Associate Dean of Graduate Studies

About the Role

The Associate Dean of Graduate Studies reports to the Dean of Graduate Students and plays a core leadership role in shaping the academic and personal development of graduate students. This position is responsible for student well-being both in and out of the classroom, addressing a broad spectrum of issues, including academic and personal advising, faculty outreach, student conduct, and crisis management. The role requires significant collaboration across campus offices such as Student Wellness Services, the Center for Inclusion and Diversity, Equity and Title IX, the Registrar, Housing, the Office of Student and Family Engagement, and academic Option managers.

This is an Essential Reporting position. In the event of a campus emergency, the employee is expected to report to campus as soon as possible to support response and recovery efforts.

Responsibilities

• Program Development: Build, implement, and manage student support programs. Develop and present academic components of new student orientation and new academic interventions. Continually assess and enhance these programs to adapt to evolving student needs.
• Collaboration and Networking: Forge strong partnerships across campus with student support services, faculty, and administrative offices to promote student success. Maintain a wide network of relationships to ensure comprehensive support for students.
• Student Advising: Provide high-level academic and personal advising to graduate students, including coordination with faculty, academic advisors, residential life staff, and other offices. Advise students on academic petitions, leaves of absence, reinstatements, and other academic needs.
• Admissions: Maintain a foundational understanding of the decentralized graduate admissions process. Communicate with Division and Option representatives to ensure the process runs smoothly and stakeholders’ needs are met.
• Crisis Management: Respond to student crises in collaboration with Student Wellness Services, Campus Security, Equity and Title IX, and other relevant departments. Play a pivotal role in Caltech’s CARE team for case management of students experiencing challenges. Participate in the Student Affairs on-call rotation system.
• Student Conduct: Oversee student conduct, investigate conduct cases, and make recommendations for disciplinary action to the Dean.
• Account and Budget Management: Administer the student emergency fund and other discretionary funds. Manage the office’s general budget and operations spending in consultation with the Dean and Financial Analyst.
• Committee Involvement: Serve on campus committees at the direction of the Dean. Act as the Dean’s representative as required. Serve as a liaison to the Graduate Student Council (GSC) and advise graduate student leaders.
• Leadership Role: Provide leadership for the graduate office staff and represent the office.
• Policy Development: Develop and implement policies and procedures that enhance the student experience. Assess and improve academic policies and Dean’s office procedures to address changing student needs.
• Union Relations and Compliance: Work with the Labor Relations team to provide guidance on academic policies, Institute procedures, union contract provisions, labor agreements, and regulatory requirements. Ensure uniform application of collective bargaining agreement articles across academic Divisions; conduct trainings and compliance reviews.
• Grievances and Investigations: Play a key role in the grievance and appeals process outlined in the collective bargaining agreement. Conduct complex and sensitive investigations with minimal supervision, including determining strategies, leading interviews, reviewing documents, and making findings and recommendations.
• Special Projects: Execute high-impact projects at the request of the Dean, often involving collaboration with various stakeholders and departments.

Requirements

• Master’s degree.
• 5 years of increasingly responsible experience in student affairs.
• Excellent leadership and managerial skills, with the capacity to supervise a team of professionals.
• Exceptional counseling and advising skills, with the ability to utilize independent judgment in a fair and consistent manner.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Ability to build strong collaborations with other offices.
• Strong service orientation and ability to exercise independent judgment in a team-oriented environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Doctorate degree.
• Experience in crisis management.
• Administrative experience in higher education, supervisory experience, or academic management experience.
• A demonstrated commitment to diversity and inclusivity.
• Previous Caltech experience.

Pay

Hiring range: $146,600 - $180,100 per year. The salary of the finalist(s) selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to, internal equity, experience, education, specialty, and training.

Benefits

Caltech offers a comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees and their dependents, including:

• Health, dental, and vision insurance.
• Retirement savings plans.
• Generous paid time off (vacation, holidays, sick time, parental leave, bereavement, etc.).
• Tuition reimbursement.
• Additional benefits such as onsite counseling and sick time for non-benefit eligible employees.