Student Success Coach

Manhattan University is nestled in the historic neighborhood of Riverdale, close to dozens of restaurants and shops as well as Van Cortlandt Park, and is only 35 minutes from midtown Manhattan. Manhattan University is nationally ranked and offers degree programs in the arts, business, education, engineering, and science. The University has approximately 2,900 full and part-time undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in over 50 fields of study. It is committed to excellence in teaching a diverse student body and preparing students for successful careers and fulfilling lives. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment where all employees and faculty members can thrive personally and professionally.

About the role

The Success Coach provides holistic, student-centered support that promotes academic achievement, personal development, career readiness, and timely progression toward graduation. Through individualized coaching, reflective practice, academic planning, intentional goal setting, and engagement with the University's Pathways Center competencies and milestones, the Success Coach empowers students to become active participants in shaping their academic, professional, and personal development throughout their undergraduate experience.

Three Success Coach positions are available, each supporting an assigned caseload of students within one of the following schools: the O'Malley School of Business, the School of Engineering, or the Kakos School of Arts and Sciences. Responsibilities are the same across all three positions; each Success Coach's specific caseload and school-based partnerships will be determined by their supervisor, the Director of Advising/Success Coaching.

Working collaboratively with the Pathways Center team, faculty advisors, academic departments, and campus partners, the Success Coach serves as the primary point of contact for an assigned caseload of students within their assigned school, guiding them through academic planning, connecting them with institutional resources and high-impact learning experiences, and supporting informed decisions that foster student success, engagement, and lifelong learning. The Success Coach fosters a culture of reflection, exploration, and student ownership by helping students intentionally connect their academic experiences with career aspirations, personal growth, and the University's Lasallian commitment to educating the whole person.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary Success Coach for an assigned caseload of undergraduate students within their assigned school, providing individualized coaching to assist students in establishing academic, personal, and career goals.
• Guide students through degree planning, registration planning, DegreeWorks audit interpretation, course sequencing, academic policy navigation, and timely progression toward graduation while collaborating with faculty advisors and academic departments.
• Coordinate timely referrals and maintain ongoing communication with students and campus partners to ensure connection to academic, wellness, accessibility, financial, and other student support services such as Registrar, Financial Aid, Counseling, Academic Success, and Specialized Resource Center.
• Facilitate structured student reflection, individualized goal setting, and coaching conversations that encourage students to take ownership of their academic, professional, and personal development.
• Employ a strengths-based coaching approach to promote student persistence, engagement, career assessments, and timely degree completion while administering and interpreting career assessment tools to help students identify their strengths, interests, values, and future pathways.
• Assist students in identifying barriers to success and connecting them with appropriate campus resources and support services.
• Guide students through career exploration, internship preparation, graduate and professional school planning, and career decision-making using evidence-based coaching practices and career development resources.
• Maintain accurate advising documentation, degree planning records, coaching notes, and student action plans using University systems and established advising practices.
• Facilitate workshops, group coaching sessions, and developmental programming that respond to the needs of the assigned academic school while promoting academic success and career readiness. Encourage participation in experiential learning opportunities both on and off campus.
• Serve as the primary liaison between the Pathways Center, their assigned school, faculty advisors, and specialized programs to strengthen academic planning, curriculum pathways, and coordinated student support.
• Coach students in the development of resumes, cover letters, LinkedIn profiles, interviewing, networking, job search strategies, and effective utilization of MU’s Handshake platform.
• Support students in developing individualized career action plans aligned with their academic program, professional aspirations, and discipline-specific career pathways.
• Partner with faculty advisors, academic departments, and campus partners to support student success through proactive communication, coordinated referrals, collaborative problem-solving, and timely follow-up for students requiring additional assistance.
• Monitor student engagement, reflection survey results, Pathways competencies, academic progress, and career readiness outcomes.
• Utilize student success technologies (Banner, DegreeWorks, Starfish), career management platforms to manage caseloads, maintain accurate advising documentation, monitor student progress, and prepare timely reporting.
• Represent the Pathways Center by actively participating in University committees, cross-functional initiatives, orientation programs, Welcome Weekend, First-Year Experience activities, Honors Program events, commencement-related activities, and other student engagement initiatives. Availability to support selected evening and weekend programs is expected.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution (Master’s degree preferred).
• Two (2) years of experience in student success, academic advising, career services, counseling, coaching, higher education, or a related field.
• Experience supporting students in the relevant disciplines of the assigned school is preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to build supportive relationships with diverse student populations.
• Knowledge of student development, academic advising, and career development theories and practices.
• Demonstrated ability to learn and effectively utilize the University's enterprise student information system (Banner or comparable enterprise system preferred) and related student success and CRM technologies to support academic planning, student records, caseload management, and student success initiatives.
• Experience facilitating workshops, presentations, or student programming.
• Strong written, verbal, interpersonal, and presentation skills.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft 365 applications, including Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and working knowledge of Excel.
• Experience utilizing LinkedIn and other professional networking resources.
• Ability to learn and effectively utilize emerging technologies, including student success platforms and career management systems.