilitate the social and academic acclimation process for George Mason University students and their families.

About the Position:

NSFP is currently hiring two (2) Assistant Director's of Orientation to assist in implementing New Student Orientation for over 13,000 new students and guests annually (summer and winter programming). As an integral member of the NSFP team, the Assistant Director provides direction and support for a wide range of division initiatives and serves as an active ambassador for the George Mason community.

This position is required to work occasional evening hours and weekends, particularly during summer months.

Responsibilities:

The Assistant Directors of Orientation are involved in the development and coordination of orientation programs and have the below responsibilities. Each has its own focus, and responsibilities within the focus areas are listed separately.

• Assists in the development of a comprehensive orientation program and the coordination of student programs for orientation;
• Serves as departmental liaison for various key orientation stakeholders;
• Develops, trains, recruits, supervises, and evaluates the Student Coordinator team, in collaboration with other Assistant Directors;
• Contributes to the development of NSFP philosophy on intern and student coordinator development;
• Co-supervises, selects, trains, and evaluates student (graduate and/or undergraduate) employees (2-3 individuals);
• Selects, trains, and co-supervises interns (3) during summer orientation;
• Supervises additional undergraduate and graduate staff at the discretion of the Director/Associate Director;
• Participates in the training and development of the NSFP student leader teams, as appropriate;
• Supports the planning and implementation of other unit initiatives such as selection and training, student projects, unit events, and team procedures and assessment;
• Assists in the development and implementation of unit student and family programming such as Preamble/Welcome2Mason, Quill Camp, and Family Signature Events; supports additional student-led programs within the unit as identified;
• Contributes to unit-driven initiatives such as assessment, student leader experience, appreciation and morale;
• Demonstrates commitment to NSFP and Mason through committee involvement and project development connected to transition, as well as professional goals;
• Serves on university committees and performs other related tasks identified by Director and/or UL leadership; and
• Attends professional meetings and maintains active memberships in salient professional organizations.

Assistant Director #1 (Logistics focus):

• Coordinates and implements in-person and virtual orientation logistics including reservations, set-ups, staffing, event training, presentations, video processes, and stakeholder engagement;
• Coordinates the logistical components of orientation and new student programs;
• Oversees and creates orientation communication content and plans for internal and external constituents, including emails, internal processes and trainings, event signage, and consulting on marketing and design elements for brand consistency;
• Manages communication and delivery of information for orientation and new student programs in coordination with Admissions; and
• Maintains and updates all content for online components of orientation, including website, Patriot Preview, and online orientation.

Assistant Director #2 (Student Leader focus):

• Assists in the coordination of student-centered, student-led program components for orientation and other key departmental and divisional initiatives;
• Develops protocol and coordinates all overnight orientation housing accommodations in collaboration with Housing and Residence Life;
• Serves as the main supervisor of the Patriot Leader team, leading the training and execution of orientation programming;
• Develops, implements, and evaluates the Patriot Leader team recruitment, selection, and training process;
• Trains, supervises, and evaluates the Patriot Leader team, including the development and instruction of the spring and summer training curriculum; and
• Manages the Student Leadership budget with the NSFP Director, including staffing and program needs.

Required Qualifications:

• Master's degree in related field or equivalent combination of education and experience;
• Demonstrated professional experience in a higher education environment (typically obtained in 1+ year of full-time status);
• Experience designing, developing, and executing large-scale programming initiatives;
• Demonstrated working knowledge of new student and family programs; student and family transitional issues; student leadership and training development; and mentoring and advising of student leaders;
• Demonstrated interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills; ability to communicate effectively with a variety of constituents and departmental stakeholders;
• Demonstrated highly developed organizational management and problem-solving skills; ability to perform work accurately and efficiently in order to meet a multitude of deadlines and responsibilities;
• Ability to competently interact with a culturally and ethnically diverse population of students, faculty, and staff;
• Willingness and ability to learn/adapt efficiently in a fast-paced environment; and
• Ability to effectively manage conflicting and competing situations.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Demonstrated experience designing assessment plans, developing, executing, and analyzing data, and creating meaningful reports for distribution;
• Demonstrated leadership abilities and supervisory experience (various levels of supervision a plus (i.e., professional staff, graduate level staff and students);
• Experience with Blackboard, TargetX/Salesforce, Advantage Design, Kaltura, Zoom, Microsoft Suite, and/or other education technology tools and services;
• Ability to make independent decisions on behalf of and in conjunction with departmental, divisional, and university missions and initiatives; and
• Demonstrated commitment to customer service.

Instructions to Applicants:

For full consideration, applicants must apply for the Assistant Director for Orientation at https://jobs.gmu.edu/. Complete and submit the online application to include three professional references with contact information, and provide a cover letter and resume.

Posting Open Date: April 19, 2024

For Full Consideration, Apply by: July 22, 2024

Open Until Filled?: Yes