Program Manager - Degree Completion Specialist

Department : Retention and Grad Initiatives Salary : 43,000.00 to 48,900.00 Description Manages the day-to-day operations of a small or medium-sized university program or department. May supervise staff employees, student workers, programs or processes. Plans and develops procedures for administering a small or medium-sized department or program. Oversees program expenditures and ensures adherence to budget. Provides guidance to subordinate staff and evaluates performance. May prepare or participate in the creation of abstracts, research reports, funding proposals, operations and procedure manuals, and other written material and documentation. Reviews reports of budgets and activities. Prepares ad hoc reports as needed. May administer grants and grant-related communications, scholarships and other operations. Develops, implements and maintains appropriate policies and procedures. May serve as property custodian for the department. Performs other job-related duties as assigned. Additional Duties Serves as the primary case manager for students experiencing academic, financial, or enrollment challenges that may delay degree completion. Provides individualized support, monitors progress, and coordinates timely interventions. Supervises the Peer Assistant Leaders (PALs), including recruitment, training, scheduling, and ongoing performance guidance to ensure consistent, high-quality student outreach and service delivery. Conducts proactive outreach using student-success data to identify students needing assistance and to coordinate follow-up with both the specialist and the PAL team. Collaborates with campus partners such as Academic Advising, Financial Aid, Registrar, Student Business Services, and college offices to resolve barriers impacting student progression. Provides clear guidance on academic policies, degree requirements, and enrollment processes to support timely decision-making and student understanding. Maintains accurate case documentation, tracks student progress indicators, and prepares reports to support coordinated student-success efforts. Identifies trends and recommends process improvements that strengthen retention, persistence, and graduation outcomes. Delivers student-centered support through problem-solving, referrals, and consistent follow-up to ensure students receive timely assistance. The ideal candidate Experience in higher education case management supporting students with complex academic, financial, or enrollment issues. Experience supervising student employees or leading peer-mentor or ambassador programs. Ability to work collaboratively across multiple offices to resolve student barriers and support degree completion. Strong data-informed decision-making skills, including the ability to interpret student-success metrics and apply findings to outreach and case management. Proficiency with Excel (sorting, filtering, pivot tables, basic formulas) to support case tracking, reporting, and data review. Familiarity with Power BI or similar dashboard tools to review student-success trends and inform outreach strategies. Ability to interpret and communicate policies clearly to students, faculty, and staff. Strong organizational and prioritization skills with the ability to manage multiple cases, deadlines, and student-employee workflows. Commitment to professionalism and confidentiality in all interactions and record-keeping. Preferred Qualifications Experience with EAB Navigate or similar student-success platforms. Experience using Power BI to review dashboards or support student-success reporting. Proficiency with Excel. Familiarity with degree-audit systems such as PeopleSoft or Degree Works. Experience supporting first-generation, transfer, or underserved student populations. Training in student development theory or academic advising practices. All positions at the University of Houston-System are security sensitive and will require a criminal history check. The University of Houston System and its universities are Equal Opportunity Institutions. Everyone is encouraged to apply. #J-18808-Ljbffr University of Houston