Associate Director, Transfer Partnerships and First Year Initiatives

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INITIAL REVIEW DATE (IRD)

UC Santa Cruz jobs are posted until filled. All application materials submitted by 11:59 pm on the IRD will be routed to the hiring team for consideration. NOTE: Applicants who miss the IRD are still encouraged to apply; their materials will still be forwarded for consideration if requested by the hiring team. Application materials cannot be accepted outside of the jobs portal. Applications cannot be edited on an applicant's behalf. For more information about the IRD and the applicant review process, view this link.

The IRD for this job is: 09-30-2026

ABOUT UC SANTA CRUZ

UC Santa Cruz is a public university like no other in California, combining the experience of a small, liberal arts college with the depth and rigor of a major research university. It's known as an unconventional place where innovation and experimentation is part of the campus's DNA. That playful, bold spirit still thrives today, all on a campus renowned as among the most beautiful in the world.

DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW

The Division of Student Affairs and Success (DSAS), led by the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Success, consists of nearly 800 professional staff and 2100 student staff spanning five major units. Deeply devoted to offering students a transformational educational experience, our division provides campus-wide coordination and leadership of student success programs, activities, and initiatives.

DSAS also does their work through a range of resource centers dedicated to providing direct student support. Work is grounded in educational equity, institutional responsibility, and an unfettered commitment to supporting the whole student. DSAS aspires to ensure every student feels welcome, supported, and a sense of belonging during their time on campus. Efforts are informed by robust and dynamic relationships with campus leadership, faculty, students, and staff from across the campus, reflecting the broad campus commitment to ensuring student success. Beyond UC Santa Cruz, our team is involved in numerous professional organizations and highly engaged in the local community.

The Student Success and Equity area includes all of the units and over 125 state, federal, student service fees, and gift fund sources, and an annual operating budget of nearly $18 million. The Retention and Validation (R&V) units within Student Success and Equity are composed of Educational Opportunity Programs (EOP), Services for Transfer Reentry and Resilient Scholars (STARRS), and African, Black, and Caribbean Student Success (ABC SS). R&V staff provide holistic and humanizing support by acknowledging the lived experiences of students, and consider the social, political, economic, environmental, and historical contexts impacting a student's experience. R&V staff offer programs and activities that create a sense of belonging and invite students to be a part of our community. R&V staff embrace and develop connections and cooperative relationships with colleagues and community partners to create a meaningful and personalized network of support for students. The mission of Educational Opportunity Programs (EOP) is to provide various academic and personal support programs to first-generation college students, low-income students with diverse social and personal identities, and from historically marginalized backgrounds, so that they may achieve their academic, professional, and personal goals and become active leaders in their communities. The Services for Transfer and Resilient Students (STARRS) mission is to advance social mobility for transfer, re-entry, and independent students by providing transformative higher education experiences. STARRS guides students who disproportionately enter higher education through community colleges, including those who have experiences with: transferring, returning to school at an older age, military, being parents, foster care, homelessness, incarceration, or family trauma. The Office for African, Black, Caribbean (ABC) Student Success advocates for the holistic success of ABC students. Through assessment and cross-campus collaboration, ABC Student Success secures campus-wide strategic initiatives and priorities by addressing equity gaps, climate issues, enrollment, retention, and graduation rates of ABC students at University of California Santa Cruz.

More information can be found here.

JOB SUMMARY

Under the direction of the Executive Director, the Associate Director will provide leadership and oversight of partnerships and projects that promote equitable outcomes and experiences for students who are underrepresented, low income, first generation college students, and/or otherwise at a higher risk of experiencing academic difficulty. The Associate Director will work collaboratively with regional community colleges, SAPEP high schools, regional counties of education, Educational Partnership Center (EPC), Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) Initiatives, the Office of Black Student Success, the Educational Opportunities Program, and the Office of Admissions to establish student-centered guided pathways and redress policy and practices that create institutional barriers for prospective and newly admitted students.

APPOINTMENT INFORMATION

Budgeted Salary: $105,000 / Annually. Salary commensurate with skills, qualifications and experience.
Under California law, the University of California, Santa Cruz is required to post a reasonable estimate of the compensation for this role. The salary shown above is the budgeted amount the University reasonably expects to pay and the salary extended should not exceed this posted amount.

