Director Retention Jobs in Indiana (NOW HIRING)

The Titan Success Center at Indiana University South Bend is a student-centered support hub focused on promoting retention, persistence, and academic success for all students, with a particular emphasis on first-year, first-generation, and first-generation populations. The Center provides holistic support through coaching, resource navigation, and targeted interventions designed to remove barriers to student success.
The office collaborates closely with academic units, Financial Aid, Bursar, and campus partners to ensure students receive coordinated support throughout their academic journey. Key initiatives include first-year student coaching, support for 21st Century Scholars, and emerging first-generation student programming. The Titan Success Center plays a critical role in advancing institutional goals related to student success, and completion.
Job Summary
Department Specific Responsibilities

• Serves as a primary coach for first-year students, providing proactive outreach, academic guidance, and success planning.
• Acts as a liaison between students and campus offices, including the Bursar and Financial Aid, to support financial literacy and resolve account-related concerns.
• Supports targeted student populations, including 21st Century Scholars and first-generation students, through individualized and group interventions.
• Monitors student progress, identify at-risk students, and implement timely interventions to improve retention and persistence outcomes.
• Develops and facilitates workshops, programming, and outreach initiatives focused on student success, transition, and engagement.
• Collaborates with academic advisors, faculty, and student services to coordinate comprehensive support strategies.
• Tracks and reports student engagement, outcomes, and program effectiveness to inform continuous improvement efforts.
• Maintains accurate and confidential student records in compliance with university policies and Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) guidelines.
• Develops and implements programs and initiatives that provide support to students in crisis, facing adversity or challenges, or who belong to underrepresented or minority student populations.
• Interfaces directly with students by attending student programming events, advising student organization leaders, meeting 1-on-1 to discuss support needs, and gathering satisfaction feedback from student participants to implement into future student services initiatives and objectives. Places emphasis on the confidentiality of student concerns, compliance with university policy, and a culture of care in all direct student interactions.
• Collaborates with staff in own department and other departments, as well as academic and campus leaders, on shared student support goals, often coordinating funding to sponsor student programs and initiatives.
• Project outcomes for support services offered at the program, department/division, or campus level. Measures and evaluates the effectiveness of student support initiatives against projected outcomes; regularly prepares reports on the impact on students and the budget, and may present to stakeholders on effectiveness and to secure funding for initiatives moving forward.
• Serves on committees and performs student support research across the field of higher education and at peer institutions to identify and recommend best practices.
• Plans and coordinates communications for student support initiatives to ensure student participation, inclusion, and engagement.
• May provide guidance to other student support staff; makes process recommendations to the manager for improved delivery of service.

General Responsibilities

• Develops and distributes reports of enrollment, year-over-year retention, progress toward degree completion, and graduation for distribution to leaders in enrollment management and across various student services functions. Maintains historical reports for trend analysis and benchmarking.
• Serves on committees and works collaboratively with other student services staff to maintain an understanding of the full student life cycle and typical barriers to retention, degree completion, and graduation.
• Develops and implements retention programs, initiatives, and targeted communications to improve student enrollment and retention outcomes.
• Performs targeted outreach and interacts directly with at-risk students, connecting them with resources to navigate barriers to completion.
• Evaluates enrollment data to determine the effectiveness of current enrollment processes; liaises with and serves as a resource for academic departments, offices, programs, and schools across campus to develop and realize enrollment goals.
• Performs industry research and may make recommendations for process improvements in line with industry best practices.

Qualifications
Combinations of related education and experience may be considered. Education beyond the minimum required may be substituted for work experience. Work experience beyond the minimum required may be substituted for education.
EDUCATION
Required

• Bachelor's degree in education, public affairs, public health, counseling, social work, business, or related field.

Preferred

• Master's degree in Higher Education, Student Affairs, Counseling, Social Work, or a related field

WORK EXPERIENCE
Required

• 2 years in enrollment management, admissions, student services, higher education, or related field.

