Coordinator for Professional Development

muhlenberg; Center Valley (Lehigh County); On-site; USD 50,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid holidays

22 vacation days per year

Sick leave

Parental leave

Life Sports Center membership

Tuition opportunities

Job summary

Muhlenberg College is seeking a Coordinator for Professional Development to join a high-performing team and advance career services. The role focuses on externship development, workshops, and one-on-one student coaching to connect liberal arts education with meaningful careers.

Reporting to the Director of Employer & Alumni Engagement, the coordinator will balance hand-on student advising with program design, including engaging employer partners and alumni, and coordinating logistics for events

Responsibilities

• Develop relationships with alumni and employer stakeholders to create and execute robust externship opportunities.
• Create and deliver workshops to educate students on short-term professional shadowing experiences, networking techniques, and other relevant career development needs.
• Manage logistics, communication, application and selection process for formal externships spanning multiple diverse sectors and academic disciplines.
• Plan and lead off-campus employer visits that immerse students in workplace environments across industries.
• Keep detailed participation data, and engage with pre and post-testing to measure student learning and engagement.
• Coordinate travel and lodging logistics, brief students on expectations, and deliver summary reports for program donors.
• Administer career development grants in accordance with donor expectations that support students pursuing experiential opportunities.
• Manage the application cycle, communicate with recipients, partner with the Business Office to steward funding responsibly.
• Assist students in clarifying academic and career goals through individual appointments.
• Assist students by fostering meaningful alumni and employer connections.
• Help students in crafting and improving resumes, cover letters, digital profiles, and other career collaterals.
• Help students prepare for interviews by providing techniques, training, and mock-interview opportunities.
• Serves as a positive example of workplace behaviors, including punctuality, responsiveness, discretion, and dependability.
• Serves on College-wide committees as appropriate for the Career Center's mission and strategic vision.
• Routinely partners with other campus departments to support the mission and goals of the College more broadly.
• May perform other duties as assigned.

Job description

The Position:

Coordinator for Professional Development

Job Summary:

The Muhlenberg Career Center partners with students, faculty, staff, employers, and alumni to develop innovative career exploration resources and programs. We help students and alumni prepare for life‑long career satisfaction through a variety of one‑on‑one interactions, digital resources, curricular and co‑curricular programs, and intentional partnerships. The Center is seeking a Coordinator for Professional Development to join a high‑performing, nationally recognized team committed to creating an environment of opportunity and transforming how students connect their liberal arts education to meaningful careers. This 10‑month position is structured in alignment with the academic calendar and is perfect for a candidate that prefers or requires summers off. Reporting to the Director of Employer & Alumni Engagement, this role is ideal for someone who has spent years building professional experience and is now energized by the idea of bringing those experiences to a new opportunity to pay it forward in a mission‑driven environment. The Coordinator can expect that a percentage of their time will be spent engaging with student career coaching appointments and the remaining time will be spent creating and executing professional development programs to elevate career services at Muhlenberg for our students, alumni, and employer partners.

Characteristic Duties and Responsibilities:

Muhlenberg Externship Program Administration

• Develop relationships with alumni and employer stakeholders to create and execute robust externship opportunities.
• Create and deliver workshops to educate students on short‑term professional shadowing experiences, networking techniques, and other relevant career development needs.
• Manage logistics, communication, application and selection process for formal externships spanning multiple diverse sectors and academic disciplines.

Road Trips and Employer Site Visits

• Plan and lead off‑campus employer visits that immerse students in workplace environments across industries.
• Keep detailed participation data, and engage with pre and post‑testing to measure student learning and engagement.
• Coordinate travel and lodging logistics, brief students on expectations, and deliver summary reports for program donors.

Student Grants & Funding Initiatives

• Administer career development grants in accordance with donor expectations that support students pursuing experiential opportunities.
• Manage the application cycle, communicate with recipients, partner with the Business Office to steward funding responsibly.

Career Counseling/Coaching

• Assist students in clarifying academic and career goals through individual appointments.
• Assist students by fostering meaningful alumni and employer connections.
• Help students in crafting and improving resumes, cover letters, digital profiles, and other career collaterals.
• Help students prepare for interviews by providing techniques, training, and mock‑interview opportunities.
• Serves as a positive example of workplace behaviors, including punctuality, responsiveness, discretion, and dependability.

Additional Responsibilities

• Serves on College‑wide committees as appropriate for the Career Center's mission and strategic vision.
• Routinely partners with other campus departments to support the mission and goals of the College more broadly.
• May perform other duties as assigned.

Schedule & Benefits:

• Muhlenberg offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that includes generous paid holidays, including three days off for Thanksgiving and an extended winter break between Christmas Eve and New Year's Day
• 22 vacation days per year
• sick leave
• eight weeks of paid parental leave
• Life Sports Center membership
• undergraduate and graduate tuition opportunities
• medical, dental, and vision coverage
• flexible spending accounts
• short- and long‑term disability coverage
• life insurance
• retirement benefits

Eligibility requirements and waiting periods may apply.

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit institution, Muhlenberg is also a qualifying employer under the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.

The College & Surrounding Area:

Founded in 1848, Muhlenberg College is a private, residential, liberal arts college offering baccalaureate and graduate programs. At Muhlenberg, we are committed to a campus community that ensures students, faculty, and staff of all backgrounds feel welcome, respected, valued and included.

The College provides an intensely challenging, supportive environment centered around a rigorous academic curriculum designed to prepare students for lives of leadership and meaning in a dynamic, global society. The academic program is amplified by a range of innovative programming: comprehensive and intentional residence‑life programming, expansive experiential learning requirements, and an innovative coaching program designed to maximize every student’s performance and potential.

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