University Registrar

Job Title: University Registrar

Department: Enrollment Management

Reports to: Vice President of Enrollment Management

Location: Residential, In-person

Employment Status: Full-Time Exempt Staff

Salary Range: $120,000 - $160,000

About Palo Alto University (PAU)

Palo Alto University is a private, nonprofit university dedicated to advancing human understanding through innovative education, groundbreaking research, and impactful practice in behavioral science.

Founded in 1975 and located in the heart of Silicon Valley, PAU offers graduate and undergraduate programs in psychology, counseling, social work, and behavioral science, including the PAU-Stanford PsyD Consortium with Stanford Medicine. Grounded in human dignity, PAU's scholars, clinicians, educators, and learners share a single conviction: that understanding how people think, feel, behave, relate, heal, and make meaning is among the most essential work of our time.

The university enrolls over 1,200 students, has a network of more than 4,200 alumni, and employs over 150 faculty and staff united by a mission-driven commitment to advancing human understanding. PAU enters its sixth decade at a defining moment: a new president, a new provost, a bold new vision and strategic plan, and an urgent opportunity to shape how behavioral science responds to the challenges of an increasingly changing world. You will join a mission-driven community with the ambition to make a measurable impact on the human condition.

The Role

The University Registrar is the institutional guardian of academic integrity, student records, and regulatory compliance at Palo Alto University. Every degree conferred, every transcript issued, every course offered, and every international student authorized to study in the United States depends on the systems, standards, and stewardship this leader provides.

Reporting to the Vice President for Enrollment Management, the University Registrar leads the Office of the Registrar with precision, strategic vision, and a commitment to the students and programs that rely on the accuracy and integrity of this function. This is not a conventional registrar role. PAU is building a modern, data-informed, mission-driven enrollment operation from the ground up, and the University Registrar will be foundational to that build.

The University Registrar is responsible for student records and registration, academic scheduling, degree certification, compliance with federal and state regulations, and oversight of the university's F-1 international student program as Principal Designated School Official. The role demands a leader who combines meticulous operational discipline with strategic thinking, understands the intersection of academic policy and enrollment outcomes, and ensures that every student's academic record reflects the full value of their PAU education.

Responsibilities

Student Records and Registration

• Provide strategic leadership and oversight for all student records functions, including enrollment verification, transcript production, degree certification, academic standing, and graduation audits.
• Ensure the accuracy, security, confidentiality, and integrity of all student academic records in compliance with FERPA, institutional policy, and accreditation standards.
• Oversee the registration process for all programs and terms, ensuring students have timely, accurate, and accessible pathways to enroll, adjust, and complete their academic plans.
• Establish and maintain policies, procedures, workflows, and documentation standards that ensure consistency, compliance, and continuous improvement across all registrar functions.
• Partner with Academic Affairs to ensure academic policies, curriculum changes, and degree requirements are accurately reflected in student records and institutional systems.

Academic Scheduling and Course Management

• Coordinate and collaborate with academic programs and the Office of the Provost on the course scheduling of all academic programs, ensuring all courses are entered accurately and timely into the university ERP system.
• Conduct a thorough analysis of the course schedule in collaboration with the Provost's office to optimize resource utilization, delivery times, and program accessibility for students across both campuses and online.
• Manage the support, function, and operation of the processes and systems used by PAU academic staff to provide support to faculty and students related to course registration, course schedule changes, room reservations, and interpretation of policies and procedures.
• Support the publishing of the academic catalog in collaboration with Academic Affairs and the Enrollment Management division, ensuring accuracy, currency, and consistency across all program listings.
• Partner with Facilities, Information Technology, and academic leadership to ensure classroom assignments, room reservations, and instructional resource allocations support the full range of PAU's academic offerings.