Benefits Level Eligibility: Full benefits

Schedule Information:

• Full-time, Fixed
• Percentage of Time: 100%, 40 Hours per Week
• Days of the Week: Mon-Fri
• Shift Includes: Day

Employee Classification: Career appointment

Job End Date: None

Work Location: UC Santa Cruz Main Campus

Union Representation: Non-Represented

Job Code Classification: 000300 - ACAD ACHIEVEMENT MGR 1 - Grade 24

Travel: Never or Rarely

JOB DUTIES

30% - Strategic Leadership

• Provides strategic leadership for student access and transition initiatives that support prospective and incoming undergraduate students, including both first-time freshmen and transfer populations.
• Leads the development and implementation of a comprehensive pre-college and transition strategy that includes developing and maintaining partnerships with K-12 schools (including LCFF+ and SAPEP-aligned schools), community colleges, and community-based organizations serving college-bound students.
• Utilizes demonstrated best practices, research-based, and data-driven expertise to achieve the highest standards of academic excellence, transfer, retention, and graduation for students from historically minoritized backgrounds.
• Provides advanced knowledge and skills in planning, administering, and organizing student success programs and activities for prospective and newly admitted students.
• Serves on campus committees and leads initiatives dedicated to addressing equity issues experienced by students who are underrepresented, low income, first generation college students, and/or otherwise at a higher risk of experiencing academic difficulty.
• Develops and sustains partnerships with internal and external stakeholders, including faculty, staff, administrators, and community partners, to strengthen pathways to UC Santa Cruz.
• Collaborates with campus leadership to align access and transition initiatives with institutional priorities related to enrollment, student success, and academic excellence.
• Serves on campus committees and workgroups focused on student access, transition, and success.
• Promotes coordination across Student Affairs and academic units to ensure a seamless student experience from pre-admission through matriculation and first-year transition.
• Participates in departmental leadership, planning, and administrative activities.

30% - Program Oversight

• Provides oversight for outreach, partnership development, and transition programming serving both prospective and incoming students.
• Collaborates in the development and implementation of outreach strategies for prospective first-year and transfer students, yield and pre-enrollment engagement efforts, orientation and transition programming for newly admitted students.
• Guides staff in designing and delivering programming that supports college readiness and application navigation, academic transition and success strategies, community-building and student engagement.
• Ensures coordination with key campus partners, including the Educational Partnership Center, Admissions, Financial Aid, Orientation, Colleges, and academic departments.
• Oversees advising and transition support services for incoming students; provides guidance on complex student situations as needed.
• Develops and delivers training and resources for campus partners to strengthen practices that support student transition and success.
• Monitors program effectiveness, identifies barriers to access and transition, and implements improvements in collaboration with partners.
• May serve as the instructor of record for KRSG 25 Transfer Excellence (2 units).

20% - Supervision

• Supervises professional and student staff, which includes program coordinators, retention specialists, achievement advisers, undergraduate student staff and graduate students associated with the program.
• Independently plans, assigns, directs and prioritizes staff activities, tasks and projects to ensure adherence to established procedures and an appropriate distribution of labor based on individual skill sets and departmental goals.
• Reviews staff work for technical accuracy, timeliness, completeness, and adherence to standards.
• Identifies training needs and coordinates professional development opportunities. Trains staff in proper methods, procedures, and standards of performance.
• Independently conducts performance evaluations and establishes measurable goals. Provides coaching and feedback to team members.
• Exercises independent judgment to initiate and effectively recommend disciplinary actions in compliance with university policies, collective bargaining agreements and campus procedures.
• Makes effective recommendations for salary actions.
• Manages the recruitment process, including selecting finalists and making the final hiring decision for unit staff.

10% - Program Assessment & Reporting

• Leads assessment and evaluation efforts for access and transition initiatives.
• Develops and implements evaluation plans to assess program effectiveness, student outcomes, and engagement.
• Collaborates with institutional research, data analysts, and program staff to analyze trends and inform decision-making.
• Prepares reports and presentations for campus leadership, external partners, and funding agencies.
• Makes data-informed recommendations to improve program design, delivery, and impact.
• Supports the development of communication materials that highlight program outcomes and student success.

