Senior Director, Student Life, Working Professionals MBA Programs
The University of Chicago

Job Info

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Department

Booth MBA: Student Life

About the Department

The University of Chicago Booth School of Business is the second-oldest business school in the U.S. and second to none when it comes to influencing business education and business practices. Since 1898, the school has produced ideas and leaders that shape the world of business. Their rigorous, discipline-based approach to business education transforms students into confident, effective, respected business leaders prepared to face the toughest challenges.

Chicago Booth has the finest set of facilities of any business school in the world. Each of the four campuses (two in Chicago, one in London, and one in Hong Kong) reflects the architectural traditions of its environs while offering a state-of-the-art learning environment.

Chicago Booth is proud to claim:
-an unmatched faculty.
-degree and open enrollment programs offered on three continents.
-a global body of nearly 56,000 accomplished alumni.
-strong and growing corporate relationships that provide a wealth of lifelong career opportunities.

As part of the world-renowned University of Chicago, Chicago Booth shares the University's core values that shape the distinctive intellectual culture. At Booth, they constantly question and test ideas, and seek proof. This extraordinarily effective approach to business leads to new ideas and innovative solutions. Seven of the Booth faculty members have won Nobel Prizes for these ideas - the first business school to achieve this accomplishment.

For more information about the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, please visit: http://www.chicagobooth.edu/.

Job Summary

The Senior Director of Student Life for the Working Professionals MBA Programs is responsible for providing enterprise-wide leadership on the strategic direction and program development with regard to student groups, student events, diversity and inclusion, student wellness, and student life for Chicago Booth Evening, Weekend and Executive MBA program to create and maintain a strong community. The Senior Director's role is broad-reaching and integral to the success of all Booth students as they work closely with the senior leadership teams from Career Services, Leadership Development, Faculty and Academic Services, and Admissions to strategically create and coordinate all student-facing programming and operational activities. As such, the role plays a significant hands on role in executing the Working Professionals programs.

This individual plays a strategic role in the success of the program with involvement in planning for the student experience, resolving student issues, building student community, creating active and positive relationships with the Evening, Weekend, and Executive MBA program staff, as well as the global EMBA staff and the University. This role monitors progress in meeting goals on all appropriate dimensions and engages with appropriate colleagues to ensure issues are addressed. The position often carries out the role's responsibilities through the reporting staff and delegates appropriately. The role is a member of the Student Life senior leadership team.

