Assistant\/Associate Director for Alumni Career Engagement

Suffolk University is a private, urban university located in the heart of downtown Boston. Our college green is the Boston Common and we are steps from dozens of historic sites including the Old State House, Faneuil Hall, City Hall and the Massachusetts State House. We have no real boundaries to our campus—Boston and Suffolk blend together.

Suffolk has been committed to creating an exceptional learning experience since 1906. Our vision is to be recognized as a dynamic institution that fosters engaged learning, rigorous scholarship, innovative thinking, and community collaboration across disciplines. We will ensure that Suffolk graduates are versatile and prepared for modern society and the new world market. We will provide rich curricula, experiential learning opportunities and professional mentoring through increased collaboration with alumni and community partners. We will recruit, mentor, and support a diverse faculty of teacher-scholars who are passionately committed to preparing our students to be leaders in the global community. We will inspire investment in a Suffolk community that is built on ethical, forward-thinking leadership, teamwork, and cooperation.

We compete for the best talent. We are an equal opportunity employer committed to a diverse community. We are actively seeking applicants from groups that might be under-represented because of race/color, gender, religion, real or perceived disability, national origin or LGBTQ status. As part of our commitment we encourage you to complete the demographic portion of the application in addition to submitting your cover letter and resume/CV as it will assist us in targeting our recruitment efforts.

Please note that Suffolk University conducts background checks as a condition of employment.

We are also committed to the well-being of our employees. Our terrific benefits package for benefits-eligible positions include, but are not limited to:

• Generous paid time-off programs and commitment to work-life balance
• Tuition free course benefits in the College of Arts and Sciences and in the Sawyer Business School for employees with additional tuition benefits for spouses, domestic partners, and children
• Top-notch well-being care available through Harvard Pilgrim Medical/Delta Dental and a Flexible Spending Account
• Pre-tax commuter benefit
• Employee Assistance Program that provides employees and their family members with initial assessment, referrals and short-term counseling for personal and work challenges
• Discounted home and auto insurance

Description

This role is open at both the Assistant Director and Associate Director level, depending on the candidate’s experience.

The AD for Alumni Career Engagement will be one of two people hired into this newly-created role. This individual will be responsible for developing innovative, entrepreneurial programming and resources for alumni at all career stages that help them build the skills and competencies required for successful and fulfilling careers. They will provide 1-on-1 and small-group career advising and coaching for alumni, and identify other ways to educate and support alumni at scale. They will also support initiatives through the Career Center and Alumni Office to build professional communities and mentoring relationships among alumni.

The two ADs for Alumni Career Engagement will report to a Director of Career Exploration along with two ADs for Career Exploration serving current undergrad and graduate students, and an AD of Internships and Mentoring Programs. The Career Exploration strand will be part of Suffolk’s Center for Career Education and Professional Development (CEPD), which will include two other strands focused on developing industry-specific career communities and managing the operational needs of the Center.



Primary/Principal Responsibilities:





60%



Programming and Advising

· Provide 1-on-1 and small-group career advising and coaching for alumni, supporting those who are unemployed, under employed, seeking a career change, or looking to advance in their careers

· Develop innovative, entrepreneurial career education programming and resources for alumni at all career stages to build the skills and competencies required for successful careers (NACE competencies and others); collect data on the success of these and other initiatives to hone future initiatives

· Maintain active communication through LinkedIn, social media, targeted emails, and in-person or virtual engagement with alumni.

· Coordinate with the AD of Operations and Technology to ensure that alumni are utilizing the career technologies available to them, including Vault, Quinncia, and Handshake. Increase alumni engagement with these tools.

· Work with the AD of Career Equity and Access to ensure that career education initiatives are inclusive of all alumni and are reaching alumni populations that may be traditionally underserved.



25%



Collaboration

· Coordinate with teammates across CEPD to ensure that programming and efforts support, rather than conflict with, other efforts on the team and at the institution. Coordinate with colleagues in this group to develop a model/framework/rubric for career education that can guide the work of the entire team.

· Serve as an integrated member of the Alumni Relations team, supporting career development initiatives they identify and recruiting their support for CEPD projects

· Work with faculty in capstone courses to connect with graduating students at the undergraduate and graduate level; integrate early career management content into these courses where appropriate

· Partner with CEPD colleagues leading each of the nine Career Communities to gain more industry-specific information for alumni and to connect job-seeking alumni with Suffolk employer partners



15%



Building Networks

· Foster the growth of professional networks and mentoring relationships among Suffolk alumni at various levels of their career journeys

· Connect alumni who are interested in hiring Suffolk students and alums; connect them with the career community that best aligns with their hiring goals.

· Advance the reputation and recognition of the Suffolk Career Center among the alumni community.



Requirements/Qualifications:


• Master’s preferred, Bachelor’s degree required, with at least 3 years of experience in career services, employer relations, recruiting, or other related fields
• Demonstrated ability to work with individuals of diverse backgrounds
• Experience coaching early- and mid-career individuals through career research, job applications, and career transitions
• Ability to develop and implement engaging programming and resources, and to evaluate the efficacy of these interventions
• Results-oriented and eager to contribute to and achieve performance targets of a high performing team.
• Familiarity with trends in regional employment markets and labor trends
• Excellent written communication, public speaking, and listening skills.


Suffolk University does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, religious creed, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, age, genetic information, or status as a veteran in admission to, access to, treatment in, or employment in its programs, activities, or employment. Suffolk University is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer. The University is dedicated to the goal of building a diverse and inclusive faculty and staff that reflect the broad range of human experience who contribute to the robust exchange of ideas on campus, and who are committed to teaching and working in a diverse environment. We strongly encourage applications from groups historically marginalized or underrepresented because of race/color, gender, religious creed, disability, national origin, veteran status or LGBTQ status. Suffolk University is especially interested in candidates who, through their training, service and experience, will contribute to the diversity and excellence of the University community.