10% - Budget Management

• Manages allocated resources for project activities.
• Supports budget oversight by engaging in financial analyses and reviewing monthly financial reports for accuracy.
• Applies financial concepts to process, review, and approve financial transactions as needed.
• Participates in creating the annual budget and ensure that the budgeting and financial planning is based on and adhere to spending policies and the program, goals, and priorities.
• Contributes to long-term sustainability planning for programs and partnerships.
• Ensures that established program fiscal policies and procedures are followed.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's Degree in a related area and/or equivalent experience/training.
• Advanced knowledge of trends, issues, and state / federal policies in higher education policies, and practices related to college access, first-year transition, and transfer pathways.
• Demonstrated experience implementing initiatives that enhance equitable outcomes for historically minoritized students in higher education.
• Experience designing and implementing programs that support student access, enrollment, transition, and early academic success.
• Multicultural humility; knowledge and experience working and interacting effectively with staff, faculty and student populations from a broad range of perspectives, backgrounds and experiences.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze complex situations, exercise sound judgment, and develop effective, solutions-oriented strategies.
• Excellent written, verbal, and digital communication skills, with the ability to engage with audiences of broad perspectives and backgrounds.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to collaborate effectively across departments, divisions, and external partners.
• Demonstrated ability to supervise, train, and develop professional staff, including setting goals, managing performance, and fostering a collaborative team environment.
• Demonstrated ability to use data and assessment tools to evaluate program effectiveness and inform continuous improvement.
• Demonstrated experience developing and leading access, outreach, and/or transition initiatives in higher education, including work with K-12 schools, community colleges, and/or community-based organizations.
• Strong project management skills, including the ability to plan, implement, and assess multiple initiatives simultaneously.
• Demonstrated ability to build and sustain partnerships across educational systems (K-12, community colleges, and universities) and with community stakeholders.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Masters Degree in Education, Counseling, Social Work or a related field.
• Bilingual or multilingual communication skills.
• Experience with grant-funded programs, including implementation, reporting, and compliance.
• Familiarity with statewide or systemwide college access initiatives (e.g., intersegmental partnerships, outreach programs, or transfer pathway programs).
• Experience working with programs that support first-generation, low-income, or transfer student populations.

SPECIAL CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

• Selected candidate will be required to pass a pre-employment criminal history background check.
• Selected candidate must pass the employment misconduct disclosure process.
• Ability to work long periods of time at a computer with or without accommodation.
• The selected candidate will be required to work primarily on campus, with periods of remote work possible based on operational needs. If a hybrid work schedule is confirmed, the selected candidate must be able to work successfully from a home/remote office and be able to fulfill the requirements of the UCSC telecommuting agreement.
• Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends as directed.
• Clery Act: This position has been identified as a Campus Security Authority (CSA); required to report crimes, incidents, and disciplinary referral statistics as required by the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (20 USC * 1092(f)).
• Ability to travel within a defined regional or service area.
• Ability to maintain appearance and conduct suitable for working in a professional setting.
• Selected candidate will be required to complete training within established time frames as directed including UC compliance training.
• The University of California has implemented a Vaccination Policy covering all employees. Employees, including new hires, are required to comply with any applicable policies relating to the University of California vaccine program.
• Per the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act (CANRA), this position has been identified as a Mandated Reporter. The selected candidate will be required to report known or suspected child abuse or neglect as defined by CANRA and will be required to sign a Statement Acknowledging Requirement to Report Child Abuse prior to commencing employment. CANRA Penal Codes, and related definitions, requirements, and responsibilities may be obtained here.
• Exercise the utmost discretion in managing sensitive information learned in the course of performing their duties. Sensitive information includes but is not limited to employee and student records, health and patient records, financial data, strategic plans, proprietary information and any other sensitive or non-public information learned during the course and scope of employment. Understands that sensitive information should be shared on a limited basis and actively takes steps to limit access to sensitive information to individuals who have legitimate business need to know. Ensure that sensitive information is properly safeguarded. Follow all organizational policies and laws on data protection and privacy. This includes secure handling of physical and digital records and proper usage of IT systems to prevent data leaks. The unauthorized or improper disclosure of confidential work-related information obtained from any source on any work-related matter is a violation of these expectations.

MISCONDUCT DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENT

As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts a conditional offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; received notice of any allegations or are currently the subject of any administrative or disciplinary proceedings involving misconduct; have left a position after receiving notice of allegations or while under investigation in an administrative or disciplinary proceeding involving misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of misconduct with a previous employer.

• "Misconduct" means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer. For reference, below are UC's policies addressing some forms of misconduct:
  • UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
  • UC Anti-Discrimination Policy
  • Abusive Conduct in the Workplace

SAFETY STATEMENT

All UCSC employees must understand and follow job safety procedures, attend required health and safety training, proactively promote safety at work, and promptly report actual and potential accidents and injuries.

NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY

EEO/AA

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status or other protected categories covered by the UC Anti-Discrimination Policy.

It is the policy of the University of California to undertake affirmative action and anti-discrimination efforts, consistent with its obligations as a Federal and State contractor.