Supervises staff by setting clear performance expectations,
providing regular feedback, and addressing performance issues to
support employee engagement, accountability, and retention;
Encourages and supports ongoing professional development
opportunities for all staff, ensuring they have the tools and
training needed to succeed in their roles;
Organizes workflow and ensures employees understand their
duties or delegated tasks;
Sets clear performance expectations, goals and deadlines
aligned with unit, divisional, and university strategic plans;
Communicates expectations effectively, monitors employee
productivity and development, and provides continuous feedback and
coaching to support staff growth and accountability;
Prepares and conducts timely performance evaluations,
and maintains accurate records of employee performance, feedback,
and disciplinary actions, ensuring adherence to legal and
university policies and procedures;
Collaborates with University Life divisional
partners/stakeholders to address performance concerns; and
Effectively hires, onboards, and trains new employees to build
capability and ensure operational continuity.
Administration:
- Ensures all programs operate successfully and within budget,
working closely with the Associate Director of Operations and team
to ensure spaces are reserved, spending practices for programs are
sound and efficient, and time reporting processes are accurate and
efficiently submitted;
- Responsible for overseeing the planning, coordination, and
implementation of large-scale, high-profile events inclusive of
Board of Visitors meetings, major weekend events, Senior
Graduation, and New Student Recognition Ceremony;
- Serves as the on-site administrator for designated Saturday
programming, which takes place throughout the academic year;
- Liaises with EIP partner/stakeholders on all matters related to
EIP. These partners include the public-school system
administrators, counselors and teachers, community
leaders/organizations/companies, EIP alumni, and Mason departmental
staff.
Student Services:
- Leads efforts to monitor middle and high school participants'
academic progress and program attendance;
- Leads efforts to track and monitor students' outcome data
including high school completion and transition to post-secondary
institutions;
- Leads a student-centered approach to discipline, including
oversight of a change in participation status process, ensuring
decisions are fair, consistent, and supportive of students’
continued growth and success; and
- Ensures student data is up to date and systems used to track
all aspects of program participation are up to date and
functional.
New Student Recruitment & Student Management:
- Provides leadership to the new student admissions process for
EIP, including, but not limited to, liaising with our public school
partners to coordinate the nomination, application, and selection
process;
- Facilitates information sessions for families and prospective
students in partnership with public school partners and community
stakeholders;
- Along with Assistant Directors, supports the creation of
application review committees and management of the College Access
Ambassadors (Mason students);
- Ensures the online application is up to date and functions
properly;
- Manages the new student and family onboarding process; and
- Manages waitlists and notifies students and families of their
standing as it pertains to the application process.
Student Retention & Transition:
- Leads the maintenance and enhancement of student records and
data systems, tracking student demographics, participation, program
completion, academic standing, and college-prep coursework,
including Summer Academy scheduling;
- Tracks the post-secondary progress of EIP alumni at Mason and
outside of Mason with the assistance of Assistant Directors;
- Liaises with the Office of Admissions, Institutional Research,
and Office of the Registrar to receive and maintain up-to-date
statistics on EIP alumni; and
- Provides updated data to mark progress toward unit and student
journey team key performance indicators.
Scholarship Application & Selection Process:
- Works collaboratively with the Assistant Directors and
University Life Advancement staff to organize and coordinate the
scholarship application process;
- Selects scholarship committee members, creates timelines, and
provides improvements to the selection process;
- Works closely with the Budget Specialist to ensure scholarship
awards are processed promptly; and
- Works with Assistant Directors to ensure scholars remain in
compliance with scholarship guidelines.
Program Assessment & Reporting:
- Assists the Executive Director in efforts to devise a strategy,
while establishing and tracking unit goals and key performance
indicators to mark progress toward the unit and student journey
team key performance indicators;
- In collaboration with the Associate Director of Operations,
contributes to an annual programs assessment;
- Leads efforts to compile survey data and lead review sessions
with program staff to review data to enhance services for program
participants;
- Ensures all efforts to assess and measure program impact are
aligned with University Life and will work closely with the
Executive Director to contribute to the design and production of
impact reports for corporate, public schools, funders, and
community stakeholders;
- Identifies and reports trends in data and assists the Executive
Director and team members in addressing issues that may arise, by
way of reports pulled from data; and
- Provides assessment of student academic and program progress,
while implementing programmatic efforts to increase retention and
student satisfaction with services provided.
Programs, Safety, & Compliance:
- Provides leadership for EIP's major events including the Board
of Visitors meeting, Senior Graduation, and weekend events;
- Assigns and delegates responsibilities to the appropriate staff
members for such events;
- Ensures all logistical plans for events are sound, including
event communication to stakeholders, securing facilitators,
remittance of payments (if applicable), and securing space;
- Works closely with the Assistant Directors to enhance and
develop programs that are relevant and aid in the success of
college-bound first-generation college students;
- Stays abreast of trends and best practices to ensure programs
are impactful; and
- Works collaboratively with the Executive Director to ensure EIP
remains in compliance as it pertains to ensuring student safety.
