Associate Vice President for Student Professional Development

Elon Uni Careers; Elon (NC); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Tuition remission for undergraduate

Tuition remission after 12 months for

Retirement plan with 8% contribution

28 annual days off

Job summary

Elon University seeks an Associate Vice President for Student Professional Development to lead employer partnerships, internships, and career outcomes. The role offers strategic oversight of career services, employer engagement, and experiential learning across multiple campuses.

The position emphasizes scalability of partnerships, innovative workforce alignment, and strengthening postgraduate employment outcomes for students and alumni.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; Advanced degree preferred.
• 10-15 years of leadership in complex environments.
• Experience building employer partnerships and workforce alignment.

Responsibilities

• Strategic leadership: position Elon as a premier talent partner and develop data-driven engagement strategies.
• Employer and industry partnerships: build executive-level relationships and expand internships, co-ops, and full-time pipelines.
• Workforce alignment: partner with academic leadership to align curricula with industry needs and create career pathways.
• Outcomes and assessment: establish KPIs for job placement, internships, and graduate outcomes; use data for continuous improvement.
• Management and visioning: lead planning across campuses and manage a large team with precision.
• External representation: represent Elon at industry forums and workforce development boards.

Skills

Relationship-building

Strategic thinking

Workforce trends

Collaboration

Systems thinking

Prioritization

Cultural fluency

Executive communication

Excellence

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Advanced degree

Job description

Title:Associate Vice President for Student Professional Development

Position Type:Staff Full-Time

Days Per Week:Generally Monday through Friday

Hours Per Week:40

VP Area:University Advancement

Department:Student Professional Development

Location:Elon Main Campus

Position Summary

The Associate Vice President for Student Professional Development is a senior leader responsible for advancing the university’s mission through building, scaling, and sustaining high-impact employer partnerships that drive internships, experiential learning, and full-time employment outcomes for students and alumni. This position provides strategic vision and executive oversight for all career services functions, with a focus on employer engagement, relationship management, workforce alignment, and student career outcomes.

The Associate Vice President is a builder who will serve as Elon’s chief architect of employer strategy, developing innovative, scalable partnerships that align academic programs with workforce needs, expanding meaningful experiential learning opportunities, and strengthening postgraduate employment success.

Benefits of Working at Elon

As an Elon University employee, you’ll join an internationally acclaimed university with a commitment to fostering a thriving community. Ranked among the most innovative, creative and best-run universities in the nation, Elon’s personal approach to education extends to employees, whose growth, professional development and success is a hallmark of our training and advancement opportunities.

Elon University’s home is the charming town of Elon, North Carolina, a small, friendly community located a short distance from the beach and the mountains, and among the vibrant cities of Greensboro, Raleigh and Durham. In addition to the beautiful canopy of historic oak trees iconic to our campus, you’ll find boundless opportunities for family-friendly recreation, cultural events and outdoor activities. Hiking, water sports, fine dining and entertainment are just a few of the many happenings in the Elon area, making the region one of the nation’s premier travel destinations.

Employees at Elon enjoy a generous and comprehensive benefits package that includes:

28 annual days off, including holidays and vacation.

Immediate tuition remission for undergraduate courses

Tuition remission for approved graduate-level courses after 12 months of employment.

Retirement plan with an 8 percent contribution from the university.

Immediate eligibility for health, dental and vision insurance, along with free acute care and lab services at our onsite Health & Wellness Clinic.

Free use of campus fitness facilities.

Free admission to musical and theater performances, guest speakers, religious and ethnic observances, recitals, art exhibitions, entertainment and our Division I Phoenix athletics.

Eligibility for tuition remission at Elon for spouses, qualifying domestic partners and dependents begins at two years of service. After two years of employment, eligibility begins for participation in the Tuition Exchange, a national scholarship exchange program that enables dependents to enroll in nationally recognized partner colleges and universities.

Elon values and celebrates the diverse backgrounds, cultures, experiences and perspectives of our community members. As an equal opportunity employer, Elon’s principles of diversity extend to race and gender identity, age, disability status, veteran status, sexual orientation, religion, and other aspects of one’s identity. At Elon, our employees respect human differences, passion for lifelong learning, emphasis on personal integrity and an ethic of service.

Minimum Required Education and Experience

KEY COMPETENCIES

• Relationship-building and business development
• Strategic, student-centered thinking
• Deep understanding of workforce trends and the recruiting landscape
• Inspired collaboration
• Systems orientation
• Management of multiple priorities in a highly-complex environment
• Cultural fluency
• Executive communication
• Commitment to excellence

Preferred Education and Experience

Bachelor’s degree required; Advanced degree preferred

10-15 years of significant leadership and progressive accomplishments in complex environments

Demonstrated excellence in:

• Building best-in-class organizational relationships
• Recruiting, inspiring, and leading teams
• Developing strategy and animating action
• Driving measurable outcomes

Job Duties

• STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP
  • Position Elon as a premier talent partner for regional, national, and global employers.
  • Develop and execute a comprehensive, data-driven employer engagement strategy aligned with the university’s strategic plan and centering on excellence in student outcomes.
  • Build deep, long-term partnerships with employers by assembling a team that is externally focused Establish and deliver upon measurable, meaningful goals related to employer partnerships, internships, job placement, and career outcomes.
  • Advise senior leadership on workforce trends, industry alignment, and career success metrics
• EMPLOYER AND INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIPS
  • Build and sustain executive-level relationships with employers across key industry sectors. Leverage Elon’s alumni, parent, and donor networks to expand partnerships that generate internships, co-ops, research collaborations, on-campus recruiting, and full-time employment pipelines.
  • Lead corporate outreach efforts, including targeted industry engagement strategies and employer advisory boards.
  • Collaborate with campus partners to align employer engagement with corporate sponsorships and philanthropic opportunities.
  • Promote equitable access to opportunities through diverse and inclusive employer partnerships.
• WORKFORCE ALIGNMENT
  • Partner with academic leadership to align curricula with evolving industry needs. Identify emerging workforce trends and translate insights into programmatic opportunities.
  • Develop sector-based career pathways and employer pipelines in high-growth fields.
  • Facilitate employer input into curriculum design, credentialing, and experiential learning.
• OUTCOMES AND ASSESSMENT
  • Establish and monitor KPIs related to job placement, internship participation, employer satisfaction, and graduate outcomes.
  • Lead post-graduation outcomes reporting and ensure compliance with accreditation and regulatory standards.
  • Use data analytics to drive continuous improvement and strategic decision-making.
• MANAGEMENT AND VISIONING
  • Lead inspired planning aligned with the university’s strategic plan, Boldly Elon. Manage a team of 30 across three campuses, including six direct reports, fostering a culture of excellence, collaboration, and precision in execution.
• EXTERNAL REPRESENTATION
  • Represent Elon at industry forums, workforce development boards, chambers of commerce, and other venues that elevate the university’s brand.
  • Partner with the Office of Admissions to champion career outcomes for prospective students and families.