Director of Student Leadership

Summary of Responsibilities:

The Director of Student Leadership provides vision, structure, and oversight for the student leadership ecosystem at Highlands College. This role is responsible for designing and implementing a clear, scalable leadership pathway that equips students—particularly upperclassmen—to lead, serve, and influence others with integrity, discipline, service, and excellence.

Serving as both architect and mobilizer, this leader develops standardized leadership opportunities across campus while activating students to serve through Student Leadership Teams, Student Council, mentorship, outreach initiatives, and institutional events.

This role ensures students are intentionally trained, equipped, accountable, and actively contributing to the culture and mission of Highlands College.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities:

• Architect and implement a clear, multi-year student leadership development pathway.
• Recruit, train, and support student leaders across all leadership environments.
• Standardize leadership structures, expectations, and accountability across departments.
• Equip students to lead through service, mentorship, and influence.
• Develop and maintain leadership training, resources, and development opportunities.
• Ensure students serving in leadership roles are trained, supported, and held accountable.
• Track and report student leadership engagement, participation, and ministry training hours.
• Partner with Character Formation leadership to strengthen student leadership culture and alignment.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with campus departments to ensure leadership opportunities are integrated and effective.
• Identify gaps and proactively develop new leadership opportunities to support student growth and institutional needs.

Primary Areas of Oversight:

• Student Leadership Teams.
• Develop and oversee structured Student Leadership Team pathways that support Highlands College departments.
• Partner with departmental leaders to build strong student leadership pipelines that enhance execution, ownership, and campus culture.
• Student Council.
• Provide leadership, coaching, and oversight for Student Council officers and pillar representatives. Ensure student leaders represent the student body while reinforcing institutional priorities, alignment, and culture.
• Upperclassmen Leadership Opportunities.
• Design and manage intentional leadership roles for upperclassmen that provide meaningful opportunities to lead, mentor, and contribute to the student experience while gaining ministry training hours.
• Mentorship Programming.
• Develop and oversee a structured mentorship model that connects upperclassmen and underclassmen.
• Ensure mentorship relationships are intentional, consistent, and aligned with Character Formation outcomes.
• Character Formation Summer Serve.
• Oversee recruitment, placement, and development of Character Formation summer serve opportunities.
• Ensure students gain meaningful leadership and ministry experience while supporting departmental initiatives.
• Student Serve & Initiatives/Events.
• Mobilize and coordinate students to serve across key Highlands College initiatives and Character Formation events, including campus life, outreach opportunities, Expedition, and the HC Half Marathon.
• Church Partnership Opportunities.
• Collaborate with the Church Life Team to align student leadership and service opportunities within church ministry environments, ensuring continuity between Highlands College and Church of the Highlands.

Other Duties:

• Participate in ministry at Church of the Highlands and Highlands College by leading small groups.
• Affirm and uphold the Statement of Faith and the Core Values and DNA of the College, exemplifying all by word and lifestyle.
• Support other areas of the Character Formation department as needed.
• Serve on cross-functional teams or task forces as assigned.

Leadership Requirements:

• Function as a direct report to the Executive Director of Character Formation, maintaining alignment with VP and HC leadership.
• Lead and develop student leaders across all leadership environments, ensuring clarity, accountability, and growth.
• Build and maintain strong partnerships with department leads to align and execute student leadership initiatives.
• Communicate clearly and persuasively, tailoring information to diverse audiences.
• Recognize progress and celebrate wins that align with mission and culture.
• Plan strategically, mobilize students, and drive execution of leadership initiatives that support the mission and growth of Highlands College.

Qualifications

Personal Characteristics:

• Mission-driven with a strong commitment to developing leaders for ministry.
• High-capacity leader who can build systems and mobilize people.
• Strong relational intelligence with the ability to influence and develop others.
• Organized, proactive, and execution-oriented.
• Clear communicator who can set expectations and hold others accountable.
• Demonstrates integrity, discipline, service, and excellence in both leadership and lifestyle.
• Self-starter who takes initiative and anticipates needs.
• Thrives in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.

Essential Traits:

• Initiative
• Communication
• Team Builder
• Culture Carrier
• Relational Intelligence
• Consistency & Follow Through

Abilities & Skills:

• Ability to develop, coach, and multiply student leaders
  across multiple leadership environments.
• Ability to prioritize, manage time, and drive execution in a fast-paced environment.
• Clear and effective communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Ability to build and implement systems and structures that create consistency and scalability.
• Skilled in collaboration and cross-functional partnership with campus departments.

Experience:

• 2+ years in student engagement, student life, campus ministry, or a related role.
• Experience in leadership development, student leadership, ministry, or related field.
• Experience leading teams, mentoring individuals, or developing others.
• Experience designing or implementing programs, systems, or initiatives.
• Strong organizational and project management skills.
• Familiarity with higher education, ministry environments, or student development preferred.

Extent of Public Contact:

• High

Physical Demands:

• Moderate exposure to physical risk.
• Good physical condition is required.
• Ability to drive between campuses.
• Ability to lift 50 lbs without assistance .
• Ability to stand for long periods of time.
• The physical activity of this job includes climbing, stooping, kneeling, and crawling.