Associate Director of Student Involvement and Orientation

About the role

The Associate Director of Student Involvement & Orientation serves as a key operational and programmatic leader within the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership (OSIL). Reporting to the Assistant Dean of Student Involvement and Leadership, this position supports student engagement, orientation programs, leadership initiatives, and campus involvement efforts through the coordination and implementation of major campus programs, student organization advising, and OSIL operations.

Responsibilities

• Lead the planning, implementation, and assessment of Pre-Orientation, New Student Orientation, Transfer Orientation, Resource Fairs, and Welcome Week initiatives.
• Coordinate orientation logistics and support student onboarding and transition initiatives throughout the academic year while collaborating closely with campus partners to ensure a coordinated and student-centered transition experience.
• Recruit, train, supervise, and evaluate Orientation Leaders and student transition staff connected to orientation and engagement initiatives.
• Care for orientation schedules, staffing, communication plans, event logistics, and implementation efforts across campus partners.
• Collaborate with campus partners across Student Affairs and Academic Affairs to support a seamless orientation and transition experience for new students.
• Support the day-to-day functioning of the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership (OSIL) through student organization advising, campus engagement initiatives, orientation implementation support, and supervision of student leadership staffing structures connected to OSIL operations and programs.
• Advise undergraduate student leaders, organizations, and governance groups including Class Presidents, the Committee on Student Life (COSL), the Sarah Lawrence Activities Council (SLAC), and selected student organizations.
• Campus traditions and engagement initiatives including Welcome Week, Family & Friends Weekend, Winter Carnival, Senior Week, Late Night Breakfast programming, and other major campus-wide events connected to student involvement and engagement.
• Supervise Orientation Leaders, OSIL student employees, Graduate Assistants, and/or Student Leadership Advisors connected to student engagement, leadership initiatives, and campus involvement operations.
• Maintain working knowledge of the Undergraduate Student Handbook, Student Organization Manual, and OSIL policies, procedures, and community standards while helping to ensure student organizations operate in compliance with College expectations.
• Co-manage email inboxes and assist with inquiries from different stakeholders.
• Serve on divisional committees, campus workgroups, and collaborative planning teams as assigned in support of Student Life and institutional initiatives.
• Assist with departmental assessment efforts, student engagement reporting, program evaluation, and data collection related to orientation, student involvement, and campus engagement initiatives.
• Support special projects connected to student involvement, orientation programs, leadership initiatives, student staff development, and campus-wide engagement efforts.
• Participate in the Student Life secondary on-call rotation, responding to student concerns, community needs, and campus emergencies during assigned coverage periods (typically 2–3 weeks per semester).

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred.
• A minimum of 3 – 5 years of experience in student affairs, student engagement, orientation, leadership development, residence life, campus programming, or related higher education areas required.
• Strong organizational, communication, relationship-building, and event management skills, along with the ability to manage multiple priorities in fast-paced student-facing environments.
• Demonstrated commitment to fostering an inclusive, equitable, and student-centered campus community.
• Availability for evening and weekend responsibilities throughout the academic year, including participation in the Student Life secondary on-call rotation.

Qualifications

• Experience supervising graduate assistants, orientation leaders, student employees, and/or student leadership staff in higher education or student engagement settings preferred.
• Familiarity with Anthology Engage/GryphonLink or similar student engagement platforms, along with experience supporting assessment efforts, communications, and operational planning preferred.
• Experience supporting student leadership development initiatives, leadership models, curriculum design, and emotionally intelligent leadership practices preferred.
• Familiarity with residential liberal arts college environments, live-in Student Life operations, strong organizational and administrative skills, and possession of a valid driver’s license for occasional College-related travel preferred.