Student Services Specialist

Description

Title: Student Services Specialist (Wailau Ola Transfer Specialist)

Position Number: 0097637T

Hiring Unit: UH AT WEST OAHU, STUDENT AFFAIRS

Location: Kapolei, HI

Date Posted: 05/27/2026

Closing Date: 06/10/2026

Band: A

Salary: salary schedules and placement information

Full Time/Part Time: Full Time

Month: 11-month

Temporary/Permanent: Temporary - Not to Exceed (NTE) September 30, 2026.

This position is located within the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs (OVCSA) attheUniversityofHawai?i - WestO?ahucampus. This positionservesas a key member of the program team who works collaboratively with other OVCSA staff, UH system community colleges, and regional high schools to improve transfer and on-time graduation rates at these institutions. In the process of their matriculation, Native Hawaiian and other students will advance their linguistic, cultural, historical, political, socio-emotional, and spiritual knowledge and skills. Specific duties and responsibilities are described below.

Duties and Responsibilities (*denotes Essential Functions):

ACADEMIC SUCCESS PROGRAMS

• • Supports students' success, learning, and growth by providing quality and proactive support services for students individually, in groups, or via designed interventions as students matriculate through program, degree, and University requirements. Duties include, but are not limited to:
  • Providing holistic advising, in addition to consulting with program students, as they navigate the college experience. This also includes providing appropriate levels of holistic support while advocating on their behalf by collaborating with divisional staff to support students to fulfill their application requirements for student aid, enrollment, academic course planning, academic concentration declaration, transfer credit evaluations, and institutional billing processes.
  • Advising program students grounded in holistic and cultural awareness and clarifying their educational objectives that are compatible with their career/life goals and in planning their educational programs of study.
  • Advising program students to ensure their selection of courses fulfill their designated degree objective given their evaluations of transfer credits, and to use online and in-person tools (e.g. STAR) to empower themselves in making academic progress towards timely degree completion.
  • Communicating University policies and procedures about matriculation and academic progress in declared programs of study to program students as well as the intent, rationale, and philosophical approach underlying such policies and procedures.
  • Monitors the academic progress of assigned program students to ensure their satisfactory academic progress and continued financial aid eligibility. This may include direct outreach, phone calls, and emails to students who have dropped out or stopped out of their enrollment and who are approaching achievement levels that may hinder their persistence toward course or degree completion.
  • Designs, executes, and evaluates educational experiences, opportunities, and activities that contribute both to program students' continued matriculation and persistence towards their educational goals as well as student learning, growth, and success. Duties include, but are not limited to:

