Dean - Student Retention and Completion

Dean - Student Retention and Completion



Job ID: 322347

Location: Mesa Community College

Full/Part Time: Full Time

Regular/Temporary: Regular



Hiring Salary Range


$110,561.00 - $143,729.00/annually, DOE

Grade


125

Work Schedule


Monday - Friday, 8am - 5pm; some evenings and weekends may be required

Summer Hours: Monday - Thursday, 7am-6pm

Work Calendar


12 Months

Maricopa Summary


10 Colleges. Unlimited Opportunities.

The Maricopa County Community College District is one of the largest community college systems in the nation. Home to 10 individually accredited community colleges and 31 satellite locations, we proudly serve students in every corner of the Valley. Each day, our dedicated faculty, staff, and administrators, live out our vision- creating excellence in education for a better world.

We focus on people-not profits.
With 100% acceptance, zero rejections, and affordable tuition, we provide the flexibility and support our students need to succeed in and beyond the classroom. Discover how we're changing college.

We don't just support our community-we help build it.
We are the largest provider of workforce development training in the state. The activities of our colleges and their students support one out of every 28 jobs in Maricopa County. Learn about our economic impact.

We believe our employees are our most valuable asset.
Our 10 colleges and District Office support nearly 10,000 jobs and careers throughout Greater Phoenix.

Join us in making a real difference in the lives of over 140,000 college students each year.

Campus Statement


Mesa Community College (MCC), is nationally recognized for its excellence in university transfer, career and technical programs, civic engagement, and innovative education. Serving more than 25,500 students annually, MCC offers a range of degree and certificate programs across its two campuses and additional locations. MCC students contribute more than 8,500 hours of community service annually. MCC serves as a key resource for education, workforce development, and lifelong learning. The college enhances student success through Guided Pathways with Integrated Support Services. A Hispanic Serving Institution, nearly 50% of MCC students are first-generation college attendees, and it boasts the largest Indigenous student population among Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) colleges, supporting students from 22 Arizona tribes and additional out-of-state tribes. Our award-winning faculty are committed to helping students achieve their goals through high-quality education, training and undergraduate research opportunities. Located in the East Valley of Phoenix, Arizona, MCC is one of 10 MCCCD colleges. Learn more at mesacc.edu.


Benefits


Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) is committed to providing a competitive and comprehensive benefits program that supports our employees' and their families' health and well-being. Therefore, the MCCCD benefits support every stage of life and are designed to meet the diverse needs of our community. Explore the wide range of benefits and perks available to eligible employees at MCCCD:

Affordable and Comprehensive Benefits Package:

• Nationwide Medical, Dental, and Vision Coverage
• Paid Time Off: Vacation, Sick Leave, and Personal Time
• 20 Paid Observed Holidays
• Company-paid Life Insurance, AD&D, and Short-Term Disability plans, with the option to purchase supplemental coverage
• Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) Pension, including Long Term Disability and Retiree Health Insurance with 100% employer-matching contributions
• Optional Retirement Plans: 403(b), 457(b), Roth 403(b), Roth 457(b)
• Tuition Reimbursement for employees and dependents
• Annual Professional Development Funding
• Flexible Work Schedules

Employee Health & Wellness Programs:

• District-Wide Wellness Program with Workshops and Webinars
• Monthly Health & Wellness Calendar and Newsletter
• Virta Diabetes Reversal Program, Support Groups, and Diabetes Empowerment Education Programs
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Sight-On-Site Eye Care Services
• Mobile On-Site Mammography Screenings
• Pre-Retirement Planning Events
• Qualifying Employer for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (potential loan forgiveness for federal Direct Loans after meeting repayment requirements and working full-time for an eligible employer)

Job Summary


Mesa Community College invites applications for an innovative, student-centered, and results-oriented leader to serve as its first Dean of Retention and Completion. This inaugural role is responsible for designing, launching, and institutionalizing a comprehensive, college-wide retention and completion program that supports students from entry through credential completion and transfer. This role collaborates with executive administration, Student and Academic Affairs Deans, and leaders across divisions and departments to ensure seamless transitions, a shared service philosophy, and aligned staff and faculty expectations across key academic and support services to improve retention and completion college rates.

