JOB TITLE: COLLEGE NAVIGATOR – HEALTH SCIENCES DEPARTMENT: STUDENT SUCCESS
SALARY RANGE: $43,888 FLSA: EXEMPT
IMMEDIATE SUPERVISOR: DIRECTOR OF STUDENT SUCCESS – HEALTH SCIENCES
SCHEDULE DETAILS: Full-time (Office hours are 7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. on Monday through Thursday, and 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Flexibility to work any shift within these hours is required. Occasional evening and weekend work is also required.) /12-month employee/PEERS
Position Summary
The College Navigator is a student-centered, data-informed, proactive case manager who serves as a primary point of contact for students from initial registration through graduation. College Navigators provide holistic, one-stop support by assisting students with academic planning, registration, financial aid, billing, degree progress, and connection to campus resources. This role is designed to help students successfully navigate college processes, remove barriers, stay enrolled, and make timely progress toward their educational and career goals.
College Navigators maintain an assigned caseload of students and use proactive outreach, regular student contact, institutional data, and student success measures to anticipate student needs and provide timely support. Navigators are expected to build strong relationships with students, collaborate across departments, and provide consistent, accurate guidance aligned with college policies, financial aid regulations, academic program requirements, and the Student Success model.
College Navigators work in partnership with other Student Success staff, academic departments, Financial Aid, Registrar, Student Account Services, and other college offices to ensure consistency of student experience, singularity of mission, and overall institutional success.
Essential Job Duties
- Serve as the primary point of contact for an assigned caseload of students, providing proactive, holistic support from first registration through graduation.
- Provide personalized guidance to help students navigate the college experience, including academic planning, course selection, registration, financial aid, billing, academic resources, and referrals to campus supports.
- Maintain regular, sustained contact with assigned students throughout each semester through appointments, phone calls, email, text messaging, and CRM outreach.
- Use institutional data and student success metrics to identify students who may need support, prioritize outreach, monitor progress, and contribute to retention, persistence, course completion, and graduation goals.
- Assist students with academic planning, including developing academic plans through graduation, reviewing degree audits, helping students understand program requirements, and supporting timely progress toward completion.
- Help students identify and avoid courses that do not apply to their declared degree or certificate, including explaining potential financial aid implications of excess courses.
- Serve as the primary point of contact for serving students with financial aid processes, including FSA ID creation, FAFSA submission, verification requirements, SAP appeals, loan processes, scholarship opportunities, and other federal, state, institutional, or external aid processes.
- Help students understand college policies and procedures related to registration, financial aid, satisfactory academic progress, payment deadlines, refunds, drops, withdrawals, appeals, and other enrollment-related decisions.
- Assist students with financial planning related to their education, including helping them understand balances, payment plan requirements, aid eligibility, responsible loan borrowing, and the financial impact of enrollment choices.
- Build relationships with students, faculty, staff, and college departments to support student success, resolve barriers, and ensure students receive timely and accurate information.
- Collaborate with Financial Aid, Registrar, Student Account Services, Academic Affairs, and other offices to obtain information, clarify processes, resolve student concerns, and support students through complex situations.
- Utilize the Student Success Toolkit to resolve Tier 1 and Tier 2 student issues, using established escalation pathways to connect with appropriate departments when additional review, clarification, or action is needed.
- Maintain accurate and timely documentation of student interactions, outreach efforts, academic plans, referrals, and follow-up actions in college systems (TargetX, UAchieve, etc.).
- Participate in required training to maintain a working knowledge of academic programs, registration processes, financial aid regulations, state aid programs, scholarships, billing processes, student success technology, and college policies.
- Support students in making informed decisions by explaining options clearly, setting expectations, and helping students understand the academic, financial, and completion-related impact of their choices.
- Participate in team initiatives focused on student retention, enrollment, persistence, completion, and continuous improvement of the Student Success model.
- Exhibit exemplary attendance, punctuality, professionalism, and customer service.
- Comply with college policies, procedures, confidentiality expectations, and applicable federal and state regulations.
- Perform other duties as assigned, including attending college functions, serving on committees, participating in community events, and contributing to college-wide student success initiatives.
Required Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
- Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher learning.
- Two years of experience in case management, advising, financial aid, or relevant experience.
- Ability to switch between interpersonal skills and data management quickly and often.
- Exhibit excellent organizational and relational skills.
- Proficiency with a variety of computer operations, and the ability to learn and adapt to new software and tracking tools.
- Ability to communicate clearly and effectively via email, phone, video chat, text messaging, and public speaking.
- Ability to work flexible hours.
- Ability to use information technology for professional productivity (such as Microsoft Office Suite).
Preferred Knowledge Skills & Abilities
- Master’s degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher learning.
- Previous experience in Student Affairs in higher education.
- Experience tracking metrics and working with key performance indicators.
- Demonstrated commitment to student-centered support.
- Demonstrated value of teamwork and collaboration.
- Experience working within a collegiate setting.
- Experience with Colleague.
- Experience with TargetX or other CRM software.
Working at Ozarks Technical Community College Provides Great Benefits
- Medical insurance coverage for employees through the CoxHealth network at no cost to employees.
- Dental, LTD and group life insurance coverage for employees at no cost to employees.
- Access to the on-site OTC Health and Wellness Clinic at no cost for employees and their dependents.
- Use of the OTC fitness center at no cost to employees.
- Twelve (12) tuition free college credit hours per fall and/or spring semester and six (6) college credit hours per summer term for employees and/or their dependents.
- College matches the employee PSRS/PEERS retirement at 14.5% or 6.86%
PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORKING ENVIRONMENT: (The conditions herein are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.)
Environment: Work is performed primarily in a standard office setting with frequent interruptions and distractions. Requires extended periods of time viewing computer monitor or standing; may require adjustment of schedule to include some evening and/or weekends; may encounter occasional exposure to inclement weather during travel.
Physical: Primary functions require sufficient physical ability and mobility to work in an office setting; to stand or sit for prolonged periods of time; to lift, carry, push, and/or pull light to moderate amounts of weight; to operate office equipment requiring repetitive hand movement and fine coordination including use of a computer keyboard.
***OZARKS TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MODIFY, INTERPRET, OR APPLY THIS JOB DESCRIPTION IN ANY WAY THE INSTITUTION DESIRES. THIS JOB DESCRIPTION IN NO WAY IMPLIES THAT THESE ARE THE ONLY DUTIES, INCLUDING ESSENTIAL DUTIES, TO BE PERFORMED BY THE EMPLOYEE OCCUPYING THIS POSITION. THIS JOB DESCRIPTION IS NOT AN EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT, IMPLIED OR OTHERWISE. THE EMPLOYMENT RELATIONSHIP REMAINS “AT-WILL.” THE AFOREMENTIONED JOB REQUIREMENTS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE TO REASONABLY ACCOMMODATE QUALIFIED DISABLED INDIVIDUALS
