Specialist, First-Year Student Success

Specialist, First-Year Student Success

Salary

$44,304.00 - $57,595.20 Annually

Location

Prescott Campus, Prescott, AZ

Job Type

Full Time

Job Number

2026-00244

Department

Student Affairs

Opening Date

10/07/2026

• Description
• Benefits
• Questions

Description of Position

***Please note: this is a grant-funded position and continuation is subject to funding***

The Specialist, First-Year Student Success - Title III Grant provides specialized program, administrative, data, and student-service support for approved first-year student success and Title III activities. Working under established grant objectives, procedures, schedules, and the direction of the Director, the Specialist coordinates assigned program components, maintains accurate records, supports outreach and events, monitors routine timelines and transactions, compiles data for reports, and responds to questions from students and campus partners. The position exercises independent judgment in organizing assigned work and resolving routine operational issues, while significant program, fiscal, compliance, personnel, and strategic decisions remain with the Director and designated College leadership.

Key Responsibilities:
Program and Administrative Support

• Coordinate assigned activities, schedules, task lists, communications, and routine deliverables for first-year student success and Title III programs.
• Maintain calendars, meeting materials, agendas, minutes, action-item logs, program files, and implementation records.
• Follow up with assigned participants and campus partners regarding deadlines, documentation, events, and approved project activities.
• Identify routine workflow issues, apply established procedures, and refer non-routine concerns to the Director.

Student Success Programs and Outreach

• Support orientation, transition, engagement, retention, academic-success, career-exploration, financial-literacy, AI-literacy, wellness, and related approved programming.
• Provide students with accurate information about program activities, eligibility, schedules, resources, and referral options.
• Coordinate logistics for workshops, trainings, outreach activities, events, and student communications.
• Maintain professional, service-focused relationships with students and support access to appropriate College resources.

Grant Documentation and Compliance Support

• Maintain organized documentation of assigned activities, participation, purchases, outcomes, and supporting records in accordance with established requirements.
• Apply approved grant procedures and documentation standards to assigned work and notify the Director of missing, inconsistent, or potentially noncompliant information.
• Assist with assembling supporting materials for annual performance reports, monitoring, audits, closeout activities, and routine information requests.
• Provide procedural guidance to participants on established forms, deadlines, and documentation expectations.

Data, Assessment, and Reporting

• Enter, verify, track, and compile program data related to participation, services, milestones, activities, and outcomes.
• Maintain spreadsheets, databases, dashboards, or other tracking tools and produce routine summaries and status reports.
• Review information for accuracy and completeness, identify discrepancies or trends, and elevate significant concerns.
• Support data collection and reporting for the Annual Performance Report and other approved evaluation activities in collaboration with the Director, Institutional Research, and project partners.

Budget and Purchasing Support

• Initiate and track approved purchases, reimbursements, travel, contracts, equipment requests, and other routine transactions in accordance with College procedures.
• Maintain purchase documentation and routine budget-tracking records for assigned activities.
• Compare transactions with approved categories and supporting records and refer variances or questions to the Director or Finance.
• Assist with expenditure summaries, reconciliations, inventory records, and documentation needed for review.

Communication and Collaboration

• Serve as a knowledgeable point of contact for routine program questions from students, faculty, staff, vendors, and community partners.
• Develop and distribute approved informational materials, reminders, presentations, and program communications.
• Collaborate with Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Enrollment Services, Advising, Institutional Research, Finance, and other participating departments.
• Participate in meetings, work groups, training sessions, and outreach activities as assigned.

Other Duties

• Perform other related duties as assigned in support of first-year student success, Title III activities, and College operations.

Minimum Expectations & Requirements

Education:

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in Higher Education, Student Affairs, Counseling, Education, Psychology, Social Work, or a related field or combination of associate degree and minimum of three years of higher education experience in Student Affairs.

Experience:

• Minimum of two years of related experience in student services, higher education, program support, grant-supported activities, administrative coordination, records, outreach, or a related area.
• Experience maintaining records, coordinating activities or events, supporting students or customers, and using spreadsheets, databases, or information systems.
• Experience working with multiple deadlines and stakeholders.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

• Working knowledge of student support, program coordination, recordkeeping, customer service, and office practices.
• Ability to interpret and apply established policies, procedures, grant requirements, schedules, and approved plans to assigned work.
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, follow-through, and ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Ability to compile and review data, maintain accurate tracking tools, and prepare routine reports and presentations.
• Effective written, verbal, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to work independently within established guidelines and recognize when an issue requires escalation.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and ability to learn College, student-information, reporting, and grant-management systems.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality, exercise sound judgment, and work effectively with diverse students, employees, and community partners.
• Regular attendance is an essential job function demonstrating dependability in the performance of assigned duties.

