Associate Vice President - Student Engagement and Success

Job Summary

Central Washington University is recruiting an Associate Vice President to join our Student Engagement and Success team in Ellensburg, Washington. This role is an important member of our team as they enhance the vision for the University. The role is a campus-based position, which means you get to see the lives you are impacting. Were offering a competitive salary plus the awesome CWU benefits.

Who we are:

We are a team of individuals committed to Changing Students Lives. No matter what job, each of us plays a part in supporting and empowering our students to fulfill their dreams.

Working in higher education provides career growth and career choice. Think of a university campus like a mini city, operating across 380 acres. Youll find robust academics, libraries, athletics and sporting events, full service and quick serve dining, conferences and events from small to large, recreation centers, housing, health services, police and public safety for the campus population of ~8,300 students.

Central Washington University has been named a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program Top Producing Institution for the 2022-2023 academic year. In addition, for seven out of eight years, CWU was a recipient of the prestigious Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. RentCafe has also named CWU #13 of the Top 20 Best College Towns in the U.S. in 2025.

Come join us on our journey to encourage, inspire, and create spaces where all identities thrive on campus.

Tour our campus in Ellensburg here. www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjdhOegDa9A

What we offer:

Our investment in you begins the day you join our team, a healthy and successful future for you is important to us. We offer medical, dental, life and disability insurance, retirement and optional savings plans, tuition assistance for you and your dependents, discounts across town, an employee assistance program for individualized counseling, and a wellness incentive program. Learn more: Benefits, Perks, and Leave and Total Rewards Calculator.

The Role:

The Associate Vice President for Student Engagement and Success is a senior executive leader responsible for providing strategic vision, leadership, and oversight for a comprehensive portfolio of student engagement and student development programs that advance Central Washington Universitys strategic plan and commitment to student success. Serving as the Vice Presidents chief deputy and a member of the Student Engagement and Success executive leadership team, the AVP fosters a student-centered culture that promotes engagement, belonging, leadership development, and holistic well-being. The AVP provides strategic leadership and collaborates across the university to strengthen the student experience and positively influence student retention, persistence, and graduation. The AVP provides leadership for Career Services, the Multicultural Center, Student Leadership, Involvement & Community Engagement (SLICE), Associated Students of Central Washington University (ASCWU), the Veteran & Military-Connected Student Center, and the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities.

Reporting to the Vice President for Student Engagement and Success, the AVP serves as a trusted strategic partner who collaborates across the university to strengthen the student experience from enrollment through graduation. The AVP leads university initiatives, develops and empowers high-performing teams, and uses assessment, data-informed decision making, and student affairs best practices to enhance student engagement, belonging, and success. The AVP represents the Vice President as delegated and assumes executive responsibility for the division in the Vice Presidents absence.

All employees are expected to uphold and contribute to CWUs vision, mission, and values, fostering a culture of student success and institutional excellence.

Job Duties

Develop, nurture, and implement programs, initiatives, and practices that enhance student engagement and success:

• Provides vision, direction, and expertise in the development and implementation of a data-informed retention plan.
• Collaborates with the Division of Academic Affairs, and other offices and individuals to build effective and sustainable retention and success initiatives.
• Assumes a leadership role in the development of programs that support students academically and professionally.
• Collaborates with the leadership across the division and university to support initiatives and programs that advance student success.
• Collaborates with directors across the division to build a culture of learning and professional growth.
• Leads the hiring and retention of staff within the division.

Strategic Leadership and Oversight for Student Success:

• For the offices of Career Services, Multiculture Center, Veterans Center, Student Leadership, Involvement & Community Engagement, and Associated Students of Central Washington University, provide comprehensive strategic leadership, vision, and oversight to enhance student persistence and degree attainment by ensuring holistic support systems are in place.
• Lead efforts to provide robust career readiness resources, expand internship opportunities, and strengthen employment connections to prepare students for post-graduate success.
• Ensure students have seamless access to essential services, comprehensive support networks, and meaningful engagement opportunities, prioritizing student well-being both inside and outside the classroom to develop a sense of belonging.
• Develop and expand student leadership programs, civic engagement initiatives, and campus involvement opportunities to cultivate a culture of active participation and professional growth.
• Strengthen student advocacy and representation in university governance, empowering students to play an integral role in shaping institutional policies and campus initiatives.
• Provide tailored support for student veterans and military-connected students, facilitating their transition to university life, promoting academic achievement, and enhancing career preparedness through targeted resources and mentorship opportunities.

