The California State University · 23 hours ago
Executive Director, Belonging and Engagement Strategies
San Jose, CA
Full-time
Hybrid
Lead/Staff, Director/Executive
$12,852/mo - $14,746/mo
5+ years expThe California State University is seeking an Executive Director of Belonging and Engagement Strategies who will provide visionary leadership for initiatives focused on student engagement and success. This role involves managing programs that foster belonging and student success while collaborating with various campus units to enhance student experiences.
EducationHigher EducationUniversities
No H1B
Responsibilities
Data-driven strategy and innovation to respond to higher education trends and provide student ready and transformative practices
Leadership and management of operations supported by multiple funding streams
Cluster, cross-divisional, institutional and external partnerships to generate engagement with SJSU’s student equity and belonging offices, division of student affairs collaborators and external community partnerships
People and team development for leaders and staff across multiple programs and units
Experience in belonging, leadership and engagement strategies—co-curricular and integrated—to support student success across the arc of the student experience, through graduation and beyond
Oversee budget (nearly $5 million across the portfolio), resource allocation, and staff management (for units under the ED’s supervision) including securing external funding, (grants, sponsorships) and ensuring responsible, strategic fiscal stewardship across all programs and initiatives to maximize impact on student retention and success outcomes
Leads strategy and sets vision for the program management, human resources and resource allocation, assessment and analysis, policy development and processes for belonging and global programs including but not limited to Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), Guardian Scholars Program (GSP), TRIO (Student Success/ASPIRE and McNair Programs), and Global Programs and Services (International Student Scholar Services and Study Abroad and Away)
Supervise and coach the managers and financial analyst and recommend personnel decisions regarding performance management, professional development, and terminations. Responsible for time management, absence reporting, and payroll
Create annual operational plans, refine area goals, KPIs, and activities that align with cluster and divisional strategy
Provide executive oversight for the operations, including comprehensive leadership and budget management of a multi-faceted unit
Utilize data insights to inform policy development, resource allocation, and strategic planning processes that advance equity, inclusion, and student success
Lead strategy for integrative and co-curricular opportunities in collaboration with campus partners and divisional leadership
Lead continuous improvement efforts to expand the reach and impact of student equity and belonging initiatives
Build and maintain strong partnerships with faculty, staff, and external community organizations to create a seamless and supportive student experience
Develop partnerships that foster inclusive, high impact, innovative educational experiences that promote global engagement, enhance intercultural competencies and support the development of global citizens
Ensure transparent communication and equitable resource distribution across programs, prioritizing high-impact, sustainable initiatives that advance student engagement, belonging, persistence, and success
Collaborate with resource and operations lead to produce and adhere to a yearly budget plan
Manage multiple budget funding types, including general funds, student fees, revenue, and grants
Oversee the development of financial reports, grant documentation, and assessment summaries that demonstrate effective stewardship of funds, measurable impact, and alignment with divisional and institutional student success outcomes
Build the financial and operational capacity of Directors and Senior Directors by providing guidance and training on university fiscal systems, budget planning, and procurement procedures to strengthen accountability and data-informed decision-making across programs
Provides strategic direction for developing and implementing a comprehensive data and assessment strategy that measures the effectiveness, outcomes, and collective impact of the programs, services, and initiatives. This includes partnering with Institutional Research and Data Analytics, student affairs assessment, and other campus stakeholders to develop dashboards to track program performance, equity impact, and overall contribution to institutional student success and belonging goals
Oversee the continuous development and re-imagination of programs using assessment data, ensuring strategies remain current, effective, and responsive to emerging student needs and institutional trends
Leads efforts to enhance data literacy among staff by providing training, tools and consultation to integrate evidence-based practices across the unit
Lead department assessment and reporting to evaluate and communicate the impact of department services and programs
Lead by example, fostering an inclusive, high-performing, and innovative culture
Oversee all aspects of people and team development, including the recruitment, training, supervision, mentoring, and performance evaluation of professional staff and student leaders
Lead, coach, and supervise a team of professional staff, fostering a collaborative and innovative work environment
Qualification
Required
Master's Degree in Student Affairs, Higher Education, College Student Personnel or related field or equivalent training, education, or experience
Five years of progressively responsible leadership experience in higher education administration or a related field
Experience supervising professional staff and building teams
Experience delivering presentations
Experience working with historically underrepresented student populations and with individuals of diverse backgrounds
Experience with data collection and assessment reporting
Preferred
Doctorate degree in Higher Education, Educational Administration or related field
Experience working in the California State University system, or another large public higher education system
Direct experience with major systems implementation or multi-phase optimization projects
6-8 years of progressive leadership or supervisory experience in a higher education setting
Experience developing and implementing a student success and retention framework
Experience developing/forecasting and managing a budget
Experience working with at-promise student populations and maximizing their access to higher education and developing student success and retention strategies
Experience working closely and maintaining strong positive relationships and partnerships with internal university constituents
Experience with college student development theory and implementation of frameworks across student programming
Experience implementing data driven approaches to capture program impact
Benefits
San José State University offers employees a comprehensive benefits package typically worth 30-35% of your base salary.
Company
The California State University
The California State University is the largest system of four-year higher education in the country, with 22 campuses, 56,000 faculty and staff and more than 450,000 students.
10001+ employees
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
$8.85MKey Investors
DensoNational Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)Dale Carlsen
2024-10-30Grant
2023-01-10Grant· $0.15M
2018-10-26Grant· $2.7M
Leadership Team
Steve Relyea
Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer
Recent News
2025-12-19
East Bay Times
2025-12-10
Company data provided by crunchbase