Director of Student Retention

Seattle Colleges is looking to hire a Director of Student Retention for Seattle Promise at South Seattle College.

Salary Range for this position is $87,362 to $120,644 annually (depending on experience). The anticipated starting salary for this position is $101,000.

Opportunity is open until filled, first review of materials will begin April 24th, 2026. 

Position Summary

This is a full-time, exempt position at the Seattle Colleges that is funded by the Families, Education, Preschool and Promise (FEPP) Levy. This position reports to the Associate Vice Chancellor of Seattle Promise and is responsible for the oversight, development, and implementation of contractually required Seattle Promise programming and activities at Seattle Colleges. This position specifically supports Seattle Promise staff, programming, activities, and students based at South Seattle College (SSC). The position is expected to be highly collaborative and is a decision-making face of the voter-funded Seattle Promise program and the Seattle Colleges. 

This position is responsible for meeting Seattle Promise performance goals, including but not limited to ensuring minimum student attendance at required events, ensuring student access to complete required milestones, and supporting minimum quarterly and annual Seattle Promise student retention measures. 

The Director will hire, train, professionally develop, assess, and supervise a team of Seattle Promise Student Success Specialists, student workers, and part-time interns based at SSC. This position is responsible for overall office management at their assigned college, including space assignments, staff scheduling, supply needs, etc. 

The position is responsible for strategic development, management, and assessment of department priorities, in connection with the Seattle Colleges and FEPP Levy mission, vision, and goals. 

This position is expected to work occasionally in the evening as program needs demand and includes regular travel between the three Seattle Colleges.

This position is full-time, working 40 hours per week, Monday through Friday, primarily 8:00am-4:30pm. 

This position works 100% of the time on-site.

About Us

We are a district of three distinct colleges: North Seattle College, Seattle Central College, and South Seattle College and five specialty training centers. Which makes us the largest and most diverse community college district in the state of Washington, we are leaders in change and innovation. 

Seattle Colleges is committed to recruiting dedicated faculty and employees who together create a welcoming academic climate that reflects the diverse backgrounds of our community, including ethnicity, national origin, religion, race, gender, gender identity, age, status as a veteran or disabled veteran, disability, political status, and sexual orientation.

As a Seattle Colleges employee, you will gain access to a great benefits package including: 

• Competitive Pay Rates 
• Promotional Opportunities 
• Great Medical, Dental, and Retirement plans 
• Paid Sick and Vacation Leave 
• Transportation benefits 
• Tuition Waivers
• PEBB Wellness Plan 
• Washington State Employee Assistance Programs (EAP)

Seattle Colleges staff and faculty also enjoy professional development opportunities and enrichment experiences in areas of their choice, including committee, workgroup, and affinity group opportunities.

Application Procedures:

• Attached current Resume
• Attached cover letter addressing how your background intersects with the job

Required application materials must be completed and submitted online

Notice to Applicants: 
Please note that Seattle Colleges has moved to holding interviews virtually using video conference options such as Zoom or Teams. As such, if you are selected for an interview, please be prepared to hold your interview virtually.

Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a regular basis. The employer will not sponsor applicants for work visas.

Seattle Colleges is unable to extend post-completion optional practical training (OPT) to F-1 students who receive STEM degrees.

What you will be working on:

Strategic Leadership

• Make strategic decisions to improve partnerships which contribute to Seattle Promise student persistence and completion, guiding quarterly and annual priorities, in alignment with the direction set by the Associate Vice Chancellor.
• Ensure that program is using effective and equity, access, and success-minded student development practices and approaches in serving diverse student populations.
• Lead Seattle Promise and Seattle Colleges staff in effective efforts to close race-based achievement gaps.
• Make strategic decisions to increase the number of Seattle Promise students persisting and completing a degree at Seattle Colleges, specifically at SSC. 

