Executive Director, Career Center

Job Summary

In the heart of Silicon Valley on a California State University (CSU) campus recognized for rich diversity and transformational student opportunity, the Executive Director (ED) of San José State University’s (SJSU) Career Center leads the central career services department to ensure that every Spartan emerges with career self-knowledge, employability skills, professional connections, and career opportunities. The Executive Director aligns the department’s efforts with SJSU’s strategic plan, Transformation 2030, and the campus’ strategic enrollment management plans.

Operating within a team of leaders reporting to the Associate Vice President of Health, Wellness, and Student Services in the Division of Student Affairs, this role partners to ensure that students are equipped to flourish academically, professionally, and personally. Core responsibilities include:

• Assessment and innovation to respond to career trends and client needs

• Leadership and management of operations supported by a $2.5M budget

• Career education—co-curricular and integrated—of all SJSU’s 35,000 undergraduate and graduate students

• External relations to generate engagement with SJSU’s 9,200 local and 32,000 global employer connections

• Organization and people development for the staff of 17 experienced career services professionals

To achieve these goals and perform these responsibilities, the executive director continually builds client knowledge to ensure that the center’s services and programs generate inclusion, cultural relevance, and high value to its primary clients: students, alumni, and employers.

This is a position in the CSU - Management Personnel Plan (MPP), and serves at the pleasure of the President. This position will require adherence to University compliance training such as: Conflict of Interest and Ethics, AB 1825 Sexual Harassment Prevention, Information Security, and Injury and Illness Prevention Program. The person hired for this position may be required to complete an outside employment disclosure statement in accordance with Title V of the California Code of Regulations.

Key Responsibilities

• Create annual operational plan, refining department goals, KPIs, and activities that align with campus strategy and create the basis of individual performance plans.
• Collaborate with resource and operations lead to produce and adhere to a three-year budget plan
• Collaborate with AVP and VP of Student Affair to secure internal and external funding
• Manage multiple budget funding types, including general funds, student fees, revenue, and grants
• Select, secure, and manage cost-effective partners and vendors to grow the scale and impact of services and programs
• Provide digital systems leadership to scale services and ensure data security
• Provide leadership of promotional activities to generate broad engagement with career center resources as well as awareness of the value of career center resources
• Ensure department adherence to campus fiscal, safety, personnel, and other SJSU and CSU administrative policies
• Support the associate director to develop the co-curricular and integrative career education curriculum and delivery plan
• Maintain learning goals and assessment strategy based on current career- and personal-development theories
• Lead strategy for integrative and co-curricular career education in collaboration with senior campus leadership
• Lead continuous improvement efforts to grow the scale and impact of career education
• Build constructive relationships with senior campus leadership in the effort to ensure that students in all academic programs can achieve career success
• Serve on select committee assignments to build administrative knowledge and skill
• Serve as career services thought leader, sharing insights and best practices with senior campus leadership and career services leaders outside SJSU
• Collaborate with assistant director of employer engagement to generate quality internships, career opportunities, and employer partners
• Credibly represent SJSU to build relationships with employers, industry consortia/boards, and donors
• Support the employer engagement team to achieve annual revenue and other funding goals
• Enhance progressive organization structure to provide staff development, create succession strategy, and build retention
• Develop annual professional development goals and budget to ensure staff knowledge and skills remain relevant
• Lead department assessment and reporting to evaluate and communicate the impact of department services and programs
• Research economic, policy, and industry trends to identify the opportunity to innovate and adapt services and programs
• Gather and analyze data on client needs, preferences, and goals to ensure the center’s services and programs remain valuable and culturally relevant
• Identify and implement priority improvements that advance the department’s mission and maintain high standards of excellence

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Skilled in using qualitative and quantitative research methods to generate insights on client needs, team performance, and student career success
• Ability to absorb, analyze, and develop action plans based on large amounts of information about environmental factors affecting career services
• Ability to apply current career development theories and best practices to career education services
• Knowledge of student-development theories
• Excellent customer service and public relation skills
• Knowledge of retention and graduation strategies connected to career development
• Ability to apply multi-cultural counseling and education theories to generate inclusion in services and programs
• Skilled in developing and implementing complex operational plans
• Skilled in managing multiple budget funding types, including general funds, student fees, revenue, and grants with a complex fiscal environment
• Ability to generate funding from a variety of sources
• Skilled in developing and negotiating grants and MOUs
• Ability to engage and generate mutual benefit with strategic partners inside and outside the university
• Skilled in developing and implementing multi-channel and multi-audience promotional plans
• Excellent communication skills in written, multi-media, and public speaking modes for audiences of all levels
• Ability to establish rapport and credibility with senior leadership to articulate the value of career services and understand emergent needs
• Ability to build strong working relationships and influence staff, peers, faculty, and external stakeholders.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Ability to select and manage impactful vendor relationships
• Knowledge of student data management best practices, particularly those related to FERPA
• Ability to engage and motivate staff to implement operational plans in support of the center’s mission
• Skilled in managing and developing staff performance within a union environment
• Skilled in large-scale project management
• Knowledge of employment law, including EEOC and FLSA
• Knowledge of ethical and professional best practices for career services

Required Qualifications

• A master’s degree in counseling, psychology, human resources, talent development, or related human-development field
• At least five years of experience serving as department head in a complex higher-education or related function with external relations responsibilities

Preferred Qualifications

• A doctoral degree in counseling, psychology, human resources, talent development, or related human-development field
• At least five years of experience serving as department head of a complex, central career-services function on a large, diverse, public university campus offering master’s and doctoral degrees

Compensation

Classification: Administrator III
Hiring Range: Commensurate with experience

San José State University offers employees a comprehensive benefits package typically worth 30-35% of your base salary. For more information on programs available, please see the Employee Benefits Summary .

Application Procedure

Click Apply Now to complete the SJSU Online Employment Application and attach the following documents:

• Resume
• Letter of Interest

All applicants must apply within the specified application period: April 19, 2021 through May 19, 2021 . This position is open until filled; however, applications received after screening has begun will be considered at the discretion of the university.

Contact Information

University Personnel
jobs@sjsu.edu
408-924-2252

Additional Information

Satisfactory completion of a background check (including a criminal records check) is required for employment. SJSU will issue a contingent offer of employment to the selected candidate, which may be rescinded if the background check reveals disqualifying information, and/or it is discovered that the candidate knowingly withheld or falsified information. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may affect the continued employment of a current CSU employee who was offered the position on a contingent basis.

The standard background check includes: criminal check, employment and education verification. Depending on the position, a motor vehicle and/or credit check may be required. All background checks are conducted through the university's third party vendor, Accurate Background. Some positions may also require fingerprinting. SJSU will pay all costs associated with this procedure. Evidence of required degree(s) or certification(s) will be required at time of hire.

SJSU IS NOT A SPONSORING AGENCY FOR STAFF OR MANAGEMENT POSITIONS. (e.g. H1-B VISAS)

All San José State University employees are considered mandated reporters under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and are required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment.

Equal Employment Statement

San José State University (SJSU) is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer committed to nondiscrimination on the basis of age, ancestry, citizenship status, color, creed, disability, ethnicity, gender, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, race, religion or lack thereof, sex, sexual orientation, transgender, or protected veteran status consistent with applicable federal and state laws. This policy applies to all SJSU students, faculty and staff programs and activities. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, and certain other federal and state laws, prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex in all education programs and activities operated by the university (both on and off campus).

Advertised: April 19, 2021 (6:00 AM) Pacific Daylight Time
Applications close: