Position Summary
The University Registrar Director serves as the official custodian of student academic records and provides strategic and operational leadership for the University's registration, academic records, and graduation-related processes. The position ensures accurate, efficient, confidential, and student-centered administration of the academic record throughout the student lifecycle. The University Registrar Director works closely with academic and administrative leadership to ensure consistent application of academic regulations, reliable institutional data, and effective registration services. The position also leads continuous improvement and digitalization of registration and records processes.
Key Responsibilities
LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE
- Provide overall leadership and direction for the OR and ensure effective, consistent, and timely delivery of its services.
- Develop, review, and implement registration and academic-record policies, procedures, workflows, and service standards in alignment with university regulations.
- Advise senior University leadership and academic units on registration, enrollment, academic records, graduation requirements, and related regulatory matters.
- Represent the OR on University committees and institutional initiatives as required.
REGISTRATION AND ENROLLMENT
- Oversee the student registration cycle, including course registration, drop / add, withdrawals, changes in academic status, and related processes.
- Coordinate and maintain the official University Academic Calendar (registration periods, drop / add and withdrawal deadlines, exam periods, holidays) in collaboration with academic and administrative units.
- Monitor enrollment processes and resolve complex registration issues in coordination with relevant academic and administrative offices.
- Evaluate and process transfer credit, credit exchange, cross-registration, and articulation agreement requests in accordance with University policy, and coordinate equivalence procedures with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE).
- Ensure consistent application of registration policies and academic regulations across programs and units.
- Process and maintain official records of grade changes, academic petitions, and academic standing actions (probation, suspension, dismissal, reinstatement) in accordance with University regulatory texts.
ACADEMIC RECORDS AND DOCUMENTATION
- Ensure the accuracy, completeness, confidentiality, integrity, and security of student academic records.
- Oversee the issuance and verification of transcripts, enrollment certificates, academic statements, degree verifications, and other official academic documents.
- Provide timely degree verification services to third parties (employers, embassies, scholarship providers, and other authorized requestors).
- Establish appropriate controls for records maintenance, retention, access, and confidentiality.
- Establish and maintain a formal records retention and disposition schedule and a disaster-recovery / business-continuity plan for academic records, in compliance with institutional and regulatory requirements.
- Ensure timely correction and resolution of discrepancies affecting student academic records.
GRADUATION AND DEGREE CERTIFICATION
- Lead the verification and clearance of students for graduation in coordination with academic and administrative units.
- Ensure that degree requirements and academic completion records are accurately reviewed before degree conferral.
- Oversee the preparation and issuance of diplomas and official graduation documentation.
- Calculate and certify academic honors and class rank, where applicable, in accordance with University regulatory texts.
- Coordinate registration-related activities associated with commencement and degree conferral.
ACADEMIC SCHEDULING AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS
- Coordinate course, final examination, and classroom scheduling with faculties and academic programs.
- Oversee the accuracy and reliability of registration and academic-record data within the Student Information System (SIS).
- Work with Information Technology (IT) department to improve system functionality, data integrity, security, reporting, and user experience.
- Establish and enforce role-based access controls and segregation of duties for staff authorized to create or modify official academic records, with periodic access audits.
- Promote digitalization and automation of registration and records processes.
- Coordinate the preparation of the University catalogue and ensure approved curriculum changes are accurately implemented in the SIS.
REPORTING, COMPLIANCE AND QUALITY ASSURANCE
- Prepare and validate enrollment, registration, academic-record, and graduation reports for university leadership and relevant external authorities.
- Ensure compliance with university policies and applicable Lebanese higher-education and regulatory requirements.
- Ensure institutional compliance with applicable data protection and student-records privacy legislation, and provide regular training to OR staff and relevant academic and administrative personnel on confidentiality and data-privacy obligations.
- Provide reliable data and documentation for accreditation, quality assurance, audits, and institutional reporting.
- Monitor service performance, identify process gaps, and implement corrective and preventive improvements.
TEAM AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
- Supervise, guide, and evaluate the OR staff and ensure clear allocation of responsibilities.
- Develop staff capabilities through coaching, training, and performance follow-up.
- Manage the Office's operational resources and contribute to annual planning and budgeting.
- Establish service priorities and ensure continuity of critical registration and records functions during peak periods.
STUDENT SERVICE AND STAKEHOLDER COORDINATION
- Ensure professional, responsive, and equitable service to students while safeguarding academic and personal information.
- Coordinate with academic deans, faculty members, program directors, Admissions, Student Affairs, Finance, IT, and other offices to resolve student and institutional matters.
- Provide authoritative guidance on registration procedures, academic records, graduation processes, and applicable regulations.
- Develop and maintain a continuity-of-operations plan to sustain essential registration and records services during campus closures, system outages, or other emergencies.
- Undertake other duties related to the University's registration and academic records functions as assigned by the Office of the President and the OAA.
Qualifications & Experience
- Doctoral degree in Higher Education Administration, Business Administration, Management, or a related field.
- At least 10 years of progressively responsible experience in higher education, including at least 5 years in registrar or academic-records leadership. Demonstrated supervisory or managerial experience is required; experience in a senior university administrative role is preferred. Preferably an active member of a professional registrar or enrollment-management association (e.g., AACRAO or a regional Arab / Lebanese registrars' network).
- Excellent written and spoken English, Arabic, and French.
- Comprehensive knowledge of university registration, academic records, enrollment, graduation, degree certification, and related academic administrative processes.
- Ability to interpret and implement academic regulations, policies, procedures, and degree requirements.
- Strong knowledge of student records management, data integrity, confidentiality, and document control.
- Ability to develop and improve registration procedures, workflows, service standards, and quality-control mechanisms.
- Knowledge of higher-education quality assurance, accreditation, and applicable MEHE requirements.
- Strong analytical and reporting skills, including the ability to use enrollment and academic data to support institutional decision-making.
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel and Word.
- Strong working knowledge of student information systems (SIS), registration platforms, academic-record databases, and electronic document-management systems.
- Ability to generate, validate, analyze, and report enrollment and academic-record data.
- Ability to support digital transformation and automation of registration and records processes.