This is a foundational position for a leader who will build the program from the ground up-establishing vision, structures, processes, metrics, strategies, partnerships, and continuous improvement of systems-while leading sustained, college-wide change aligned with the mission of an open-access community college that improve persistence, completion, and equitable outcomes for community college students. The inaugural dean is a senior Student Affairs leader will serve as a strategic architect and change leader, aligning academic and student support efforts to ensure students are supported from onboarding through credential completion and transfer. This role is central to strengthening the college's long-term enrollment stability, and advancing the institutional effectiveness and student success in alignment with guided pathways, Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM), case-management models, and Higher Learning Commission (HLC) expectations for evidence-based decision-making, cross-functional collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Additional Information


About the Role
Reporting to the Vice President for Student Affairs, the Dean of Retention and Completion will provide college-wide strategic leadership for retention, completion, and student momentum initiatives.

Key responsibilities:

• Design and launch the college's first comprehensive retention and completion framework, including vision, goals, priorities, guided pathways, first-year momentum and success metrics, and strategic enrollment management.
• Experience developing and executing multi-year strategies related to retention, completion, or enrollment stabilization.
• Enhance organizational infrastructure for retention and completion, including staffing models, workflows, policies, and governance structures.
• A record of measurable impact on student success outcomes in a community college or access-oriented environment.
• Deep understanding of guided pathways, case-management models, and data-informed decision-making.
• Build and integrate early alert, case-management, and intervention systems that span advising, enrollment services, academic affairs, and student support units.
• Lead the development and implementation of early alert and proactive intervention systems, including coordinated academic and student support responses.
• Identify, pilot, scale, and institutionalize evidence-based practices that improve course success, persistence, completion, and transfer.
• Establish clear metrics, accountability structures, and assessment cycles to ensure continuous improvement and sustained impact.
• Lead cross-functional collaboration and partner with academic deans, faculty, student services, institutional research, enrollment management, and executive leadership to embed completion-focused practices into programs, pathways, and curriculum and align policies and practices.
• Use disaggregated student success data to identify equity gaps, guide resource allocation, and drive continuous improvement.
• Develop assessment plans and dashboards to monitor outcomes and communicate progress to campus stakeholders and senior leadership.
• Develop, mentor, and supervise high-performing teams and execute and scale initiatives aligned with retention and completion goals; manage associated budgets and grants.
• The ability to lead through change, align diverse stakeholders, and establish a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
• Translate data and outcomes into executive-level and accreditation-ready reporting.
• Represent the college in system-wide, state, and national student success initiatives.
• Serve as a campus leader and external representative for student success, retention, and completion initiatives.

Why This Role Matters
As an inaugural position, the Dean of Retention and Completion will have a rare opportunity to shape institutional infrastructure from the ground up-establishing systems that will guide student success for years to come. The college is making a clear, long-term investment in this role as part of its commitment to student persistence, completion, and institutional effectiveness.

Essential Functions


All Student Affairs positions require consistent, full on-site attendance and engagement as an essential job function in order to provide in-person student affairs services, including but not limited to: student advising, support services, case management, programming, student walk-in services, daily operational support and collaboration, etc.-which precludes remote or hybrid work options for any Student Affairs role regardless of position classification.

