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FORDHAM University

Director, First Year Experience

FORDHAM University, Armonk, New York, United States, 10504

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Founded in 1841, Fordham is the Jesuit University of New York, offering an exceptional education distinguished by the Jesuit tradition to more than 16,000 students in its nine colleges and schools. It has residential campuses in the Bronx and Manhattan, a campus in West Harrison, N.Y., the Louis Calder Center Biological Field Station in Armonk, N.Y., and the London Centre in the United Kingdom.

Fordham University offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision insurance; flexible spending accounts; retirement plans; life insurance; short and long-term disability; employee assistance program (EAP); tuition remission; and generous time off.

Successful candidates should have a knowledge of and commitment to the goals of Jesuit Education.

Reporting to the Vice Provost, Student Success, the Director, First Year Experience provides leadership, planning, and execution of the First Year Experience (FYE), a comprehensive curricular and co-curricular experience for all full-time first-year students, grounded in Fordham University’s Jesuit, Catholic mission.

The Director, First Year Experience collaborates with faculty, student affairs, and academic partners to deliver a range of activities that unify students in their first year at Fordham across Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses.

Essential Functions

Develops a comprehensive road map for the first year of the undergraduate student journey and identifies critical first-year milestones.

Develops, launches, and manages programming designed to (re)ignite students’ curiosity throughout their first year, sustain motivation, facilitate a sense of belonging, and connect students to campus resources, particularly at those key moments.

Assesses success metrics (i.e., persistence, outcomes, engagement) of FYE-related activities to ensure continuous improvement.

Collaborates with Fordham’s Career (the Career Center and the Gabelli Office of Personal and Professional Development) to incorporate appropriate career-readiness programming into the First Year Experience.

Collaborates with enrollment management, faculty, academic administrators in the undergraduate colleges, and student affairs in the development and management of cohort systems and communities designed to maximize diversity of interests, backgrounds, and aspirations within each group and across undergraduate colleges.

Collaborates with faculty, directors, and academic administration in the implementation of the Core Curriculum.

Ensures continuity of cohorts created for first-year credit-bearing courses through co-curricular offerings as part of the first-year experience and beyond.

Develops, launches, and manages a peer mentoring program for first-year students designed to help students navigate the first year, including, for example, non-credit peer-led masterclasses/workshops, and ensures continuity throughout the undergraduate student journey.

Collaborates with faculty across undergraduate colleges and departments to identify, track, and measure co-curricular offerings at the department level, including notations on a co-curricular transcript.

Collaborates with academic partners (i.e. the Office of Fellowship Advising) in the Office of the Provost and across the colleges to ensure that first-year students learn about the full range of undergraduate research opportunities and inspire them to consider applying for specific opportunities, such as those via the transdisciplinary research incubator, in advance of their second year.

Collaborates with the Deans of Students in Student Affairs and the Deans of the colleges to integrate the curricular and co-curricular experience of first-year students, including Orientation.

Collaborates with Enrollment Management and University Marketing and Communications to ensure coherent messaging through the recruitment process and transition into the first year.

This list is not intended to be an exhaustive list. The University may assign additional related duties as necessary.

Management Responsibilities Guides work of other employees who perform essentially the same work and/or student workers. Organizes, sets priorities, schedules and reviews work, but is generally not responsible for final decisions in hiring, performance management or compensation.

Required Qualifications: Education and Experience Master’s degree in Higher Education, Student Affairs, Counseling, or a related field.

Minimum of 5 years of experience in an education setting.

Required Qualifications: Knowledge and Skills

Exceptional organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills.

Proven ability to lead and manage cross-functional teams and build consensus among diverse groups.

Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to translate technical and programmatic needs into actionable plans.

A deep understanding of the student experience in an academic university setting.

Successful candidates should have a knowledge of and commitment to the goals of Catholic and Jesuit Education.

Preferred Qualifications Minimum Starting Salary $100,500

Maximum Starting Salary $120,000

Note: Salary is commensurate with qualifications, experience, and skills.

Is this a Union position? No

Posting Number A1003P

Number of Vacancies 1

Start Date ASAP

Posting Date 01/12/2026

Fordham University is committed to excellence and welcomes candidates of all backgrounds. Fordham University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Physical Activity and Work Environment Sitting Nearly Continuously Repetitive Hand Motion (such as typing) Nearly Continuously Hearing, Listening, Talking Nearly Continuously Standing Not Required Walking Not Required Running Not Required Bending, Stooping, Kneeling, squatting, Crouching, Crawling Not Required Climbing stairs Not Required Climbing ladders Not Required Reaching overhead Not Required Pulling, pushing Not Required Shoveling Not Required Lifting – up to 20 pounds Not Required Lifting – up to 50 pounds Not Required Lifting – over 50 pounds Not Required Work Environment: Office Environment: Employees are protected from weather conditions or contaminants, but not necessarily occasional temperature changes.

Documents Needed to Apply

Resume

Cover Letter

Supplemental questions you will be required to answer on the application (No action is needed on this page) Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

* Do you have a Master's Degree in Higher Education, Student Affairs, Counseling, or a related field? Yes

No

* Do you have a minimum of 5 years of experience in an education setting? Yes

No

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