Associate Director, Student Affairs

Be You.

Be Bold.

What You’ll Do:

Parent & Family Engagement

• Lead the planning, vision, and implementation of Duke’s annual Family Weekend, including budget oversight, campus partnerships, and on-site execution.
• Coordinate Duke’s family orientation programming through a series of summer webinars in collaboration with campus partners.
• Oversee a comprehensive communications strategy for families of new-to-Duke students, ensuring clear, timely, and supportive messaging.
• Serve as the primary liaison to university partners who contribute to family-facing programs and communications.

Admitted Student Recruitment & Yield Programming

• Design and execute major recruitment and yield events that introduce hundreds of admitted students and their families to life at Duke.
• Create programming that highlights Duke’s vibrant community, leadership opportunities, and student involvement pathways.
• Partner across Admissions, Enrollment Management, Student Affairs, academic departments, and student organizations to deliver a holistic admitted-student experience.
• Ensure all programming and communications comply with federal regulations and university policies.
• Train and supervise student volunteers who support recruitment events.
• Evaluate event effectiveness in collaboration with Admissions leadership.

Experiential Orientation Leadership Advising

• Provide strategic advising to student leaders responsible for the design and execution of Experiential Orientation (ExO) projects.
• Support leaders in goal setting, budget planning, logistics management, risk mitigation, and partnership development.
• Help student leaders cultivate high-performing, inclusive team environments.
• Establish clear expectations, timelines, and accountability measures for ExO program success.
• Collaborate closely with other ExO advisors and campus partners to align the vision and quality of all orientation projects.
• Collect data and feedback to assess program outcomes and recommend enhancements.

Communications Oversight

• Lead communication timelines and editorial standards to ensure high-quality outreach to new students and families.
• Oversee timely, accurate, and student-centered messaging for incoming students.
• Partner with stakeholders across Duke to produce the Blue Book, the university’s online platform for new students.
• Supervise staff and student team members who manage newsletters, webinars, and social media outreach.

Departmental Leadership & Supervision

• Support the recruitment, hiring, onboarding, and training of professional staff members.
• Provide direct supervision, coaching, and performance management to assigned staff.
• Assist with department-wide programming, including evening and weekend events.
• Manage budgets and ensure fiscal practices align with university guidelines.

Other Duties

• Contribute to administrative projects, committees, and campus initiatives as assigned.

Choose Duke.

• Master’s degree with strong analytical, communication, and organizational skills.
• Minimum four years of related experience in higher education, supervising student organizations, event design, or comparable roles.
• Demonstrated experience advancing belonging, student wellness, and community-building initiatives.
• Strong communication, assessment, partnership-building, and judgment skills.
• Knowledge of recruitment practices, admissions processes, and federal compliance expectations.

Anticipated Pay Range: Duke University provides an annual base salary range for this position as USD $59,829.00 to USD $88,740.00. Duke University considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position; candidate's work experience, education/training, and key skills; internal peer equity; as well as market and organizational considerations when extending an offer.