Responsibilities

• Plays an active role on the Student Life senior leadership team to ensure that all constituents receive extraordinary support commensurate with their student life needs and to facilitate a collaborative culture across all Student Life functions, Chicago Booth campuses, and the University.
• Manages a staff of professionals that may include assistant, associate, and director-level roles. Leads in their development, goal-setting, and accountability. The Director role currently assigned to the position executes on delivery of the program and key objectives as assigned by this role.
• Manages positive relationships between the UChicago Bursar, Registrar, and Booth Faculty and Academic Services. Specifically, coordinates with faculty Services to ensure the availability of faculty coordinating for the teaching demands of these and other MBA programs
• Leads, drives, and forges collaborations with all Student Life team members, with direct reports and skip-level reports in three programs.
• Accountable to manage and monitors the budget and accounts associated with all student life activities for the Evening, Weekend, and Executive MBA in Chicago. Provides all relevant budget questions, needs, and requests to the Associate Dean.
• Reviews and approves vendor arrangements in partnership with Chicago Booth's contracts department.
• Resolves any Gleacher facility issues and escalate as needed.
• Coordinates with EXP and AXP staff on Kick-Off-Week, Electives, and International Weeks, as appropriate; be on site for premiere events (Kick-Off Week, EMBA Electives weeks, Graduation week, etc.) and on-site for some class sessions.
• Coordinateswith Evening and Weekend staff on LAUNCH and other premiere events.
• Serves as point person for all non-XP staff and all non-E/W staff to answer questions about the programs and shares information about the student experience.
• Advises and counsels students on academic and professional issues. Generates and interprets data from student databases to monitor trends and provide updates to Associate and Deputy Dean. When necessary, directs and resolves student issues in collaboration with Academic Services, Admissions, or other internal units.
• Coordinates closely with the Admissions team to ensure information is shared across teams. Develops and supports promotional and recruitment plans with Admissions.
• Develops annual student communication plan, which meets the needs of students and fosters a positive relationship between the Student Life and Administrative teams and students.
• Reviews student handbook content annually and works with Academic Services, Registrar, Admissions, and other offices to ensure content is accurate, and to address any necessary changes.
• Approves student leave of absences requests, and tracks return plan. Keeps Booth Accounting appropriately updated for budget management purposes.
• Attends all student government meetings for XP and E/W (SPC and SAC), and keeps Associate Dean and Deputy Dean informed on student concerns. Prepares staff accordingly for any student meetings.
• Maintains close ties with Evening, Weekend, and XP alumni, and supports alumni initiatives.
• Collaborates closely and provides counsel and advice to the Dean of Students and the deans in regards to student life issues.
• Drives the strategy and overall leadership of Chicago Booth's enterprise-wide programs and events that involve student groups and enhances the co-curricular life of all students, promotes alumni participation, and enhances corporate relationships, particularly those programs focused on the Working Professionals programs.
• Develops student life programming strategy and manages the team responsible for implementing programming to ensure a positive student experience.
• Collaborates with Chicago Booth Alumni Relations and Advancement teams to create and maintain relationships with alumni.
• Ensures website content accurately reflects program, including monitoring any changes that might result from curriculum reviews or market assessments.
• The role and the programs in the responsibility area are evolving and this role is expected to volunteer for and assume new and changing responsibilities as the need and leadership requires.
• Manages employees through subordinates, usually other managers. Establishes performance goals, allocates resources and assesses policies for direct subordinates. Contributes to departmental strategy.
• Plans and provides guidance for a range of student services including but not limited to student records, registration, disbursement of financial aid, monitoring of degree requirements, and convocation. Sets student affairs policies and is responsible for discipline and crisis response for students. Serves at the University level on task forces, standing committees, and advisory groups to develop policies, services, and systems.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:
Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.
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Work Experience:
Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 10+ years of work experience in a related job discipline.
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Certifications:

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Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor's degree.
• Master's degree.

Experience:

• A minimum ten years of experience in student affairs, or related experience in business, or higher education.
• A minimum five years of successfully managing a team to achieve results.
• Managing a budget, including setting budgets and budgetary priorities, forecasting, and meeting targets.

Technical Skills or Knowledge:

• Demonstrated proficiency with MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook).

Preferred Competencies

• Outstanding verbal, written, and presentation skills, as well as organizational and follow-through skills.
• Work as part of a collaborative team as well as independently with little supervision; possess a self-motivated disposition; outstanding interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated ability to set goals, identify opportunities for improvement and recommend effective changes, all while achieving key objectives resulting in desired outcomes.
• Excellent strategic / program planning, implementation and assessment.
• Handle multiple detailed tasks/projects simultaneously and meet strict deadlines with frequent interruptions.
• Demonstrated ability to engage and work effectively and diplomatically with colleagues, as well as with students, faculty and corporate contacts from many cultural backgrounds.

Working Conditions

• Work occasional evenings and Saturdays.
• Schedule is 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM M- F. When working weekends, the hourly and weekly schedule may adjust.
• This position is currently expected to work a minimum three days per week in the office.

Application Documents

• Resume/CV (required)
• Cover Letter (required)

When applying, the document(s) MUSTbe uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.

Job Family

Student Affairs & Services

Role Impact

People Manager

FLSA Status

Exempt

Pay Frequency

Monthly

Scheduled Weekly Hours

37.5

Benefits Eligible

Yes

Drug Test Required

No

Health Screen Required

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required

No

Posting Statement

The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity/Disabled/Veterans and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

Staff Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

We seek a diverse pool of applicants who wish to join an academic community that places the highest value on rigorous inquiry and encourages a diversity of perspectives, experiences, groups of individuals, and ideas to inform and stimulate intellectual challenge, engagement, and exchange.

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history. A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment. Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

The University of Chicago's Annual Security & Fire Safety Report (Report) provides information about University offices and programs that provide safety support, crime and fire statistics, emergency response and communications plans, and other policies and information. The Report can be accessed online at:http://securityreport.uchicago.edu.Paper copies of the Report are available, upon request, from the University of Chicago Police Department, 850 E. 61st Street, Chicago, IL 60637.

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