Academic Internship Specialist (Science Industry Employment Specialist)

John Jay College of Criminal Justice; New York (NY); On-site; USD 102,000 - 113,000; Full time

Job summary

John Jay College of Criminal Justice is seeking an Academic Internship Specialist (Science Industry Employment Specialist) to source and manage employer relationships for science students within the CUNY Inclusive Economy initiative. This role embeds in the Department of Sciences, collaborating with the Integrated Advisor to align opportunities with student interests and preparation.

The position focuses on internships, entry-level jobs, site visits, and employer panels, ensuring a robust

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and four years' related experience required.
• Experience in career services or economic or workforce development preferred.
• Experience with community and business outreach, ideally in implementing talent acquisition, outreach strategies, and business development in science/health fields.
• Proficiency in using social media, webinars (Zoom/Webex), CRM and data collection tools.

Responsibilities

• Source, build and manage employer relationships for science students.
• Plan and execute employer-related events (meet-and-greets, site visits, panels).
• Coordinate with campus career centers and staff to maximize outreach and opportunities.
• Maintain CRM data and report KPI-related information to department leadership.

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

POSITION DETAILS

Job Title: Academic Internship Specialist (Science Industry Employment Specialist)

Job ID: 32588

Location: John Jay College

Full/Part Time: Full-Time

Regular/Temporary: Regular

ABOUT JOHN JAY COLLEGE

John Jay College of Criminal Justice is a senior college of the City University of New York (CUNY) and an internationally recognized leader in educating for justice. Led by President Karol V. Mason, John Jay is a federally designated Hispanic-serving institution, it is ranked third in the nation in Black student success, and it is a top ten institution for promoting student social mobility. John Jay is proud to serve a diverse and dynamic student body of 15,000 students that includes nearly fifty percent students who are first in their family to attend college as well as students who are immigrants, from low-income families, or from other historically underrepresented groups in higher education.

A Carnegie designated Research Institution, the College participates in the doctoral programs of the Graduate Center of CUNY, and offers bachelor's and master's degrees both in traditional criminal justice-related fields of study as well as in a robust portfolio of liberal arts and sciences programs that highlight themes of justice across the arts, sciences, humanities, and social sciences. The College seeks staff and faculty members who thrive in multicultural academic environments and are committed to access and excellence in higher education.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Science Industry Employment Specialist (Industry Specialist or IS) is a full-time CUNY Inclusive Economy initiative (CIE) staff (HE Associate) embedded in the Department of Sciences at John Jay who focus on sourcing, building and managing employer relationships for the benefit of science students. In collaboration with the STEM Integrated Advisor, they ensure opportunities for the cohort are in alignment with their needs and interests, and that students are prepared via industry-vetted information.

Purpose:

The IS acts as a relationship builder and connector between the department’s students and the world of work. The Industry Specialist’s mission is to cultivate internships, jobs, and other career-connected learning opportunities (like site visits, industry projects, employer panels) relevant to the three majors in the Department of Sciences (Forensic Science, Toxicology, and Cellular & Molecular Biology) and student career interests, ensuring that industry partners are actively engaged with the department and its students. Through targeted sector engagement, Industry Specialists expand the department’s network of employers and curate high-quality opportunities aligned with the career interests and academic preparation of the student cohort. By doing so, they help ensure that more students secure meaningful employment in their field upon graduation at livable, market-rate wages – in line with CIE’s mission of an inclusive economy for all CUNY students.

Core Responsibilities & Key Activities

The Science Industry Specialist is responsible for the externally facing aspects of the CIE model in the Department of Sciences and bringing these opportunities to the student cohort.

Core responsibilities include:

Employer Relationship Sourcing: Proactively identify, outreach, and engage employers in the sector (e.g., companies, nonprofits, government agencies) that align with the academic field of the department. Use strategies like cold outreach, leveraging alumni/faculty networks, LinkedIn Navigator (licenses provided by CIE), and working through CIE’s Industry Support Hub to connect with industry partners and “pitch” the value of partnering with your department and students. Build a “pitch kit” with materials (like value propositions, slide decks, email templates) to articulate the benefits of recruiting from your department’s student talent pool.

