Student Services Associate
Merit School of Music seeks a collaborative, detail-oriented, and proactive Student Services Associate to join our team. This early-career role is ideal for individuals who thrive in a fast-paced, people-centered environment and enjoy supporting students, families, faculty, and colleagues across various departments. The Associate plays a key role in Merit's enrollment process and student support systems, helping ensure a seamless and welcoming experience for all. Responsibilities include assisting with registration and billing, maintaining accurate student records, and managing communication with families and faculty. This is a full-time, salaried, overtime-exempt position with a strong emphasis on meeting deadlines, delivering high-quality service, and supporting student retention through clear communication and responsive support.
Organization Overview
Merit School of Music is a community music school in Chicago's West Loop. Our primary goals are to help young people transform their lives and experience personal growth through music by providing access to sustained participation. For more than 40 years, we have been home to a diverse community of talented young musicians and have acted as a springboard for achieving full musical and personal potential. Our 125 passionate and experienced teaching artists provide access to high-quality music education, engaging over 3,000 students annually at our downtown location and in area schools and community centers.
Our students, who reflect Chicago's socioeconomic and ethnic diversity, have the rare opportunity to learn together, dream together, teach each other, and broaden their horizons as they build inspiring lives through music. Merit develops musicians and provides young people with the tools they need to excel in life, with virtually 100 percent of our graduates attending a conservatory or college.
Merit School of Music is committed to building a world where historically underrepresented groups can access quality music education. Simultaneously, Merit is continually working towards becoming an organization that reflects the city's demographics and the students we serve. Merit is dedicated to being an inclusive, diverse, equitable, and anti-racist organization and continually examining our efforts in this area.
Reporting Relationship
The Student Services Associate reports to the Manager of Student Services and the Director of Student Services.
Essential Duties
Duties of the Student Services Associate include, but are not limited to:
Customer Support – approx. 70%
• Serve as a primary point of contact for student enrollment, program information, and general customer service inquiries.
• Provide responsive, empathetic support to families, students, faculty, and staff regarding registration, billing, scholarships, and financial aid.
• Collaborate with families to establish and maintain payment plans as needed.
• Apply customer service best practices to ensure consistent, high-quality interactions across all channels (in-person, phone, email, HubSpot).
• Coordinate private lesson enrollment, including matching students with faculty and managing the registration process from inquiry through confirmation.
General Student Services Team Expectations – approx. 20%
• Adjust student accounts for class changes and apply scholarships and financial aid awards.
• Communicate with families about past-due accounts and support resolution.
• Staff Student Services open office hours (Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3:30–6:30 PM), with each associate regularly assigned one shift per week.
• Participate in end-of-semester performances and other recruitment events to provide on-site registration and family support (occasional evenings and weekends).
• Engage in Merit-provided professional development, including Building Racial Equity and Management Center training.
• Serve on internal committees and cross-departmental initiatives where need and interest intersect.
Database Management – approx. 10%
• Maintain accurate student records in SmartRec (Amilia) and coordinate with SmartRec customer support as needed.
• Use HubSpot’s ticketing system to track, respond to, and resolve family inquiries in a timely and organized manner.
• Monitor and follow up on open support tickets to ensure prompt communication and issue resolution.
Personal Skills, Attributes, & Qualifications
Required:
• 1–3 years of administrative or customer service experience, ideally in a fast-paced, mission-driven setting
• Strong communication skills and a commitment to providing empathetic, solutions-focused support
• Experience with data entry, invoicing, and maintaining accurate records
• Comfort interacting with a diverse range of students, families, and colleagues
• Ability to manage sensitive information with discretion and professionalism
• Strong organizational skills with attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple priorities independently
Personal Skills, Attributes, & Qualifications (continued)
Preferred:
• Spanish or Mandarin language skills, to better serve Merit’s multilingual families
• Experience using CRM platforms (such as HubSpot) and registration/database systems (such as Amilia/SmartRec)
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office (especially Outlook, Excel, and Word)
• Background or personal interest in music education or the arts
Educational Requirements
Bachelor's Degree or 1-3 years' administrative support and customer-facing experience preferred.
Schedule
This is a full-time, 37.5-hour-per-week position. Weekday evening and Saturday morning or afternoon availability is required during peak periods. The Student Services team follows a hybrid schedule: remote work is permitted on Mondays and Fridays, while in-person attendance is required on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays to support Merit families at the Joy Faith Knapp Music Center. On-site presence may also be required on Mondays and Fridays during peak registration periods.
Compensation
Merit offers a comprehensive employee benefits package, including the following items:
• Compensation is commensurate with experience and based on a starting salary of $48,000 annually.
• You will be eligible to participate in Merit's employee benefits package on the first of the month following 30 days of employment.
• Merit offers a robust healthcare package, including BCBS medical (HMO and PPO options), Delta Dental (HMO and PPO), employee-paid EyeMed vision care, and voluntary life insurance coverage.
• One day of paid time off (PTO) earned each month in the first year (increases each anniversary) and seven paid holidays in addition to a paid winter break (approximately one week).
• 401(k) eligibility begins on the first day of the new calendar quarter following one year of employment
Further information on our benefits package and employee policies is available upon request.
How to Apply
To apply, please upload your resume detailing your relevant experience and qualifications for this role using this link. Applications will be accepted through Sunday, June 22, 2025. Materials should be compatible with Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat PDF.
ALAANA/BIPOC people, trans and gender non-conforming people, and women are encouraged to apply.
For more information about the Merit School of Music, please visit www.meritmusic.org.
Merit School of Music is committed to enhancing the diversity of our musical community, recognizing that by providing a diverse, equitable, and inclusive learning environment for our students, we are preparing them for personal and professional success in an increasingly multicultural and global society. The Merit community recognizes its responsibility to create and sustain a learning and working environment where differences are valued and equity and inclusion are practiced.
