Director of Student Success

POSITION PURPOSE

The Director of Student Success is responsible for leading, integrating, and optimizing all campus operations related to persistence, certification, graduation, and employment outcomes. This position oversees both Student Services and Career Services functions, ensuring that students receive coordinated, proactive, developmentally appropriate support from enrollment through alumni status.

The Director of Student Success drives performance outcomes across the full student lifecycle by:

• Strengthening student engagement and retention strategies.
• Ensuring students meet required academic and FAA certification milestones.
• Supporting timely program completion and graduation.
• Leading career readiness, employer engagement, and graduate placement efforts.

This role serves as a primary partner to campus Academics, corporate Student Success leadership, and industry partners to ensure the campus meets or exceeds institutional expectations for student success.

JOB FUNCTIONS, DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Student Support, Retention & Persistence

• Lead campus-wide retention strategy by monitoring student attendance, progression, barriers to completion, and overall engagement.
• Oversee proactive outreach, coaching, and interventions to help students remain on pace and persist through program milestones.
• Partner with Academics to ensure timely and accurate identification of at-risk students and implement targeted support plans.
• Provide leadership to Student Success staff in documenting student outreach, advising notes, follow-up, and progression status in the student information system.

Certification Readiness & Milestone Management

• Track student performance against FAA certification benchmarks and internal progression expectations, ensuring students remain on pace toward all testing milestones.
• Oversee campus processes for FAA written exam scheduling, retesting workflows, exam follow-ups, and AKTR data submission in collaboration with Academic leadership.
• Support faculty and Student Services teams in preparing students for FAA written exams, oral & practical expectations, and career-ready credentialing.
• Ensure all required certification documentation is submitted accurately and within required timelines.

Graduation Success & Completion

• Monitor student progress toward graduation requirements, ensuring timely clearance for completion.
• Lead team execution of graduation preparation activities, including Exit Interviews, completion checklists, and student transition planning.
• Maintain campus-level compliance documentation related to graduation, completion rates, and accreditation requirements.

Career Readiness, Student Coaching & Graduate Placement

• Oversee Career Services activities that prepare students for job search success, including resume development, interviewing skills, job-search coaching, and professionalism.
• Manage a caseload of students and graduates (as needed) and ensure Career Services staff deliver consistent, high-quality coaching and placement support.
• Monitor weekly placement metrics, including resumes, applications, interviews, job offers, and verified placements, and guide the team in action planning to meet targets.
• Build strong relationships with employers and industry partners to increase opportunities for students and graduates to secure in-field employment.
• Ensure accurate tracking and reporting of graduate employment statuses and all compliance documentation.

Campus Leadership, Team Development & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Directly supervise Student Services and Career Services staff, providing coaching, performance management, and professional development.
• Foster a unified culture of Student Success that prioritizes timely intervention, student-centered support, and outcome-driven practices.
• Serve as a key partner to campus Executive Directors and Academic leadership in aligning strategy, analyzing trends, and escalating risks.
• Coordinate campus participation in student success initiatives including workshops, employer events, certification readiness sessions, and retention campaigns.
• Lead or contribute to Program Advisory Committee (PAC) meetings and ensure feedback is documented and shared with educators.

Data, Reporting & Compliance

• Monitor weekly, monthly, and quarterly performance across all Student Success metrics—retention, certification, graduation, and placement—ensuring accurate reporting and timely submission to internal and external stakeholders.
• Regularly review Tableau dashboards, SIS data, and internal reports to identify trends, risks, and opportunities for improvement.
• Maintain compliance with accrediting bodies, FAA guidelines, and state/federal regulations related to student records, certification results, employment verification, and reporting.
• Ensure all staff document student interactions and outcomes in the appropriate electronic systems with accuracy and consistency.

Student Engagement, Events & Campus Involvement

• Represent Student Success at New Student Orientation and introduce students to campus expectations, upcoming milestones, and available support resources.
• Lead campus career fairs, employer engagement events, certification readiness events, and other initiatives that contribute to student success.
• Participate in commencement ceremonies and related activities.
• Support onboarding and training for new Student Success staff to promote consistency across the institution.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

Supervise Student Services and Career Services personnel. Additional supervisory duties may be assigned based on campus size and organizational structure.

Education

• Bachelor’s Degree

Experience/Skills

• Minimum three (5) years of professional experience in aviation, or five (5) years of experience in Student Services, Human Resources, Recruiting, Career Services, or related student-support roles.
• Demonstrated success in a fast-paced, performance-driven environment with measurable outcome expectations.
• Strong analytical and organizational skills; ability to interpret data, identify trends, and design action plans.
• Ability to lead teams, manage performance, and build positive, collaborative campus culture.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with a student-focused customer service mindset.
• Able and willing to work flexible hours, including evenings and weekends as needed.