Assistant Director for Student Government

Reports To: Director, Adele H. Stamp Student Union

Supervises Directly: Coordinator for Student Government Finance

Functional Coordination: Manager for Student Organization Development, Coordinator for Graduate Student Life, Assistant Director for Student Activities, and Assistant Director for Student Engagement

Position Summary

Reporting directly to the Director of the Adele H. Stamp Student Union (STAMP), the Assistant Director for Student Government provides strategic leadership, advising, supervision, and administrative coordination for undergraduate and graduate student governance. The Assistant Director serves as STAMP's primary advisor to the Student Government Association (SGA) and Graduate Student Government (GSG), helping student leaders navigate governing documents, fiscal processes, elections, leadership transitions, and institutional relationships while fostering meaningful student agency.

The position establishes and manages a coordinated, multi-unit student-government advising framework across STAMP portfolios. The Assistant Director directly supervises the Coordinator for Student Government Finance, keeps STAMP leadership informed on emerging governance matters, and leads cross-functional efforts to ensure shared governance, effective fiscal stewardship, and seamless organizational continuity.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

50% — Student Government Advising & Leadership Development
--Primary Advising: Serve as STAMP's primary advisor to SGA and GSG, meeting regularly with executive, legislative, and committee leaders. Provide guidance on constitutions, bylaws, parliamentary procedures, election cycles, budget development, and university policy while respecting student self-governance.
--Leadership Development & Transitions: Design and facilitate orientation, training, transition plans, and continuing education for student leaders focused on governance, advocacy, ethical leadership, fiduciary duty, and organizational management.
--Conflict & Relationship Navigation: Support student leaders through governance disputes, organizational conflict, and sensitive campus issues. Help student leaders build productive relationships with university administrators and campus partners.
--Neutrality & Institutional Alignment: Maintain strict viewpoint neutrality and fairness across candidates, legislation, and internal governance matters. Support student agency without assuming duties belonging to student leaders, helping them understand the institutional impact of their decisions.
--Leadership Consultation: Keep the Director informed of major governance actions, emerging issues, and matters requiring institutional coordination.

20% — Supervision & Advising Framework Coordination
--Direct Supervision: Directly supervise the Coordinator for Student Government Finance and Finance Committee advising, managing recruitment, onboarding, performance evaluation, workload, and professional development for this individual.
--Cross-Portfolio Coordination: Collaborate to implement STAMP's multi-unit student-government advising framework. Establish shared advising principles, clarify communication pathways, coordinate key operational milestones, and convene regular coordination meetings among cross-portfolio staff:
 -Manager for Student Organization Development (advising Governance Board/Elections Commission).
 -Coordinator for Graduate Student Life (co-advising GSG).
 -Assistant Director for Student Activities (connecting SGA, student orgs, SORC, and student-fee activities).
 -Assistant Director for Student Engagement (connecting Graduate Student Life and broader graduate experience to GSG).
--Framework Administration: Identify advising gaps or duplication, support advisor backup/continuity, and maintain historical records across leadership transitions without replacing primary supervisory structures.

20% — Student Government Finance & Student Organization Connections
--Fiscal Oversight: Provide administrative oversight for student-government finance support, ensuring transparent, timely, and policy-compliant student-fee allocation processes to registered student organizations (RSOs).
--Financial Education & Compliance: Supervise the Finance Coordinator to educate student leaders and Finance Committee members on fiduciary responsibilities, funding policies, deadlines, and university accounting standards while preserving student decision-making authority.
--Administrative Bridge: Strengthen operational coordination among SGA, GSG, Student Activities, the Student Organization Resource Center (SORC), the Student Involvement Suite, and STAMP Business Services.
--Legal Aid Funding Coordination: Partner with the Assistant Director of Student Activities and the Assistant Director for Student Engagement to document and maintain student-government funding relationships for Undergraduate Legal Aid and Graduate Legal Aid (respectively).

10% — Strategy, Assessment, Partnerships, & Departmental Leadership
--Assessment & Improvement: Partner with STAMP Assessment and Research to evaluate leadership training effectiveness, fee-allocation access, advising quality, and framework performance, using data to drive continuous process improvements.
--Institutional Partnerships: Build relationships with university administrators, academic units, and governance bodies; represent STAMP on university committees regarding student governance, fees, and campus organizations.
--Departmental Leadership: Participate in STAMP leadership team meetings, strategic planning, policy development, emergency/critical-incident response, and broader divisional initiatives.
Other Duties: Perform other assigned duties as needed.

