Description
The Assistant Director of Career Education will assist with efforts to integrate career education, exploration, and readiness into all aspects of the institution, working closely with faculty and administrators in the College of Arts & Sciences and the Sawyer Business School. The individual in this role will support the career education needs of all undergraduate students, with an initial emphasis on the middle year student population which includes second year, third year, and transfer students. The Assistant Director of Career Education will be cross-trained with other team members with the expectation that they will provide internal assistance wherever it is needed. This position reports to the Director of Career Education in the Center for Career Equity, Development and Success.
Primary/Principal Responsibilities:
Providing a World Class Undergraduate Career Education Experience
- Deliver a world-class career education experience for Suffolk undergraduate students, fostering a strong campus community and ensuring successful career outcomes at scale.
- Build a structured career education program to equip students with the skills, competencies, and experiences needed to achieve their career goals. Develop non-credit, asynchronous online courses to support this program.
- Establish scalable 1-on-1 and cohort-group-based advising models that foster belonging and enable students to connect and assist each other in navigating similar experiences throughout their career journey.
- Incorporate gamification strategies to deliver positive, meaningful learning experiences.
- Engage in close collaboration with key stakeholders to weave career education into the fabric of undergraduate student life.
- Collaborate with the Career Communities Team to refer students to the appropriate Career Community advisor for industry specific advising. Promote Career Communities programs and events and encourage student attendance.
- Coordinate with the Career Center's Equity and Access Team to ensure that career education initiatives are inclusive of all students and are reaching student populations that may be traditionally underserved.
Supporting Faculty and Staff Through "Career Everywhere" Curriculum Development
- Design strategic programs to engage faculty in scaling access to career readiness content, aligning with the "career everywhere" culture.
- Maintain a thorough understanding of the curriculum associated with each degree program offered at Suffolk. Serve as a subject matter expert for career-related needs in undergraduate classes. Conduct classroom presentations as requested.
- Develop for-credit and non-credit course curricula and co-curricular programs as requested by deans' offices and academic departments.
- Assist with developing pedagogical workshops and providing faculty training as needed.
- Advance career initiatives in General Education courses as requested and develop faculty toolkits for teaching career readiness competencies.
- Maintain a faculty and staff resources webpage for career-related information as well as a menu of services the Career Center can provide.
- Assist in creating a repository of instructional resources designed for faculty, encompassing toolkits, assignments, classroom activities, discussion prompts, quizzes, assessments, rubrics, facilitation guides, software integration ideas, presentations, portfolios and more to make it easy for faculty to integrate career development into their classrooms and to encourage resource exchange.
- Collaborate with Student Affairs, Residence Life, Community Engagement, and other units to integrate career education into programs and initiatives.
- Contribute to the development of a model and framework for assessing career education and tracking progress campus-wide.
Administrative and Data Initiatives
- Develop systems to stay in touch with students to document and follow-up on their progress in exploring career options, networking, securing internships, preparing for graduate school and conducting job searches, providing additional support when necessary.
- Create an annual communication plan in collaboration with our Associate Director of Marketing aimed at improving our student outcomes and key progress indicators.
- Analyze information to make data-informed decisions about our work and to drive continuous improvement within our Center. Provide reports at regular intervals to communicate the success of our initiatives.
- Conduct ongoing "Voice of the Customer" focus groups and interviews with students to understand strengths and areas of improvement in our student career experience. Oversee Grad Fellows, Career Ambassadors and others as needed.
- Support the work of Admissions and Enrollment Management to recruit and retain Suffolk students. Participate in presenting at Admissions Open House Events, New Student Orientations, and assist with positioning of our services to prospective students as needed.
- Cross-train on internship fund administration and assessment programs in order to serve as a back-up to support the work of other team members in the office.
- All other duties as assigned.
Minimum Requirements and Qualifications:
- Holds a bachelor's degree with at least 3 years of professional experience.
- Possesses ability to develop career-related curriculum and assess learning outcomes. Displays a dynamic, empathic teaching style that engages learners; is credible with students, teaching faculty and staff.
- Demonstrates competence and sensitivity in advising students who are broadly diverse with regard to various aspects of identity, such as race, ethnicity, ability status, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, nationality, and religion; committed to building and maintaining an inclusive environment, placing justice, diversity, equity, inclusion and access at the forefront.
- Presents ability to help students craft a career strategy, articulate their professional value, and gain the competencies and experiences required for success after graduation.
- Exhibits drive and motivation to learn on their own and takes initiative to solve problems and to provide excellent customer service.
- Accepts feedback and direction, willing to be flexible and shift direction as we build and grow our department.
- Follows up, follows through, is responsive, is a team player, is personable and collaborative.
- Conveys a forward-thinking, strategic, results-oriented mindset that will help Suffolk innovate, automate, streamline, track and scale programs and services to achieve our goals.
- Maintains a technical aptitude and proficiency for using and teaching use of computer software and other applications. Has experience learning, implementing and trouble-shooting new technology.
- Creates systems to collect, analyze, and communicate actionable data to measure progress toward goals and identify areas for improvement.
- Demonstrates understanding of marketing, communication, branding, and campaign messaging strategies and best practices; Excellent written communication, public speaking, and listening skills.
Preferred Requirements/Qualifications
- Holds a master's degree.
- Experience teaching in any setting.
- Experience with curriculum development, assessment, adult learning theories, instructional design, and gamification strategies.
- Experience using Learning Management Systems (LMS) such as Canvas, Blackboard and Moodle.
- Experience using Excel and other data visualization tools such as Power BI and Tableau.
- Experience using CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software such as Salesforce, Hubspot, and Zoho.
Additional Information
- This is a full-time, 12-month position with a hybrid work schedule that will require a regular, in-person presence at our downtown Boston campus. The schedule may be subject to change.
- The role requires flexibility to offer evening advising hours, as well as some early mornings, weekends and occasional holidays to accommodate students' schedules and to participate in meetings and events as needed.
- To be seriously considered for this position, please submit a resume and a cover letter.
- Review of applications will begin immediately; applications are accepted until the position is filled.
Suffolk University does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, religious creed, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, age, genetic information, or status as a veteran in admission to, access to, treatment in, or employment in its programs, activities, or employment.As an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer, the University is dedicated to the goal of building a diverse and inclusive faculty and staff that reflect the broad range of human experience who contribute to the robust exchange of ideas on campus, and who are committed to teaching and working in a diverse environment. We strongly encourage applications from groups historically marginalized or underrepresented because of race/color, gender, religious creed, disability, national origin, veteran status or LGBTQ status. Suffolk University is especially interested in candidates who, through their training, service and experience, will contribute to the diversity and excellence of the University community.
