Director, Career Development Systems, Data, and Operations

Department

Harris School Career Readiness

About the Department

Policy with real impact doesn’t evolve from ideology or intuition, or even experience. At the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, developing effective public policy is a science, based on data and measurable impact.Addressing today’s interconnected, global challenges requires rigorous inquiry. It also requires innovative people who will face the facts, gather data, and understand why current policies exist to improve them.For more than 30 years, the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy has been steadfastly committed to serving society by advancing analysis- and evidence-informed policy. Guided by this exacting mission, our community of faculty, students, and alumni from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors are taking on the world’s most important problems by using the latest tools of social science.Harris Public Policy offers a full range of degree and executive education programs and is the academic home to research centers, institutes, and labs that study and engage the public on areas such as conflict, democracy and effective government, economic and political development, education, energy and environment, health, municipal finance, public safety, social policy, and urban policy.

Job Summary

As a key member of the Harris School of Public Policy’s Career Development Office, the Director, Career Development Systems, Data, and Operations is responsible for systems administration, vendor and data management, event logistics, student communications. The Director ensures operational excellence, accurate reporting, and seamless student experiences across career service functions (career coaching and employer partnerships).
This role reports to the Associate Dean of Career Services and will have two reports. One direct report will have a dotted line to Career Coaching and one report will have a dotted line to Employer Partnerships.

Responsibilities

• Oversee and maintain all career services technology platforms, including career management systems (e.g., HarrisLink, VMock, DevEx), student databases (Salesforce), and be the primary CDO team lead for other shared school resources (HubSpot, JotForm, Monday.com, Slate, etc.), websites, and other digital properties. 
• Lead the team’s AI adoption and operating policy, including AI tools for students, employers, and communications, coordination of an AI user group, and development of AI-enabled tools and presentations.
• Own and manage relationships with external vendors and service providers related to career services platforms, events, and workshops.
• Track operational metrics and identify opportunities for process improvement within career service systems and workflows, for both career coaching and employer partnerships teams.
• Ensures coordination of operational systems, data, and event logistics to support the collaborative efforts between the career coaching team and employer partnerships team, maximizing student access to opportunities and resources.
• Oversee the management and coordination of the logistics of career-related events across career coaching and employer partnerships, such as workshops, panels, conferences, fairs, treks, and networking events.
• Develop and execute comprehensive communications plans for students regarding career services events, initiatives, resources, and opportunities.  Oversee and manage schedule of students communications and identify opportunities for automation.
• Support the employer partnerships team in streamlining communications to employers and alumni, including seeking opportunities for automation. 
• Standardize employer and student communication templates across Salesforce, Outlook, and HarrisLink, and oversee off-cycle graduate communications and ongoing improvement of HarrisLink newsletters.
• Oversee the collection, validation, and analysis of career outcomes data, including post graduation employment and internships as well as other outcomes (graduate school, starting business, etc.); coordinate outcomes surveys; generate reports for internal and external stakeholders.
• Develop and manage process to maintain accurate alumni career information to be made available to staff using Harris Salesforce. 
• Conducts complex 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 lead 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.
• Works indepen