Principal Designated School Official (PDSO)

• Serve as the university's Principal Designated School Official (PDSO), the primary institutional official responsible for administration and oversight of the F-1 international student program and compliance with Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) requirements.
• Oversee all university SEVIS activities, maintain the institution's Form I-17 information, and ensure timely and accurate reporting in compliance with federal regulations governing F-1 student status.
• Coordinate and support all Designated School Officials (DSOs) across the university, providing guidance, training, and oversight to ensure consistent and compliant F-1 student advising and SEVIS record management.
• Provide authoritative guidance on complex F-1 matters, including reinstatement, status violations, program changes, and other immigration-related questions that require institutional-level decision-making.
• Ensure institutional compliance with all applicable SEVP policies, federal regulations, and Department of Homeland Security requirements governing the enrollment and maintenance of F-1 international students.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for SEVP site visits, federal inquiries, and institutional reporting obligations related to the F-1 program.

Veteran and Military-Connected Student Certification

• Serve as or coordinate with the institutional certifying official responsible for VA educational benefits certification, ensuring timely and accurate enrollment reporting to the VA for all eligible veteran and military-connected students.
• Certify enrollment status, credit hours, program of study, and enrollment changes to the VA in compliance with all applicable regulations governing GI Bill benefits, Chapter 33, Chapter 30, and related programs.
• Maintain accurate VA compliance records, respond promptly to VA inquiries, and ensure institutional practices reflect current VA reporting requirements and benefit program rules.
• Partner with the Director of Student Experience to ensure veteran and military-connected students receive coordinated support across advocacy, benefits navigation, and enrollment certification functions.
• Communicate proactively with enrolled veteran and military-connected students regarding enrollment changes that may affect their benefit certification, ensuring they have the information they need before disruptions occur.

State Authorization Administration and Compliance

• Research and evaluate state regulations affecting PAU's academic programs, ensuring proper disclosures are maintained university-wide and that the institution operates in full compliance with applicable state authorization requirements.
• Monitor and communicate changes in state laws and regulations impacting the university, its programs, and its graduates, and advise institutional leadership on the implications of regulatory developments.
• Determine and document institutional eligibility for program delivery in each state and assess graduate eligibility for state licensure, with particular attention to the clinical licensure requirements of PAU's psychology, counseling, and social work programs.
• Collaborate with university leadership on initiatives with regulatory implications and seek legal counsel when needed for interpreting complex or ambiguous state regulations.
• Attend required board meetings, present to state regulatory bodies on university initiatives, and maintain regular, productive communication with state education regulatory agencies regarding distance education rules and program approvals.
• Respond promptly and accurately to inquiries from regulatory bodies regarding university programs, ensuring PAU's responses are complete, timely, and appropriately reviewed.
• Maintain and update a state regulatory information database that provides institutional leaders with current, accurate, and accessible information on authorization status across all states where PAU enrolls students.
• Coordinate with academic programs, Clinical Training, and other university functions on state authorization matters, including practicum and internship permissions and graduate licensure eligibility.

Compliance, Accreditation, and Specialized Record-Keeping

• Ensure all registrar functions comply with applicable federal and state regulations, accreditation standards, and institutional policies, including FERPA, Title IV, and requirements from WSCUC, APA, CACREP, and CSWE.
• Maintain accurate and compliant records for consortium and cross-enrollment agreements, including the PAU-Stanford PsyD Consortium, ensuring student academic records reflect coursework completed at partner institutions in accordance with institutional and accreditation requirements.
• Support doctoral clinical training documentation and verification, including practica completion records, clinical hours, and internship readiness documentation required for APA accreditation and APPIC match processes.
• Administer Satisfactory Academic Progress data reporting in partnership with Financial Aid, providing timely and accurate academic standing and credit completion data that supports federal aid compliance each term.
• Administer Selective Service compliance verification as required by federal Title IV regulations, ensuring institutional practices are current, consistent, and defensible.
• Maintain awareness of and appropriate institutional response to the enrollment implications of immigration statuses beyond F-1, including J-1 and other visa categories represented in the PAU student body.
• Serve as the institutional expert on academic policy, student records regulations, and compliance requirements, advising the VPEM, Provost, and Cabinet on matters within the registrar's domain.
• Lead or support institutional self-studies, accreditation reviews, and regulatory audits as they relate to student records, academic programs, and enrollment compliance.
• Represent the Registrar's Office on university committees, academic governance bodies, and institutional initiatives where records, policy, and compliance expertise is required.

