Assistant Director of Degree Progress

Note: This position has been deemed critical by the School of Engineering Dean’s Office and is exempt from the hiring freeze.

The Civil & Environmental Engineering Department is a joint department in the School of Engineering and the Doerr School of Sustainability. Stanford Engineering (SOE) has been at the forefront of innovation for nearly a century, creating pivotal technologies that have transformed the worlds of information technology, communications, health care, energy, business and beyond. Our faculty and students are creative risk-takers who pursue excellence across a breadth of disciplines. Our alumni include some of the world's most successful leaders in technology and business. The Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability (SDSS) strives to create a future when humans and nature thrive in concert and in perpetuity. The school is dedicated to valuing and supporting a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment, and to creating solutions that benefit all people, particularly those most affected by environmental damage and climate change.

The Civil & Environmental Engineering (CEE) department’s vibrant population of 500 students needs an effective communicator and graduate degree progress coordinator. CEE is seeking an Assistant Director of Degree Progress for its student affairs staff team to lead its efforts in academic excellence, to help coordinate the department’s major recurring student events, and to support student recruitment, advising, and graduate mentorship programs. This role requires a self-starter who is detail-oriented, comfortable learning and innovating using an array of web-based tools and platforms, and eager to be part of a collaborative team.

Civil and Environmental Engineering Website: https://cee.stanford.edu

In this role, you will:

• Oversee, review and administer student records by analyzing data, counseling students and providing recommendations that require interpretation and influence decisions. Make exceptions on issues of eligibility, course enrollment and program requirements.
• Develop recommendations and collaborate with staff, faculty and other offices to resolve programmatic issues within the school and across functional units, (such as strategizing to ensure optimal enrollment).
• Coordinate with Wellness Liaisons and supporting student groups (e.g., Graduate Life Committee, CEE student committees, peer advisors, ASCE student chapter) for recruitment and engagement events; advise faculty and department administration on student engagement
• Provide advice to students on a range of issues, including, but not limited to, academic progress, academic program policies, career plans, accessibility, community standards, etc., to guide them in making appropriate choices and decisions.
• Apprise students of research, fellowship and scholarship opportunities. Participate in related student recruitment and selection.
• Provide first-line response to identify students in crisis and refer to appropriate resources, as needed.
• Collect and analyze data from multiple sources including student feedback, surveys, trend reports, and data analytics. Prepare and summarize reports and make recommendations to enhance offerings, such as programs and courses and to influence current processes and policies.
• Develop, analyze, influence and review policies, processes and programs by incorporating feedback and trend data learned from first-line interactions with students. Advise manager and team on policy updates and provide recommendations for implementation of changes.
• Being the point person for all graduate degree (PhD, Master’s, and Engineer programs) milestones e.g. approving program sheets, GQE paperwork, oral defense form, dissertation submission. Sending minimum progress communications in time to meet quarterly deadlines.
• Meeting with graduate students daily for enrollment and special status troubleshooting, including leaves of absence. Clearing students to graduate. Chasing down missing grades from instructors.
• Provide data reporting and analysis function for departmental leadership as needed, e.g. matriculation, student appointments data, etc.
• Manage lab/PI rotations and PI alignment for first-year doctoral students.
• Manage doctoral program mentoring initiatives.
• Coordinate graduate student wellness and community liaisons.
• Coordinate regularly with the graduate student leadership community and with faculty Directors of Graduate Studies.
• Enter graduate student appointment and financial aid data into the Graduate Financial Support System (GFS) or analogous platforms quarterly.
• Other duties as assigned.

Education & Experience (Required):

• Bachelor’s degree and two years of relevant experience, or combination of education and relevant experience.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities (Required):

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Basic computer skills, including experience with Microsoft Office Suite.
• Basic analysis and problem solving skills.
• Customer service skills.
• Relevant computer systems/technology experience.
• Understanding of financial transactions.
• Ability to learn and understand compliance with legal, financial, and university policies and external regulations.