Developing Opportunities: Work with employers to source career opportunities (internships, part-time roles, full-time job openings, guest speaking engagements, etc.) for the student cohort, ensuring these opportunities meet CIE standards. Provide feedback and coordinate with the employers to facilitate interviews, recruitment events, etc.

Industry Engagement Programming: Plan and execute employer-related events for the cohort – for example, industry meet-and-greets, site visits, career panels, or in-class guest lectures by industry professionals. Also, coordinate with campus career centers and other career-focused staff to maximize efforts and leverage resources.

Cohort Engagement & Student Referrals: Collaborate with the Integrated Advisor to understand students’ career interests and preparedness levels. Match students to opportunities. Support student readiness by hosting sessions in collaboration with the IA or other campus stakeholders on topics like resume tailoring for specific employers, or by providing labor market insights that help students understand the industry context.

Partner Management, Data, and Reporting: Document all employer interactions and opportunities in the Dynamics CRM. The CRM is a workspace tool and how we capture all KPI-related data for the Industry Specialist. It should be used daily to prospect leads, execute intake calls, outreach and check in with partners, log opportunities that were executed with industry partners, etc. Also report data to the Department of Sciences and Dean of Research at John Jay in a format useful to the College.

Training & Best Practices: Participate in CIE central trainings. Implement best practices collaboration across the campus, initiative, and university system. Contribute to the community of practice by sharing challenges and solutions.

QUALIFICATIONS

Bachelor's degree and four years' related experience required.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Experience in career services or economic or workforce development

Experience with community and business outreach, ideally in implementing talent acquisition, outreach strategies, and business development especially in the science, technology, and health-related fields.

Understanding of business, recruitment and hiring practices in the field of science, healthcare or a closely related field, particularly relating to entry-level talent needs and paid internship and job opportunities.

Proficiency in using social media platforms, webinar tools such as Zoom and Webex, CRM and other databases for data collection. Intermediate to advanced proficiency in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.

Basic computer skills and proficiency in program use to carry out tasks for office productivity and management, digital communications, file management and data entry. This includes (but is not limited to) Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Teams, Exchange), Zoom, Canva, etc.

Proficiency in workflow management and resource sharing to ensure cohesive experience between students, the CIE team, departmental programs, and college initiatives . Proficiency in bridge-building skills to create and maintain a positive team-based collaborative environment.

CUNY TITLE OVERVIEW

Supports an academic internship program providing career development and professional work experience.

• Acts as liaison between the College and employer sponsors, monitoring the success of students' internship experiences
• Supervises student internships, assuring adherence to related College and governmental policies and regulations
• Creates and conducts orientation sessions and workshops for students in the internship program; coordinates applications, interviews, and placement as part of overall student outreach
• Provides faculty orientation and development related to internship programs
• Implements and evaluates competencies and other success factors
• Performs related duties as

CUNY TITLE

Higher Education Assistant

FLSA

Exempt

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

$102,460 - $112,841.

Salary commensurate with education and experience.

CUNY's benefits contribute significantly to total compensation, supporting health and wellness, financial well-being, and professional development. We offer a range of health plans, competitive retirement/pension benefits and savings plans, tuition waivers for CUNY graduate study and generous paid time off. Our staff also benefits from the extensive academic, arts, and athletic programs on our campuses and the opportunity to participate in a lively, diverse academic community in one of the greatest cities in the world.

CLOSING DATE

The review of resumes will begin on October 2, 2026. The posting closes on October 17, 2026.

JOB SEARCH CATEGORY

CUNY Job Posting: Managerial/Professional

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

CUNY encourages people with disabilities, minorities, veterans and women to apply. At CUNY, Italian Americans are also included among our protected groups. Applicants and employees will not be discriminated against on the basis of any legally protected category, including sexual orientation or gender identity. EEO/AA/Vet/Disability Employer.