Assistant Director, Career Center

PAY GRADE: 30E

CONTEXT OF THE JOB: 

Under the limited direction of the Associate Director, Employer Engagement & Integration (EEI), the Assistant Director is an active professional on the EEI Subteam. This subteam, along with the Career Events & Experiences Subteam, forms the Career Connections & Experiences Team (CCE) within the UD Career Center (UDCC) and Division of Student Life (DSL).

The Assistant Director helps set and achieve the EEI's overall strategic direction to integrate employers, internships, and career experiences into the curricular and co-curricular undergraduate and graduate experience. They collaborate with recruiters, professionals, alumni, UDCC staff, and UD academic and DSL partners to engage and retain employers and maximize their efforts to hire students and young alumni. They manage and consult on professional experiences connecting students with workplaces, employers, and industries. In addition, they advance the goals of the CCE Team, actively engage in UDCC, DSL, DAR, college and institutional committees and coalitions, and represent UD as a career expert on-campus and through social media, associations, and conferences.

The Assistant Director is an expert and consultant on internships, experiential learning, alumni, and employer engagement, hiring and recruiting trends, career development, and career access. They are curious and innovative, strategic, adaptable, team and future-oriented, equity-focused, engaging, a connector and collaborator, and proficient in assessment. They are highly visible at UD and in the career services field, are an excellent communicator, a persuasive writer, and an active professional on social media. The Assistant Director works with other UDCC staff to build new and forward-thinking operations and initiatives that positively impact employment, career preparation, access and equity, and social mobility for all UD students and alumni.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

Career Connections & Experiences Strategy

• Helps set team strategy for the EEI subteam in collaboration with the Associate Director, Employer Engagement Integration.

• Manages UDCC institutional programs events' logistics, budget, and operations, including but not limited to career fairs, meetups and networking events, Industry Insight Nights, recruiting events, and Employer Engagement Summits.

• Directs and manages strategy, execution, and assessment for personally assigned portfolio of employer engagement and career connections outreach, retention, events, programs, and initiatives tied to career and industry sectors, colleges, academic and DSL units, and academic and career focused RSOs.

• Designs and implements collaborative and scalable programs and engagement strategies to connect undergraduate and graduate students to employers, alumni, and professionals offering internships and career experiences.

• Serves on UDCC, Experiential Learning, Corporate Relations, college and academic affairs teams, committees, and planning groups; integrates employer engagement and career connections into UD through these groups.

• Engages in regular strategy and operational meetings with DSL, Development & Alumni Relations, college and academic affairs leaders, academic department chairs, academic program directors, academic and student service leaders, and RSO leaders.

• Maintains a deep understanding of critical national, regional, and local trends and best practices in employer recruiting, internships, job shadowing, the labor market and future of work; career access and social mobility; higher education, alumni, and family engagement; career development; student and postgraduate success; and technology.

• Shares insights and critical information with the UDCC and its constituents.

• Collaborates on college- and academic affairs, DSL, and student support-initiated career and post-graduate success-related initiatives connecting students with employers and alumni through project-based learning, mentor programs, alumni career networks, and internship-for-credit coordination and cultivation.

• Identifies and helps change UD and UDCC policies, procedures, services, and programs that perpetuate inequities in students' ability to pursue and achieve postgraduate success.

• Serves on University and DSL committees, boards, task forces, and cross-functional teams as requested.

• Perform job-related duties as assigned.

Program & Project Management

• Collaborates with the Life Design & Career Intgration Team to design and manage recruiting and career connection initiatives, including but not limited to career fairs, meetups, career panels, site visits, professional development programs, sourcing employers for job shadow programs, Hire a Hen, and internship programs.

• Utilizes Development & Alumni Relations alumni, parent, and constituent tracking systems Advance, and DAR portal to support and manage alumni engagement efforts.

• Represents the UDCC and UD as a career expert through social media, professional associations, and conferences.

Assessment

• Analyzes and leverages qualitative and quantitative data to develop, implement, and manage employer and alumni engagement and career experience programs; uses analysis to measure outcomes and inform strategic and tactical planning and initiatives.

• Utilizes assessment and metrics to implement programs, services, policies, and initiatives to reduce inequities and create equal opportunity for all students.

• Manages data to document phone calls, actions, and employer engagement activities in Handshake.

• Utilizes student, recruiter and alumni focus groups and advisory groups.

• Identifies and analyzes recruiting, internship completion, and post-UD employment data patterns, and develops/seeks solutions/opportunities for equity-related discrepancies.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree and four years related experience in a university, business development, or talent acquisition role, or equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Higher education experience is strongly preferred.

• Extensive project and program management experience leading to quantifiable results and goal attainment.

• Ability to establish, maintain and enhance effective and productive relationships with external and internal key stakeholders including employers and alumni.

• Experience working with diverse populations; demonstrated professionalism and cultural humility.

• Ability and proven track record in meeting goals dependent upon internal and external partnerships.

• Ability to analyze and utilize data, assessment tools, career information, and analyze and use employment and higher education trends.

• Demonstrated effective collaboration, presentation, reporting, and oral and written communication skills.

• Commitment to students and maintaining a professional office environment.

• Effective team builder and group leader.

• Ability to maintain confidentiality, exercise sound judgment, and act with discretion.

• Ability to take risks, assess and shift priorities and adapt to a rapidly changing environment.

• Ability to utilize Handshake (or similar CRM platform), MS office suite, web editing, and social media technologies for marketing, analysis, and work product.

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