Registrar, Director of Academic Records

Job Description:

• Design, construct, and maintain all registrar functions at Meritus College
• Build and lead the Office of the Registrar
• Draft, socialize, and shepherd registrar policies through governance
• Establish and maintain the Academic Catalog, including content architecture, approval workflow, version control, publication cycle, and archive
• Build registrar service infrastructure, intake and case management, service-level standards, escalation paths, and self-service documentation
• Define academic authority, documentation requirements, and audit trails
• Lead SIS requirements definition, configuration, academic structure setup, and lifecycle governance with IT
• Establish the student-record data dictionary and data integrity controls
• Certify the accuracy of official institutional data
• Establish records custody, retention, destruction schedules, disaster recovery, and teach-out plans
• Set and publish the academic calendar
• Support the enrollment lifecycle, including registration, add/drop, withdrawal, leave, reinstatement, program changes, and enrollment verification
• Build and operate the degree audit; resolve exceptions and substitutions; certify candidates for conferral
• Design credential issuance, including diplomas, digital credentials, transcripts, secure delivery, and degree verification
• Establish transfer-credit and prior-learning evaluation criteria, articulation, awarding limits, residency requirements, posting, and appeals
• Produce registrar contributions to accreditation and maintain evidence files
• Own registrar-side state authorization obligations and reporting
• Define cohorts and metrics for institutional effectiveness reporting
• Train faculty, coaches, admissions, and student services on records obligations, FERPA, deadlines, and grading practices

Requirements:

• Eight or more years of progressively responsible experience in a registrar’s office, academic records, or academic operations function in higher education, including at least three years at the associate registrar level or above
• Demonstrated ownership of core registrar systems and processes, having personally led at least one substantial build or rebuild, such as an SIS implementation or migration, a degree audit build, a catalog or curriculum-of-record system, or a transcript and credentialing redesign
• Track record of writing academic policy and moving it through institutional governance
• Direct participation in self-study, evidence preparation, site visits, substantive change filings, or annual reporting
• Deep FERPA fluency, including practical judgment in ambiguous disclosure situations
• Student information system expertise, including requirements definition, configuration decisions, underlying data model understanding, structural troubleshooting, and vendor accountability
• Working knowledge of federal and state regulatory requirements affecting academic records, Title IV eligibility requirements, state authorization and reciprocity obligations, IPEDS and Clearinghouse reporting
• Ability to define metrics precisely, interrogate data for integrity issues, produce accurate reporting, and explain discrepancies
• Candidates must reside within the 50 states or District of Columbia and have full authorization to work in the 50 U.S. states and District of Columbia
• Must be authorized to work in the U.S.; Merit America does not offer employment visa sponsorship

Benefits:

• Medical, Dental and Vision insurance (100% Paid Employee Only Coverage)
• Flexible Spending Account and Health Savings Account
• Dependent care Flexible Spending Account
• Health Reimbursement Account fully funded by Merit
• Education & personal development reimbursement
• Catalog of courses for professional learning and development
• Short and long-term disability
• Flexible PTO (after a 90-day introductory period)
• Paid Parental Leave and Adoption benefits (after 1 year of employment)
• 11 federally recognized holidays
• 2 week holiday office closure in December/January
• 401(k) retirement plan with automatic Merit contribution
• Wellness Benefits/Wellness Resources
• Discount perks at work program
• Phone/technology stipend
• Home office setup stipend
• Affinity groups and community building via virtual, in-person, and/or regional meetups

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