60% Leadership

• Design, launch, and provide strategic direction for the development and continuous improvement for a comprehensive retention and completion framework, including vision, goals, programs and services, guided pathways, first-year momentum and success metrics, and strategic enrollment management.
• Develop and implement targeted student success initiatives that promote equitable access to essential resources, ensuring comprehensive support for all student populations.
• Design and implement programs and outreach to increase student success, especially where needed for targeted populations, and monitoring the success of those programs
  Enhance organizational infrastructure for retention and completion, including staffing models, workflows, policies, and governance structures.
• Lead the redevelopment and continuous improvement implementation of early alert and proactive intervention systems, including coordinated academic recovery and student support responses.
• Coordinate technology tracking systems, data collection, and analysis.
  Identify, pilot, scale, and institutionalize retention and completion initiatives and evidence-based practices to improve course success, persistence, completion, and transfer.
• Co-lead the development of SEM planning and support activities at the system and campus level, and in partnership with the identified stakeholders.
• Develop campus-wide enrollment and retention initiatives and programs for at-risk student populations to include faculty and multiple departments.
• Lead cross-functional collaboration and partner with academic deans, faculty, student services, institutional research, enrollment management, and executive leadership to embed completion-focused practices into programs, pathways, and curriculum and align policies and practices.
• Collaborate with the Vice President, Student Affairs and other executive team members in the area of long-range planning and coordinate special projects involving enrollment management, student services and other initiatives.
• Hire, train, develop, supervise, and lead high-performing teams.
• Execute and build unit capacity to ensure that staff and unit operations are optimally aligned with the college's retention and completion service needs.; manage associated budgets and grants.
• Monitor, evaluate, and conduct regular employee performance evaluations, provide constructive feedback, and hold staff accountable to established performance standards, policies, and organizational goals.
• Create a unit that thinks creatively and executes with precision and speed for the purpose of creating a climate of belonging and care for all students.
• Develop goals and objectives for areas of supervision, and lead through change, align diverse stakeholders, and establish a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
• Demonstrate self-awareness, self-control, motivation, empathy, social skills and group work skills. Trustworthy, understanding and helpful. Considerate. Work well and productively on committees.
• Act with integrity. Make the right decision even when that may not be the most popular decision. Poised. Coachable. Respect authority and the rights of others. Fair.
• Identify/address problem areas before they escalate into crises. Solve problems courageously and creatively, plan effectively and carry out those plans. Improve individual and unit performance. Manage ambiguity and align the unit and college values with performance. Productive, demonstrate a strong work ethic and sense of ambition. Make good use of resources. Accountable.
• Engage in other duties as assigned by the Vice President of Student Affairs, supporting initiatives that advance the mission of the office and the division.
• Ability to act in the absence of the Vice President, Student Affairs and assist with projects and program quality improvements.
• Serve as a campus leader and external representative for student success, retention, and completion initiatives.

30% Program/Operation Implementation

• Integrate early alert, case-management, and intervention systems that span advising, enrollment services, academic affairs, and student support units.
• Establish clear metrics, accountability structures, and assessment cycles to ensure continuous improvement and sustained impact.
• Monitor student persistence, retention, and success metrics, using data to drive decision-making and improve student outcomes.
• Develop and utilize a robust data strategy and other technological advances to create a model retention program for in-person and online students.
• Use disaggregated student success data to identify equity gaps, guide resource allocation, and drive continuous improvement.
• Develop assessment plans and dashboards to monitor outcomes and communicate progress to campus stakeholders and senior leadership.
• Incorporate diverse technology systems and maximize full utilization of student success software programs and practices to enhance various areas and services (i.e., academic advising, degree planning, early alert, etc.) and track accordingly to improve retention and completion rates.
• Implement long-range retention and student success strategies/programs that align with accreditation agencies, institutional policies, administrative regulations, and support research-based best practices for college-wide enrollment, retention and persistence efforts.
• Identify at-risk students, and develop and implement intervention strategies, and coordinating efforts between faculty, advisors, and support services to ensure students remain on track to complete their degree.
• Co-chair the College Enrollment Management Committee.

5% Compliance

• Ensure compliance, and follow, understand, and adhere to federal, state, District Office, and institutional regulations/laws/policies.
• Maintain accurate and complete student records as required by accreditation agencies, school policies, and administrative regulations.
• Utilize relevant, appropriate, and approved systems to communicate and monitor student interaction and progress.
• Monitor the compliance and reporting standards and remain abreast of district, state, and federal regulations. Maintain student confidentiality, including accurate and confidential records.
• Contribute toward creating a positive and respectful workplace. Use access to sensitive and/or not yet public college-related information only in the performance of the responsibilities of the position and exercise care to prevent unnecessary disclosure to others.
• Prepare accurate reports and documentation as required and requested. Track and monitor federal grants; prepare and monitor department budgets and other related budgets and operations.
• Ensure students equal access to MCC's curricular and co-curricular activities. Support students and counsel them to better understand their MCC experience.
  
  
  

5% Other

• Serve on various executive boards, college and district committees (including locally, regionally, and nationally) as designated and participate in meetings and conferences.
• Responsible for other reasonable related duties as assigned commensurate to the grade level of the position.

Minimum Qualifications


Master's Degree from a regionally accredited institution in education, student personnel, higher education administration, counseling, social work, student affairs, organizational behavior or field related to area of assignment and four years of progressively responsible management and/or leadership experience in student retention, academic advising, or student support services with demonstrated success with improved retention and degree completion that includes two years of supervisory experience.

