TRIO-SSS Program Director

Augustana CollegeRock Island, IL

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TRIO-SSS Program Director Category : Administrative & Staff Subscribe : New Job Alerts

RSS Job Feed Department : TRIO-SSS Locations : Rock Island, IL Posted : Jul 17, 2025 Closes : Open Until Filled Type : Full-time Salary Type : Annually Salary Range : $60,000.00 - $70,000.00 Position ID : 190544 Share

About Augustana College :

Join Our Mission at Augustana College

At Augustana College, we don't just educate students - we empower them. As a nationally recognized college of the liberal arts and sciences, we invest in engaged learning, maximizing student potential, and building strong community partnerships - the driving forces of our Bold & Boundless Strategic Plan (2024-29).

For our 2,500 students, Augustana offers a collaborative and student-focused environment, in which faculty and staff play an active role in shaping futures through hands-on learning, mentorship and leadership development. Located on a scenic, wooded campus in Rock Island, Illinois, Augustana is part of the vibrant Quad-Cities metropolitan area (pop. 470,000), about a 3-hour drive from Chicago.

We seek mission-driven professionals who are passionate about student success, innovation and making an impact. If you thrive in an environment that values curiosity, collaboration and the power of transformative education, we invite you to bring your talents to Augustana.

Employees at Augustana enjoy an excellent benefits package including medical, retirement, generous paid time off, use of campus facilities (gym, pool, and health clinic), tuition benefits for employees and their family members, and much more!

Job Description :

Job Title : TRIO-SSS

Status : Exempt Full-Time Position working 12 months per year

Wage Grade : 750

Reports to : Associate Vice President of Retention & Student Success

Overview : The Director of the TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) program provides strategic leadership and day-to-day management of the SSS program that supports 140 eligible students who are first-generation, low-income, or have disabilities. This role is responsible for ensuring strong student engagement, delivering holistic and effective support services, maintaining compliance with federal regulations, and using data to drive continuous improvement. The Director oversees all aspects program delivery, supervises professional staff, manages the program budget, and reports program outcomes data to the Department of Education. This grant-funded position plays a critical role in achieving institutional goals of improving persistence and graduation rates of program participants and sustaining the success of the TRIO SSS program.

Job Duties :

Provide leadership for the SSS program to ensure strong student engagement, effective program services, and progress toward program outcomes.
Oversee recruitment, selection, orientation, and continued engagement of 140 program participants annually, ensuring compliance with federal guidelines and supporting long-term student retention and success.
Develop and execute assessments of all program components to guide data-informed improvements and enhance outcomes for program participants.
Ensure timely, accurate submission of compliance reports to the Department of Education, including documentation of student participation and budget expenditures, in full accordance with federal requirements.
Actively participate in regional and / or national TRIO community to ensure compliance with current SSS policies and federal regulations and serve as a knowledgeable resource to assist campus colleagues in understanding and meeting program requirements.
Collaborate with campus service providers to encourage program participants to fully utilize all available supports.
Provide holistic support to program participants.
Supervise and develop professional staff through clear goal setting, regular feedback, formal performance evaluations, and professional development opportunities, while fostering a student-centered, collaborative team environment focused on achieving program outcomes.
Collaborate with Academic Affairs on related projects and fully participates in the SSS Program grant renewal
Other duties as assigned.

This position is grant funded through TRIO SSS grant P042A250882 and is dependent on continued Department of Education funding of the college's SSS program.

Requirements :

Education & Experience :

Master's degree in education, higher education administration, guidance or counseling or related field from an accredited college / university required.

Five or more years of experience counseling students in academic and / or career planning.

Two or more years of experience directing federal TRIO programs, academic support programs or similar programs serving low-income, first-generation college students, and / or students with disabilities

Three or more years of experience providing administrative oversight of professional and student staff; budget management; program development delivery and evaluation; and demonstrated compliance with all federal grant regulations.

Essential Skills :

Ability to interpret and apply federal law and grant regulations

Deep understanding and / or experience working in fields related to improving persistence and graduation rates for first-generation, low-income, and students with disabilities.

Experience developing programs to help students maintain good academic standing.

Demonstrated outcome-driven project management skills, including organization and the ability to prioritize and multi-task with attention to detail.

Strong oral and written communication skills with the ability to effectively collaborate diverse audiences

Proficiency in gathering and analyzing data related to the academic and social needs, interests, and skills of program eligible students at a residential, four-year institution.

Demonstrated capacity to build and sustain positive relationships with diverse populations of students who are first-generation, low income, and / or students with disabilities.

Use of and comfort with a strengths-based student advising and mentoring model.

Experience facilitating strengths assessments and associated student counseling is preferred.

Experience using an early warning student success system such as Starfish. Understanding of financial aid programs for both undergraduates and graduate / professional programs. Additional working knowledge of external scholarship programs for undergraduate and graduate / professional programs is preferred.

Grant management and / or writing experience.

Working Conditions and Expected Hours of Work : This is a full-time position working 12 months per year with a 40 hour work week. Standard days and hours are Monday - Friday 8 : 00 : 30 This position is primarily based on campus in an office setting with occasional off-site meetings or events. This role operates in a professional office environment and routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, telephones, photocopiers, filing cabinets, and scanners.

Physical Requirements :

Must be able to lift 25 pounds on a frequent basis.

Able to frequently move about inside the office to access file cabinets, office machinery, etc.

Consistently operates a computer and other office machinery such as printer, copy machine, calculator, and other equipment.

Must be able to listen, hear, speak, read, write, and concentrate.

Must be able to climb stairs, bend, stoop, and stand for intermittently long periods of time.

Must be able to exchange accurate information in person, or by video or phone.

Note : This job description is subject to change and is not designed to be a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required by the employee.

Additional Information :

Pay and Benefits : This position is budgeted to pay between $60,000 - $70,000 annually. As a fulltime position, this position is eligible for our complete benefits package including medical, dental, vision, retirement plan with a generous company contribution, excellent paid time off / holiday benefits, tuition benefits for employees and their family members, and much more! You can learn more about our benefit programs at our Benefits website.

Augustana College is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Augustana College provides equal opportunity to all qualified employees and applicants without regard to race, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, veteran status, and any other category protected by federal, state, or local law.

Application Instructions :

Interested applicants should submit a cover letter and resume along with contact information for at least three professional references. Review of applications will begin immediately.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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Program Director • Rock Island, IL