People Leadership

• Communicate and work respectfully and effectively with people from diverse backgrounds such as racial, ethnic, religious, linguistic, gender, age, sexual orientation, socio-economic, and with diverse physical and learning disabilities.
• Oversee the hiring, training, management, support, continued professional development, and evaluation of all Seattle Promise Student Success Specialists at South Seattle College to ensure and continuously improve quality of academic advising services provided.
• Oversee the hiring, training, management, support, continued professional development, and evaluation of part-time staff, including student workers and interns.
• Manage and coordinate Student Success Specialist scheduling, availability, and priorities within the department, college, and district.
• Serve as a resource for Student Success Specialist staff and Seattle Promise students with degree related problems or challenges.
• Support Seattle Promise Student Success staff to meet contractually specified milestones and performance measures quarterly and annually. 

Operational Leadership

• Maintain Seattle Promise policies and procedure manual for enrolled student retention, persistence, and completion activities, ensuring cohesion with the High School Support Team, Financial Aid Team, Communications Team, and Research & Planning Team manuals and practices.
• Support the collection and analysis of data related to retention efforts to assess effectiveness, staff capacity, and areas for growth.
• Monitor the tracking of enrolled, transferred, and graduated students.
• Refine and implement a robust student persistence, retention, and degree completion strategy in collaboration with the Associate Vice Chancellor, Seattle Promise leadership and staff, and Seattle College leadership, locally and across the district.
• Organize and support internal and external partnerships which benefit Seattle Promise scholars, including coordinating office space when partners are on campus, maintaining collaborative communication with partners, and ensuring contractual partnership goals are achieved.
• Manage Seattle Promise student eligibility tracking and reporting for the college, in collaboration with the Executive Director of Research & Planning and Admin support for the district.
• Manage student coding for the college, in collaboration with district colleagues, across platforms including ctcLink, Starfish, and the CRM.
• Work closely with Seattle Promise Financial Aid leadership to ensure Promise-eligible students at the college are being advised accurately related to maintaining financial aid, their Seattle Promise scholarship, and are receiving accurate awards.
• Ensure students have coordinated and systematic access to complete required scholarship and program eligibility milestones.
• Ensure students have coordinated and systematic access to counseling, transfer, and career planning resources.
• Manage Early Alert response for Promise scholars at the college, including responses to faculty-initiated alerts, designing and managing weekly pulse checks, and using data to predictively identify at-risk students, with the goal of increasing BIPOC student retention and degree completion.
• Oversee First Year Experience for Seattle Promise scholars, including a first quarter support series in collaboration with campus partners.
• Work closely with SSC student services departments to ensure a smooth transition for students who are no longer Promise-eligible but wish to continue their studies.
• Collaborate with staff across the district to lead enhancement of academic achievement and retention supports for Seattle Promise students.
• Work with college and district staff to implement and scale best practices related to supporting the academic success of a diverse student population.
• Collaborate with the District Seattle Promise Communications Team to ensure clear and consistent communication to students, which may include drafting communications and strategically planning and coordinating communication content and timing.
• Provide quarterly report to Associate Vice Chancellor on activities, successes, student achievement metrics, and other highlights.
• Collaborate with the District Seattle Promise High School Support Team to ensure a cohesive, user-friendly student experience for scholars transitioning from high school to college.
• Provide leadership at SSC to plan, coordinate, and execute student orientation programs, including Readiness Academy and Summer Bridge/Campus Connect programs.
• Ensure all Seattle Promise programming results in a similar student experience by proactively collaborating and planning with other Student Achievement Directors, Seattle Promise staff, and other staff and faculty at each college.
• Maintain working knowledge of academic program options and requirements as well as student support resources at each Seattle College.
• Participate in the development of program priorities as a member of the Seattle Promise team, including but not limited to developing and maintaining programming to build campus and community involvement with Seattle Promise. 

