(On-site) Student Engagement Strategist - WVU Online

The Department of WVU Online at West Virginia University is currently accepting applications for an on-site Student Engagement Specialist.

About the Opportunity

The Student Engagement Strategist drives inquiry-to-application conversion for prospective WVU Online students by combining proactive outreach with a consultative, discovery-focused approach. This role goes beyond transactional contact: the Strategist works to understand each prospective student's unique journey, motivations, and barriers, then architects personalized next steps that keep the student moving forward.

The Strategist also owns systemic responsibilities. This includes tracking engagement patterns, managing a structured re-engagement pipeline, and building best-practice resources that strengthen recruitment capacity across academic units.

Because students are often most available outside traditional business hours, this position may require occasional evening or weekend outreach to maximize connection rates.

Application Instructions

• A resume and cover letter are required. Please note that applications without these attachments will not be moved forward in the selection process.
• When completing an application, select "Additional Attachments" to attach a resume, CV, cover letter or other documents. Be sure to select the "Relevant" box next to the file name to include the attachment with your application for a specific position. If left unchecked on a required document, the hiring team will be unable to move your application forward for review.

Salary Range: $52,000-54,000

We strongly believe in work-life balance and keeping time for things we love outside our work. WVU offers generous benefits, including:

• 37.5-hour work week
• 13 paid holidays (staff holiday calendar)
• 24 annual leave (vacation) days per year or more based on years of service (employee leave)
• 18 sick days per year (for when you're ill, for when you need time to care for sick family, for your own, or your family's, regularly scheduled medical appointments. Who is family for the purpose of this leave? A lot of people in your life including immediate relatives and in-laws as well as others considered to be members of your household living under the same roof)
• WVU offers a range of health insurance and other benefits
• 401(a) retirement savings with 6% employee contribution match, eligibility to continue health insurance, and other retiree perks. Looking for more retirement benefits information? Check out retirement health insurance benefits, retirement income, and FAQ's.
• Wellness programs

What You'll Do

Student Engagement & Discovery

• Conducts discovery-oriented outreach conversations with prospective students, moving beyond information delivery to understand their goals, timeline, barriers, and prior educational experience.
• Uses insights gathered during discovery to develop personalized engagement plans-determining whether the optimal next step is a faculty connection, application walk-through, advising session, or another touchpoint-and executes or coordinates those steps accordingly.
• Maintains timely, high-quality follow-up using CRM workflows, outbound calls, and personalized written communication, ensuring every prospective student receives guidance calibrated to their individual situation.
• Monitors personal conversion metrics from inquiry through application, identifying patterns that inform outreach strategy adjustments.

Disposition Tracking & Data Reporting

• Designs and maintains a disposition tracking system within the CRM to capture the reason for each student contact, common questions, and engagement outcomes, ensuring data is consistently recorded and usable for analysis.
• Analyzes disposition and contact data to identify trends-recurring questions, information gaps, program-level inquiry spikes-and synthesizes findings into actionable reports.
• Delivers regular reporting to the Enrollment Project Specialist to inform unit-level initiatives, content strategy, and cross-functional coordination.

Re-Engagement Pipeline Management

• Manages the inactive prospect pipeline-a structured list of individuals who did not engage during the execution of the initial contact strategy-ensuring records are maintained accurately and reviewed regularly.
• Develops, tests, and iterates re-engagement strategies for the inactive pipeline, including targeted campaigns, updated messaging, and timing adjustments designed to reactivate interest and return prospects to active outreach.
• Tracks re-engagement campaign outcomes and reports conversion data to inform future strategy.
• Recruiter Enablement & Training Resources
• Develops practical best-practice resources-including call guides, conversation templates, objection-handling frameworks, and follow-up protocols-for recruiters embedded in academic units.
• Designs and facilitates training sessions or asynchronous learning materials that build consistent, effective recruitment practices across WVU Online's partner programs.
• Collaborates with the Enrollment Project Specialist to ensure resources align with unit-specific contexts and ongoing enrollment initiatives.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Professional Development

• Participates in team strategy reviews and professional development, contributing recommendations that enhance the prospective student experience and WVU Online's overall enrollment effectiveness.
• Serves as an internal subject-matter resource on prospective student behavior and engagement, sharing field observations that inform content, communications, and process improvements.

• Bachelor's degree in business, communications, education, or related field.
• A minimum of two (2) years of experience in consultative customer/client engagement, advising, sales, or a related field.
• Any equivalent combination of related education and/or experience will be considered.
• All qualifications must be met by the time of employment.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• Strong interpersonal and active listening skills with the ability to adapt communication style to diverse audiences.
• Comfort building and maintaining data tracking processes.
• Ability to analyze engagement data and translate findings into clear recommendations
• Strong verbal and written communication
• Organization and multitasking
• Comfortable working both independently and as part of a larger team to support institutional goals.

West Virginia University is a place of purpose and community. We take pride in our profound impact on the state of West Virginia and are committed to the personal and professional growth of our employees.

From the groundbreaking R1 research at our flagship campus in Morgantown to the career-oriented programs at WVU Potomac State in Keyser, and the technology-intensive programs at WVU Tech in Beckley, the contributions of WVU employees resonate across the state, touching lives and shaping futures.

At WVU, you will discover a supportive community that champions work-life balance and fosters a collaborative atmosphere. Our core values - service, curiosity, respect, accountability and appreciation - unite us as Mountaineers.

Join us at West Virginia University, where your work will make a lasting impact. To learn more about WVU, visit wvu.edu.

West Virginia University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We invite all qualified applicants regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or Veteran status.