Assistant Director of Student Engagement

About Roanoke College

Roanoke College is a place where every student who works hard has the opportunity to succeed. We champion potential, providing essential learning and leadership through innovative academic programs and transformative educational experiences, giving students the mettle, mindset, and empathy to pursue lives of purpose, build meaningful careers, and meet society’s most pressing needs. Located in scenic Salem, Virginia, Roanoke College is an intimate, welcoming community that has served the local region and beyond for nearly 200 years. Now, we’re building on momentum and offering a Roanoke experience for today’s students and a legacy that belongs to every Maroon. Learn about the College's new strategic plan, Imagine Roanoke: A Strategic Plan for Roanoke College and the 21st Century Learner.

Roanoke College is a nationally ranked residential liberal arts college affiliated with the Lutheran Church (ELCA), located in the beautiful Roanoke Valley of Virginia. A Phi Beta Kappa institution, Roanoke College is an equal opportunity employer and actively seeks diversity among its faculty, staff, and students; women and members of under-represented groups are especially encouraged to apply.

The Position

Support the Associate Director and Director of Student Engagement in fostering a vibrant and inclusive campus community. The Assistant Director will play a key role in supporting and enhancing student life by organizing, executing, and managing a variety of student activities and events. The Assistant Director will work collaboratively with students, faculty, and staff to create an enriching student experience aligned with Roanoke College’s values and mission.

Key Responsibilities:

• Program Development and Management:

o Planning, executing, and evaluating a diverse range of student activities and events, including cultural, educational, and recreational programs.

o Coordinate logistical aspects of events, such as venue setup, catering, audiovisual needs, and transportation.

o Oversee promotional materials that promote the department and events to enhance the student experience.

o Develop annual goals for programs and events as well as track progress for reports.

• Student Engagement:

o Oversee the creation of club and student organization partnership programming as well as oversee the Club Collab program. Collaborate with student organizations, clubs, and societies to support their activities and ensure alignment with Roanoke College’s mission.

o Provide guidance and resources to student groups to help them achieve their goals and enhance their effectiveness.

o Monitor retention through involvement and communication with unengaged students.

o Utilize ClubHub to aid retention initiatives by assisting with communication, active rosters, and event participation data.

o Assist in the creation, ideation, logistics, and execution in co-curricular programs for New Students.

o Represent Student Engagement team in Orientation sessions.

o Support Greek Life programming and promotions in relation to the Student Engagement Department.

• Advising and Support:

o Serve as an advisor to student organizations and committees, providing expertise and resources to facilitate their success.

o Provide oversight and comprehensive direction for all student organizations including the recognition and registration process with SGA and the Student Life Council.

o Oversee student activities compliance with college policies, safety standards, and regulations.

o Work with Student Engagement’s work groups to guide them in producing student driven events and activities.

o Assist in supervising, recruiting, training, managing, and evaluating Colket Center and Student Engagement student work group staffs, including CAB, Building Operations, Info Desk, Event Staff, Gameroom, Stage Tech, Media & Marketing, WRKE, New Student Mentors, and the Brackety-Ack.

• Event Coordination:

o Collaborate with CAB, departments, and faculty to facilitate programs that enhance the co-curricular student experience and promote the retention of students.

o Assist in creating and producing activities, events and programs that supplement the Campus Activities Board (CAB).

o Oversee logistics for student activities, including venue reservations, budgeting, marketing, and coordination with other campus departments.

o Ensure all events comply with Roanoke College policies, procedures, and safety regulations.

o Provide site supervision for student organization campus-wide events, activities and programs.

o Oversee the department calendar and implement an Activities Calendar each academic term with student engagement opportunities and events.

• Colket Center

o Assist in Event Scheduling Management, TransAct, and other software systems pertaining to the Colket Center Operations.

o Assist in Colket Center Event Oversight.

o Assist in supervising event support for all student, faculty, staff and community meetings, events and conferences in the Colket Center.

• Collaboration and Outreach:

o Build strong relationships with campus departments, faculty, and community partners to enhance the student experience.

o Serve on relevant committees as needed.

o Develop and implement strategies to promote student activities through various channels, including social media, campus publications, and digital platforms.

o Collaborate with other campus offices and organizations to create a variety of programs and services.

• Administrative Duties:

o Manage budgets and financial records related to student activities, Colket Center, and events, including event budget allocation, managing club budgets, and student work group budgets for our department.

o Handle administrative tasks such as scheduling, record-keeping, and correspondence as it pertains to Student Engagement.

o Maintain computer and A/V equipment as it pertains to programming needs.

o Assist in the hiring, training, advising and oversight of all Student Engagement student work groups and their employees.

o Maintain and reconcile student activity credit cards for expense spending.

o Attend weekly student managers’ meeting with staff.

o Assist the Director and Associate Director of Student Engagement and the Student Engagement Department with other duties as assigned.

Education, Experience, Skills, and Abilities:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree plus one to three years of professional experience is required.
• Experience: At least 1-3 years of experience in student activities, event planning or a related field.
• Skills:
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Proficiency in using office software and digital communication tools.
• Knowledge of student development theory and best practices in student engagement.

Special Qualifications: 

• Programming skills, including assessment, setting priorities, planning, budgeting, training, evaluation, and collaboration;
• Organizational skills and the ability to prioritize and handle multiple tasks are essential;
• Ability to communicate and work effectively with diverse groups; solve problems and reconcile conflicts;
• Strong leadership, project management and fiscal management expertise;
• This position requires flexibility in work hours, including occasional evenings and weekends for events and activities.