NJ-STEP Director of Transitions

NJ-STEP Director of Transitions

The New Jersey Scholarship and Transformative Education (NJ-STEP) Consortium is an association of higher educational institutions that work in partnership with the NJ Department of Corrections and the State Parole to provide comprehensive college degree programming for students while incarcerated and to assist in their transition to college life and further degree work upon release. Under the office of the Chancellor, NJ-STEP serves a statewide population of people enrolled in college while in prison, on parole, and post-incarceration.

NJ-STEP operates at each Rutgers campus, in 5 separate prisons, and a variety of residential reentry programs and partner college campuses across the state.

Rutgers University–Newark (RU-N), an urban public research university and anchor institution located in Newark, New Jersey—a city of promise—is seeking a NJ-STEP Director of Transitions to support the success of NJ-STEP students statewide. Reporting to the Executive Director of NJ-STEP, the Director of Transitions provides comprehensive leadership, strategic direction, and operational oversight for all transition, reentry, persistence, and post-graduation support functions across NJ-STEP.

This includes services delivered in correctional facilities, halfway houses, and other residential community-release placements across the New Jersey community college system, on Rutgers campuses, and through alumni and post-graduation engagement.

The Director is accountable to NJ-STEP leadership, the University, and funders for the effectiveness, consistency, compliance, and long-term sustainability of NJ-STEP's transitions and reentry infrastructure across all campuses and community contexts. This position is responsible for and not limited to the following:

• Designing, implementing, ensuring consistency, documenting, and continuously improving transition systems supporting justice-impacted students as they move across educational, institutional, and community contexts
• Developing and sustaining the NJ-STEP reentry community, fostering a culture of consistency, mutual accountability, belonging, and persistence among current students, alumni, staff, and institutional partners
• Participating in admissions-related review processes, cultivation of student pipelines from correctional and community college settings, and early identification of students approaching key transition points
• Supervising a multi-campus Transitions Team, including three MVC Counselors (one assigned to each Rutgers campus), an Assistant Community Relations Dean and one indirect report
• Working collaboratively with university offices and external stakeholders
• Contributing data and narrative input for institutional reports, the annual transitions program report, and grant proposals
• Facilitation of staff and student advisory structures, integration of student feedback into program improvement, development of crisis response frameworks, oversight of transition-related data integrity and documentation, and ensuring compliance with applicable university, state, and federal laws and policies

FLSA
- Exempt

Grade - 07

Salary Details

Minimum Salary -

Mid Range Salary -

Maximum Salary -

Benefits
- Rutgers provides a comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees. The specific benefits vary based on the position and may include:
Medical, prescription drug, and dental coverage Paid vacation, holidays, and various leave programs Competitive retirement benefits, including defined contribution plans and voluntary tax-deferred savings options Employee and dependent educational benefits (when applicable) Life insurance coverage Employee discount programs

Position Status
- Full Time

Working Hours

Standard Hours - 37.50

Daily Work Shift

Work Arrangement
- Consistent with the current application of Rutgers Policy 60.3.22, this position may be eligible for a hybrid work arrangement. The flexible work arrangements outlined in Rutgers Policy 60.3.22 are part of a pilot program that is effective September 1, 2022 through August 31, 2024. Therefore, there is no guarantee that this flexible work arrangement will continue beyond that date. Flexible work…