Examples of student affairs academic support management/leadership experience includes: program management, project management, budget development and management related to programs or projects, staff supervision, policy development, administration, evaluation and compliance.


No degree equivalency.


Desired Qualifications


A A doctorate degree from an accredited institution of higher education in student personnel, higher education administration, counseling, organizational behavior or similar field.
B Demonstrated expertise and success (particularly at a dean's or director's-level) designing, implementing, and scaling retention and completion frameworks that support student progression from entry through credential attainment with particular emphasis guided pathways, first-year experience frameworks, credit accumulation, timely completion, and structured onboarding.
C Demonstrated record of measurable, data-validated impact or evidence of positive outcomes on: first-term persistence, fall-to-spring/fall-to-fall retention, credit accumulation and early momentum, and/or early registration behavior or reenrollment behavior.
D Demonstrated extensive experience implementing retention infrastructures, including early alert systems, proactive case-management, success coaching, student tracking, academic progress monitoring, and structured intervention escalation protocols across multiple student services.
E Advanced ability to translate quantitative and qualitative data (KPIs, dashboards, equity gap analyses, cohort tracking, and student success metrics) into strategic decisions, operational priorities, and produce assessment reports and accreditation evidence.
F Demonstrated success aligning staffing to institutional priorities and leading multi-unit teams, managing supervisors, and developing professional staff through organizational change, reorganization, or system redesign while maintaining service quality.
G Experience with student information systems, early alert systems, CRM systems, degree audit tools, student success technologies, MS Office Suite, Google Applications, Zoom, etc.
H Proven ability to collaborate with academic affairs, faculty leadership, enrollment services, institutional research, IT, and student affairs units to align policies, practices, and systems to retention, enrollment, completion, or strategic planning.
I One year of full-time, relevant MCCCD experience within the previous two years.

Special Working Conditions


This position requires considerable work schedule flexibility as there are special events, activities, and issues requiring evening and weekend hours
Standard work schedule varies during the year: August through mid-May: Monday - Friday, 8 hour days; mid-May through the end of July: Monday - Thursday, 10 hour days
Required to sit for a prolonged period of time; viewing a computer monitor
May be required to travel or be assigned to another MCCD location
Travel to campus during interview/selection process will be at candidate's own expense
MCC does not sponsor individuals for work visas

How to Apply


Applicants are required to submit a cover letter and resume showing how the applicant meets the minimum and desired qualifications. All minimum requirements must be met at the time of the application.


Additional materials will not be accepted after the job posting has closed.

Missing materials or incomplete employment history will not be considered.

Please ensure your materials clearly provide the following information.

• Clearly illustrate how prior experience, knowledge and education meet the minimum and desired qualifications for this position.
• Indicate whether former or current employment is Full-Time or;
• Part-Time employment, to include Adjunct or Associate Professor (must include number of hours worked, contact hours or load)
• Provide employment history in a month/year format (e.g., 09/07 to 10/11) including job title, job duties, for each position held and name of employer for each position.
• Three professional references, preferably current and/or former supervisors. If references are not provided in resume upon application, they will be requested at time of interview.

Applicants who currently work for any of the MCCCD campuses/locations should utilize their HCM Employee Self Service page to apply for jobs by logging in to HCM and clicking on Navigator / Menu / Self Service / Recruiting / Careers. Click on link for instructions on how to apply. Applicants who are not currently working for any of the MCCCD locations should apply at

If you encounter a technical issue in the upload of documents or the submission of your application, please contact MCC Human Resources at View email address on click.appcast.io prior to the application deadline. We are accessible on business days from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Arizona time.




Posting Close Date


Apply on or before March 8th, 2026 to be considered.

EEO, Title IX, & Clery Act


Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) will not discriminate, nor tolerate discrimination in employment or education, against any applicant, employee, or student because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship status (including document abuse), age, disability, veteran status or genetic information.

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, states: "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance."

The policy of the MCCCD is to provide an educational, employment, and business environment free of gender discrimination. Incidents of misconduct should be reported to the college Title IX Coordinator, as outlined in policy, contact information is available at this link Title IX Coordinators.

The Clery Act is a Federal law requiring United States Colleges and Universities to disclose information about crime on and around their campuses. Crime reporting data for each of the Maricopa Community Colleges, as required under the Clery Act, is available at this link Clery Act.

To apply, visit

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