Senior Program Specialist, Department of Counseling

Senior Program Specialist – Department of Counseling (SIM)

Salary commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Senior Program Specialist provides support to the Department Chair, Program Director, and all faculty, staff, and students in the Department of Counseling. The role assists in every administrative and operational aspect of running the program, including academic course planning and scheduling; instructor/adjunct assignments; faculty load documentation and compensation; and budget and scholarship administration.

• Support Chair and Program Director; submit all compensation documentation and required forms for adjunct faculty.
• Support Chair with data collection and analysis related to CACREP accreditation and program evaluation efforts.
• Admission/Recruitment: organize informational sessions for prospective applicants four times a month; oversee admissions and review and process all admission applications for Fall, Spring, and Summer, assign to faculty for review and invite top applicants to interview; organize and help facilitate several interview sessions (PONI Day) each semester.
• Manage student orientation, group advising, enrollment and withdrawals; provide reports and communications to Chair, Program Director, and advisors concerning both anticipated class needs and results of enrollment.
• Support annual faculty orientation and onboarding of new adjunct faculty.
• Organize and coordinate student conferrals three times per year; communicate with students regarding requirements, enable online ACGs and ceremony selection, ensure students have met all requirements, coordinate with Clinic and Internship Directors to monitor student progress through Practicum/Internship and graduation requirements.
• Oversee functions related to preparing for classes at the beginning of each semester including compensation and VIQ submissions; oversee functions related to finalizing classes at the end of each of five terms (communication to all instructors in advance of finals; ensure grades are submitted in a timely manner, ensure required paperwork is submitted for grades of Incomplete, assign grades of Incomplete appropriately, completed before deadline).
• Closely monitor student enrollment during registration periods; ensure students are enrolling in appropriate classes based on declared specialty and elective concentrations; reach out to students who have not enrolled to offer assistance.
• Manage and enter student scholarships, ensure correct application, confirm academic eligibility each semester, cancel scholarships when a student withdraws; provide scholarship monitoring and run reports as needed.
• Assist Program Director with course schedule for each of the five terms, determine class needs, instructor assignments; periodically create and disseminate survey to all students to determine class needs for future terms; manage class scheduling, faculty/adjunct assignments, load and compensation for each semester.
• Provide website updates as needed; upload new adjunct faculty bios and pictures and keep profiles up-to-date; update scholarship, admission, and curricular information online; add updated student handbooks and annual assessment reports and vital statistic surveys.

Bachelor’s degree is required, preferably in social sciences, humanities, business, and/or human resources.

A minimum of five years of work experience in office management/administration is required; experience in program operations is strongly preferred; previous supervisory experience desired; experience in higher education is a plus.

Candidate must demonstrate strong interpersonal and verbal communication skills, ability to communicate broadly across the University and maintain effective relationships with a wide range of constituencies; strong written communication skills; strong conflict resolution skills and ability to deescalate tense situations.

Candidate must possess strong problem‑solving skills with the ability to identify and analyze problems and devise solutions; strong organizational, planning and time‑management skills; ability to handle multiple simultaneous…