Orientation and Onboarding Specialist

Utah State University is seeking a highly detail‑oriented professional to join the Student Orientation and Transition Services (SOTS) team. This position plays a central role in shaping how students and their families begin their journey at USU.

The Orientation and Onboarding Specialist (Program Coordinator II) leads systemwide onboarding and orientation efforts, ensuring newly enrolled students receive a seamless, accurate, and personalized introduction to the university. Much of this work takes place behind the scenes and requires significant technical accuracy. The specialist uses software tools, data structures, and coding frameworks to segment students correctly, deliver tailored communication flows, and support a polished experience across all USU campuses.

The specialist also develops, supervises, and mentors a team that includes one full-time position and several student employees who support onboarding initiatives and serve as key connectors between new students and the USU community.

We are passionate about Utah State University, its land-grant mission, and helping students find their path to higher education. Our office centers its work around four core values: impact, growth, connection, and innovation.

As a benefitted USU employee, you will receive: 14.2% of gross income paid to a retirement account, 13 paid holidays per year, 22 vacation days per year, 12 days of sick leave per year, excellent health and dental insurance, long-term and short-term disability insurance, and tuition reduction benefits. Explore the full list of benefits at https://www.usu.edu/hr/benefits/.

Responsibilities

• Lead orientation for the USU system, aligning programs with institutional goals and the needs of students attending in Logan, throughout the state, and online.
• Supervise, train, and mentor professional and student staff reporting to this position, including the A-Team student leaders.
• Provide leadership, guidance, and mentorship to the program coordinator who oversees the A‑Team, offering expertise, coaching, and support to strengthen the A‑Team student experience and elevate the overall leadership program.
• Develop training, customer service standards, and staff development practices that support high‑quality student experiences.
• Design, code, and deliver segmented onboarding communications for approximately 40 student types across all entry terms.
• Oversee the accuracy and quality of the online orientation serving all campuses, including 200+ meta‑tagged slides of content.
• Manage a team providing high‑volume student support via text, email, and phone channels.
• Direct Logan in‑person orientation sessions, including logistics, staffing, and budgets.
• Collaborate with campus partners to create tailored experiences for international, transfer, returning, and other unique student groups.
• Serve as the departmental lead for Advantage Orientation, Blackthorn, Modern Campus Message, and relevant software platforms, managing data integrations and staff training.
• Use dashboards and data tools (e.g., Encoura, Salesforce, Qualtrics) to guide program enhancements.
• Maintain strong relationships with campus partners and represent the office in key leadership meetings.
• Manage budgets and financial reporting for orientation and onboarding-related programs.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and two years of progressively responsible related experience, including at least one year of supervisory experience, OR an equivalent combination of education and experience with at least one year of supervisory experience may also be considered.
• Experience managing large-scale programs, projects, or software platforms.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with orientation or onboarding programs or a related field at an educational institution.
• Demonstrated experience in managing communication strategies across different populations.
• Experience working within a multi-campus or statewide university system.
• Experience managing budgets and reconciling financial accounts in accordance with institutional policy.
• Experience developing and implementing strategic plans and contributing to long-term organizational goals.
• Experience with CRM systems, communication platforms, or orientation software (e.g., Salesforce, Modern Campus, VZ Orientation).

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Familiarity with or ability to gain knowledge of messaging logic, coding frameworks, and technical processes used to segment and communicate with multiple student groups. Training is provided for USU-specific systems.
• Strong understanding of student development theory, onboarding best practices, and transition programming, with the ability to apply these concepts in designing effective support for various student populations.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills that support clear, accurate, and audience-appropriate messaging.
• Demonstrated skill in building collaborative relationships across departments, programs, and administrative levels.
• Skill in communicating confidently and professionally with associate deans, faculty, administrators, and staff.
• Skill in connecting authentically and communicating effectively with student leaders and student staff.
• Ability to process, recall, and accurately apply detailed technical information across varied scenarios.