Executive Leadership and Strategic Oversight:

• Serves as a key advisor to the Vice President on all matters related to the Division of Student Engagement and Success, playing a critical role in shaping strategic direction and institutional priorities.
• Assumes full leadership and operational oversight of the division in the absence of the Vice President, ensuring continuity and strategic alignment.
• Leads data-informed decision-making and problem-solving, implementing best practices in student success, development, and conduct to enhance institutional effectiveness.
• Directs comprehensive assessment initiatives to evaluate and improve the impact of divisional programs, ensuring alignment with university goals.
• Builds and strengthens collaborative partnerships across the university, advancing student-centered initiatives grounded in research-backed student development, learning, and retention theories.
• Establishes, refines, and enforces policies and procedures that support student success, engagement, and conduct, ensuring clarity, consistency, and effectiveness.
• Provides strategic leadership in fostering a culture of accountability, accessibility, and high-quality service within the division to enhance student and staff experiences.
• Serves as a principal budget administrator and appointing authority, overseeing fiscal planning and resource allocation to maximize efficiency and institutional impact.
• Ensures responsible and strategic management of departmental budgets within fiscal guidelines, optimizing resources to support divisional objectives.
• Leads the development and implementation of professional development and team-building initiatives to enhance staff expertise, performance, and collaboration across the division.

Student Conduct:

• Supports the Director of Student Rights and Responsibilities in overseeing behavioral intervention and student conduct.
• Works collaboratively with the Director to administer and review the Student Conduct Code and behavioral policies.
• Supports the Director in conducting investigations, overseeing conduct cases, interpreting policy, determining interim measures, and working with the Director of Title IX/Compliance.
• Participates in oversight of the Threat Assessment Team and other teams and works with University Relations and the Office of Public Safety on communication.

Supervisor Duties

• Actively engages in recruitment and hiring new employees.
• Clearly defines performance expectations, ensures accountability, and provides ongoing informal feedback, coaching, and mentoring. Conducts formal performance evaluations.
• Ensures employees have necessary resources to meet divisional goals.
• Oversee and directs the work of staff; serves as mentor, coach and leader, and resolves complaints or issues.
• Promotes professional development opportunities.
• Develops and fosters supportive working relationships, motivation, staff retention, and engagement.
• Communicates information to staff on an ongoing basis to encourage staff engagement and to be a part of the larger university community.
• Takes corrective action in a timely manner.
• Recognizes and rewards employees for good performance.
• Schedule employee work hours/shifts; monitor hours worked; approve payable time and absence requests.
• Adjust leadership style as needed to achieve results.
• Recognizes the value and actively promotes a different workforce.
• Values and encourages varying perspectives, creativity, and teamwork.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Ten years of progressively responsible experience in higher education administration, student affairs, or a related field; or a masters degree in a related field and five years of progressively responsible experience in higher education, administration, student affairs, or a related field.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively and actively listen to facilitate meaningful dialogue, navigate differing perspectives, and address the needs and concerns of others.
• Demonstrated ability to foster collaboration across a division, lead with transparency and accountability, and build relationships grounded in empathy, compassion, and care.
• Proven experience developing and implementing student experiences that foster a sense of community and belonging.
• A record of success as a supervisor, including but not limited to professional development, goal setting, and assessment of performance effectiveness.
• Demonstrated experience of a high level of collegiality in working with varying offices within student engagement and success and across campus.
• Experience with oversight of student conduct process, crisis management, and ability to work collaboratively with others in managing crisis and student demonstrations.
• Demonstrated experience engaging in data-informed decision making and organizational strategic planning.
• Experience in management and oversight of multiple complex budgets with various funding sources.
• Demonstrated commitment to fostering a culture of collaboration, respect, and institutional excellence through leadership and engagement with students and/or colleagues.
• OR applicable combination of education and/or experience which demonstrates the ability to perform the essential functions of the position.

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience in building and implementing student success initiatives to increase student retention.
• Experience serving as a chief deputy, associate/assistant vice president, dean, or other senior administrator with responsibility for representing an executive leader and assuming executive responsibilities in their absence.
• Demonstrated experience leading multiple functional areas within student affairs, including student engagement, student leadership, student conduct, career services, multicultural affairs, veterans services, or related areas.
• Successful experience with retention, persistence, graduation, and on-going success initiatives.
• Experience with assessment of student programming.
• Demonstrated ability to support change management.
• Demonstrated experience in managing student conduct, Title IX, behavioral and academic misconduct.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate across the university on student success and retention initiatives.
• Demonstrated participation in programs designed to promote student success.
• A record of promoting institutional excellence in the work environment.

