Access and Operations Coordinator

About Dickinson

Dickinson College is a premier four-year residential liberal arts institution chartered in 1783 and widely recognized as a leader in global and sustainability education. Dickinson College is located in Carlisle, named a “most livable city” by Forbes and is minutes from the state capital of Harrisburg. The campus is connected to a vibrant downtown that offers eclectic dining, shopping and entertainment options. Within a two-hour drive are Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.; New York City is three hours away.

Dickinson College offers full-time employees a broad range of benefits, including a comprehensive medical insurance plan, life insurance, flexible spending accounts, generous time off, parental leave, homebuyer assistance, and tuition benefits for eligible employees and dependent children under the age of 24. Upon eligibility, the College contributes 8% of an employee’s base salary to a retirement account with an additional .5% matching contribution; all money paid by the college into the employee’s retirement plan is immediately and fully vested in the employee.

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Position Department

Position Details

Join an energetic, collaborative, and student-centered team, dedicated to providing strategic guidance and facilitating equitable access for hundreds of Dickinson students with disabilities. This position offers a wealth of opportunities for a resourceful professional with excellent communication skills who enjoys problem-solving, thoughtful decision-making, organizing multifaceted processes, making an impact, and working closely with college students and their professors. The chosen candidate can expect ample training, professional development, and team support, along with the gratification that comes with witnessing the meaningful difference made by the work that we do.

Position Summary

The Access and Operations Coordinator plays an integral role in ensuring that the strategy resources and accommodation services relied upon by Dickinson students, faculty, and campus partners are administered effectively, accurately, and in accordance with disability law. The Coordinator guides individuals through accommodation processes; organizes, tracks, reviews, and summarizes confidential disclosure information and documentation; collaborates to administer thousands of proctored exams; optimizes the timely determination and implementation of disability accommodations; and manages an array of logistical, administrative, communication, and operational responsibilities for the busy offices of Access and Disability Services (ADS) and Strategies, Organization, & Achievement Resources (SOAR).

Essential Functions

• Access and Resource Guidance: Guide current and prospective students, parents, care providers, faculty, and campus partners through the ADS accommodation processes for students with disabilities (which may be neurological, developmental, emotional/behavioral, or physical), as well as those seeking study and time management support through SOAR. Communicate with accuracy, patience, discretion, and respect. Assess the nature and urgency of each inquiry, which may be sensitive or complex, and determine how best to resolve matters and/or connect individuals with the appropriate individual or resource.

• Proctoring and Accommodation Implementation: Co-facilitate the administration of timed assessments for students with test-taking accommodations. Review granted accommodations and the requirements of each exam to determine appropriate arrangements necessary for space, staffing, assistive technology, materials, and other resources. Communicate with students and faculty to clarify expectations, address incomplete or conflicting information, and respond to changes in scheduling or testing needs. Help maintain the security and academic integrity of the testing environment and ensure that completed exams are securely delivered. Oversee all “end-of-the-day” exam proctoring and the Proctoring Center, including test-takers, student proctors, and any temporary staff, and independently resolve any issues that may arise.

• Confidential Records, Workflow, and Process Administration: Co-manage confidential accommodation records, complex databases, and case workflows for approximately 500 students, including requests, functional-impact information, documentation, communications, meeting notes, determinations, implementation steps, and follow-up. Monitor unresolved items, establish priorities, and take appropriate steps to address actions needed. Produce useful and accurate reports and use data and operational knowledge to recommend and implement improvements to forms, communications, information systems, and procedures to improve usability, efficiency, and accessibility.

• Accommodation Review and Determination: Conduct individualized reviews of assigned accommodation requests that may be related to academic, housing, dietary, or mobility needs. Apply training given to analyze disability documentation, recommendations for accommodation, and the student’s description of functional limitations and access barriers. Weigh potential options, and exercise independent judgment to determine and document reasonable accommodations.

• Department Operations and Resource Management: Manage responsibilities that ensure the smooth operation of the ADS & SOAR department, including inventory, purchasing, expense reconciliation, form creation, webpage revisions, and the organization of the main office. Evaluate needs and available resources, recommend or make expenditures, maintain accurate records, and advise about future requirements, workflow concerns, and opportunities to improve departmental effectiveness. Assist with training, scheduling, and reviewing the work of student employees and casual staff, as assigned.

• Continuity of Access Services: Develop working knowledge of the essential accommodation services across the department to ensure coverage when colleagues are unavailable. Apply learned protocols and sound judgment to sustain timely services such as the loan of assistive technology, the facilitation of supplemental notes, access to texts in an accessible format, and real-time captioning. Collaborate to support team members’ time off so that all granted accommodations are implemented seamlessly.

Other Duties and Responsibilities

• Because the work frequently involves competing priorities, individualized circumstances, sensitive information, and questions for which the appropriate response is not always immediately evident, the Coordinator must exercise discretion, sound judgment, and appropriate independence while recognizing when input from others is needed.
• Plan and organize assigned work, establish priorities, and adjust workflows in response to changing student and departmental needs.
• Participate in departmental planning and contribute informed recommendations concerning policies, practices, communications, and service delivery.
• Handle confidential disability and student information with discretion and in accordance with applicable law and college policy.
• Develop and maintain current knowledge of relevant college policies and protocols, disability case law and best practices, and departmental systems and practices.
• Other Duties as determined or assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Guides work of others who perform essentially the same work. May organize, set priorities, schedule, and review work, but has no responsibility to hire, terminate, review performance, or make pay decisions.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education, relevant training, and relevant professional administrative experience.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, including the ability to respond constructively to unanticipated or sensitive questions or concerns.
• Strong organizational, time management, and project coordination skills, with the ability to prioritize competing responsibilities and meet time-sensitive deadlines.
• Demonstrated analytical and real-time problem-solving abilities.
• Experience reviewing complex information, applying policies or standards, and making consequential decisions.
• Strong computer skills and proficiency with Microsoft Office 365 applications, including calendar scheduling, Word documents, mail merges, and advanced knowledge of Excel formulas and functions, and an ability to learn new systems and technologies.
• Ability to follow instructions well, to work both independently and collaboratively, to seek consultation when appropriate, and to contribute to a supportive, solution-focused team environment.
• Commitment to providing responsive, inclusive, and respectful service for individuals with varied identities, experiences, communication styles, and access needs.
• Ability to oversee the proctoring of exams until 6 pm, as needed.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in a higher education setting.
• Experience working directly with young adults.
• Experience with disability accommodations, accessibility, student support, compliance, and/or individualized case review.
• Knowledge about and/or relevant experience with individuals with disabilities.
• Experience using a database or a case-management system.

Minimum Work Experience

• 3-5 years of relevant work experience

Independence of Action

• Results are defined; incumbent sets own goals and determines how to accomplish results with few or no guidelines to follow, although precedents may exist; supervisor/manager provides broad guidance and overall direction.

Equipment Used

• Computer
• Telephone
• Printer/scanner/copier
• Departmental databases
• Microsoft 365 applications

Physical and Environmental Demands

• Office environment
• No specific physical demands

EEO/Diversity Statement

The College is committed to building a representative and diverse faculty, staff, and student body. We encourage applications from all qualified persons.