Assistant Director, Career Advancement

Department

ESA Deputy Director STEM Programs - Direct Reports

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

The Assistant Director, Career Advancement will provide career advising for undergraduates, plan student career programs, and work with employers to create internship and job opportunities for students. Working independently with limited supervision, this staff member will support students with a wide range of career interests and provide personalized advising to help students explore career paths, prepare job applications, and find networking contacts. The Assistant Director will manage relationships with a portfolio of employer partners, which could potentially include organizations in the STEM, technology, government, nonprofit, and corporate sectors. The Assistant Director will lead development of new employer partnership with a goal of creating jobs, internships, and networking opportunities for students.

In addition, this position will design, plan, and implement a series of student career events. These may include professional development workshops, career trek visits to employers, technical skill trainings, and career competitions. The Assistant Director will plan program content, recruit expert speakers, and market the events to students. This position will also oversee communications and student outcomes data tracking. These projects will include writing reports, presentations, program newsletters, and promotional materials. The ideal candidate is highly adaptable and thrives in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Utilizes prior professional experience to thoughtfully design programming that supports the professional development of students pursuing careers in the sciences.
• Facilitates cohort-based programs supporting students interested in specific career fields across a wide variety of majors and backgrounds.
• Assists with managing workshops and experiential programs.
• Utilizes first-hand knowledge and skills gained from recent industry experience to successfully counsel and advise students interested in careers in the sciences.
• Manages and executes student-employer and student-alumni engagement opportunities.
• Maintains efficient methods of tracking student data, quantifying student engagement, and reporting on student outcomes.
• Assists students with professional resumes/cover letters, interview preparation, graduate school applications, general career guidance, and industry exploration discussions.
• Develops and maintains relationships with campus partners and registered student organizations (RSOs).
• Conducts job search and career management related large lectures, hands-on workshops, special events, training programs, and one-on-one career coaching sessions. Acts as a resource for and directs students to other career resources as needed.
• Analyzes markets and trends as they relate to job searches. Assesses student feedback and evaluations and collaborates with other career services staff members, student organizations, or other staff to determine program offerings and innovations.
• 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 5-7 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Certifications:

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Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• Academic degree(s) in a STEM field.

Experience:

• Prior experience working in higher education, recruiting, or a STEM-related field.
• Background working with college-aged students and/or recent college graduates.

Technical Skills or Knowledge:

• Proficient in Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.<