Careers Advisor

National College of Ireland; Dublin; Hybrid; EUR 37,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

National College of Ireland is seeking a passionate Careers Advisor to support students through career planning, employability education and preparation for the graduate job market.

You will deliver engaging career education sessions, one-to-one guidance and group workshops, helping students connect academic learning with professional practice and securing meaningful opportunities.

Qualifications

• Student-centred guidance across diverse student body and graduates.
• Ability to build relationships with employers, alumni and industry partners.
• Excellent written and verbal communication for workshops, webinars and sessions.
• Plan and deliver career education programmes and manage caseload and events.
• Use data, CRM systems and online tools to improve service delivery.

Responsibilities

• Provide one-to-one and small group careers guidance to students and recent graduates.
• Design and deliver career education and employability initiatives on topics like career planning, AI in job search, networking, applications and interviews.
• Review and evolve skills sessions and resources to stay practical and current.
• Develop opportunities linking students to placements, internships, employer projects and industry challenges.
• Collaborate with academics, employers and alumni to connect learning with work experience.

Skills

Student guidance

Employer engagement

Facilitation

Planning & organisation

Data & digital

Education

Honours degree

Postgraduate qualification in Guidance/Counselling/Career Coaching or commitment to secure

Job description

Position: Careers Advisor

Supervisor: Career Development & Employability Manager

Reporting to: Head of Career Development & Employability

Key Relationships:

• Director of Student Services
• Career Development & Employability Team
• Work Placement Supervisor
• Registrar
• Students
• Deans & Faculty
• School Co-ordinators and administrators
• External Clients

Purpose of Position: The Career Development and Employability Team is an impact-driven, proactive service within National College of Ireland focused on developing student employability, strengthening graduate outcomes and supporting students to transition successfully into the workplace.

The role will support students through careers guidance, employability education, placement and internship preparation, employer engagement, alumni engagement and graduate recruitment activity.

About the role:

This is a varied and high-impact role at the centre of NCI’s employability agenda. The successful candidate will help students make confident career decisions, prepare for the graduate labour market and access meaningful opportunities to connect their learning with professional experience.

You will design and deliver engaging career education and employability initiatives across a broad range of topics, including career planning, professional identity, AI in the job search, networking, applications, interviews, assessment centres and graduate recruitment trends. You will also help review and evolve our skills sessions and resources so that they remain practical, current and responsive to changes in industry, recruitment practice and student need.

Alongside this, you will provide professional one-to-one and small group careers guidance to students and recent graduates from diverse backgrounds. You will support them to explore options, build confidence, understand the Irish labour market, prepare for recruitment processes and take practical steps towards employment, placement, internship or further study.

You will help develop opportunities that bring students closer to the workplace, including placements, internships, employer projects, industry challenges, alumni engagement and other work-related learning activities. Working with academic colleagues, employers, alumni and internal stakeholders, you will support initiatives that help students connect academic learning with professional practice and strengthen their readiness for the workplace.

Essential Requirements:

• Honours degree graduate with at least 3 years’ experience within careers advisory work or agency recruitment within the Irish labour market.
• Relevant postgraduate qualification in Guidance, Counselling, Career Coaching or a commitment to securing same once in role.

Desirable Requirements:

• Student-centred careers guidance and employability practice: Ability to provide professional, practical careers guidance to a diverse student body, supporting students and recent graduates with career planning, employability, job search strategy, applications, interviews, assessment centres and graduate recruitment.
• Employer, alumni and stakeholder engagement: Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with employers, alumni, academic colleagues, industry bodies and professional partners and to translate these relationships into meaningful opportunities for students.
• Teaching, facilitation and communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to design and deliver engaging workshops, webinars, presentations, resources and career education sessions for both small and large groups.
• Planning, organisation and delivery: Strong organisational, time-management and workload-planning skills, with the ability to manage a significant student caseload alongside projects, events, employer engagement and reporting requirements.
• Data, digital capability and service improvement: Ability to use data, CRM systems, careers platforms, online learning tools, social media and impact measures to report on activity, improve service delivery and develop scalable, technology-enabled careers education and employability initiatives.

Salary: €37,271- €54,915(Specialist/Senior Administrator Band)

Annual Leave: 24 days per annum

Contract: Permanent

Hours: Hours of work will be generally 9.00am to 5.00 pm., A willingness to work flexibly to cover some events and activities outside of usual working hours is required.

Working Pattern: It is expected that the successful candidate will be on site at 3-4 days per week during term time and 2-3 days per week outside of term time.

The successful applicant may be subject to Garda Vetting and must not have any convictions under the Sex Offenders Act 2001.

Note: The functions and responsibilities assigned to this role are based on the current stated role and objectives of the college. These functions and responsibilities may alter in line with any change in the role and objectives of the NCI.

The Importance of Confidentiality

We would like to assure you that protecting confidentiality is our number one priority. You can expect that all enquires, applications and all aspects of the proceedings are treated as strictly confidential and are not disclosed to anyone, outside those directly involved in that aspect of the process.

National College of Ireland is an equal opportunities employer and is a Member of the Athena SWAN Charter. NCI is committed to serving our diverse community and welcomes applications from underrepresented groups.