Associate Director, Disability Resource Center

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INITIAL REVIEW DATE (IRD)

UC Santa Cruz jobs are posted until filled. All application materials submitted by 11:59 pm on the IRD will be routed to the hiring team for consideration. NOTE: Applicants who miss the IRD are still encouraged to apply; their materials will still be forwarded for consideration if requested by the hiring team. Application materials cannot be accepted outside of the jobs portal. Applications cannot be edited on an applicant's behalf. For more information about the IRD and the applicant review process, view this link.

The IRD for this job is: 04-22-2026

ABOUT UC SANTA CRUZ

UC Santa Cruz is a public university like no other in California, combining the experience of a small, liberal arts college with the depth and rigor of a major research university. It's known as an unconventional place where innovation and experimentation is part of the campus's DNA. That playful, bold spirit still thrives today, all on a campus renowned as among the most beautiful in the world.

DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW

The UC Santa Cruz Division of Student Affairs and Success (DSAS), led by the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Success, consists of nearly 250 team members spanning 3 major units and 21 departments. The division provides campus-wide coordination and leadership for student success programs, activities, and initiatives. DSAS also does our work through a range of resource centers dedicated to providing direct student support. The division's work is grounded in educational equity, institutional responsibility, and an unfettered commitment to supporting the whole student. DSAS aspires to ensure every student feels welcome, supported, and a sense of belonging during their time on campus. The division's efforts are informed by robust and dynamic relationships with campus leadership, faculty, students, and staff from across the campus, reflecting the broad campus commitment to ensuring student success. Beyond UC Santa Cruz, the team is involved in numerous professional organizations and highly engaged in the local community.

The Student Success and Equity (SSE) portfolio of departments is a branch of DSAS focused on academic support services, advising/counseling, student life/co-curricular programming, student identity development and retention/student success initiatives. Student Success and Equity provides services to the campus community with over 17,000 undergraduate and graduate students and has over 75 career employees and 475 student staff employees operating in 8 facilities/locations. The Student Success and Equity area includes a wide array of multi-disciplinary academic and non-academic units including: Disability Resource Center (DRC), Educational Opportunity Programs (EOP), Learning Support Services, Services for Transfer and Re-entry Students (STARS), Renaissance Scholars Program (including Foster Youth), Veteran Resource Center, African American Resource and Cultural Center (AARCC), American Indian Resource Center (AIRC), Asian American/Pacific Islander Resource Center (AA/PIRC), Chicano/Latino Resource Center (El Centro), Women's Center (WC), the Lionel Cantu Queer Center (LGBTQ+), Undocumented Student Services (USS), the UCSC Hispanic Serving Institution Initiatives (HSI), African Black and Caribbean Student Success, Career Success, and campus committees/programs, and the Administrative and Business team for the unit.

The Student Success and Equity area includes all of the units and over 125 state, federal, student service fees and gift fund sources and an annual operating budget of nearly $18 million dollars.

The Disability Resource Center (DRC) leads UC Santa Cruz in providing educational equity and a welcoming and accessible environment for students with disabilities. The DRC identifies legally mandated accommodations that address educational/environmental barriers and the impact of a student's disability(s). The DRC collaborates with campus stakeholders and students to remove or mitigate barriers to access and inclusion. The DRC advocates for the inclusion of disability in diversity initiatives that foster educational access for all. The DRC team stewards the process to ensure the University is in compliance with State, Federal, local laws and UC policies.

More information can be found at: https://drc.ucsc.edu/

JOB SUMMARY

The Associate Director advances access for students with disabilities by leading complex case management, supporting staff, and advising faculty and campus partners. The Associate Director serves as the first level of escalation for complex or sensitive student and faculty accommodation concerns, implementation challenges, and policy interpretation. Manages and reviews requests for remote participation and alternative access modalities, ensuring consistent application of campus policy and compliance with disability law. The Associate Director also manages a caseload of complex student cases and works with students who have co-occurring disabilities that involve autism, mental health, and chronic health conditions and provides guidance to faculty on implementing accommodations.

