Student Success and Retention Manager – Higher Education

California Miramar University is a DEAC-accredited, career-focused university serving a diverse community of domestic and international students through undergraduate, graduate, and certificate programs. As our university continues to grow, we are building a talented and collaborative team committed to helping students succeed. Team members have the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in students’ academic journeys while developing their own skills, expanding their careers, and contributing to a supportive and student-centered community.Position SummaryCalifornia Miramar University is seeking an experienced higher-education professional to lead our student success and retention efforts. The Student Success and Retention Manager will develop and implement retention strategies, supervise the Student Success Advisor, and remain directly engaged with students. This hands-on role combines strategic planning, data analysis, process improvement, staff supervision, student outreach, and issue resolution. The manager will identify retention risks, develop targeted interventions, track performance, and collaborate with other departments to improve student engagement, persistence, and completion.Key ResponsibilitiesRetention Strategy and Student SuccessDevelop and implement a comprehensive student retention and persistence strategy aligned with University goals.Analyze student data to identify trends related to disengagement, withdrawals, stop-outs, re-enrollment, and completion.Develop targeted retention plans and interventions for different student populations and stages of the student lifecycle.Establish retention goals, key performance indicators, and accountability measures.Evaluate retention initiatives and recommend adjustments based on outcomes and student feedback.Partner with leadership and cross-functional departments to address barriers affecting student persistence.Prepare strategic retention reports and recommendations for university leadership.Student Engagement and SupportPersonally conduct regular outreach to students by phone, email, and other communication channels.Build trusted relationships with students and serve as a reliable point of contact for questions and support needs.Identify students at risk of disengaging, stopping out, or withdrawing and coordinate timely interventions.Resolve student concerns independently whenever possible and collaborate with other departments when needed.Track commitments and follow up until each student matter is appropriately resolved.Support student orientation, engagement activities, communications, and retention initiatives.Manage escalated student concerns with professionalism, empathy, and sound judgment.Maintain accurate and timely documentation of student interactions and follow-up activities.Leadership and Department DevelopmentSupervise, coach, and support the Student Success Advisor.Establish clear expectations for student outreach, documentation, follow-up, and issue resolution.Monitor staff performance while personally maintaining an active student caseload.Build repeatable workflows, outreach plans, tracking systems, and reporting practices.Identify opportunities to improve student success services as the University grows.Support a collaborative, accountable, and student-centered team environment.Data and Process ImprovementTrack student outreach, response and resolution times, follow-up completion, at-risk student contacts, and retention outcomes.Maintain accurate records and provide clear daily, weekly, and monthly reporting.Use Excel and university systems to identify trends, gaps, and areas requiring action.Evaluate current processes and implement practical, measurable improvements.Monitor individual and departmental performance and take action when results fall below expectations.Provide recommendations to improve student engagement, persistence, retention, and completion.Cross-Department CollaborationPartner with Academic Affairs, Admissions, the Registrar, Financial Aid, and other departments to resolve cross-functional student concerns.Coordinate timely interventions and ensure appropriate communication among departments.Help align student support activities with broader University retention and student success goals.Required QualificationsBachelor’s degree in higher education administration, education, counseling, psychology, social work, business administration, or a related field.At least 3 of progressively responsible experience in student success, student services, academic advising, retention, enrollment support, or a related function within a postsecondary institution.Demonstrated experience developing, implementing, and evaluating student retention or persistence strategies in higher education.At least two years of experience supervising, coaching, or managing staff.Direct experience supporting college or university students through phone, email, virtual, and/or in-person communication.Demonstrated experience conducting proactive outreach regarding student engagement, academic progress, persistence, re-enrollment, or withdrawal risk.Experience designing or implementing interventions for at-risk students.Experience managing student concerns or escalations from initial contact through resolution.Experience using student data, reporting, and performance metrics to identify retention risks and guide decisions.Strong Excel skills, including maintaining trackers, analyzing data, monitoring trends, and preparing reports.Strong interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to build rapport with a diverse student population.Excellent organization, attention to detail, judgment, and follow-through.Ability to work directly with students while supervising staff and leading strategic retention initiatives.Ability to learn systems such as Populi and HubSpot quickly.Ability to work full-time on-site at the University’s San Diego campus, Monday through Friday, from 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.Pay: $65,000.00 - $80,000.00 per year

Benefits

Dental insuranceHealth insuranceVision insurancePaid Time Off