Position Description

This position
works to create a community of discovery that fosters our values of compassion, transformation, vulnerability and responsibility. At Verto, Student success encompasses a holistic development that integrates academic achievement, personal growth, and global awareness. The program is designed to foster self-awareness, cultural competence, and a sense of purpose, ensuring students are well-prepared for their continued educational journey and future careers.

The Assistant Director will oversee the successful development of the student success program, ensuring that students are supported across various areas while fostering an empowering student experience. This role includes advocating for students' holistic development and success, managing crises, addressing particularly challenging cases, and providing guidance to the team. The Assistant Director will assume a strategic leadership role in developing and implementing policies that support both students and the broader community. They will report directly to the Program Director (PD) and Student Success Headquarters (HQ) to strengthen the community and effectively implement all stages of the student cycle. The Assistant Director supervises the Student Success team and oversees the creation of an inclusive community that contributes to the overall student experience and academic success of students during their program.

Responsibilities:

• Supervision of the Student Success Managers (SSM) as well as other staff in larger enrollment semesters.
• Oversee reporting system for all student issues (academic and personal).
• Responsible for using Salesforce and other Verto Tech systems to support student success.
• Design and implement strategies to improve student retention and success, aligning with Verto's mission and values.
• Support the Academic team during Add/Drop through student advising, providing assistance, and/or appropriate referrals, and follow appropriate policies and protocols to ensure students meet eligibility and enrollment requirements for course load, credits, schedules, partners, etc
• Meet with students for escalated academic advising relevant to course enrollments and withdrawals, monitoring students academic performance and attendance, identifying patterns and trends to initiate pro-active student advising relevant to student academic progress
• Support staff in helping students identify academic goals and establish/work toward Post-Verto plans.
• Oversee the ongoing management of accountability cases (academic and personal), supporting Student Success Staff in creating student action plans that mirror our philosophy of compassionate discipline.
• Oversee the case management process for escalating students of concern as needed to PD and Student Success HQ team to appropriately support students
• Serve as a member of the Global Behavioral Intervention Team, which supports students of concern across all sites.
• Plan and implement orientation logistics, informing and preparing all participants, and delegating responsibilities across the team.
• Plan and implement onboarding for new team members ahead of each semester’s start in coordination with the Programming & Operations team in the US.
• Define SOPs for student success related work and create and consolidate resources for SSA responsibilities onsite
• Identify and implement appropriate interventions for academic student support following academic policies and resources
• Engage students in academic development and programming outside of class
• Hold students accountable for behaviors and actions that impact academic success
• Help students identify specific and targeted academic skills and goals
• Demonstrate understanding of key academic requirements based on post Verto tracks
• Serve as a resource and leader in helping students develop their Post-Verto Plans
• Manage Student leadership initiatives onsite including but not limited to Verto Presidential Scholars, Student Clubs and Study Groups.
• Establishes and implements plans to increase student participation in student success activities.
• Participate in the extracurricular and excursion programs, requiring occasional weekend travel
• Mediate escalation of student needs according to subject matter
• Maintain consistent and open communication with PD regarding staff and student incidents and performance metrics
• Provide mediation or conflict resolution support to SSA’s
• Provide support to Care teams to enhance the student success network.
• Act as the local resource and answer questions, explain disciplinary processes involving the Verto Code of Responsibility.
• Assist and collaborate with training staff, and create materials related to the Verto Code of Responsibility and other Verto policies and procedures
• Ensure excellent documentation standards are followed and seek to confirm details where needed to ensure due process.
• Meet with students in response to incident reports or requests for intervention by other staff or faculty, with empathy and compassion
• Ensure all student meetings in response to disciplinary situations are held as soon as possible in a timely manner
• Other Duties, as assigned.

Requirements and Qualifications

• A Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred
• Ability to legally work in location is required
• 4-6 years experience in higher education, 6-8 years if no Master’s degree.
• This may include: 2+ years of experience in teaching, tutoring and/or academic advising and 2+ year’s experience with experiential learning and/or education abroad programming
• The ability to embody/model compassion, responsibility, vulnerability and transformation for students
• A passion for learning, experiential education, diversity, inclusivity, travel, global citizenship and, most importantly, for helping students grow and succeed
• Ability to work independently
• Fluency in English, excellent communication skills, efficient time-management, teamwork, and the ability to work in a high-pressure environment.
• Strong computer skills, including Google suite and Microsoft suites, to include Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Well-versed in data management to ensure adequacy, accuracy, and legitimacy of data, and be able to strictly follow data privacy and security procedures for data handling and analysis to ensure adherence to legal and institutional standards.

• Priority will be given to those who experience working with culturally, ethnically, socioeconomically, and linguistically diverse students and demonstrated ability to foster relationships with underrepresented students.