Unit: Student Affairs (Vice Provost) MBU

Department: Student Affairs

Department Summary: Navigating college can be a challenging experience. The mission for the Office of Student Advocacy is to champion the rights, welfare, and academic success of every student within our educational community. As the central hub for connecting students to resources and services, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment where all students can thrive and reach their full potential.

Duties & Responsibilities:

The Care and Operations Specialist serves as a vital operational and student-facing member of the Office of Student Advocacy (OSA) team, balancing non-clinical, trauma-informed student support with high-level administrative coordination. This professional is the central point of contact for students navigating academic or personal concerns and utilizes an empathetic, student-centered approach, ensuring students are seamlessly connected to essential internal and external resources to foster their success and retention.

Daily responsibilities include managing all intake processes, creating and assigning meticulous student case files, providing direct student support, providing programmatic support to special populations served by OSA, providing administrative support to all OSA staff, and tracking departmental key performance indicators and longitudinal student need trends. The Specialist also works closely with the Finance Team to procure goods and services and actively participates in professional development and university committees.

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Psychology, Education, Public Administration or related education, experience, certifications and/or training that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform the work.

• Empathetic and student-centered approach with a commitment to timely action and response.

• Strong organizational and multitasking abilities with meticulous attention to detail.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

• Experience in case management, student services, or administrative support

• Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information with discretion and professionalism.

• Proficiency with Maxient case management software and Google Workspace.

• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively within a team.

• Demonstrated experience working in and fostering an environment of respect, professionalism and civility with a population of faculty, staff, and students from various backgrounds and experiences, or a commitment to do so as a staff member at VCU.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Social Work, Psychology, Education, Public Administration or related education, experience, certifications and training that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform the work.

• Minimum 2 years experience in case management, student services, or administrative support, preferably in a higher education or advocacy setting.

• Knowledge of university policies and student support systems.

• Experience with conflict resolution or crisis intervention.

Salary Range: 46,000

Benefits: All full-time university staff are eligible for VCU’s robust benefits package that includes comprehensive health benefits, paid annual and holiday leave, generous tuition benefits, retirement planning and savings options, tax-deferred annuity and cash match programs, employee discounts, well-being resources, abundant opportunities for career development and advancement, and more.

FLSA Exemption Status: Exempt

Hours per Week: 40

Restricted Position: Yes

ORP Eligible: No

Flexible Work Arrangement: 

University Job Title: 35221N - Specialist SS 1

Contact Information:
Contact Name: Xavier Bey
Contact Email: xbey@vcu.edu