Executive Director of Student Career Development and Success

City Colleges of Chicago’s vision is to be recognized as the city’s most accessible higher education engine of socioeconomic mobility and racial equity – empowering all Chicagoans to take part in building a stronger and more just city. The community college system’s more than 3,500 faculty and staff serve more than 60,000 students annually at seven colleges and five satellite sites. 

CCC’s Office of Student Experience (OSX) partners with college leadership, district academic affairs leadership, and district institutional excellence/advancement leadership to deliver strong student enrollment and retention, completion, transfer, and employment outcomes across CCC, and to drive equity of access and success for students of all backgrounds. Moreover, OSX seeks to ensure an exceptional experience for every student at every stage of their CCC career from enrollment to post-CCC success.

To support students’ career development and success, CCC aims to empower all our students with the knowledge, skills, experiences, and networks to choose and advance on a path toward career success and economic mobility. Our goal is to ensure that every CCC student graduates ready for their next step and succeeds in achieving their career/transfer goal(s) following CCC completion. In support of this goal, CCC’s Career Development & Success strategy brings together college, district, and industry- and community-based stakeholders and resources to support students’ career development, work-based learning, and career outcomes. Our approach is personalized to meet the needs of students with different interests and at different points in their career journey.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE

Reporting to the Executive Vice Chancellor – Chief Student Experience Officer (EVC-CSXO),  the Executive Director – Career Development and Success  provides leadership for CCC’s strategy and support for execution across all seven City Colleges of Chicago to guide students’ career development/readiness during their time at CCC and career success post-CCC. As a proven strategic and operational leader in the career services and/or workforce development field with a passion for driving equity and excellence in higher education,  the Executive Director – Career Development and Success  will be responsible for staying abreast of cutting edge nationwide career development and success strategies and tools; guiding district-wide use of career best practices; facilitating innovation and professional learning across CCC’s 7 colleges’ Career Development Centers; and, partnering closely with CCC’s Workforce Solutions/Work-Based Learning department, staff, and faculty to ensure an effective, efficient, and integrated approach to supporting students’ career outcomes.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

Working in partnership with the EVC - CSXO:

· Lead multi-faceted strategy and guide execution to support students’ career exploration, development, and readiness:

o Provide expert thought leadership to enhance CCC strategic vision regarding student career development and success.

o Define career development milestones for CCC students as well as what it means to be a “career ready CCC graduate”, with a focus on skills/milestones universally relevant across career paths. 

o Establish CCC Career Ready Endorsement that provides – based on achievement of specific career development milestones – an earned designation that students can include on their resume; design scalable process to assess student career readiness using Endorsement criteria.

o Through collaboration with Academic Affairs, support development of program 1-pager career planning guides that tie students’ skills and interests to potential programs and/or careers.

o Establish universal expectations for early career exploration and career goal-setting in New Student Orientation and College Success course, in collaboration with OSX and Academic Affairs.

o Develop career readiness milestone-aligned, modular CCC Career Development curriculum that offers just-in-time equity of access to all students through both asynchronous online modules and standardized career development/planning templates, as well as ongoing in-person and virtual workshops/courses; collaborate with relevant staff and faculty to design training to support faculty integration of career readiness milestones into program syllabi; and, explore opportunities for required career development coursework and/or internships.

o Partner with CCC Marketing & Communications and college teams to revise CCC Career Development websites to provide easier access to career development resources and internship/job search options.

· Advance use of data and technology to strengthen students’ career development and success:

o Establish student early indicator metrics that define “on-track for career success” – based on career milestones – at every stage of CCC student journey.

o Establish metrics that define operational excellence at college Career Development centers, to ensure robust 1-on-1 and group student support.

o In collaboration with Decision Support, establish mechanisms to track post-graduation employment outcomes (i.e., first destination data) as well as longer-term economic mobility.

o In collaboration with Information Technology, Decision Support, and Work-Based Learning/Workforce Solutions, identify and mobilize use of optimal technology tools to support career/job searches, career exploration, and career development.

o Establish expectations, guidance, and support for college Career Development staff to utilize EAB Navigate to serve as active part of student success care teams.

o Remain abreast of new technology and automation innovations in career services and workforce development, systematically scanning landscape for cutting edge opportunities to integrate use of technology and data to advance student success.

