Director of Student Support

Student Life

The Director of Student Support is a central figure in Reed College’s work to ensure that every enrolled student has a genuine pathway to persist and graduate. This position sits at the intersection of direct student care, institutional leadership, and data-informed practice — serving as chair of the Reed College CARE Team and co-chair of the Behavioral Intervention Team, and contributing meaningfully to Reed’s institutional retention, persistence, and graduation goals.

Reed operates on an intrusive care model: a small campus, a high staff-to-student ratio, and a deep institutional commitment to bespoke, relationship-based support. The Director partners with colleagues across Student Life, Residence Life, Academic Support, Institutional Diversity, and the faculty to build a campus culture in which seeking help is expected, normalized, and never shameful. This position reports to the Associate Dean of Students for Student and Campus Life and works in person with students, families, faculty, and staff.

Reed College offers an exceptional benefits package, including a comprehensive medical and dental insurance option for you (Reed pays 60% on medical and dental insurance premiums for your dependent), 403(b) retirement plan with 10% employer contribution (after one year of service), educational assistance for employees and their children, 22 days of paid vacation, paid holidays, half-day Fridays in the summer, and many other campus amenities. This is a full-time role with typical work hours of 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with a one-hour unpaid lunch.

Starting salary for this position is $75,000 to $80,000. Pay offers are dependent on experience and are determined in conjunction with an internal pay equity assessment. This is an exempt position in grade 7.

Who You Are

You work across a wide range of student situations — from general distress and academic difficulty to acute mental health crisis, behavioral threat, and safety incidents — and to shift approach, tone, and urgency appropriately as situations evolve
You are able to recognize when a student's needs exceed the scope of non-clinical support and to make confident, timely referrals to licensed mental health professionals or emergency responders — while continuing to hold the case management relationship with care and consistency
You take a trauma-informed approach to student support, with the capacity to distinguish between students who need connection and resources versus students who need immediate clinical or emergency intervention — and to hold that distinction across widely varying case types without defaulting to over-referral or under-response
You have a demonstrated commitment to equity and justice in student support work — able to name how identity, power, and systemic barriers shape how students present, what they disclose, and what they need
You have experience working with students from a range of backgrounds, including first-generation students, students with disabilities, adult learners, and students navigating financial precarity, housing instability, or other compounding stressors
You have experience chairing or serving on a CARE team, Behavioral Intervention Team, or equivalent student support body, with demonstrated skill in equitable triage and case allocation
You have a proven ability to delegate with judgment and trust — distributing cases thoughtfully across a team while maintaining accountability, follow-through, and a clear record of what happened and why
You have experience building or stewarding case management systems, protocols, and team documentation — creating the shared artifacts that allow a team to function equitably and sustainably over time
You bring sound triage judgment, equitable decision-making, and sustained follow-through to every referral
You are able to hold complexity and understand that a student taking a medically-necessary leave may be a success story

What You’ll Do

CARE team leadership and triage

Chair the Reed College CARE Team; establish and maintain consistent triage protocols, case management standards, and team documentation (artifacts, criteria, and reporting practices)
Review, assess, and triage all incoming CARE referrals in a timely manner, applying sound risk judgment to distinguish among behavioral concerns, mental health needs, academic distress, and crisis situations
Manage a personal caseload of CARE referrals while delegating cases equitably and strategically to Student Life colleagues, with consistent follow-up to ensure nothing falls through
Serve as the daytime point of accountability for priority CARE referrals during standard working hours (8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) — responding directly or coordinating delegation in real time as urgent situations arise.
Co-chair the Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT) with the Dean of Student Life

Direct student support

Provide holistic, non-clinical case management for students experiencing difficulty or distress — including triage, problem-solving, referral coordination, and sustained follow-up — bringing a trauma-informed, equity-centered approach to every interaction.
Recognize how identity, systemic barriers, prior harm, and compounding stressors shape how students present and what they are able to ask for — and meet students where they are, not where the institution expects them to be.
Partner directly with students to identify and remove barriers to persistence, connecting them with appropriate campus and community resources through warm handoffs that ensure students don't fall through in transition.
Communicate with faculty, staff, families, emergency contacts, and emergency response personnel regarding student emergencies and CARE reports, with timeliness and care

Institutional training and consultation

Develop and deliver training, workshops, and educational materials for faculty, staff, and campus community on Reed's student support network and CARE processes with the goal of building a campus community that can recognize distress early and respond without defaulting to punitive or exclusionary measures.
Develop and lead tabletop and case study sessions with staff and CARE team members to build shared capacity for student-centered response
Provide ongoing consultation to campus partners on supporting students through difficult circumstances or crises
Implement programs that promote advocacy and care for students from marginalized communities, with specific attention to retention and persistence

Data, systems, and proactive engagement

Maintain and pull reports from Advocate (case management system); prepare regular assessments, trend analyses, and documentation on CARE referral patterns and outcomes — contributing data and insight that informs Reed's institutional retention, persistence, and graduation goals.
Anticipate and plan for predictable surge periods in the academic calendar and coordinate team capacity and outreach proactively rather than reactively.
Use data-informed practices to design proactive community engagement that builds a campus culture of care
Mentor student workers as needed

Minimum Qualifications

Master’s degree or experience in lieu
4 years experience in student affairs, social work, case management, or a directly related field within an academic environment

Preferred Qualifications

Experience developing training resources or facilitating professional development related to student support, crisis response, or community care
Experience with case management software — candidates without direct case management software experience but who demonstrate comfort learning new technology systems are encouraged to apply

Application Instructions

Click below to apply. You will be directed to Interfolio to create a free account and begin your application. A resume and cover letter are required. You can submit these documents in any format, but pdf works best.

In your cover letter, please address how your experience, expertise, and professional relationships prepare you to meet the minimum qualifications for this role. We encourage candidates whose pathways have been non-traditional to use the cover letter as an opportunity to make that case directly.

Applications will be considered as they are submitted so you are encouraged to apply early.

Reed College replies to every candidate. We will confirm that your application is received, and if you are not selected, we will let you know as soon as possible.

Apply for this job

Background Check Requirement

A criminal conviction record check is required for all college staff positions as a condition of employment for selected candidates. Employment offers are contingent upon the successful completion of this background check. A conviction does not automatically disqualify a candidate; each case is reviewed based on the nature of the conviction and its relevance to the responsibilities of the position.

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