Job Details

Retention Specialist



Campus: Cañada College

FLSA Status: Non-Exempt

Salary Schedule: 60

Grade: 24

Bargaining Unit: CSEA

Months Per Year: 12

Hours Per Week: 37.5

Mandated Reporter: Yes

Campus Security Authority: No

The Retention Specialist performs paraprofessional work that involves outreach and the retention of students in specific programs designed to foster student success. Under direction, the employee performs a variety of preparatory work and planning and develops strategies to support and enhance student completion and success. Public contact is extensive and primarily includes students, faculty, and staff, but can also include vendors and staff in other educational institutions and agencies, for the purpose of exchanging subject matter and procedural information. A high degree of independent judgment and creativity is required to resolve a wide variety of minor and occasional major problems that may arise. Consequences of errors in judgment can be moderately costly in public relations and employee time; however, supervisory controls are available to limit the risk of serious error. A Retention Specialist can perform a wide variety of duties within the scope of the classification. A Retention Specialist can direct the work of student assistants, clerical staff, and instructional aides, as assigned.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The duties below are representative of the duties of the classification and are not intended to cover all of the duties performed by the incumbent(s) of any particular position. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the scope of work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to this classification.

1. Exchanges information with students, faculty, and staff regarding subject matter, resources, materials, policies, and procedures associated with the classroom or laboratory setting or college programs and services
2. Confers with faculty regarding curriculum, computer hardware, software, and other learning tools, student assignments and progress, tests, student test scores, alternate learning methods, and other technical information related to the services and programs provided
3. Attends meetings, conferences and workshops to obtain current subject matter, procedural and other information
4. Participates in division and department planning activities
5. Makes presentations to small and large groups to publicize the services and programs as assigned
6. Assists with outreach and retention of students into specific programs, including developing strategies to enhance student completion and success
7. Provide encouragement and support to students who are undecided about a major by providing information regarding specific majors
8. Proactively meets with students to monitor their progress
9. Tracks student involvement in on-campus support resources, including academic counseling and development of student educational plans, as well as support services relating to financial aid, scholarships, internships, transfer, including completion of transfer admission guarantees
10. Develops an early alert system to identify students who are under-performing in specific coursework, and collaborates with instructional aides and tutors to intervene
11. Assists in planning an academic support structure to include workshops, study groups, tutoring, program activities, accompanying students to off-campus events, and other support services to enhance student retention and success
12. Works with faculty advisors and student leaders of clubs to develop programs that promote academic success
13. Uses a variety of computer software to organize and maintain learning resources and related data, compose and prepare correspondence, reports, publicity, and other materials; sets up and maintains online and manual files; and enters, modifies, and retrieves a variety of statistical and other data for special and regular reports
14. Trains and leads the work of student assistants, clerical and other staff as assigned
15. Performs other related duties as assigned

Employment Standards (acquired through education, training, and/or experience)

Skill in:

1. Working with diverse adult learning styles
2. Multi-tasking and workload prioritizing under deadline pressure, using independent judgment for decision-making
3. Use of the Microsoft Office Suite and web-based content management systems to compose and prepare a variety of correspondence, reports, publicity, and other materials
4. Establishing and maintaining respectful and sensitive working relationships with people who are diverse in their academic, socioeconomic, ethnic, neurodivergent, and LGBTQIA+ backgrounds of community college students, faculty, and staff
5. Oral communication, including public speaking
6. Written communication
7. Organizing data, setting up, tracking, and maintaining data in electronic and manual files
8. Directing the work of others
9. Performing research in a designated subject matter area
10. Designing lesson plans using original research, subject-matter knowledge, and materials

Job Requirements:

• Possession of a Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution OR an equivalent combination of education and experience
• Successful experience of increasing responsibility that has included event planning, assessment, and evaluation
• Demonstrated cultural competence, sensitivity to and understanding of the diverse academic, socioeconomic, ethnic, neurodivergent, and LGBTQIA+ backgrounds of community college students, faculty and staff
• Demonstrated oral and written communication skills, including public speaking
• Experience with the use of a variety of computer software to compose and prepare correspondence, forms, reports, presentations, and other written materials
• Experience with research and compiling data for formatting, and preparing statistical, financial and other reports
• Skill in setting up and maintaining online and manual files

Additional Information:

Physical/Other Requirements

This classification requires communication with individuals, small groups and large groups; work in close proximity with individuals; comparing data, and interpreting data to others; flexibility, tact and patience; manual dexterity; bending; pulling; pushing; and reaching in order to perform the essential functions.

Benefits: Benefits include paid holidays, vacation and sick leave. The District pays all or a portion of monthly medical plan premiums (depending on the coverage) and pays all of the monthly dental and vision plan premiums for employees and eligible dependents. Additional paid benefits include life insurance, salary continuance insurance, and an Employee Assistance Program. Classified employees participate in the Public Employees' Retirement System, a defined-benefit retirement plan through the State of California. Optional tax-deferred 403(b) and 457 retirement plans are also available.

EEO Statement: San Mateo County Community College District is an Equal Opportunity, Title IX, and Section 504 employer. We prohibit discrimination and harassment based on race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, medical condition, physical or mental disability, or any other protected status under federal, state, or local law. We seek to employ individuals who reflect our community's diversity of cultures, languages, and abilities.

Our EEO Plan, grounded in Title 5 regulations, is developed and monitored by an EEO Advisory Committee, reviewed at least every three years, and supported by regular training for all members of selection and screening committees. We collect and analyze recruitment and retention data to measure progress and identify barriers.

Annual Security Report

San Mateo County Community College District's (SMCCCD) 2025 Annual Security Report (ASR), required by the Clery Act, includes statistics for the previous three years (2022-2024) concerning reported crimes that occurred on campus; in certain off-campus buildings owned or controlled by SMCCCD; and on public property within, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from SMCCCD. The 2025 Annual Security Report also outlines various campus safety and security policies concerning crime reporting, prevention and response to sexual and gender violence, alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, emergency response and evacuation procedures, and other matters. The Annual Security Report also includes important tips to help every community member remain safe and avoid becoming a victim of crime. The 2025 Annual Security Report is now available on the Public Safety website. You can also obtain a copy of this report by contacting the Department of Public Safety at the District Office or any of the three Campuses (650) 738-7000. The report includes information about criminal activity on our campuses, emergency procedures, and resources.



Closes: 08/24/2026

To apply, visit http://smccd.interviewexchange.com/jobofferdetails.jsp?JOBID=202763