Senior Success Coach

Department: University Life

Classification: Education Support Spec 3

Job Category: Classified Staff

Job Type: Full-Time

Work Schedule: Full-time (1.0 FTE, 40 hrs/wk)

Location: Fairfax, VA

Workplace Type: Hybrid Eligible

Sponsorship Eligibility: Not eligible for visa sponsorship

Pay Band: 04

Salary: Salary range starting low $70k; commensurate with education and experience

Criminal Background Check: Yes

Works with Minors check: Yes

About the Department:

The Division of University Life’s Student Success Coaching unit is a hub for student engagement for all new freshman and transfer students and provides access to coaching for all undergraduate students at Mason. Student success coaching increases the retention rate and academic success of incoming students by helping students set and achieve academic, career, and personal goals and connecting students to campus and community resources. The Student Success Coaching unit provides incoming students access to ongoing mentoring and coaching from professional and student staff that maintains university-wide and college-specific knowledge to ensure the success of Mason’s incoming student populations.

About the Position:

Reporting to the Assistant Director, the Senior Success Coach provides holistic support for their assigned caseload of incoming students in their first year and available for the duration of students’ time at Mason as needed by using the university’s chosen methodology in the nine focus areas of development (academics and major fit, school community, managing commitments, effectiveness, commitment to graduation, career exploration, finances, civic engagement, and well-being). Senior Success Coaches provide an element of support for student career goals beyond the academic component. The Senior Success Coach provides success strategies for students, manages outreach and support efforts, and intervenes on student concerns to increase retention. The Senior Success Coach provides mentorship and training to Success Coaches I and II and serves as a subject matter expert in coaching and student success. Senior Success Coaches contribute to Mason’s strategic goals of preparing career-ready graduates, while increasing graduation and retention rates.

Responsibilities:

Coaching:

• Supports daily operations and student support, reporting and troubleshooting with stakeholders to ensure holistic coaching is provided by using the university’s chosen methodology in the nine focus areas of development (academics and major fit, school community, managing commitments, effectiveness, commitment to graduation, career exploration, finances, civic engagement, and well-being);
• Guides students’ career exploration and major fit processes to achieve academic and career goals and identify barriers to success to help students implement strategies to overcome them;
• Maintains university-wide and college-specific knowledge of relevant policies, procedures, and resources for first year students; and
• Handles complex student issues brought from Success Coach I and II, including substantial mental health challenges and complex emotional and academic advising needs, and supports the interdepartmental CARE team, which coordinates care and interventions for high-risk students.

Student Impact and Outreach: 

• Monitors student progress and performance, analyzes problem areas, determines solutions, and conducts intervention activities and processes for students;
• Meets with and provides success strategies to students;
• Manages outreach and support efforts for students with a variety of academic and personal development skills necessary to achieve student success;
• Assists and supports all success and retention efforts within the school/college, while implementing interventions such as creating academic intervention plans with at-risk students in coordination with their academic advisors and coordinating check-in meetings to ensure progress on stated goals, all to improve student retention;
• Collaborates with academic advisors and other university stakeholders to support student success;
• Provides appropriate, accurate, and timely academic advising, mental health, social, career, tutoring, and threat assessment referrals for students; and
• Follow-ups with at-risk/interventions for students identified in the Patriot Success Survey and other relevant student surveys to ensure students have access to food, housing, safety, and academic support. 

Supervision and Mentoring:

• Mentors new Success Coaches from onboarding through certification, providing guidance on best practices, role expectations, and performance standards;
• Supports Success Coaches facing challenges with certification, offering targeted coaching and actionable feedback to ensure successful completion;
• Coordinates and oversees shadowing opportunities for assigned coaches, ensuring exposure to real-world scenarios and effective learning experiences;
• Leads training efforts to foster growth in coaching techniques, client engagement, and problem-solving for Success Coach I and II; and
• Leads structured shadowing programs for incoming Success Coaches, aligning activities with competency goals and organizational standards. 

Training and Technology:

• Participates in university-wide foundational coaching training and ongoing professional development;
• Utilizes the chosen university platform for tracking and reporting student interactions and making referrals;
• Successfully participates in and completes the Student Success Coaching post-certification quality assurance program with an average of “meeting expectations” or above, designed to ensure all Success Coaches maintain their inside track methodology skills and framework when working with students and ensures all students are receiving consistent care and support in their meetings with a Success Coach; and
• Actively participates in outside professional organizations such as NASPA, ACPA, NACADA, etc., with Student Success Coaching paying the membership dues for one organization per success coach. 

Unit and Divisional Support and Engagement:

• Attends regular meetings with key stakeholders involved in the development and implementation of the coaching program;
• Serves on committees and assists with other projects as assigned by the Assistant Director;
• Takes on additional administrative responsibilities or project management as directed;
• Supports divisional planning initiatives and other special projects as assigned, acting as a technical resource and SME as required;
• Actively participates in University Life divisional meetings, initiatives, and in-person events to stay connected with divisional and institutional priorities, and to foster a cross-unit collaboration;
• Participates in professional development workshops and training sessions for staff across the division to promote continuous learning and skill enhancement;
• Stays informed about best practices, research, and emerging trends in higher education and student support services to ensure Student Success Coaching remains innovative and responsive to the evolving needs of the student body; and
• Performs other related duties as assigned. 

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience;
• Success Coaching certification;
• Professional experience typically obtained within 2+ years, in one or more of the following areas: academic advising, success coaching, orientation, disability services, veteran’s services, career services, student involvement, and student rights and responsibilities;
• Experience using educational database management systems and customer relationship management systems (CRM);
• Demonstrated working knowledge of student transitional issues;
• Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer service;
• Effective interpersonal, oral and written communication skills;
• Skill in situational conflict resolution;
• Ability to communicate with a variety of constituents and departmental stakeholders;
• Ability to efficiently manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines with accuracy and attention to detail;
• Ability to work with students, faculty, and staff from a wide variety of backgrounds; and
• Ability to work occasional evening and weekend hours, particularly in the summer.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in related field;
• Prior experience in academic advising or working with student coaching programs; and
• Demonstrated experience in student leadership and/or program development.

Instructions to Applicants: 

For full consideration, applicants must apply for the Senior Success Coach at https://jobs.gmu.edu/. Complete and submit the online application to include three professional references with contact information, and provide a cover letter and resume for review.

Posting Open Date:  February 26, 2026

For Full Consideration, Apply by:  March 12, 2026

Open Until Filled:  Yes