External Relations

• Represent Seattle Promise at internal and external partner meetings, including but not limited to meetings with the City of Seattle's Department of Education and Early Learning, the Seattle Youth Employment Program, Path to UW leadership, and staff across SSC Academic and Student Affairs divisions.
• Serve as a point of contact for students, parents, and college staff for questions about the Seattle Promise program.
• Serve as the local college lead to coordinate operations and activities related to Seattle Promise program partners (e.g. Path to UW, SYEP, mentoring partners, etc.).
• Recommend external-facing communication content for partners and stakeholders.
• Ensure relevant stakeholders, including students, Seattle Colleges employees, and community partners receive timely, relevant information on the program and its operations, tailoring information to the specific audiences.
• Continuously refine comprehensive, equity-focused, accessible, and student success-minded internal and external communication strategies (audiences to include faculty, staff, students, student families) in collaboration with program leadership.
• Participate as a staff resource in Seattle Promise Steering Committee meetings.
• Participate in ongoing program improvement conversations led by the City of Seattle. 

Other Duties as Assigned

• Other duties as assigned, including serving on the College Student Affairs Leadership Council, supporting annual Commencement activities, and serving on committees as a Seattle Promise representative.
• Support all department staff in absence of the Associate Vice Chancellor.
• Utilize various technology platforms effectively.

This description is not intended to cover every aspect of this job, we are a team that works together to meet the needs of those we serve, and every member of the team is expected to contribute, even beyond the specific responsibilities listed in this posting.

What you bring as a candidate: (Any Equivalent Combination of Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Education and Experience)

• Master's degree in higher education, student development, psychology, human relations, or related field.
• Strong oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills, including public speaking and writing.
• Experience planning and executing large-scale events.
• Three years experience or equivalent in secondary or higher education, a college access organization, or related.
• Three years direct supervisory experience of staff.
• One year academic advising experience or equivalent.
• Demonstrated ability to manage and prioritize multiple tasks and deadlines while being attentive to detail.
• Demonstrated experience with working effectively with persons from diverse backgrounds, such as racial, ethnic, religious, linguistic, gender, age, sexual orientation, socio-economic, and with diverse physical and learning disabilities.
• Demonstrated knowledge of college retention strategies.
• Proven highly motivated, self-starter, flexible; ability to work in a dynamic environment.
• Strong organizational and problem solving skills.
• Familiarity and proficiency with various technologies, including but not limited to Microsoft Office, student database systems and student success technologies.
• Demonstrated ability to utilize sound professional judgment.

Physical Demands and Disability Accommodation

Persons with disabilities have the right to reasonable accommodation in all aspects of employment with Seattle Colleges. This includes, but is not limited to, recruitment, application, interviewing, hiring, training, termination, conditions of employment, and any other employer-supported activities. Applicants requesting accommodation should contact Human Resources.

OFFICE SETTING:

Seattle Colleges follows the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and provides the following information as a guideline for applicants: 

• Ability to operate office equipment, receive and interpret data, and prepare various materials
• Ability to exchange information with supervisor, lead, co-workers, and students
• Ability to provide 1:1 support, present to small groups, and work at a computer exercising repetitive hand motion
• Work is performed primarily in office settings with frequent interruptions and encounters noises typical of these settings 

Notice of Non-Discrimination Statement

Seattle Colleges is committed to the concept and practice of equal opportunity for all its students, employees, and applicants in education, employment, services and contracts, and does not discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity, color, age, hair texture or protective hairstyles, national origin, religion, creed, marital status, sex, pregnancy, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, gender expression, status as an honorably discharged veteran or disabled veteran or military status, political affiliation or belief, citizenship/status as a lawfully admitted immigrant authorized to work in the United States, or presence of any physical, sensory, or mental disability. In addition, reasonable accommodations will be made for known physical or mental limitations for all otherwise qualified persons with disabilities. Further, Seattle Colleges is committed to ensure that all employees and students work and learn in an environment that fosters mutual respect and professionalism, free from all forms of "bullying" behaviors, including "cyber bullying."

Students, employees, and applicants at Seattle Colleges can reach the Title IX Coordinator or ADA/Section 504 Coordinator for questions about discrimination, harassment or grievance procedures.

Background Check Statement 

Prior to a new hire, a background check including criminal record history will be conducted. Information from the background check will not necessarily preclude employment but will be considered in determining the applicant's suitability and competence to perform in the position. In addition to the background check, candidates will complete Sexual Misconduct Disclosure Form WA HB 2327 as required.