Assistant Director for Student Organizations - Student Engagement & Belonging

About University at Albany:

Established in 1844 and designated a University Center of the State University of New York in 1962, the University at Albany's broad mission of excellence in undergraduate and graduate education, research, and public service engages a diverse student body of more than 17,000 students in nine schools and colleges across three campuses.

Located in Albany, New York, New York State's capital, the University is convenient to Boston, New York City, and the Adirondacks.

Job Description:

The Assistant Director for Student Organizations plays a critical role in fostering a vibrant, inclusive, and engaging student life experience. This position advances the leadership development and organizational success of student organizations and Fraternity & Sorority Life communities by providing advising, training, and strategic resources. The Assistant Director collaborates closely with students, staff, and faculty to cultivate a campus environment that promotes civic engagement, collaboration, and community building.

This role provides oversight and guidance to all Student Association-recognized student organizations, departmentally recognized pre-professional organizations and honor societies, and Fraternity & Sorority Life chapters.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Support to Student Organizations
  • Cultivate and maintain collaborative relationships with student organization leaders.
  • Monitor organizational compliance with institutional policies, procedures, and risk management standards.
  • Coordinate with campus partners to expand and strengthen student involvement opportunities.
  • Serve as a professional staff representative at Undergraduate and Graduate Student Association Senate meetings, as needed.
  • Review, update, and maintain the Student Organization Handbook annually.
  • Oversee the registration, training, and ongoing development of recognized student organizations.
  • Advise student leaders on event planning, budgeting, fundraising, and risk management practices.
  • Support the creation and development of new student organizations and emerging initiatives.
  • Serve on the planning committee for the bi-annual Student Organization Leadership Summit.
  • Provide guidance and operational support to the Student Association Director of Student Group Affairs.
  • Support evening and weekend student organization programs, as needed.
  • Serve as an advisor to assigned student organizations.
• Support to Fraternity & Sorority Life
  • Oversee new member education and intake processes to promote safe, inclusive, and developmentally sound membership experiences.
  • Develop and manage recruitment and intake timelines; review organizational applications and verify potential new member eligibility.
  • Conduct regular check-in meetings with new member educators and potential new members.
  • Plan and implement programming and leadership development initiatives for FSL communities.
  • Serve as the University liaison to regional and national fraternity and sorority organizations.
• Lead and manage direct reports/team providing guidance, support, and performance feedback to assure goals, programs, activities, and personnel practices are consistent with and contribute to the University's mission.
  • Hire, train, supervise, and mentor assigned student staff, including graduate level staff and interns.
  • Recommend and manage the staffing budget for assigned areas.
  • Define daily, weekly, and long term tasks and goals for assigned student staff.
• Administrative and Operational Support
  • Administer and maintain student co-curricular involvement platforms and related databases.
  • Ensure the involvement portal accurately reflects recognized student organizations and current institutional policies.
  • Collect, analyze, and interpret student engagement data to inform assessment and program improvement efforts.
  • Partner with the Associate Director of Student Engagement & Belonging to review and process purchase requests for Student Association recognized organizations.
• General Student Engagement & Belonging
  • Support Welcome Week, Student Leadership Awards, and other large-scale events managed by the Student Engagement and Belonging. May require evening and weekend hours on occasion.
• Other reasonable duties as assigned.
  • Assists in establishing and implementing goals and objectives.
  • Assists in creating the department's strategic plan.
  • Interacts with Director and staff members regarding topics to help identify opportunities for improvement.
  • Work with all Student Engagement & Belonging professional staff members to actively communicate and market all programs through print media, electronic media, social media, special events and any other efforts deemed appropriate to effectively reach the University Community.
  • Maintains a positive relationship with other personnel and departments that assist in the development of Student Engagement & Belonging programs, services, and facilities.
  • Represents the department and The University at Albany on various committees, boards, and associations.
  • Interacts with students, faculty, and staff for the benefit of carrying out the mission of the department.

Functional and Supervisory Relationships:

• Reports to the Associate Director for Programming, Department of Student Engagement & Belonging.
• Supervises Graduate level staff as assigned.
• Supervises Student staff as assigned.

Job Requirements:

• Demonstrated ability to work both independently and in a team-oriented, collaborative environment.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Commitment to advancing inclusive excellence and supporting a diverse campus community through equitable student engagement practices.
• Coordination and execution of student programming initiatives, including event planning, assessment, and cross-campus collaboration.
• Advising and support of student organizations and/or Fraternity & Sorority Life, with a commitment to student leadership development and organizational accountability.
• The position requires sustained attention to detail, multitasking, problem-solving, and sound judgment. Significant interpersonal interaction is expected, including advising student leaders, supervising staff, and collaborating with campus partners. The role requires strong communication skills, emotional intelligence, and the ability to manage conflict and respond effectively to urgent or emergent situations.
• Applicants must demonstrate an ability to develop inclusive and equitable relationships within our diverse campus community.
• Applicants must demonstrate an ability to support diversity, equity, access, inclusion, and belonging relative to their role.

Requirements:

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree from a college or University accredited by the US Department of Education or internationally recognized accrediting organization.
• Two or more years of professional experience working in a higher education setting.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree in higher education or related field from a college or University accredited by the US Department of Education or internationally recognized accrediting organization.
• Demonstrated leadership and supervision of student staff, including training, development, and performance management.
• Experience administering higher education enterprise systems that support student records, co-curricular involvement, and operational workflows.

Working Environment:

The working environment is dynamic and fast-paced, requiring a combination of office-based administrative responsibilities, student engagement, event support, and campus collaboration. Work occurs in standard office settings, shared student spaces such as the Student Organization Resource Center, and various campus event locations. Responsibilities fluctuate throughout the academic year, with peak periods during orientation, recruitment/intake cycles, and major programming initiatives. Flexibility and adaptability are required.

Physical demands may include periods of sitting and computer use, as well as occasional standing, walking, and light lifting associated with meetings, programs, and event setup.

Additional Information:

Professional Rank and Salary Grade: Student Activities Assistant Director, SL3, $57,151 - 60,000.

Special Note: Visa sponsorship is not available for this position. If you currently need sponsorship or will need it in the future to maintain employment authorization, you do not meet eligibility requirements. Additionally, please note that UAlbany is not an E-Verify employer.