Director, First Year Experience

Fordham Law Compliance Affinity Group; Greater London; On-site; GBP 75,000 - GBP 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A prestigious educational institution in Greater London seeks a Director for the First Year Experience. This role involves developing and managing programs that enhance the transition for first-year students, fostering engagement and connection to campus resources. The ideal candidate should have a Master’s degree, 5 years of relevant experience, and exceptional communication skills. The position offers a salary ranging from $100,500 to $120,000, complemented by a comprehensive benefits package.

Benefits

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Flexible spending accounts

Retirement plans

Tuition remission

Generous time off

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in an educational setting.
• Ability to lead and manage cross-functional teams.
• Deep understanding of the student experience in an academic university setting.

Responsibilities

• Develop a comprehensive road map for the first year of undergraduate students.
• Manage programming designed to ignite students’ curiosity in their first year.
• Assess success metrics of first-year activities for continuous improvement.

Skills

Organizational skills

Communication skills

Interpersonal skills

Analytical skills

Problem-solving skills

Education

Master’s degree in Higher Education, Student Affairs, Counseling, or a related field

Job description

Overview

Founded in 1841, Fordham is the Jesuit University of New York, offering an exceptional education distinguished by the Jesuit tradition to more than 16,000 students in its nine colleges and schools. It has residential campuses in the Bronx and Manhattan, a campus in West Harrison, N.Y., the Louis Calder Center Biological Field Station in Armonk, N.Y., and the London Centre in the United Kingdom.

The University offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision insurance; flexible spending accounts; retirement plans; life insurance; short and long-term disability; employee assistance program ( EAP ); tuition remission; and generous time off.

Successful candidates should have a knowledge of and commitment to the goals of Jesuit Education.

Reporting to the Vice Provost, Student Success, the Director, First Year Experience provides leadership, planning, and execution of the First Year Experience (FYE), a comprehensive curricular and co‑curricular experience for all full‑time first‑year students, grounded in Fordham University’s Jesuit, Catholic mission.

The Director, First Year Experience collaborates with faculty, student affairs, and academic partners to deliver a range of activities that unify students in their first year at Fordham across Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses.

Essential Functions

Develops a comprehensive road map for the first year of the undergraduate student journey and identifies critical first‑year milestones. Develops, launches, and manages programming designed to (re)ignite students’ curiosity throughout their first year, sustain motivation, facilitate a sense of belonging, and connect students to campus resources, particularly at those key moments.

Assess success metrics (i.e., persistence, outcomes, engagement) of FYE‑related activities to ensure continuous improvement.

Collaborates with Fordham’s Career (the Career Center and the Gabelli Office of Personal and Professional Development) to incorporate appropriate career‑readiness programming into the First Year Experience.

Collaborates with enrollment management, faculty, academic administrators in the undergraduate colleges, and student affairs in the development and management of cohort systems and communities designed to maximize diversity of interests, backgrounds, and aspirations within each group and across undergraduate colleges.

Collaborate with faculty, directors, and academic administration in the implementation of the Core Curriculum.

Ensures continuity of cohorts created for first‑year credit‑bearing courses through co‑curricular offerings part of the first‑year experience and beyond.

Develops, launches, and manages a peer mentoring program for first‑year students designed to help students navigate the first year, including, for example, non‑credit peer‑led masterclasses/workshops, and ensures continuity throughout the undergraduate student journey.

Collaborates with faculty across undergraduate colleges and departments to identify, track, and measure co‑curricular offerings at the department level, including notations on a co‑curricular transcript.

Collaborates with academic partners (i.e. the Office of Fellowship Advising) in the Office of the Provost and across the colleges to ensure that first‑year students learn about the full range of undergraduate research opportunities and inspire them to consider applying for specific opportunities, such as those via the transdisciplinary research incubator, in advance of their second year.

Collaborates with the Deans of Students in Student Affairs and the Deans of the colleges to integrate the curricular and co‑curricular experience of first‑year students, including Orientation.

Collaborates with Enrollment Management and University Marketing and Communications to ensure coherent messaging through the recruitment process and transition into the first year.

This list is not intended to be an exhaustive list. The University may assign additional related duties as necessary.

Management Responsibilities

Guides work of other employees who perform essentially the same work and/or student workers. Organizes, sets priorities, schedules and reviews work, but is generally not responsible for final decisions in hiring, performance management or compensation.

Required Qualifications: Education and Experience

Master’s degree in Higher Education, Student Affairs, Counseling, or a related field.

Minimum of 5 years of experience in an education setting.

Required Qualifications: Knowledge and Skills

Exceptional organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills.

Proven ability to lead and manage cross‑functional teams and build consensus among diverse groups.

Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills, with the ability to translate technical and programmatic needs into actionable plans.

A deep understanding of the student experience in an academic university setting.

Successful candidates should have a knowledge of and commitment to the goals of Catholic and Jesuit Education.

Preferred Qualifications

Minimum Starting Salary

$100,500

Maximum Starting Salary

$120,000

Note: Salary is commensurate with qualifications, experience, and skills.

Posting Details

Is this a Union position? No

Posting Number: A1003P

Number of Vacancies: 1

Start Date: ASAP

Posting Date: 01/12/2026

Documents Needed to Apply

Required Documents

• Resume
• Cover Letter

Optional Documents

Supplemental questions you will be required to answer on the application (No action is needed on this page)

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

• * Do you have a Master's Degree in Higher Education, Student Affairs, Counseling, or a related field?
  • Yes
  • No
• * Do you have a minimum of 5 years of experience in an education setting?
  • Yes
  • No

Physical Activity and Work Environment

Sitting Nearly Continuously

Repetitive Hand Motion (such as typing)

Repetitive Hand Motion (such as typing) Nearly Continuously

Hearing, Listening, Talking Nearly Continuously

Standing

Standing Not Required

Walking

Walking Not Required

Running

Running Not Required

Bending, Stooping, Kneeling, squatting, Crouching, Crawling

Bending, Stooping, Kneeling, squatting, Crouching, Crawling Not Required

Climbing stairs Not Required

Climbing ladders

Climbing ladders Not Required

Reaching overhead

Reaching overhead Not Required

Pulling, pushing

Pulling, pushing Not Required

Shoveling

Shoveling Not Required

Lifting – up to 20 pounds

Lifting – up to 20 pounds Not Required

Lifting – up to 50 pounds

Lifting – up to 50 pounds Not Required

Lifting – over 50 pounds Not Required

Work Environment: Office Environment: Employees are protected from weather conditions or contaminants, but not necessarily occasional temperature changes.

EEO Statement

Fordham University is committed to excellence and welcomes candidates of all backgrounds.

Fordham University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.