· Lead organizational capacity building to support students’ career development and success:

o Facilitate college Career Development Center staff ongoing professional development/learning community to support best-in-class career service practices and ongoing responsiveness to early indicator student data.

o Guide college strategy and execution to provide students one-on-one and group support with career exploration and goal setting, career portfolio development/revision, and job/internship search, networking, application, and interviewing.

o Collaborate with colleges to design and offer a year-round comprehensive series of college and district-led career fairs, career development workshops, and special events, to meet the needs of students with different interests and at different points in their career journey.

o Partner with relevant district and college leaders to clarify current roles of all stakeholders in supporting students’ career development and success (e.g., Career Development Centers, Faculty, College Advisors, District Workforce Solutions, etc.), and facilitate enhanced collaboration across all current stakeholders to strengthen holistic student career support.

o Determine resources needed to support CCC students’ career development and success, including collaborating to establish role clarity across Academic Affairs, OSX, and college teams.

o Partner with relevant district and college leaders to build multi-year plan to strengthen CCC organizational capacity to achieve optimal student career development and success outcomes, leveraging and optimizing impact of all existing career/workforce-related resources.

· Partner with CCC Workforce Solutions/Work-Based Learning Department in support of students’ successful engagement with employer and additional workforce development partners:

o Collaborate to ensure information is shared with students regarding work-based learning (WBL) and job opportunities, to ensure information is shared with Workforce Solutions team regarding programs/pathways where additional WBL/job opportunities are needed, and to incorporate employer feedback into continuous improvement of career development efforts with students.

o Support efforts to grow scaffolded pathway of work-based learning experiences involving industry engagement to prepare students along career paths (e.g., guest speakers, mock interviews, resume reviews, group service projects, job shadows, micro-internships, internships/apprenticeships), and determine where/how to scale student engagement in this continuum of experiences (e.g., what is in required academic courses vs. in optional/recommend career development workshops/events, etc.)

o Collaborate to prepare and pre-screen students for select internship and job interviews.

o Support efforts to increase district office hiring and supervision of CCC students for credit-bearing, career-related student internships.

· Serve as active member of OSX and CCC leadership:

o Contribute and model proactive and strategic thought leadership, student-centeredness, collaborative spirit, team leadership, and equity mindset to advance OSX and CCC planning and execution.

o Serve as a role model ambassador of OSX and CCC.

o Serve on CCC and partner mission-related teams as required.

o Represent EVC-CSXO at internal and external engagements as needed.

o Perform other duties and lead additional special initiatives as assigned. 

REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS

Reports To

Executive Vice Chancellor-Chief Student Experience Officer

Direct Supervision

None initially, potential for expansion over time. 

QUALIFICATIONS

·Masters degree from an accredited college or university in Education, Business, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Student Affairs, or a related field.

·Three years in a leadership role in a higher education, K-12, nonprofit, or for-profit organization, leading teams and/or complex projects to advance strategy, manage change, and achieve measurable outcomes.

·Demonstrated experience related to career development, work-based learning, and/or employer partnerships, including fluency and currency with best practices in these areas.

·Broad knowledge of higher education leadership, holistic student support, budgeting, strategic and operational planning, and personnel management.

·Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills. 

·Excellent organizational skills.

·Strong project management skills.

·Demonstrated ability to lead in a multi-site environment and build relationships with a wide variety of stakeholders, including college leaders, faculty, and student services and academic support departments. 

·Ability to work independently, utilize professional judgment, make sound decisions. 

·Ability to get up to speed quickly on institutional programs, institutional planning, and key performance indicators.

·Ability to work within a culturally diverse environment. 

·Willing and able to work some evenings and weekends and travel to CCC sites and campuses.

·High level of proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint). 

OTHER CHARACTERISTICS

· Strategic Thinking : Formulates vision and strategy for the future of the organization, while weighing diverse inputs, identifying innovative opportunities, and courageously pursuing change in service of impact. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills. Familiarity with systems and technologies that enhance strategic planning and evaluation.

· Results Focused : Develops and executes action plans to drive intended impact, engaging stakeholders and adjusting course as needed to ensure on-time and high-quality results. Ability to work independently within a broad strategic framework and CCC priorities.

· Team Leadership:  Sets clear goals and works to integrate team and program needs into cohesive actions. Delegates, coaches and develops team members while inspiring them. Recognizes individual strengths and builds community through recognizing success. Strong communication and collaboration skills; team- oriented and student centric approach to all duties. 

· Equity Mindset:  Understands and is committed to the goals of equity; consistently brings an equity mindset to the organizations work and workplace; considers the impact of equity related issues on students, staff, and faculty.

· Executive Presence: Demonstrates confidence, composure, and credibility when engaging with a range of internal and external stakeholders, including executive-level colleagues; communicates clearly and concisely, and tailors messages to achieve buy-in of diverse audiences; Connects with others as an active, empathetic, and responsive listener and visionary.

We Offer: Excellent health and welfare benefit package and long-term savings and investment programs including 403(b) & 457(b) Investment Plans and a pension plan with the State University Retirement System (SURS) Plan. Generous vacation, holiday, personal and sick days, and tuition reimbursement. For a more detailed overview of benefits, please visit the benefits page of our website.

Chicago residency is required for all full-time employees within 6 months of hire.