Edtech.com's Summary

Columbia University is hiring a Manager of Student Services to coordinate graduate academic and student services operations for the Department of Mechanical Engineering’s Master of Science programs. The role supports the full student lifecycle, from admissions coordination and onboarding to registration, degree progress, and graduation clearance. The manager reports to the Assistant Director of Student Services and resolves routine-to-complex student issues under established University policy.

Highlights

Oversee day-to-day academic administration for the department's Master of Science programs, including online offerings.
Implement processes across the graduate student lifecycle, including advising support, registration, and graduation clearance.
Maintain SOPs, checklists, templates, and communications that keep program administration consistent.
Liaise with the Registrar, Student Accounts, International Students and Scholars Office, and Career Placement.
Monitor academic progress, flag concerns, and process leaves of absence, withdrawals, readmissions, and status changes.
Serve as the department's point of contact for Disability Services on approved accommodations.
Plan orientation, admitted student sessions, and commencement activities, and deliver advising workshops and webinars.
Produce reports on admissions, enrollment, retention, and student success from student information systems.
Hold a bachelor's degree or equivalent experience plus two years of related experience, preferably in higher education administration.
Salary range of $67,300 - $78,000 for a 35-hour workweek, set by budget, qualifications, and experience.

Manager of Student Services Full Description

Manager of Student Services

Dept of Mechanical Engineering

Job Type: Officer of Administration

Regular/Temporary: Regular

Hours Per Week: 35

Building: Morningside

Grade 11

Salary Range: $67,300 - $78,000

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Assistant Director of Student Services, the Student Services Manager coordinates and implements graduate academic and student services operations for the department’s Master of Science programs (on-campus and online). The role supports the full student lifecycle including admissions coordination, onboarding, academic advising support, registration, student records, degree progress, and graduation clearance by applying established University and departmental policies and procedures.

Working within established departmental frameworks and under general supervision, the Student Services Manager exercises independent judgment in resolving routine-to-complex student service issues, coordinating cross-functional workflows, maintaining accurate records and reporting, and identifying opportunities for operational improvements. Exceptions to standard policy or unusual cases are escalated to the Assistant Director and/or appropriate academic leadership as needed.

Responsibilities

Academic Operations & Program Management (55%):

Oversee day-to-day academic administration for the department’s Master of Science programs, including online and on-campus offerings.
Implement established processes across the graduate student lifecycle (admissions coordination, onboarding, advising support, registration, enrollment changes, degree progress tracking, and graduation clearance).
Apply University, School, and departmental academic policies and procedures; advise students and faculty on standard requirements and escalate exceptions, appeals, or high-risk matters to appropriate leadership.
Maintain and update standard operating procedures (SOPs), checklists, templates, and communications that support consistent program administration.
Oversee logistics and timelines for curriculum implementation and Graduate Committee activities (e.g., collecting materials, preparing documentation, tracking action items) in partnership with faculty and departmental leadership.
Liaise with University partners to ensure accurate processing of student actions and consistent application of policy (e.g., Registrar, Student Accounts, International Students and Scholars Office, Career Placement).
Identify workflow gaps or recurring issues; recommend process improvements and assist with implementation of approved changes.

Student Success, Academic Progress & Compliance (20%):

Monitor student academic progress using established reporting tools; proactively flag concerns and coordinate referrals to appropriate resources (faculty, advising, academic support, wellness, etc.).
Process and track student requests such as leaves of absence, withdrawals, readmissions, reduced course loads, and status changes in accordance with established policy; escalate non-routine cases.
Provides oversight for departmental academic review processes (e.g., grade reviews, academic standing notifications/actions) by preparing documentation, tracking timelines, and ensuring required communications are issued.
Serve as the departmental point of contact for Disability Services to oversee the implementation of approved accommodations in accordance with policy and documented guidance.
Oversee degree certification and graduation clearance activities, ensuring accurate documentation and timely completion.
Support compliance by maintaining required records and assisting with audits/reporting related to University requirements and applicable regulations; elevate compliance risks or ambiguities to the Assistant Director.

Student Engagement, Communications & Special Programs (15%):

Support planning and logistics for key student events and programming (e.g., orientation, admitted student sessions, milestone events, commencement activities), using established formats and timelines.
Deliver and support student-facing programming such as advising workshops, registration sessions, town halls, and informational webinars.
Oversee onboarding and transition activities for newly admitted students, ensuring completion of required steps and timely communications.
Draft, maintain, and publish student communications related to academic processes, policies, curriculum updates, and resources across approved platforms; ensure messaging aligns with established guidance.
Provide coordination support for departmental initiatives and special projects, including scheduling, documentation, stakeholder follow-up, and implementation of assigned deliverables.

Graduate Admissions, Analytics & Data Management (10%):

Support operational components of the graduate admissions process in partnership with faculty leadership, ensuring application processing, routing, and communications follow established procedures and timelines.
Maintain student information systems data, student records, and degree audit information; ensure data integrity through routine reconciliations and established controls.
Produce routine and ad hoc reports on admissions, enrollment, retention, and student success using established tools; summarize findings for departmental stakeholders.
Identify data discrepancies or emerging trends and elevate observations and recommendations to the Assistant Director; assist with implementation of approved reporting improvements.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree and/or equivalent experience required.
Minimum two years of related experience. Experience in higher education administration, student affairs, academic affairs, graduate admissions or related preferred.
Demonstrated experience managing graduate academic operations, student services, or academic programs.
Knowledge of graduate education policies, student records administration, and higher education regulations.
Experience interpreting and applying academic policies while exercising sound judgment in resolving complex student issues.
Strong analytical skills with experience preparing reports, utilizing student information systems, and analyzing data to support operational decisions.
Excellent project management, organizational, and communication skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with faculty, staff, students, and senior leadership across a complex organization.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and student information systems; experience with Slate, Student Services Online (SSOL), or similar higher education systems is preferred.
Oral and written communication and analytic skills, customer service focus and demonstrated ability to work as part of a team.
Must be able to exercise good judgment, prioritize, work under pressure and deadlines with minimal or no supervision, take ownership and carry out multiple assignments.
Must possess a mission-oriented attitude, high degree of personal integrity and ethics, and be trustworthy with sensitive, confidential information.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.

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