Manager of Retention and Student Outreach, UMKC Undergraduate Advising

Hiring Department

Roo Advising, Student Success and Academic Assurance

Job Description

The Manager of Retention and Student Outreach provides strategic leadership for student retention, persistence, and engagement efforts within Roo Advising. This role supervises Exploratory/FLEX advising team, ensuring coordinated, data-informed, and student-centered practices that support undergraduate success—particularly for First Time College students, and students in transition, academic recovery, or exploration.

The Manager serves as a key advising leader responsible for translating institutional goals into actionable retention strategies, fostering cross-campus collaboration, and advancing a culture of proactive outreach, belonging, and persistence aligned with UMKC’s Culture of Care and strategic priorities.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & Supervision

• Supervise, mentor, and evaluate Exploratory/FLEX Academic Advisors, promoting consistency, equity-minded practice, and professional growth.
• Support onboarding, training, and ongoing development of staff in collaboration with the Director and Assistant Director of Undergraduate Academic Advising.
• Foster collaboration across supervised teams to ensure seamless support for exploratory students and those experiencing academic difficulty.

Retention Strategy & Data-Informed Practice

• Lead the development, implementation, and assessment of comprehensive retention and persistence strategies for undergraduate students.
• Leverage both quantitative data (e.g., retention metrics, academic standing, course performance, student success platforms) and qualitative data (e.g., student feedback, case notes, outreach insights) to inform decision-making.
• Translate data insights into actionable interventions, outreach campaigns, and programmatic improvements.
• Prepare summaries, dashboards, and reports related to retention and persistence outcomes for advising leadership.

Committee Leadership & Institutional Engagement

• Serve as a thought partner to advising leadership on institutional retention priorities and continuous improvement efforts.
• Represent Roo Advising on campus committees, task forces, or working groups related to student success, retention, and engagement.

Student Outreach, Programming & Student Engagement

• Oversee Roo Advising engagement and outreach events, including but not limited to tent events, mid-semester check-ins, and targeted retention campaigns.
• Partner with campus departments (e.g., Student Affairs, Orientation, Career Services, Student Involvement, Residential Life) to offer fun, engaging, and developmentally appropriate student engagement opportunities.
• Collaborate on communication strategies that promote advising, persistence resources, and a sense of belonging among students.
• Develop and manage targeted outreach campaigns aimed at increasing FTC and New Transfer Student retention metrics.

Research, Benchmarking & Continuous Improvement

• Serve as Roo Advising's lead resource on retention and persistence research, translating scholarship, national trends, and emerging best practices into actionable institutional strategies.
• Conduct environmental scans and benchmarking analyses of aspirational, peer, and operational institutions to identify innovative approaches that support student success, belonging, retention, and degree completion.
• Partner with advising leadership to evaluate and implement evidence-based retention initiatives informed by NACADA resources, higher education research, and institutional assessment findings.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong leadership, coaching, and supervisory skills.
• Ability to synthesize data, student narratives, and institutional priorities into coherent strategies.
• Excellent interpersonal, facilitation, and communication skills.
• Capacity to manage multiple initiatives and priorities in a fast-paced, student-centered environment.
• Demonstrated commitment to UMKC’s mission, values, and Culture of Care.

Minimum Qualifications

A Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience and at least 4 years of experience from which comparable knowledge and skills can be acquired is necessary.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Higher Education Administration, Student Affairs, Counseling, Social Sciences, or a related discipline.
• Demonstrated experience developing and implementing retention or persistence initiatives.
• Demonstrated supervisory or team leadership experience.
• Strong data literacy, including experience using student success technologies (e.g., Starfish, PeopleSoft, texting platforms such as Cadence/Mongoose) and translating data into practice.
• Knowledge of contemporary research and best practices related to student retention, persistence, academic advising, and student success.
• Engagement with professional organizations such as NACADA or demonstrated involvement in the scholarship of advising and student success.