Preferred

• Experience working with first-year, first-generation, or first-generation student populations.
• Experience in student success coaching, retention initiatives, or case management models.
• Familiarity with financial aid, bursar processes, or student account navigation.
• Experience developing and delivering student success programming or workshops.
• Experience working in a higher education setting, particularly within student affairs or advising.

LICENSES AND CERTIFICATES
Preferred

• Training or certification in academic coaching, advising, or student success frameworks.

SKILLS
Required

• Proficient written and verbal communication skills.
• Maintains a high degree of professionalism.
• Demonstrates time management and priority setting skills.
• Demonstrates a high commitment to quality.
• Possesses flexibility to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Seeks to acquire knowledge in area of specialty.
• Highly thorough and dependable.
• Demonstrates a high level of accuracy, even under pressure.
• Ability to interpret federal, state, and institutional rules and regulations and required procedures associated with compliance required.

Preferred

• Strong ability to build rapport and establish trust with student populations.
• Knowledge of student development theory and retention best practices.
• Ability to assess student needs and provide individualized support strategies.
• Strong problem-solving and conflict resolution skills.
• Data-informed decision-making and the ability to track student outcomes.
• High level of organization with the ability to manage multiple student caseloads.
• Ability to collaborate effectively across departments in a fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrates ability to maintain confidential information.
• Ability to simultaneously handle multiple priorities.
• Demonstrates excellent judgment and decision-making skills.
• Demonstrates customer service skills.
• Knowledge of student development, counseling, or career development theories and practices.
• Knowledge of current needs and trends of student populations.
• Ability to advise students individually and in groups on student-related matters.
• Ability to build strong partnerships with students and other university departments.

Working Conditions / Demands
This role requires the ability to effectively communicate and to operate a computer and other standard office productivity equipment. The position involves sedentary work as well as periods of time moving around an office environment and the campus. The person in this role must be able to perform the essential functions with or without an accommodation.
Work Location
IU South Bend Campus
South Bend, Indiana
Advertised Salary
Salary Range: $45,947.20 - $46,601.04 annually
Benefits Overview
For full-time staff employees, Indiana University offers a wide array of benefits including:

• Comprehensive medical and dental insurance
• Health savings account with generous IU contributions
• Healthcare and dependent care flexible spending accounts
• Basic group life insurance paid by IU
• Voluntary supplemental life, long-term disability, critical illness, and supplemental accidental death & dismemberment insurance
• Base retirement plan with generous IU contributions, subject to vesting
• Voluntary supplemental retirement plan options
• Tuition subsidy for employees and family members taking IU courses
• 10 paid holidays plus a paid winter break each year
• Generous paid time off plans
• Paid leave for new parents and IU-sponsored volunteer events
• Employee assistance program (EAP)

Learn more about our benefits by reviewing the IU Benefit Programs Brochure .
Job Classification
Career Level: Career
FLSA: Exempt
Job Function: Student Services
Job Family: Enrollment Mgmt & Retention
Click here to learn more about Indiana University's Job Framework.
Posting Disclaimer
This posting is scheduled to close at 11:59 pm EST on the advertised Close Date. This posting may be closed at any time at the discretion of the University, but will remain open for a minimum of 5 business days. To guarantee full consideration, please submit your application within 5 business days of the Posted Date.
If you wish to include a cover letter, you may include it with your resume when uploading attachments.
Equal Employment Opportunity
Indiana University is an equal opportunity employer and provider of ADA services and prohibits discrimination in hiring. See Indiana University Notice of Non-Discrimination here which includes contact information .
Campus Safety and Security
The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report, containing policy statements, crime and fire statistics for all Indiana University campuses, is available online . You may also request a physical copy by emailing IU Public Safety at iups@iu.edu or by visiting IUPD.
Contact Us
Request Support
Telephone: 812-856-1234
Apply for Job

• Staff Positions
• Sign In
• New User
• Enable Screen Reader Mode