Director for Student Development, Student Affairs

Job Description Summary

The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School is one of the nation's oldest and most distinguished law schools. We offer a distinctive cross-disciplinary legal education, drawing on the depth and breadth of the University of Pennsylvania, and a supportive intellectual community for our scholars, staff, and students alike.

The Student Affairs Office is charged with defining and developing this internal culture of Penn Carey Law's student-focused community. The Director for Student Development leads strategic initiatives that promote respectful dialogue, collaborative engagement, and the development of professional identity among law students. Through thoughtful programming, collaborative partnerships, and informed advising, the Director works to embed values of professionalism and civil discourse into the full student experience at the Law School.

The Director of Student Development is a full-time position, reporting to the Associate Dean of Students, and collaborating extensively with the Student Affairs team and other Penn Carey Law student services departments. This position has responsibilities in the following areas:

Job Description

Strategic

• Support a coherent and collaborative approach to Student Affairs services around student professional identity and civil discourse.
• Lead the Professionalism Working Group and partner committees to shape policies and programs that embed professionalism and constructive dialogue across the student experience.
• Represent the Law School in university-wide efforts related to civil discourse.

Student Development and Professional Identity Formation

• Develop and implement workshops, speaker series, and resources that support students' growth as ethical, professional legal practitioners.
• Collaborate with the Office of Career Strategy, Toll Public Interest Center, Externship office, faculty, and student leaders to coordinate professionalism training across all student programming, including Orientation; pro bono, clinical, and externship training, and leadership development programming.
• Serve as a resource for students navigating questions of professional conduct, ethical decision-making, and identity formation within the legal field.
• Partner with the Director for Student and Community Engagement to support student organizations in modeling professional norms and inclusive leadership.
• Prepare sessions for the 1LAP cohort and new student Orientation focused on professional identity formation, networking, authenticity, inclusive leadership, and professionalism skills across a variety of legal practice settings.
• Support the academic programming and leadership development for merit scholarship programs, including Levy Scholars, Silverman Scholars, and the Franklin Scholars, to guide academic enrichment, mentorship, and professional development opportunities for Scholars.
• With the Director of Student Engagement, shape and enhance the Morris Fellows program in partnership with Student Affairs and Admissions, building a more intentional framework for mentor preparation, regular communication, and sustained community‑building between incoming students and their upper‑level mentors.
• Provide strategic oversight of the Law School's Inn of Court, building a deep understanding of the Inn of Court's mentorship‑focused mission and, in collaboration with Student Affairs and the Inn's judicial leaders, take on increasing responsibility for planning, operations, and member engagement with the goal of fully managing the program within two years. Leverage Inn of Court program to cultivate mentorship opportunities, professional networking, and experiential learning that reinforce values of professionalism and professional dialogue.

Academic Activities and Civil Discourse

• Design and facilitate programs across all class years and throughout the academic year that encourage respectful dialogue across ideological, cultural, and political differences. Work in collaboration with Graduate Programs and Master in Law Programs to offer dialogue opportunities across degree programs.
• Collaborate with faculty, student groups, and external speakers to host forums, debates, and roundtables on complex legal and societal issues.
• Advise and strengthen student‑led journals by supporting editorial leadership, fostering scholarly excellence, and serving as a leadership resource for inclusive problem-solving.
• Develop programming that introduces the concept of civil discourse to 1L students during Orientation and sets discourse expectations for the year
• Utilize restorative practices and conflict resolution techniques to support constructive engagement in moments of tension or disagreement.
• Support individual students on discourse and expression issues. Work in partnership with the Associate Dean of Students when student conflict touches upon broader community dynamics.
• Serve as primary liaison with the University's dialogue offices, including but not limited to, the Open Expression, Office of Equal Opportunity, Office of Religious and Ethnic Interests (Title VI), and the Paideia program.

Student Affairs and Career Strategy

• Assist as needed with key Student Affairs events, including Orientation, community events, graduation, and more.
• Engage in regular meetings with members of the Student Affairs team, individually and as a group, to ensure the continuation of a collaborative and engaged office.
• Work closely with Office of Career Strategy professionalism liaison to ensure relevant programming is well-coordinated.
• Collaborate consistently with the Office of Career Strategy through individual and group meetings to advance shared goals and reinforce a student‑focused office culture.

Other duties as assigned

REQUIREMENTS:

• Demonstrated record of at least five to seven years of progressively responsible leadership in student development, higher education, or legal professional training.
• Experience designing and implementing programs that foster professional identity formation, civil discourse, and values-based engagement, preferably in the legal profession.
• Experience supporting students from a variety of backgrounds, including across a range of cultural, socio-economic, or professional experiences.
• Background in institutional management, student services, or the legal industry is valuable.
• Strong understanding of the professional legal environment and its expectations for emerging practitioners is preferred.
• Excellent portfolio of events and programs that establish an ability to think creatively about student development and an ability to collaborate across a variety of systems and organizational situations.
• Bachelor's degree required, Masters or JD preferred, with concentration in higher education, or a related field. Knowledge of legal education highly desirable.

Job Location - City, State Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Department / School Law School

Pay Range $79,500.00 - $105,000.00 Annual Rate