Director, Employer Engagement

Department

ESA Career Advancement Senior Leadership

About the Department

Career Advancement serves a student population of approximately 7,000 arts and sciences undergraduate students, in addition to alumni who have graduated within the last five years. Career Advancement plays a vital role in ensuring our students’ success after graduation. Career Advancement offers innovative and comprehensive career development services focusing on pre-professional preparation, experiential education, and access to internship and full-time opportunities. Through career advising, programs, and comprehensive resources, Career Advancement supports undergraduate students and alumni as they develop the skills necessary to manage their career development while working with alumni and employers to provide students with meaningful opportunities. For more information, please visit the Career Advancement website at careeradvancement.uchicago.edu.

Job Summary

Career Advancement is the undergraduate career services office at the University of Chicago. Reporting directly to the Associate Vice President and Executive Director of Career Advancement, the Director, Employer Engagement serves as a key member of Career Advancement’s senior leadership team. This position is responsible for designing implementation strategies for leadership priorities across the entire Career Advancement team.

The Director, Employer Engagement has a highly diverse management portfolio that includes student advising, oversight of strategic employer management across all industries and student placement strategy. Directly supporting leadership priorities, the Director, Employer Engagement sets high-level strategy for employer management, pre-professional opportunities and supervises the entire staff across teams to ensure they successfully reach University goals, in particular for student outcomes. In addition, the Director, Employer Engagement is responsible for budget goal-setting and planning for several critical programs.

 The ideal candidate will thrive in a fast-paced and rapidly changing environment with a record of success in complex, decentralized environments where collaboration and coalition-building are critical to success.

Responsibilities

• Designs implementation strategies for goals and priorities for student outcomes set by the Executive Director and University leadership.
• Works closely with Executive Director and senior leadership team members on employer strategy and internship placements.
• Collaborates across the Division, and with University Resources office to ensure that donor expectations for internship opportunities are met.
• Represents the department at internal and external meetings in areas of expertise.
• Manages and provides strategic oversight for team members regarding their engagement with employers and participation in Career Advancement’s signature internship programs, job shadowing and treks.
• Oversees a team of career advisers who work with employers to drive opportunities for students.
• Develops new and current programs, such as on-campus recruiting events and career management programs, to support students and alumni in post-graduate planning and career pursuits.
• Expands and enhances the University's corporate network through marketing and outreach strategies and meetings with employers and alumni to increase resources and employment opportunities to students.
• Manages managers and professional staff within Career Services. Establishes performance goals, allocates resources and assesses policies for direct subordinates.
• Develops new and current programs, such as on-campus recruiting events and career management programs, to support students and alumni in post-graduate planning and career pursuits.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 7+ years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Certifications:

---

Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• Master’s degree or higher.

Experience:

• Working with college-aged students and/or recent college graduates strongly preferred; experience developing and managing an internship program a plus.
• Expertise in program development, or a related area. Prior small-group program management and/or event planning experience.

Technical Skills or Knowledge:

• Proficient in Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Expertise in counseling, program development, or a related area.
• Knowledge of career development theory and strong coaching or counseling skills.

Preferred Competencies

• Strong management and leadership qualities, including both the ability to delegate and execute, thereby leading by work and example.
• Self-directed, results-oriented work ethic.
• Deep commitment to customer service, prioritize and balance different work streams, meet deadlines, and work successfully in a fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrated success in maintaining collaborative relationships with diverse constituencies.
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills.
• Strong interpersonal, quantitative, and networking skills. Develop and deliver presentations.
• Communicate to large groups as well as one-on-one with students, senior management, faculty, and alumni.
• Successful experience working both independently and in cross-functional teams.
• Strong coaching or counseling skills.

Working Conditions

• Work evening hours and weekends on an occasional basis.
• Some travel.

Application Documents

• Resume/CV (required)
• Cover Letter (required)
• References Contact Information (required) (3)

Job Family

Student Affairs & Services

Role Impact

People Manager

Scheduled Weekly Hours

37.5

Drug Test Required

No

Health Screen Required

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required

No

Pay Rate Type

Salary

​
FLSA Status

Exempt

​
Pay Range

$130,000.00 - $170,000.00

The included pay rate or range represents the University’s good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.

Benefits Eligible

Yes

The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook.

Posting Statement

The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

 

Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

 

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history.  A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment.  Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

 

The University of Chicago's Annual Security & Fire Safety Report (Report) provides information about University offices and programs that provide safety support, crime and fire statistics, emergency response and communications plans, and other policies and information. The Report can be accessed online at: http://securityreport.uchicago.edu. Paper copies of the Report are available, upon request, from the University of Chicago Police Department, 850 E. 61st Street, Chicago, IL 60637.