Preferred Skills & Abilities

• Experience in a community college or higher education environment.
• Experience supporting a federally funded grant, educational program, orientation, first-year experience, retention, or student-engagement initiative.
• Experience with student information systems, customer relationship management systems, reporting tools, or program assessment.
• Experience facilitating workshops, presentations, or outreach activities.

Essential Functions

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements and competencies listed represent the required knowledge, skill, and ability. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Physical Demands
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit and talk or hear. The employee must frequently use hands to finger, handle, or feel. The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, and reach with hands and arms. In addition, the employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus.

Work Environment
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet.

Yavapai College offers its full-time employees a comprehensive benefit package:

HEALTH/LIFE BENEFITS

• Medical/Dental/Vision Insurance: College's partial payment of premiums toward medical with pharmacy and/or dental plan options picked by employees for themselves (and eligible dependents)
• Flexible Spending Accounts: Pre-tax pay deductions to use for eligible medical or dependent daycare costs
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP): Counseling and referral services for employees and their immediate families for depression, stress, family/marital conflict, and alcohol/drug issues
• Vision: Provides an amount per plan year for eligible expenses such as vision exams, lenses, frames, prescription sunglasses, and contact lenses
• Life Insurance: The College provides Basic Life Insurance coverage at twice of the employee's annual salary. Dependents have automatic coverage of $2,000/spouse and $1,000/per child if enrolled in medical plan.
• Voluntary Individual And Family Term Life Insurance: Additional term life insurance coverage available for employee, spouse and children.
• Other Insurance Coverage: Short Term and Long Term Disability (replacement income insurance), and Workers' Compensation (compensation, medical expenses and death benefits for on-the-job injuries or occupational diseases)

RETIREMENT BENEFITS

• Retirement Benefits: Arizona State Retirement System or Optional Retirement Plan, and Social Security (which provides a basic retirement annuity based on age and years of contribution)
• Tax Deferred Annuities: Employees' contributions to designated tax-deferred annuities
• Unemployment Compensation: Employees who are laid off or terminated may receive benefits if covered wages meet requirements

LEAVE BENEFITS

• Vacation : 10 days of Vacation leave annually.  NOTE: For employees who work an amount of contractual days, there will be no earned vacation.
• Sick Leave: 12 days sick leave annually.  NOTE: Employees working less than full time or an amount of contractual days will receive a proration of sick leave.
• Personal Leave: Use of up to three personal leave days per year which are charged against accumulated sick leave to take care of items of personal business
• Other Leave: Bereavement leave, Civic Duty Leave (Jury duty, active military duty, military training), and Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
• Holidays: 29 days during the year as paid holidays for full-time employees which include Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, 3 days at Thanksgiving, Winter/year end break (10 days), Martin Luther King Day, Spring Break, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, and Fall Break.

OTHER BENEFITS

• Breaking Bread: 32 meal swipes for use at the Prescott Campus Eatery. All Other Campuses and Sites receive a $140 credit each semester (fall and spring) to be used at the Open Market on campus/center
• Spanish Interpreter Incentive Program: Employees interested in additional compensation for their Spanish speaking skills agree to assist YC by attending two recruiting events and being available for Spanish Interpretation needs as they arise. Compensation is added to the employee's regular pay at the rate of $175 per month. Employees that are interested in participating let your HR Business partner know, so they can schedule you for the ACTFL language proficiency test at the YC testing center. 
• Direct Deposit: Paychecks deposited directly into the employee's bank account(s)
• Tuition Waiver: Eligible Full-time Faculty and Staff, their legally married spouse, and eligible dependents may enroll in a partial or full program of coursework without payment of tuition, exceptions may be lab fees and market-based additional fees
• Sabbatical: Faculty, professional, and administrative staff may apply for compensated leave of up to a year after six years of continuous service
• Professional Development Opportunities
• Additional Benefits and Services: Local community discounts to faculty and staff, computer loan program, mail and notary service.

01 Do you have the minimum required education listed in the job description or an equivalent combination of education and experience? Please note: One year of education can be substituted with 2 years of job-related experience.

• Yes
• No
• Equivalent combination of education and experience

02 Do you have the minimum required job-related experience listed in the job description or an equivalent combination of education and experience? Please note: One year of education is equal to 2 years of job-related experience.

• Yes
• No
• Equivalent combination of education and experience

03 Do you meet all other minimum requirements listed in the job description?

• Yes
• No

Required Question

Employer Yavapai College Address 1100 E. Sheldon Street

Prescott, Arizona, 86301 Website http://www.yc.edu/hr