Associate Dean of Retention

Associate Dean Of Retention

Department:
Student Affairs/Student Development and Engagement

Reports To:

Associate Vice President of Student Development and Engagement

Salary range: $91,267.74 - $
* annually

This position will remain open for a minimum of seven (7) days. The College reserves the right to close the recruitment at any time after the minimum posting period once a sufficient applicant pool has been established.

Reporting to the Associate Vice President of Student Development and Engagement, the Associate Dean of Retention provides strategic leadership to advance student retention, persistence, and completion through oversight of the Advising, Career Center, Counseling, and Wellbeing departments. The position supports Olympic College's mission and Student Affairs strategic priorities by promoting equitable access to services, fostering student belonging and wellbeing, and ensuring that students receive integrated support throughout their educational journey.

This position also serves in the capacity of the Director of the Career Center.

The Associate Dean leads the development and implementation of a holistic case management model within the College's Guided Pathways framework, connecting students to coordinated academic, career, and personal support services. Responsibilities include oversight of academic planning, career exploration and readiness, academic progress monitoring and intervention, transfer and employment planning, learning support, and college navigation. Through collaboration with faculty, staff, and campus partners, the position ensures that students receive proactive, equitable, and student-centered support that reduces barriers to success and promotes timely completion of educational goals.

This position also serves as the Director of the Career Center.

The Associate Dean provides strategic oversight for retention and student success initiatives, utilizing data-informed decision-making, assessment, and continuous improvement to advance institutional outcomes. This role serves as a key liaison between Student Affairs and Instruction, strengthening campus-wide efforts to improve student achievement, close equity gaps, and create inclusive learning environments where all students can thrive, persist, and achieve their academic and career aspirations.

• Provide strategic leadership and accountability for the College's retention, persistence, transfer, career readiness, and completion efforts through oversight of Advising, Career Services, Counseling, and Wellbeing programs and services.
• Serve as the College's Director of Career Services, providing leadership, vision, and oversight for career exploration, career readiness, workforce development, student employment, employer engagement, experiential learning, internships, apprenticeships, and career placement initiatives.
• Lead the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of a holistic student success model that integrates academic advising, career development, transfer planning, wellbeing support, and proactive case management within a Guided Pathways framework to promote equitable student outcomes and timely completion of educational goals.
• Supervise, hire, onboard, mentor, develop, and evaluate professional staff within Advising, Career Services, Counseling, and Wellbeing, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Lead the College's career readiness, workforce development, and experiential learning initiatives by collaborating with faculty, employers, workforce agencies, industry partners, and community organizations to expand internships, apprenticeships, work-based learning opportunities, career-connected learning experiences, and employment pathways for students.
• Direct employer engagement activities, including career fairs, recruitment events, networking opportunities, advisory partnerships, workforce outreach efforts, and student employment initiatives that connect students with educational and career opportunities.
• Establish and maintain strategic partnerships with employers, educational institutions, workforce agencies, community organizations, and economic development partners to advance student success, career preparation, transfer opportunities, and workforce alignment.
• Collaborate with Enrollment Services, faculty, deans, and campus partners to create seamless student transitions from recruitment and onboarding through completion, transfer, and employment.
• Analyze retention, persistence, completion, transfer, employment, placement, and student engagement data to evaluate program effectiveness, improve services, close equity gaps, support accreditation efforts, and inform institutional planning and decision-making.
• Develop, implement, and evaluate policies, procedures, standards, and best practices related to advising, career services, counseling, wellbeing, transfer, and student success in alignment with institutional priorities, accreditation standards,…