ADMINISTRATIVE & OPERATIONAL SERVICES

• Creates and develops a series of hybrid dynamic transdisciplinary educational experiences, workshops, and developmental opportunities grounded in ?olelo, nohona, and ?ike Hawai?i.
• Coordinates with both UHWO and other UH or DOE campus faculty and staff to establish a clear program outline complimentary to articulated programs, for cohorted student experiences in the academic year.
• Executes student programming to increase transfer rates, on-time degree completion, and use of ?olelo, nohona, and ?ike Hawai?i.
• Works with campus community, Native Hawaiian agencies, and community groups to promote program activities, leverage support for ongoing program activities, and to ensure continual funding and program sustainability.
• Trains, supervises, and manages student employees to ensure program objectives and program activities are met.
• Plans, implements, and evaluates activities to support the development of ?Olelo, Nohona, and ?Ike Hawai?i practices and usage by students in their capstone projects.
• Defines and collects data relevant to achievement of program goals and objectives; implements and supervises records management system for data record keeping; and creates statistical, narrative, reports and presentations as needed.
• Coordinates assessment and evaluation processes (e.g., pre/post formative/summative assessment, data collection/analysis, coordinates with evaluator to complete reporting processes) and identifies areas for continuous improvement as noted by the program indicators.
• Assists the Principal Investigator (PI) and the Program Director (PD) with the preparation of program proposals, reports, and timelines in accordance with program requirements.
• Assists the program team in providing common learning experiences for students that create opportunities to engage in scholarship and research, academic innovation involving community needs, and promotes overall sense of belonging to the institution and community.
• Partners with offices across campus, the UH system, and broader community to perform outreach efforts.
• Other Duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Possession of a baccalaureate degree in education, Hawaiian Pacific Studies or related field and two (2) years of progressively responsible professional experience with responsibilities forprovidingeducationalservicesorassistanceto students, including academic advising, career advising, academic success programs, student development or related work experience; or any equivalent combination of education and/or professional work experience which provides the required education, knowledge, skills and abilities as indicated.
• Functional knowledge of principles, practices and techniques in the area of student success, student support programs and services, disadvantaged student learning and development, oroperationaltechnicalsupport as demonstratedby the broad knowledge, understanding and ability to apply concepts, terminology.
• Functional knowledge and understanding of principles, theories, federal and state laws, rules,regulations,andsystemsassociatedwithstudentsuccess, student support programs and services, disadvantaged student learning and development, or operational technical support.
• Demonstratedabilitytorecognizeproblems,identifypossiblecausesandresolvethefull range problems that may commonly occur in the area of student success, student support programs and services, disadvantaged student learning and development, or program management in higher education.
• Demonstratedabilitytounderstandoralandwrittendocumentation,writereportsand procedures, and communicate effectively in a variety of situations.
• Demonstratedabilitytoestablishandmaintaineffectiveworkingrelationshipswith internal and external organizations, groups, team members, and individuals.
• Demonstratedabilitytooperateapersonalcomputerandwordprocessing software.

Supplemental Minimum Qualifications

• Functional knowledge of advising practices, policy, and strategies associated with student retention and success in formal academic programs and extracurricular programming activities.
• Demonstrated ability in program development skills, especially in the areas of needs assessment, design, and evaluation.
• Demonstrated ability to facilitate groups and conduct presentations.
• Ability to evaluate, redesign, and implement program curriculum.
• Ability to work effectively with multicultural populations including those from Native Hawaiian communities, at-risk, socio-economically disadvantaged, first-generation college students, non-traditional aged students, and other underserved groups in higher education.
• Experience in engaging with students and their families through college preparatory workshops.
• Experience in performing community outreach in leeward and windward regions.
• Functional knowledge and understanding of external grant program management, grant evaluation, grant reporting, and grant activities or goal execution in higher education.
• Demonstrated knowledge of principles, practices and techniques in educational or cultural programs demonstrated by knowledge, understanding and ability to apply concepts, terminology.
• The ability to work outside normally scheduled business hours including evenings, weekends, and/or holidays as necessitated by unit requirements.
• Possession of a valid Hawaii State Driver’s License and access to a car.

Desirable Qualifications:

• Working knowledge of the Hawaiian language, culture, values, and traditions.
• The ability to converse and understand Hawaiian language.
• Functional knowledge of principles, practices, and techniques in educational or cultural programs demonstrated by knowledge, understanding, and ability to apply concepts, terminology.
• Experience in providing direct services to communities in West O?ahu.
• Experience in working with UH Community Colleges.

To Apply:

. If you have not applied for a position before using NEOGOV, you will need to create an account. Applicants must submit the following:

• Cover letter indicating interest in the position and how the minimum and desirable qualifications are met.
• Current resume.
• References - names and contact information (telephone number and email addresses) of at least three (3) professional references.
• Transcripts showing pertinent degree (copies of transcripts are acceptable, but official transcripts will be required at time of hire).

Note:

Late, incomplete, or unreadable application materials will not be considered. Please REDACT any social security number and/or birth date on your documents prior to submitting. All submitted documents become the property of UH West O’ahu and will not be returned.

Inquiries: UH West Oahu Human Resources: 808-689-2525; uhwohr@hawaii.edu

EEO, Clery Act, ADA