Preferred Qualifications

Education & Experience
--Advanced Degree: Master's degree in higher education, student affairs, education, public administration, organizational leadership, or a related field.
--Professional Experience: 7 or more years of progressively responsible direct experience in higher education, student affairs, student activities, or student-government advising.
--Governance Advising: Substantial experience serving as a primary advisor to student governments, governance bodies, or complex student-led organizations (preferably working with both undergraduate and graduate student leaders).
--Supervisory & Leadership Experience: 3 or more years of experience supervising professional staff, managing performance, and leading cross-functional teams.

Governance, Leadership & Advising Expertise
--Shared Governance & Student Development: Deep knowledge of student development theory, leadership education, shared governance, and student advocacy.
--Governance Operations: Direct experience with student-government constitutions, bylaws, parliamentary procedure, legislation, elections, appointments, governance boards, and elections commissions.
--Student Agency & Conflict Resolution: Proven ability to build credible advising relationships that support student agency while communicating institutional policy, maintaining strict viewpoint neutrality, and navigating organizational conflict or sensitive campus matters.
--Training & Transitions: Experience designing, facilitating, and evaluating orientation, onboarding, leadership training, and annual transition programs for student leaders.

Financial Administration & Student Fee Stewardship
--Fee Allocation & Finance: Experience advising student-fee allocation boards, finance committees, or administering student-funded programs and services.
--Fiscal Operations: Comprehensive understanding of budgeting, fiduciary responsibilities, financial compliance, and the structural relationships connecting student governments, registered student organizations (RSOs), resource centers, and university administration.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Institutional Policy
--Cross-Departmental Coordination: Demonstrated experience coordinating work and managing priorities across multiple departments, functional areas, and primary reporting lines.
--Organizational Partnerships: Experience partnering with registered student organizations (RSOs), student organization resource centers, academic units, and administrative leadership.
--Higher Education Issues: Familiarity with current institutional and national trends in student governance, student rights, campus expression, student fees, and higher education policy.

Communication, Strategy & Operations
--Communication & Facilitation: Exceptional oral, written, interpersonal, negotiation, and facilitation skills across diverse student, staff, and leadership populations.
--Strategic Planning & Assessment: Experience utilizing program assessment, student feedback, learning outcomes, and strategic planning to drive continuous process and organizational improvement.
--Administrative Operations: Strong organizational abilities to manage annual governance timelines, maintain institutional records, and handle multiple competing priorities with sound judgment.
--Technical Proficiency: Proficiency with Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, or comparable digital collaboration platforms.

To learn more about the leadership competencies for this role, please visit: https://go.umd.edu/LeadershipCompetenciesADSG

Education: Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university.

Experience: Seven (7) years of professional experience managing business operations. Two (2) years of experience supervising or managing professional staff.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, & ABILITIES:
 

Knowledge of business acumen to understand key business drivers, organizational communications, and data.
Knowledge of organizational and unit performances measures.
Knowledge of the impact and implications of decisions on leadership objectives.
Skill in oral and written communication.
Skill in data analytics and negotiation.
Skill in the use of Microsoft Office and Google Suite products.
Ability to exercise independent judgment and discretion.
Ability to develop and administer new policies and procedures.
Ability to interpret and apply policies, procedures, regulations, and laws.

Required Application Materials: Cover letter, resume, and three references

 

Best Consideration Date: November 29, 2026

 

Posting Close Date: December 6, 2026

Not Applicable to This Position

No
For more information on Financial Disclosure, please visit Maryland's State Ethics Commission website.

VPSA-SU-Stamp Student Union

Staff Regular

$100,000-$112,000

For more information on Regular Exempt benefits, select this link.

Offers of employment are contingent on completion of a background check. Information reported by the background check will not automatically disqualify anyone from employment. Before any adverse decision, the finalist will have an opportunity to provide information to the University regarding disclosable background check information. The University reserves the right to rescind the offer of employment or otherwise decline or terminate employment if the information reported by the background check is deemed incompatible with the position, regardless of when the background check is completed.

The successful candidate must complete employment eligibility verification (on Form I-9) by presenting documents that establish identity and work authorization within the timeframe required by federal immigration law, and where applicable, to demonstrate renewed employment authorization.  Failure to complete employment eligibility verification or reverification within the timeframe set forth by law may result in suspension or termination of employment.

The University of Maryland, College Park is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment. Please read the University's Equal Employment Opportunity Statement of Policy.

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