Director of Career Services and Professional Development

Director of Career Services and Professional Development


Northwood University seeks a Director of Career Services and Professional Development to provide strategic leadership for a team responsible for developing, implementing, and evaluating recruiting systems, programs, and events that connect employers with the university's students, faculty, and alumni. The portfolio of the Director of Career Services and Professional Development will include career development, career counseling, job placement, personal and professional business development, and a history of cultivating key partnerships with employers and the corporate business community, leadership development programs on campus, and high impact practices, support of advancement and alumni affairs. This oversight will include a career service focus on areas such as employer relations, assisting students near graduation, graduate placement, and alumni with job search and career development/job readiness, as well as needed.

Key Responsibilities:

Senior Administration:

§ Create, collaborate, and execute a strategic vision for the role of career development to include the development and implementation of long-term strategic plans, short-term operational plans and the determination of strategic priorities

§ Develop and implement effective assessment and program evaluation methods

§ Manage and oversee departmental budget and generate revenue when there is opportunity

§ Engage in professional associations and community activities to promote the objectives of the Career Services and Professional Development department

§ Work in a collaborative, open, and transparent manner with other units within the university

§ Manage Career Services and Professional Development staff including administrative meetings, training, and professional development as needed

§ Promote services, programs and resources to internal and external stakeholders including students, faculty, staff, employers, alumni.

§ Provide leadership to the staff, motivating the team to reach beyond traditional responsibilities, processes and ways of thinking and collaborate to achieve departmental, and university goals

§ Build community involvement at the campus level

Employer Relations:

§ Develop and maintain employer outreach programs to increase the number and quality of employers and job and internship opportunities for students across all departments and colleges

§ Grow and cultivate relationships with existing employer contacts, key campus stakeholders and new external corporate partners

§ Oversee and monitor the development and retention of relationships with employers for the purpose of externships/internships and job placement of graduates, and potential enrollment pipelines in collaboration with admissions colleagues

§ Building professional networks and business relationships

§ Continuously survey graduates and employers to ensure programs meet or exceed current job market and employer needs, including graduate employment survey annually

§ Develop and oversee experiential learning opportunities such as internships, prior learning assessments, and service learning.



Events & Marketing:

§ Expanding Career Services’ online resources for all career-related opportunities

§ Leverage technology to enhance networking and connections for employers, students, and alumni

§ Thinking strategically about career-related technology, including the management and application of Handshake, etc.

§ Work in conjunction with admissions personal to have a valuable presence at campus Open Houses and campus visits

§ Attend new student orientation and graduate commencement ceremonies

§ Develop and implement marketing strategies to recruit and promote awareness of internship programs, and job postings

§ Develop and implement marketing strategies for career management events, programs and services to internal and external stakeholders, including creating publications, managing social media and updating departmental web presence.

§ Plan and organize career/job fairs.

§ Arrange on campus careers seminars and interviews between employers and students including etiquette dinners, etc.

Placement:

§ Expand on-and-off campus learning opportunities in the areas of internships and community service.

§ Collaborate with the Office of University Advancement to identify corporate partnerships and development opportunities to support internship and employment initiatives and programs.

§ Execute the collection and reporting of internship and first-destination outcomes and other data related to institutional effectiveness to constituents inside and outside the University.

§ Oversee and monitor the development of job orders from employers, the presentation of graduates’ resumes, scheduling interviews, and follow-up with employers and graduates; all resulting in successful placement of graduates.

§ Work with alumni department to capture and maintain accurate alumni and graduate placement data.

§ Assist in-school students in finding part-time employment through job boards and individual service as needed

§ Provide career counseling to assist students

Alumni:

§ In conjunction with the university alumni department, ensure accurate and complete alumni database records; capture contact, biographical and career information of alumni surveys, projects (i.e. alumni directory:, correspondence, website, postal returns, etc.)

§ Develop alumni career resource tools just as career assessment meetings, career decision making and career transition assistance, guidance and direction on necessary tools for a professional job search including networking, résumé writing, and résumé critiques.

§ Develop employment profiles for matching graduates exceptional opportunities

§ Tailor resources for high-achieving graduates to leverage educational experience to translate into employment matches

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree, Masters preferred
• Current or previous Career Services or Professional Development leadership experience
• Previous related career services or counseling experience preferred
• Excellent oral, written, and presentation communication skills
• Excellent interpersonal and customer service skills
• Demonstrated experience working in teams and the ability to prioritize and handle multiple tasks with minimal supervision
• Ability to travel (intrastate, interstate, regional, and/or international where appropriate); valid driver's license and meet NU insurability standards
• Willingness and ability to work irregular hours, including evenings and weekends
• Ability to work with culturally diverse populations
• Advanced working knowledge of the Microsoft Office Suite, including Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Working knowledge of relational databases (CRM system)

Northwood University has an institutional philosophy which emphasizes free enterprise in a context of limited government and individual responsibility. The ideal candidate will have a strong attraction to the mission and core values of Northwood University. Applicants are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the University’s outcomes at https://www.northwood.edu/about/about-northwood-university .

Competitive benefits package available including health, dental, vision and life insurance; retirement benefits; generous leave plan; flex spending plan; and tuition benefits for employee and family.