Associate Director​/Online Student Services

Below you will find the details for the position including any supplementary documentation and questions you should review before applying for the opening.

Central Michigan University is dedicated to fostering an environment that is reflective of the communities we serve. We are especially interested in highly qualified candidates who will advance and promote CMU’s mission, vision, and leadership standards.

You must submit an on-line application in order to be considered as an applicant for this position.

Cover letters may be addressed to the Hiring Committee.

Posting Number: S-3988

Position Number: 78880

Type of Recruitment:
External

Position Title:

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR / ONLINE STUDENT SERVICES

Position Summary:

The associate director of CMU Online Student Services provides operational leadership for student support and engagement services throughout the online student lifecycle. Under the direction of the executive director of Online Student Services, the associate director recruits, hires, develops, and manages a team of assistant directors who support CMU Online students throughout their educational journey. The associate director leads efforts that advance recruitment, enrollment, retention, persistence, and student success by ensuring effective service delivery, communication, and coordination.

The position serves as a liaison between the student services team and university partners, fostering collaboration and alignment of services and initiatives. The associate director also monitors and reports student services data and analytics to assess performance, identify opportunities for improvement, and inform unit strategies and decision-making.

• Bachelor’s Degree.
• Three years of progressively responsible professional experience in higher education, student services, enrollment management, recruitment, advising, or a related area.
• Demonstrated experience supervising, training, coaching, or leading professional staff, including the ability to support staff development and performance.
• Demonstrated experience engaging, qualifying, and motivating prospective students and conducting proactive outreach to support student retention, persistence, and success.
• Demonstrated understanding of the student journey from recruitment through enrollment, engagement, retention, persistence, and completion.
• Established analytical and data-informed decision-making skills, including the ability to monitor, evaluate, interpret, and report data to inform goals, initiatives, and continuous improvement.
• Demonstrated ability to provide professional, positive, and exceptional customer service while working effectively as a collaborative team member.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities, balance competing demands, organize work, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to effectively manage and adapt to change, implement new processes and initiatives, and support others through organizational and operational transitions.

• Master’s degree in business administration, educational administration, organizational leadership, higher education administration, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience working with student information systems and related technology platforms, such as Slate, SAP , or comparable systems.
• Demonstrated experience supporting adult, nontraditional, and/or online students in a higher education environment.

• Works in collaboration with the executive director of online student services to develop, implement, and evaluate processes, procedures, and service models that promote best practices and support student recruitment, retention, engagement, and success.
• Provides administrative leadership in the hiring, onboarding, training, supervision, and development of assigned staff.
• Establishes, monitors, and evaluates team and program goals aligned with CMU Online priorities, using data and performance measures to track progress, identify opportunities, and drive continuous improvement.
• Serves as a primary liaison to assigned colleges, academic departments, and academic programs, providing data, analytics, enrollment reports, and presentations to support recruitment, enrollment, retention, and programmatic decision-making.
• Provides administrative leadership in addressing complex, sensitive, or escalated student and departmental matters,…