Student Success Program Manager

Career Guide

A Student Success Program Manager designs and runs programs that help students stay engaged, complete coursework, and reach academic or career goals. The role coordinates people, processes, and data to improve student outcomes across onboarding, advising, support services, and retention initiatives.

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Key Responsibilities

Design student success programs such as onboarding, early alerts, and persistence campaigns
Coordinate cross functional teams across advising, tutoring, career services, and faculty partners
Track student progress and identify at risk learners using defined indicators
Create playbooks and workflows for outreach, follow up, and escalation
Manage communication plans across email, text, phone, and in platform messaging
Run student feedback efforts such as surveys, interviews, and focus groups
Report program results and recommend improvements based on evidence
Train staff and student facing teams on processes, tools, and service standards
Manage vendor tools and service partners when applicable
Support equity focused initiatives that reduce barriers for underserved students
Ensure programs follow privacy and compliance requirements for student data
Develop budgets, timelines, and staffing plans for program delivery

Top Skills for Success

Program Management

Stakeholder Management

Communication

Student Support Strategy

Retention Strategy

Process Improvement

Data Analysis

Reporting

Change Management

Project Planning

Vendor Management

Training Facilitation

Service Design

Policy Compliance

Conflict Resolution

Career Progression

Can Lead To

Student Success Director

Program Director

Director of Student Support Services

Director of Retention

Director of Student Experience

Transition Opportunities

Operations Manager

Product Manager in Education

Customer Success Manager Learning and Development Manager People Operations Program Manager

Common Skill Gaps

Often Missing Skills

Advanced Data LiteracyExperiment DesignBudget ManagementSQLProcess DocumentationExecutive CommunicationStudent Risk ModelingTool Administration

Development SuggestionsBuild a simple metrics framework tied to retention and completion. Practice concise updates that connect work to outcomes. Take ownership of one end to end program with clear goals, a documented workflow, and a monthly results report.

Market Intelligence Report

Student Success Program Manager is part of the Education Administration category.Explore our market intelligence report to see how AI and hiring demand are shifting for these roles.

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Salary & Demand

Median Salary Range

Entry LevelUSD 55,000 to 75,000

Mid LevelUSD 75,000 to 105,000

Senior LevelUSD 105,000 to 140,000

Growth Trend

Steady demand. Hiring is strongest in online education, workforce training, and student support operations, with continued focus on retention, completion, and measurable outcomes.

Companies Hiring

Major Employers

Arizona State UniversityWestern Governors UniversitySouthern New Hampshire UniversityUniversity of PhoenixCoursera2UGuildUdacityNexford UniversityKaplan

Industry Sectors

Higher EducationOnline EducationWorkforce TrainingEducation TechnologyNonprofit Education ProgramsCorporate Learning

Recommended Next Steps

Create a one page program scorecard with goals, metrics, and reporting cadence

Audit the student journey and map key drop off points

Pilot an early outreach workflow for at risk students and measure impact

Build a stakeholder plan with roles, timelines, and decision points

Develop a standard playbook for outreach messaging and escalation

Strengthen data skills with a short course in reporting and analysis

Collect student feedback monthly and publish a summary of themes and actions

Document processes and training materials to improve consistency across teams