Senior Associate Dean of Students

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Job Description Summary

The Senior Associate Dean of Students will provide vision, leadership, and coordination for the Division of Campus Life in student risk mitigation, supporting student safety and wellbeing. The Senior Associate Dean manages and oversees administrative support of student protests and demonstrations, the student crisis response system, threat assessment, and off-campus relations. In collaboration with the Office of Student Engagement, University Police, and University Events, the Senior Associate Dean mitigates risk for student events. Under the direction of the Dean of Students, serves in a deputy role to provide management for emerging special projects, student and family issues, and coordination with units reporting to the Dean of Students.

Job Description

This position is not eligible for sponsorship of non-immigrant or immigrant visa status through Wake Forest University. All eligible applicants are encouraged to apply.

Essential Functions:

• Crisis Response and Threat Management
  
  • In coordination with the Dean of Students and Chief of Police, direct the operational management of the Threat Assessment Team (TAT), including management of operations, policies, training, and future development of a multi-disciplinary team that utilizes research-backed protocols to identify, evaluate, and mitigate imminent safety threats or acts of violence involving members of the university community.
    
    
  • Coordinate the university’s student crisis response system, in collaboration with the Dean of Students, including protocol development, staff training, and assessment of student interventions.
    
    
  • Serve as the primary liaison to University Police during critical incidents; coordinate divisional operations in alignment with the university’s overarching Incident Management Team framework.
    
    
  • In collaboration with the Senior Associate Dean of Students, Community Response and Caring Outreach, evaluate student referrals to distinguish between community safety risks and general student distress or support.
    
    
• Student Risk Mitigation & Event Evaluation
  
  • Collaborate with the Office of Student Engagement, University Police, University Marketing and Communications, University Events, and other partners to support risk-mitigation strategies for high-profile, non-traditional, or large-scale student events.
    
    
  • Direct Campus Life’s operational approach to fostering student free expression. Recruit, train, and deploy interdisciplinary staff response cohorts to monitor on-the-ground activations, safeguard speech, and ensure compliance with university policies.
    
    
  • Manage the central intake and operational tracking of campus climate reports; evaluate reports for potential safety threats or policy violations, while partnering with the Senior Associate Dean for Community Response to facilitate restorative community outreach.
    
    
• Administrative & Policy Responsibilities
  
  • Serve as Dean of Student’s primary designee to implement administrative, non-disciplinary action against students and/or student groups to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the university community when needed.
    
    
  • Provide outreach to staff, students, parents, and other stakeholders regarding policies, procedures, and protocols.
    
    
  • Serve as a leader within the Office of the Dean of Students to manage emergent projects and needs, closely collaborating with the Dean of Students and other partners.
    
    
  • Manage annual and special projects for various functional areas within the Office of the Dean of Students Office across all areas including events/projects needing leadership and coordination.
    
    

Other Functions:

• Serve as a facilitator of non-disciplinary conflict resolution meetings, as directed by the Office of Student Conduct.
  
  
• Counsel students in academic, personal, and disciplinary matters.
  
  
• Assess at-risk students for additional intervention by appropriate personnel (e.g., mental health providers) and serve as a case manager for students experiencing significant personal, financial, and/or health challenges as directed by Senior Associate Dean of Students for Community Outreach and Caring Response.
  
  
• Serve as a liaison for the Dean of Students Office and Division of Campus Life to key partners.
  
  
• Serve as Dean On-Call in 24-hour emergency on-call rotation. Respond to crises involving students.
  
  
• Serve on the Campus Assessment and Response Team and participate in ongoing training.
  
  
• Represent the Dean of Students Office and Division of Campus Life on departmental, Divisional, and university-wide committees.
  
  
• Other related duties as assigned as appropriate to the missions of the Office of the Dean of Students, the Division of Campus Life, and the University.
  
  

Required Education, Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

• Master’s degree in student affairs administration, or similar field.
  
  
• Seven to ten years of relevant experience in a higher education setting, including progressive management responsibilities.
  
  
• Ability to assess information regarding potential threats and/or persons of concern.
  
  
• Ability to interact with students, parents/guardians, staff, and faculty of various social, cultural, economic and educational backgrounds.
  
  
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills; ability to communicate effectively and work well in a team-oriented environment.
  
  
• Ability to professionally and appropriately manage sensitive, private material and information.
  
  
• Knowledge, experience, and comfort managing concerns related to personal, medical, and mental health issues.
  
  
• Understanding of and ability to adhere to strict privacy restrictions.
  
  

Preferred Education, Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

• Knowledge of risk factors and warning signs related to targeted violence and experience with threat assessment in higher education a plus.
  
  
• Ability to synthesize and summarize large amounts of information, document information electronically in a timely manner, and verbally communicate with appropriate stakeholders as warranted.
  
  
• Ability to effectively communicate and develop partnerships throughout the campus and local community about area resources to constituency groups.
  
  
• Demonstrated experience in assessment and evaluation.
  
  
• Knowledge of current regulations relevant to work in higher education (i.e., Title II, III, & IX; FERPA; HIPAA; etc.).
  
  
• Proven ability to promote collaboration, teamwork, and involve stakeholders in the decision making process.
  
  
• Sensitivity and awareness to the needs of diverse student populations and demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, and the academic, intellectual, and social development of all students.
  
  

Accountabilities:

• Serves as a primary leader and central point of contact for campus crisis response, threat assessment, and student risk mitigation.
  
  
• Oversees operational management and policy implementation for the Threat Assessment Team (TAT) and student demonstration response.
  
  
• Serves as a designated essential employee; participates in the 24-hour Dean On-Call rotation and supports campus continuity during critical incidents, emergencies, or university closures.
  
  

Physical Requirements:

• Moving about to accomplish tasks, or moving from one worksite to another.
  
  
• Remaining in a stationary position, often standing or sitting for prolonged periods.
  
  
• Communicating effectively with students, families, law enforcement, and university officials to exchange complex, sensitive information.
  
  
• Operating computer equipment and technology, requiring repetition of the wrists, hands and/or fingers.
  
  
• Visual acuity to evaluate environment safety, review reports, and assess campus climate activations.
  
  

Environmental Conditions:

• Variable Outdoor Conditions: Frequently exposed to outdoor environmental elements (inclement weather, heat, cold) while monitoring campus events, demonstrations, or responding to on-campus emergencies.
  
  
• High-Pressure Operations: Subject to fast-paced environments during critical incident response, crisis management, and threat evaluations.
  
  

Additional Job Description

Time Type Requirement

Full time Note to Applicant:

This position profile identifies the key responsibilities and expectations for performance. It cannot encompass all specific job tasks that an employee may be required to perform. Employees are required to follow any other job-related instructions and perform job-related duties as may be reasonably assigned by his/her supervisor.

In order to provide a safe and productive learning and living community, Wake Forest University conducts background investigations and drug screens for all final staff candidates being considered for employment.

Equal Opportunity Statement

The University is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all qualified candidates to apply without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, genetic information, disability and military or veteran status.



Accommodations for Applicants

If you are an individual with a disability and need an accommodation to participate in the application or interview process, please contact AskHR@wfu.edu or (336) 758-4700.