Associate Director, Student Wellness & Health Promotion

PAY GRADE: 31E

Context Of The Job:

Under the limited direction of the Director of Student Wellness and Health Promotion, the Associate Director is a strategic leader within the department who advances a campus culture that supports well-being and student success. This role is responsible for developing, implementing, and evaluating comprehensive, evidence-based health promotion strategies and initiatives aligned with public health models and inclusive excellence. The Associate Director supervises professional staff, coordinates campus-wide prevention programs, and collaborates across departments to promote student health and wellness. The Associate Director is also responsible for coordinating and administering the BASICS harm reduction program for students.

The Associate Director plays a key role in developing and sustaining partnerships with leaders and staff throughout the Student Wellbeing, Support, & Advocacy (SWSA) portfolio. They view their work through a lens of transformational collaboration, a core divisional value. While meaningful partnership with the broader division and campus community is also important, alignment with SWSA units is essential to the success of our integrated, holistic approach. The Associate Director works closely with the Director to ensure the unit’s work is informed by portfolio trends and vice versa.

Major Responsibilities:

Strategic Planning & Leadership

• Assist in the development and implementation of strategic plans for the Health Promotion unit.
• Provide leadership in public health programming, including but not limited to mental health, substance use prevention, sexual health, sleep, nutrition, and stress management.
• Utilize data-driven decision-making to inform program priorities, development, and evaluation.
• Administers a programmatic budget with limited oversight from the Director.
• Advocate for student wellbeing needs and policy development that supports health equity and harm reduction.
• Build and maintain strategic partnerships with internal and external stakeholders (e.g., Residence Life, Student Life, Athletics, Academic Affairs, student organizations) to support a coordinated campus approach to health and wellbeing.

Basics Program Administration

• Uses specialized training in substance use prevention to providing substance abuse prevention and problem identification through the application of the BASICS model, which includes brief intervention and referral support.
• Confers with students, parents, families, Student Wellbeing clinicians, and University personnel as appropriate, while maintaining appropriate privacy protocols.
• Responsible for maintaining timely and accurate electronic appointment records.
• Serves as the main point of contact for Community Standards & Conflict Resolution (and any other applicable departments) regarding effective referral and compliance processes for the BASICS program.

Program Management & Evaluation

• Design and deliver campus-wide health promotion programs, workshops, campaigns, and initiatives.
• Leads prevention activities targeted towards recovery from addiction in a variety of forms.
• Oversees the BASICS program, a harm reduction tool used to decrease high-risk drinking behavior and provide support to staff assisting with the program.
• Oversee evaluation and assessment efforts to measure impact and outcomes of programs.
• Ensure programming aligns with national standards and best practices (e.g., ACHA, NASPA, SOPHE, CDC).
• Stay current on health trends, best practices, and national standards by attending conferences, participating in professional organizations, and engaging in campus partnerships.

Supervision & Team Development

• Supervise, mentor, and support health promotion staff, graduate assistants, and student peer educators.
• Foster professional development and a positive team culture grounded in innovation, belonging, and other best practices.

Communication & Advocacy

• Lead health communication efforts, including social media, web content, and marketing for wellbeing initiatives.
• Support and promote a campus environment that is inclusive andequitable,  for all students in order to address social determinants of health and resulting health inequities.
• Serve as a representative from the Student Wellbeing area on coalitions, committees, and/or for large events as needed.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Public Health, Health Promotion, Health Education, Student Affairs, or related field.
• 3+ years of progressively responsible experience in health promotion or wellness programming in a higher education or public health setting.
• Supervisory experience.
• Knowledge of population-based health promotion theory, behavior change models, and best practices.
• Training in BASICS methodology, personalized feedback, and/or motivational interviewing.
• Knowledge of current and emerging trends within area of collegiate recovery.
• Strong skills in program planning, implementation, and evaluation.
• Commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice.
• Ability to work effectively with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse community and rapidly changing technical environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) or Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES).
• Experience with campus climate assessments, data analysis, and use of public health surveillance tools.
• Proficiency in project management, budgeting, and strategic planning.
• Experience working with varied student populations, including BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and international students.