Job Details
This position has been deemed critical by the School of Humanities and Sciences Dean’s Office and is exempt from the hiring freeze.
Work Arrangement: Hybrid work schedule (at least 3 days per week on-site). May require working flexible hours, including occasional nights and weekends.
Budgeted Salary: The budgeted base salary range for this position is $105,000 to $115,000 annually.
The School of Humanities and Sciences (H&S) is the foundation of a liberal arts education at Stanford. The school encompasses 24 departments and 25 interdisciplinary programs. H&S is home to fundamental and applied research, where free, open, and critical inquiry is pursued across disciplines. As the university’s largest school, H&S serves as the foundation of a Stanford undergraduate education no matter which discipline students pursue as a major. Graduate students work alongside world-renowned faculty to pursue and shape foundational research that leads to breakthroughs and discoveries that shed new light on the past, influence the present, and shape the future. Together, faculty and students in H&S engage in inspirational teaching, learning, and research every day.
Department/Program Description:
The Department of Biology at Stanford University is devoted to discovering fundamental knowledge of the living world: from the behavior of single molecules to dynamics of cells, organisms, populations, and interactions of biological systems with our planet. We are dedicated to developing innovative training experiences for the next generation of biologists and to building an inclusive learning environment that unites members from diverse disciplines and life experiences. The Department is the largest in the School of Humanities and Sciences with over 100 active and emeritus faculty, lecturers and research staff, over 240 PhD and postdoc trainees and over 60 non-academic staff who advance the department’s research and teaching missions. The department serves over 220 undergraduate students who major in Biology and more than 3,600 enrollees in our courses each year. Learn more about the department at biology.stanford.edu.
Position Summary
The Department of Biology is seeking a full-time Student Services Manager to provide a full range of support to our students. This role serves as a key member of the Student Services Office team working directly with students, trainees, faculty, and staff.
Under the direction of the Assistant Director for Student Services, this senior specialist position plays a critical role in advancing the teaching mission of the Biology Department. Specific areas of responsibility include:
- Advising and degree progress of all Biology Undergraduate Students. This includes conducting ongoing degree progress monitoring, documenting formal quarterly audits, and manage all degree milestones from major declaration through graduation.
- Lead and monitor the resolution of academic progress issues by partnering with department leaders and colleagues in central office and partners at the School of Humanities and Sciences.
- Serve as lead coordinator and parter with the Directors of Undergraduate Studies for strategic curriculum planning, oversight of teaching loads, and TA allocations. This requires maintaining expert knowledge of university catalog requirements, academic policies, and the Biology curriculum across multiple tracks. Advice on exceptions to policies, processing petitions. Offer input on course offerings based enrollment trends, analysis of course demand patterns, and provide data-driven recommendations for curriculum adjustments.
- Manage all aspects of course scheduling including classroom assignments, TA section coordination, enrollment management, permission codes, room changes, and final exam scheduling.
- Serve as primary departmental contact for Registrar's Office on course submissions, bulletin updates, classroom requests, and enrollment systems (CourseDog, Axess, MAP).
- Program management of department-wide coordination of: Honors, BSURP (Biology Summer Undergraduate Research Program), and BioBridge Peer Advisor program. This role also monitors the department IntroSems and Sophomore Seminars offerings.
The Student Services Manager operates with significant autonomy while collaborating closely with faculty leadership (Director of Undergraduate Studies and Department Chair), central university offices (Registrar, VPUE, H&S Dean's Office), lecturers, and other department team members.
The ideal candidate will be proactive and will manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment by being resourceful in finding creative solutions to complex issues. While being a strong advocate to students, the Student Services Manager will be confident in explaining and upholding policy, implementing and improving current processes, and tracking the many details related to degree progress, curriculum, and departmental undergraduate programs.
Given the size of the department, this position is expected to work with other student services team members for support of graduate students, co-terms and postdoctoral trainees. This includes collecting and processing appointment documents, monitoring effective dates and initiating extensions if needed. This position could also assist in running reports and maintaining records of the trainee’s funding. To be effective in this support role, the Student Services Manager must have a general working knowledge and awareness of University resources for graduate students and postdoctoral trainees (i.e. minimum salaries, stipend payments, benefits, etc.).
This is a 100% FTE, continuing, exempt position.
Preferred Requirements
Additional highly preferred qualifications for this position includes:
- 3+ years of experience in academic advising or student services in a higher education setting.
- Experience with Stanford systems (Axess, PeopleSoft, CourseDog, MAP) or similar university platforms.
- Experience in supervision and training of students as peer advisors.
- Proficiency with web-based tools such as Smartsheet, Google Forms/Surveys, Wiki pages, & similar platforms.
- Experience coordinating events, conferences, or seminars, including vendor management and logistics coordination.
- Ability to interpret and apply university policies and procedures, and to exercise sound judgment on sensitive or confidential matters.
- Strong interpersonal skills and ability to partner effectively with faculty, staff, students, and external vendors.
- Strong communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.
Discretion in handling confidential personnel and academic matters.
Responsibilities
Core Duties:
- Administer an area or program in student services, evaluate and recommend decisions on program eligibility. Review decisions recommended by other staff.
- Collaborate with others to help resolve program issues and concerns, interpret policies, and mediate complex and sensitive issues. May be tasked with evaluating and recommending program improvements.
- Resolve multi-dimensional matters in response to students in crisis, at risk, or who have other program issues, counsel students and parents on sensitive and confidential issues.
- Provide guidance and counsel, oversee and develop a wide range of programs and services, analyze effectiveness and make recommendations for future programs.
- Reconcile complex issues; analyze diverse transactions from multiple sources.
- Summarize data from multiple sources, prepare manage reports and presentations.
- Identify and evaluate data needs, manage the implementation and development of technology.
- Develop and implement plans for outreach efforts, develop and maintain external community and university liaison, represent department and university at meetings and events.
- Provide advice to students on a range of issues, including, but not limited to, academic progress, academic program policies, career plans, accessibility, community standards, etc., in order to guide them in making appropriate choices and decisions. May have to escalate issues to a senior advisor.
- Apprise students of research, fellowship and scholarship opportunities, make recommendations and may award grants.
- Serve as a subject matter expert to students and other departments; represent unit/department.
- May lead, create and contribute to development of business practices and organizational change to improve processes and workflow.
- May oversee, analyze and assist in financial processes and development of budgets.
- Serve as a key member of a project team.
- May train and supervise other staff, volunteers, student and temporary workers.
Minimum Education and Experience
Bachelor’s degree and three years of relevant experience, or combination of education and relevant experience.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- Strong communication skills to clearly and effectively communicate information to internal and external audiences, client groups, and management.
- Advanced analysis and problem solving skills.
- Advanced computer skills, including experience with Microsoft Office Suite.
- Advanced customer service skills.
- Relevant computer systems/technology experience.
- Understanding of financial transactions.
- Ability to ensure and apply compliance with legal, financial, and university policies and external regulations.
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