Competencies

• Accountability/Dependability: Accepts responsibility for quality of own work; acknowledges and corrects mistakes. Shows up on time, meets standards, deadlines, and work schedules.
• Judgement: Makes timely, informed decisions. Analyzes options and determines appropriate course of action.
• Teamwork: Promotes cooperation and mutual support to achieve goals. Encourages participation and mutual support.
• Adaptability/Flexibility: Responds positively to changing business needs and responsibilities. Adapts approach and methods to achieve results; recovers quickly from setbacks and finds alternatives.
• Commitment to Belonging: Values the uniqueness of every individual and fosters an environment where everyone feels respected and empowered to thrive.

Dont meet every single requirement? At CWU, were committed to creating a welcoming and genuine workplace. If youre excited about this role but your experience doesnt align perfectly with every qualification, we still encourage you to apply. This could be the opportunity youre looking for!

Pay, Benefits, & Work Schedule

Salary: The Hiring Departments expected hiring range is $120,000 - $150,000 annually. Individual placement within the hiring range is based on the candidates current experience, education, skills, and abilities related to the position. In accordance with RCW 49.58.110, the full annual salary range for this position is $119,900 to $185,846.

Schedule/Appointment: Monday - Friday, 8:00am-5:00pm (1 hour lunch)

Working Conditions: Work is performed in an indoor office setting with frequent in-person interactions. It is essential to be able to remain at a desk/computer workstation for prolonged periods of time, perform extensive data entry and other computer-related tasks and create/maintain filing systems for departmental records. Evening or weekend work and/or occasional travel may be required.

Benefits: CWU offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical and dental insurance, retirement and optional savings plans, life and disability insurance, along with vacation and sick leave plans depending on employment classification. For additional information please visit Benefits, Perks, and Leave and Total Rewards Calculator.

An employee of CWU may be eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program if the employee has student loans. To learn more, visit: https://ofm.wa.gov/state-human-resources/public-service-loan-forgiveness-program.

How To Apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the on-line application and attach:

• A detailed cover letter clearly demonstrating how your education and experience: (a) meet the required (and, as applicable, preferred) qualifications, and (b) demonstrate the ability to perform the responsibilities as described by the posting;

• Resume including work history, education, training; and

• Contact information for three professional references.

Screening Begins: October 12, 2026

Priority will be given to applications received by the screening date. Incomplete applications may not be considered.

Contact Information

Please contact Hiring at Hiring@cwu.edu or 509-963-1202 if you require technical assistance with the online application process or have questions regarding the hiring process.

Conditions of Employment

Background Check/Reference Check Process:

Prior to employment, final candidate(s) will be required to sign a Sexual Misconduct disclosure in pursuant to RCW 28B.112.080 and submit to a background check. All information obtained through background investigations will be strictly confidential and revealed only to those required to have access.

Notice to Prospective Employees:

Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Statement

Central Washington University is an EEO/AA/Title IX Institution. Central Washington Universitys policies and practices affirm and actively promote the rights of all individuals to equal opportunity in education and employment. Discrimination on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, age, marital status, disability, or status as a protected veteran is prohibited. The university provides an internal procedure for reporting discrimination and affords protection against retaliation for participating in the complaint process. Central Washington University complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and executive orders including when soliciting bids and in the fulfillment of all contracts with governmental agencies. Direct related inquiries to Civil Rights Compliance, 202 Barge Hall, Ellensburg, WA 98926-7501; Telephone 509-963-2050; or email crc@cwu.edu.

Reasonable Accommodations

Central Washington University provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities who are employees or applicants for employment. Employment opportunities will not be denied because of the need to make reasonable accommodations for a qualified individual with a disability. If you need assistance or accommodation in applying because of a disability, please contact Human Resources at HR@cwu.edu or call 509-963-1202. This job announcement and other material on this site will be made available in alternate formats upon request to an individual with a disability.

Annual Security and Fire Safety Report (Clery Act)

For the Central Washington University Annual Security and Fire Safety Report (i.e. Clery Report) which includes statistics about reported crimes and information about campus security policies, available online here or call CWU Police and Parking Services at 509-963-2959 for a paper copy.