Associate Director of Engineering

The Chronicle Of Higher Education, Inc.; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 76,335 - 107,823; Full time

Job summary

Northeastern University is seeking an Associate Director of Engineering & Innovation Career Advising to guide students in engineering disciplines toward meaningful full-time opportunities, leveraging AI-enabled tools and labor market data.

The role emphasizes sector-specific programming, employer engagement, and data-driven advising, with oversight of program delivery and collaboration across the Career Education Center.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; master’s degree preferred in engineering or related fields
• Experience in career services, engineering recruiting, or workforce development
• Knowledge of engineering job markets and hiring practices across disciplines
• Experience advising students or early-career professionals in engineering or innovation fields
• Experience managing others and providing coaching and feedback
• Familiarity with career management platforms and AI-enabled career tools

Responsibilities

• Provide sector-specialized career advising and coaching to engineering students pursuing full-time roles
• Design and deliver sector-specific programming across the job-search arc
• Cultivate and steward relationships with engineering firms and other employers to generate opportunities
• Monitor labor market trends and synthesize intelligence into programming and resources
• Collaborate with cross-campus partners to represent the sector and support student success

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Presentation skills

Coaching

Education

Bachelor's degree required; master's preferred

Tools

Handshake

Lightcast

LinkedIn Talent Insights

Job description

Overview

Associate Director of Engineering & Innovation CareerAdvising—Northeastern University

The Associate Director of Engineering & Innovation CareerAdvising serves as the dedicated career specialist for students pursuing roles in mechanical, electrical, civil, chemical, industrial, and bioengineering, as well as robotics, advanced manufacturing, sustainable energy, and adjacent engineering and innovation disciplines. As a core member of the Career Education Center's sector-based advising team, this role brings deep, current knowledge of the engineering and innovation talent market to student career development from first-year exploration through full-time offer negotiation. The position designs and delivers sector-specific programming, maintains active employer relationships with engineering firms, manufacturers, defense contractors, energy companies, and innovation-driven enterprises across scales and geographies, and uses labor market data and AI-enabled tools to give students a competitive edge. The role understands how engineering hiring is evolving with AI and automation, including changes to recruiting processes, evolving technical competency expectations, and emerging roles at the intersection of engineering, data, and systems thinking. It translates that intelligence into practical, outcome-focused advising and workshops. The role is ideal for someone who has worked in or alongside engineering or innovation-driven industries, speaks the language of engineering hiring managers, technical recruiters, and project leads, and is energized by helping students land meaningful, high-quality opportunities and full-time employment in fields that are building the infrastructure, systems, and technologies of the future.

Minimum qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree is required and a master’s degree is preferred; degrees and/or experience in engineering, applied sciences, higher education, counseling, engineering management, or related fields given preference. Familiarity with professional licensure pathways (e.g., FE/PE exam preparation) is a plus.
• Minimum of 4–6 years of experience in career services, engineering or technical recruiting, workforce development, or the engineering, manufacturing, defense, or energy industries, with demonstrated understanding of engineering sector hiring practices, co-op and internship pipelines, and role landscapes.
• Substantive knowledge of the engineering and innovation job markets including familiarity with hiring practices across mechanical, electrical, civil, chemical, and bioengineering disciplines; defense and government contracting recruiting norms; advanced manufacturing and robotics career pathways; and the growing demand for engineers with competencies in data, systems integration, and automation.
• Experience working with or advising students or early-career professionals in engineering or innovation-driven fields, with the ability to translate complex industry dynamics into accessible, actionable guidance (including technical interview preparation, licensure timelines, security clearance considerations, and evolving employer expectations).
• Experience managing others, including regular coaching and feedback, structured professional development, performance management, and engagement support that cultivates a high-performing, student-centered advising practice.
• Proficiency with career management platforms (e.g., Handshake), labor market intelligence tools (e.g., Lightcast, LinkedIn Talent Insights), and AI-enabled career development tools; familiarity with engineering-specific job platforms (e.g., EngineeringJobs, Dice, or defense/government hiring portals) is a plus.
• Demonstrated ability to build and sustain employer relationships with engineering firms, manufacturers, defense contractors, energy companies, and innovation-driven enterprises, and convert those relationships into co-op, internship, and full-time hiring opportunities for students.
• Data fluency: ability to interpret employment outcome data, labor market trends, and program metrics to evaluate effectiveness and inform programming decisions.
• Strong presentation, coaching, and interpersonal skills; ability to engage effectively with students across a wide range of engineering disciplines, experience levels, and career readiness stages.

Key accountabilities & responsibilities

• Sector-Specialized Career Advising & Student Coaching – Provide individualized career advising and coaching to students pursuing full-time roles in engineering, robotics, product design and entrepreneurship. Guide students through technical job search strategies, resume and portfolio development tailored to engineering and related roles, technical interview preparation (including assessments, system design, and behavioral interviews), and evaluation. Manage up to 2 Assistant Directors of Career Development, providing coaching, professional development, feedback and support. Maintain a current, deep understanding of how AI is transforming hiring including AI-assisted screening, new role categories.
• Sector Programming Design & Delivery – Design, deliver, and continuously improve a calendar of sector-specific programming that covers the full job-search arc: industry exploration, networking in engineering and entrepreneurial communities, technical skill showcasing, mock interviews, career fairs and employer showcases, and salary negotiation in related fields. Develop programming in partnership with faculty, student organizations (e.g., engineering societies and clubs, innovators and entrepreneurship groups), and employer partners. Evaluate program effectiveness using attendance, engagement, and downstream employment outcome data, and iterate accordingly.
• Employer Engagement & Full-Time Hiring Pipeline – Cultivate and steward relationships with a targeted portfolio of employers with the explicit goal of generating full-time opportunities for Northeastern graduates. Collaborate with the employer relations team to coordinate on-campus recruiting, info sessions, and hiring events. Track employer pipeline health and proactively identify gaps in sector coverage or geographic reach.
• Labor Market Intelligence & Data-Informed Practice – Monitor engineering and manufacturing labor market trends including hiring volumes, emerging roles, compensation benchmarks, and geographic hiring hubs, and synthesize this intelligence into programming, advising content, and student-facing resources. Maintain sector-specific employment outcome data, contribute to the center’s reporting cadence, and identify opportunities to improve student placement rates. Share market insights with colleagues, academic partners, and students through regular communications and resources.
• Cross-Campus Collaboration & Sector Representation – Serve as the Career Education Center’s embedded expert and representative for the engineering, product design and management, and startup sectors in cross-campus partnerships. Build working relationships with the College of Engineering and other colleges with student populations interested in product innovation and entrepreneurship. Participate in relevant curriculum, advising, and student success initiatives. Represent the sector at career center team meetings, contribute to strategic planning, and share sector expertise to strengthen team-wide knowledge.

Position Type – Student Services

Additional Information

Northeastern University considers factors such as candidate work experience, education and skills when extending an offer. This includes a comprehensive benefits package for benefit-eligible employees (medical, vision, dental, paid time off, tuition assistance, wellness & life, retirement, commuting & transportation). All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Salary ranges are reviewed regularly and are subject to change.

Compensation Grade/Pay Type: 110S

Expected Hiring Range: $76,335.00 - $107,823.75

With the pay range shown above, the starting salary will depend on several factors, including education, experience, location, knowledge and expertise, and skills as well as a pay comparison to similarly-situated employees already in the role.

To apply, visit the Northeastern careers site: Northeastern University careers page.

All content preserved from the original job description has been reformatted to comply with the specified formatting standards and to remove extraneous HTML and boilerplate metadata.