This includes liaising with Public School partners, Mason's Risk
Management Office, and Human Resources to ensure EIP is up to date
on university and public school policies and procedures focused on
student health, safety, and well-being when participating in EIP
and developing policies as needed to remain in compliance.
Summer Programming:
- Provides leadership and works with staff to create student
Summer Academy schedules;
- Oversees the hiring and training process of near peer
mentors;
- Oversees the hiring process and supervision of certified
teachers for Summer Academy faculty and staff roles;
- Works closely with Mason's Registrar's Office and the Office of
Events Management to secure space needed for instruction and
program activities;
- Liaises to public schools and third-party vendors for lunch
services during the Summer Academy. This is to include working
closely with the Budget Specialist to ensure billing is accurate
and distributed to public school partners in a timely fashion;
- Assists the Assistant Directors and Operations team with
student and family communication;
- Works with program staff to facilitate special activities for
program participants; and
- Provides oversight to EIP staff members in the absence of the
Executive Director.
Departmental/Divisional Duties:
- Supports divisional planning initiatives and other special
projects as assigned, acting as a technical resource and SME as
required;
- Actively participates in University Life divisional meetings,
initiatives, and in-person events to stay connected with divisional
and institutional priorities, and foster a cross-unit
collaboration;
- Participates in professional development workshops and training
sessions for staff across the division to promote continuous
learning and skill enhancement; and
- Stays informed about best practices, research, and emerging
trends in higher education and student support services to ensure
EIP remains innovative and responsive to the evolving needs of the
student body.
Required Qualifications:
- Master’s degree in related field or the equivalent combination
of education and experience;
- Experience working with middle and high school-aged youth and
families from varying backgrounds and socio-economic
experiences;
- Experience working with college students to support their
individual and academic growth and development;
- Experience supervising professional staff, including conducting
performance evaluations and providing ongoing feedback;
- Experience navigating complex, decentralized organizational
structures to coordinate work, access resources, and achieve
outcomes;
- Experience with budget oversight, including monitoring
transactions, expenditures, and forecasting future financial
needs;
- Knowledge of data analysis and reporting to inform decision
making and demonstrate program impact;
- Demonstrated problem-solving skills and the ability to navigate
complex challenges;
- Demonstrated interpersonal, oral, and written communication
skills with the ability to communicate and engage effectively
with varying audiences of constituents and departmental
stakeholders;
- Ability to meet deadlines, work accurately and efficiently with
attention to detail, and effectively balance multiple programs and
projects simultaneously and adapt to changing priorities;
- Ability to work effectively independently and within
collaborative, team-driven environments;
- Ability to apply discretion when handling sensitive information
and making decisions within policy guidelines;
- Ability to develop metrics and evaluation frameworks to assess
program effectiveness;
- Ability to monitor budget activity and expenditures to ensure
accuracy, compliance, and alignment with approved budgets;
- Ability to work occasional evening and frequent weekend hours;
and
- Ability to maintain reliable transportation to/from all Mason
campuses and all partner school sites.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience working with college-bound first generation students
to support their individual and/or academic growth and
development;
- Knowledge of best practices related to college access for
first-generation college-bound students;
- Ability to navigate large bureaucratic systems; and
- Ability to communicate proficiently in Spanish (verbal and
written).
Instructions to Applicants:
For full consideration, applicants must apply for the
Associate Director for Programs, Early Identification
Program at
https://jobs.gmu.edu/.
Complete and submit the online application to include three
professional references with contact information, and provide a
cover letter and resume for review.
Posting Open Date: October 22, 2026
For Full Consideration, Apply by: November 5, 2026
Open Until Filled: Yes
Mason Ad Statement
George Mason University is a nationally ranked R1 research
university committed to creating a more just, free, and prosperous
world. With 40,000 enrolled students, George Mason is the largest
and most diverse public research university in Virginia, offering
degree programs at the master's, doctoral, and professional level,
along with certificates and credentials.
George Mason fosters an All Together Different environment for
students, faculty, and staff, driven by our core beliefs. We
believe in inclusivity over exclusivity; we believe in advancing
our mission by being willing to take risks, not avoiding them; and
we believe our best work is possible when we apply our diversity of
origin, identity, circumstance, and thought.
Equity Statement
George Mason University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action
employer, committed to promoting inclusion and equity in its
community. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for
employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual
orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or
veteran status, or any characteristic protected by law.
Campus Safety Information
Mason’s Annual Security and Fire Safety Report is available at
http://police.gmu.edu/annual-security-report/