Technology, Data, and Systems

• Lead the strategic use of registrar technology, including the student information system, degree audit platforms, and related systems, to drive accuracy, efficiency, and insight across all registrar functions.
• Ensure data integrity, reliable reporting, and effective system workflows across all registrar platforms, with particular attention to enrollment reporting, degree certification, and compliance reporting accuracy.
• Develop and maintain standard operating procedures, training resources, and audit practices that ensure consistency, compliance, and continuous improvement across the team.
• Partner with Institutional Research, Information Technology, and the VPEM to align data definitions, reporting standards, and dashboard development that support institutional planning and accreditation requirements.

Team Leadership and Collaboration

• Build, develop, and inspire a high-performing registrar team, setting clear expectations for performance, accountability, professional growth, and student-centered service.
• Foster a team culture that is precise, collaborative, mission-driven, and genuinely committed to the accuracy and integrity that students and the institution depend on.
• Build strong partnerships with Academic Affairs, Financial Aid, Admissions, Student Experience, Information Technology, and external agencies to ensure seamless, coordinated student record and compliance functions.
• Represent PAU at AACRAO conferences, professional networks, and regulatory forums, contributing to the field and bringing best practices back to the institution.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree required; master's degree preferred.
• Seven or more years of progressive experience in registrar operations, enrollment management, or academic records administration, with at least three years in a supervisory or leadership role.
• Demonstrated expertise in student records management, academic scheduling, degree certification, and FERPA compliance.
• Experience serving as a DSO or PDSO, with working knowledge of SEVIS, F-1 student regulations, and SEVP compliance requirements.
• Experience with VA educational benefits certification and compliance reporting.
• Knowledge of state authorization requirements and their application to graduate and professional programs, including distance education and clinical licensure.
• Strong command of student information systems, degree audit platforms, and registrar technology.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to navigate complex regulatory and policy questions with clarity and precision.
• Demonstrated commitment to equity, belonging, and student-centered practice.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment, maintain confidentiality, and manage sensitive information with discretion.
• Ability to work in person on campus as part of PAU's residential leadership culture.

Preferred

• Experience in a graduate or professional school environment, especially within psychology, counseling, social work, or behavioral science.
• Hands-on experience with Jenzabar or comparable student information and degree audit systems.
• Experience with state authorization compliance for clinical licensure programs across multiple states.
• Experience maintaining records for consortium or cross-enrollment agreements.
• Experience supporting clinical training documentation for APA-accredited or CACREP-accredited programs.
• Active involvement in AACRAO or other relevant professional organizations.
• Experience supporting institutional accreditation reviews involving student records, academic policy, or enrollment compliance.

Leadership Qualities

• Analytically rigorous and operationally disciplined, with the strategic perspective to see beyond compliance into institutional opportunity.
• Committed to accuracy, integrity, and the highest standards of stewardship over student records and institutional data.
• High emotional intelligence, strong relationship-building skills, and the ability to work effectively with faculty, students, and administrators across all levels of the institution.
• Comfortable with complexity and ambiguity, energized by building something that matters.
• Integrity, precision, and an unwavering commitment to the students and programs that depend on this function every day.

Work Hours and Location

This is a full-time, residential position based at PAU's campuses in Palo Alto and Mountain View, California. Regular in-person presence is expected and essential to the collaborative, student-centered culture the University Registrar is responsible for building and sustaining. Occasional evening and weekend availability may be required during peak registration, graduation, and compliance reporting periods. Remote work arrangements will not be accepted.

Equal Opportunity and Accommodations

Palo Alto University is an equal opportunity employer firmly committed to non-discrimination in its hiring and employment practices. In compliance with all applicable federal and state laws, employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, age, sex, marital status, citizenship status, military service status, sexual orientation, medical condition, disability, or any other status protected by law.

As provided by law, PAU will offer reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities who are otherwise qualified to perform the essential functions of the position without undue hardship to the university.

PAU is committed to building a high-quality work environment that attracts and welcomes employees from a wide range of backgrounds. In your application or cover letter, please share how your background and experience have prepared you to work at a high level with colleagues from a variety of different backgrounds.