How to hire a student services director

How to hire a student services director, step by step

Here's a step-by-step student services director hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a student services director job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new student services director
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a student services director do?

Post a student services director job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a student services director, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a student services director to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a student services director that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of student services directors and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Student Services Director	Description	Hourly rate
   Student Services Director	Postsecondary education administrators oversee student services, academics, and faculty research at colleges and universities. Their job duties vary depending on the area of the college they manage, such as admissions, student life, or the office of the registrar.	$20-50
   Co-Chair	A co-chair is responsible for supporting the duties and responsibilities under the supervision of a chair. Co-chairs help with the implementation of effective plans and programs that would benefit the organization... Show more	$10-167
   Dean	A dean is responsible for overseeing the educational operations of the assigned department, enforcing school policies, and monitoring the students' progress by coordinating with the teachers and setting up procedures to improve teaching methods. Deans administer educational training and programs for the students, as well as extra-curricular activities to develop the students' social behavior, maximize their potentials, and increase their self-confidence... Show more	$23-72

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Professional Development
   • Financial Aid
   • Support Services
   • Social Work
   • Alumni
   • Student Life
   • Student Development
   • Data Collection
   • International Student
   • Student Organizations
   • Career Services
   • Community Resources
   • Educational Programs
   • Public Speaking

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Support and oversee students from colleges across the country as they organize and lead interfaith service programming on their own campuses.
   • Source employers through market research, LinkedIn and cold calls.
   • Explore and find additional sources to supplement scholarship funds for minorities.
   • Review and edit resumes while providing direction for content in LinkedIn and e-portfolio profiles.
   • Attend and contribute to impartial hearings or legally-binding mediation meetings where students' needs are discuss.
   • Design and maintain a participation tracking system that will accurately document student participation in the SSS program.

   More student services director duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your student services director job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A student services director salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a student services director in South Carolina may be lower than in New Jersey, and an entry-level student services director usually earns less than a senior-level student services director. Additionally, a student services director with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average student services director salary

   $68,307yearly

   $32.84 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level student services director salary

   $43,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 30, 2026

   Average student services director salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$89,180	$43
   2	District of Columbia	$86,700	$42
   3	New York	$86,485	$42
   4	Maryland	$83,339	$40
   5	Michigan	$81,232	$39
   6	Wisconsin	$79,903	$38
   7	Montana	$73,698	$35
   8	Massachusetts	$70,812	$34
   9	Ohio	$70,650	$34
   10	Pennsylvania	$70,179	$34
   11	Idaho	$69,014	$33
   12	Arizona	$68,329	$33
   13	Colorado	$66,757	$32
   14	Virginia	$66,198	$32
   15	Minnesota	$62,176	$30
   16	Utah	$61,137	$29
   17	North Carolina	$60,539	$29
   18	Tennessee	$60,449	$29
   19	Vermont	$60,447	$29
   20	Indiana	$59,125	$28

   Average student services director salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Los Alamos National Laboratory	$85,676	$41.19	18
   2	Kern Community College District	$83,173	$39.99	2
   3	University of California	$81,012	$38.95	14
   4	Discover	$80,002	$38.46
   5	Berklee College of Music	$78,269	$37.63	17
   6	Strategic Education	$77,103	$37.07
   7	Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Inc.	$71,580	$34.41
   8	Boston Public Schools	$70,937	$34.10	4
   9	Cornell University	$70,245	$33.77	14
   10	Crown Equipment	$67,104	$32.26	3
   11	William Mitchell College-Law	$66,991	$32.21
   12	Colorado State Express	$66,991	$32.21
   13	Loyola Marymount University	$66,529	$31.99	3
   14	University of California-Berkeley	$65,859	$31.66
   15	The University of Kansas Health System	$65,847	$31.66	9
   16	The MetroHealth System	$64,475	$31.00
   17	SUNY Geneseo	$64,403	$30.96
   18	Fallbrook Union High School District	$63,999	$30.77	1
   19	Lincoln University	$63,044	$30.31	3
   20	Houston Methodist	$62,913	$30.25	18

4. Writing a student services director job description

   A student services director job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a student services director job description:

   Student services director job description example

   The Director of Student Services promotes increased show, program persistence and completion rates by managing and directing the Student Services department, which provides support in the following areas: Academic Student Advising, ADA, Advising, Student Records, VA Benefits, Student Affairs, Housing, Scheduling, Graduation, Orientation, Registration and Student Activities. This critical role interacts with the other departments to ensure student success.
   Responsibilities
   
   * Manages and directs the different functional areas within Student Services to develop a high performing work team.
   * Sets vision and strategic plans to ensure continuous growth and improvement of processes to enhance the student experience.
   * Partners with other functional areas to support and meet Campus and organizational goals.
   * Ensures compliance with all Accreditation and Licensing requirements through auditing processes, training staff, and holding teams accountable.
   * Responsible for achievement of department goals and objectives i.e. scheduling metrics, Advising requirements, Student Satisfaction, etc.
   * Oversees operation of Student Services department including coaching, mentoring and development of staff.
   * Establish/maintain a high performance team of professional, motivated and engaged staff utilizing effective training, performance management and career-development activities while leading them to achieve established business results and performance metrics.
   * Recognizes and rewards employee contributions and achievements.
   * Other duties as assigned.
   
   Qualifications
   
   Education / Experience
   
   * Bachelor's Degree in a related field required.
   * Minimum five years leadership or management experience strongly preferred.
   * Minimum five years' experience in an administrative position in the Student Services office of a public or approved private post-secondary school is strongly preferred.
   
   Skills
   
   * Strong customer service skills.
   * Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written.
   * Strong motivational skills.
   * People and leadership skills and abilities.
   
   Abilities
   
   * Must be able to lift, carry, push, or pull up to 5 pounds or less 5% of the workday
   * Must be able stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl 5% or less of the workday
   * Must be able to talk, see, hear, concentrate, think, learn and reason for all of the workday
   * Must be able to sit and walk or otherwise move around for prolonged periods throughout the workday.
   * Must be able to use a keyboard and do manual tasks for prolonged periods throughout the workday.
   * Occasional overnight travel may be required.
   
   Work Environment
   
   * Work is performed indoors in a climate-controlled environment.
   
   Responsibilities - Manages and directs the different functional areas within Student Services to develop a high performing work team. - Sets vision and strategic plans to ensure continuous growth and improvement of processes to enhance the student experience. - Partners with other functional areas to support and meet Campus and organizational goals. - Ensures compliance with all Accreditation and Licensing requirements through auditing processes, training staff, and holding teams accountable. - Responsible for achievement of department goals and objectives i.e. scheduling metrics, Advising requirements, Student Satisfaction, etc. - Oversees operation of Student Services department including coaching, mentoring and development of staff. - Establish/maintain a high performance team of professional, motivated and engaged staff utilizing effective training, performance management and career-development activities while leading them to achieve established business results and performance metrics. - Recognizes and rewards employee contributions and achievements. - Other duties as assigned.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find student services directors for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your student services director job on Zippia to find and attract quality student services director candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as k12jobspot, learn4good, serious teachers, teachingjobs.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting student services directors requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new student services director

   Once you have selected a candidate for the student services director position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a student services director?