The decisions of the Associate Director can impact University's compliance and liability under federal and state disability law and regulations. For this reason, the Associate Director demonstrates a high degree of ADA subject-related knowledge in the overall field. The Associate Director also provides leadership support through analyzing and resolving problems as well as functioning as an advisor to the unit and director. The position oversees the development, documentation, implementation, and continuous improvement of DRC processes and workflows to support equitable service delivery, staff consistency, and operational efficiency.

The Associate Director works with a team of Accommodation Specialists to review and complete academic accommodations, emotional support animal, housing requests, graduate students and in communicating with graduate departments about complex curricular or accessibility challenges. The Associate Director provides effective training and supervision grounded in clear expectations, regular feedback, documentation, and professional development, fostering accountability, equity, and staff growth.

The Associate Director works collaboratively with the Director to ensure DRC is meeting its mission: to foster an inclusive accessible opportunity to succeed and accessible campus through collaboration with students, faculty, and staff. Providing comprehensive support services, advocate for disability justice, and strive to create a barrier-free educational community that values diversity and ensures that students have the accommodations needed to thrive academically and personally.

APPOINTMENT INFORMATION

Budgeted Salary: $111,000 - $120,000 / Annually. Salary commensurate with skills, qualifications and experience.
Under California law, the University of California, Santa Cruz is required to post a reasonable estimate of the compensation for this role. The salary shown above is the budgeted amount the University reasonably expects to pay and the salary extended should not exceed this posted amount.

Benefits Level Eligibility: Full benefits

Schedule Information:

• Full-time, Fixed
• Percentage of Time: 100%, 40 Hours per Week
• Days of the Week: Mon-Fri
• Shift Includes: Day

Employee Classification: Career appointment

Job End Date: None

Work Location: UC Santa Cruz Main Campus

Union Representation: Non-Represented

Job Code Classification: 004560 (STDT DISABILITY SUPV 2) - Grade 22

Travel: Never or Rarely

JOB DUTIES

40% - Staff Supervision and Management

• Responsible for hiring recommendations, training, performance management and assessment, and goal setting. Meets weekly or bi-weekly with employees and provides regular feedback on performance, attainment of goals, feedback on accommodation determinations, and overall well being. Advocates for and connects employees with other offices or other resources on campus to support employees' professional development. Advises Accommodation Specialists on complex disability issues.
• Directs others in following the ADA interactive process beginning with the student request for accommodations to the delivery of the accommodation in the appropriate setting. Ensures that authorized academic support services for students are implemented by faculty and department staff.
• Consults with DRC colleagues, Director and other professionals, on difficult cases or situations. Synthesizes information from various professional and legal resources (e.g. AHEAD resources, court cases, OCR complaints and settlements and related resources).
• Develops and executes, with the support of the DRC staff, programming to increase awareness and inclusion of DRC-affiliated students' needs and experiences.

25% - DRC Operations and Strategic Leadership

• Serves as backup in the event of the Director's absence to ensure services delivery and respond to issues.
• Shares responsibility with the DRC Director for the day-to-day office operations of the DRC spaces.
• Supports in-person decision-making, student/staff crisis resolution, and emergency response.
• Participates in leadership team meetings and leads planned initiatives (may include safety planning, fundraising, campus and/or system-wide initiatives, etc.).
• Shares responsibility for inventory management.
• Coordinates with the broader DRC team to maintain consistent practices across all departments.
• In collaboration with the DRC Director, supports academic departments in understanding their role in implementation of accommodations in alignment with student success.
• Provides oversight of the accommodation management system (AIM) to ensure accurate, timely, and consistent service delivery.
• Collaborates with the ADA Coordinator and Campus Counsel on complex accommodation issues, policy interpretation, and risk management.
• Gathers and analyzes assessment data and resource information to inform operational decisions, service improvements, and departmental planning.

20% - Case Management

• Provides disability management advising; authorizes disability related academic accommodations and coordinates support services to a caseload of students with disabilities.
• Conducts student interviews with prospective, newly admitted or continuing students; determines appropriate level of service (provisional, temporary, permanent), and makes appropriate recommendations/authorizations for support services and ADA academic accommodations.
• Oversees and resolves complex accommodation cases (remote participation, students with co-occurring disabilities that involve autism, mental health, and chronic health conditions).