Director, Career Education & Early Engagement

200 UM Corp (Enterprise); Coral Gables (FL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Miami seeks a Director to lead Career Education & Readiness through early student engagement, specializing in aligning programs with student success and workforce needs.

You will manage a high-performing team and oversee programming, coaching resources, and partnerships with academic and campus units. The role emphasizes data-informed decisions, continuous improvement, and collaborative leadership to advance the Center's strategic priorities.

Qualifications

• Master's degree required with substantial higher education experience.
• Minimum 5–7 years in higher education, student affairs, or career services.
• Experience designing and leading career exploration and early engagement programming.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for early engagement and career readiness initiatives.
• Direct and develop a high-performing team including Associate Director, Career Specialists, and student staff.
• Oversee development and expansion of career education programs and services for students and alumni.
• Collaborate with campus partners to integrate career readiness into curricula and co-curricular experiences.
• Lead budget planning, resource allocation, and program evaluation.
• Represent the center in regional and national professional associations.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Staff development

Budget management

Data-driven decisions

Stakeholder collaboration

Education

Master's degree in higher education, student affairs, counseling, or related field

Tools

12Twenty

Handshake

Interstride

Big Interview

Job description

Responsible to the Executive Director of the Toppel Career Center for the strategic leadership, implementation, coordination, and oversight of the Career Education & Readiness function, with a focus on engaging University of Miami students early and building career readiness from the start of their time with us. Provides leadership to a high-performing team consisting of an Associate Director, three Career Specialists, and 10–20 student interns and peer career coaches. The Career Education Early Engagement team helps undergraduate and graduate students explore interests, understand career pathways, and build the skills, confidence, and connections to pursue opportunities. The team delivers career coaching, guidance, and professional development through individual and drop‑in coaching, educational programming, outreach, and virtual and in‑person initiatives. This role requires independent decision-making and continuous awareness of emerging trends and best practices in career services at the state, regional, and national levels. The Director is responsible for advancing departmental objectives while aligning with the Center's vision and University policies and procedures. This position serves as a member of the Toppel Career Center Leadership Team, collaborating with senior leadership to advance strategic priorities across the Center

PRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Early Engagement & Career Readiness Leadership

• Develops and articulates the strategic direction and vision for early career engagement, including educational initiatives, programs, and professional development offerings that reach students at the start of their undergraduate or graduate experience. Strategy is informed by career development theory, labor market trends, student data, emerging issues, and benchmarking with peer institutions.
• Designs and leads a developmental, stage-based approach to career readiness that helps students explore interests, values, and strengths; learn about majors, fields, and career pathways; and build foundational skills before recruiting or job search pressures begin.
• Ensures all Career Education initiatives align with the Center's mission, strategic plan, and institutional priorities, including University commitments to student success, value, and outcomes.
• Sets and monitors goals for first-year, new transfer, and new graduate student engagement, including participation in career exploration, coaching, and experiential learning opportunities.
• Partners with Employer Engagement colleagues to ensure early-stage programming introduces students to industries, professionals, and exploration opportunities (such as job shadowing, informational interviews, and employer insights) aligned with evolving workforce needs.
• Directs and manages all career coaching training and development. Collaborates with leadership on the creation of new educational programming, online resources, self‑assessment tools, webinars, workshops, and outreach initiatives, with attention to the distinct needs of undergraduate and graduate students.
• Oversees consistent training for career coaching staff on current trends, student development, exploration and decision‑making, and industry recruiting practices (e.g., interviewing, industry‑specific documents, recruiting technologies).
• Leads regular Career Education team meetings to promote alignment, accountability, and team development.
• Establishes and monitors individual and team goals and data in collaboration with the Executive Director, ensuring progress and accountability.
• Research emerging practices in early career exploration and readiness and recommend new initiatives; leads communication and engagement with key stakeholders.
• Develops, implements, and continuously refines an outreach and marketing strategy to raise awareness of career education, career readiness, and available services across the University of Miami community, with emphasis on reaching students early, first‑generation students, transfer students, and students who have not yet engaged with the Center.
• Represents the University and Career Center in regional and national professional associations and initiatives related to career education and student success.

Leadership & Management

• Responsible for the recruitment, training, development, supervision, and evaluation of professional and student staff within Career Education, including the Associate Director, Career Specialists, and 10–20 student peer career coaches and interns.
• Develops the peer career coach model as a key channel for reaching new students early and building a culture of career readiness among peers.

Career Education Programming & Integration

• Oversees the development and expansion of Career Education & Early Engagement programs, resources, and services for undergraduate students, graduate students, and alumni, including the Career Champions Certification Program, Faculty & Staff Engagement Hub, First Year Directions career curriculum, and endowed student funds.
• Expands early‑engagement offerings such as first‑year and new‑student programming, career exploration events and workshops, major and career pathway resources, and tailored programming for graduate and professional students. Works closely with Cane Navigators and other academic advising colleagues.
• Delivers career‑related workshops and classroom presentations across the University, including during orientation, first‑year courses, and early points in graduate programs.
• Collaborates with academic partners, advising, residential life, student affairs, and other campus units to integrate career readiness into curricular and co‑curricular experiences from a student's first term.
• Oversees the planning, execution, and evaluation of Career Education events and workshops.
• Leads assessment efforts for Career Education in collaboration with the Director of Data Strategy & Analytics, using data on early engagement, participation across student populations, and student outcomes to inform program improvements and strategic decisions.
• Tracks engagement metrics, including first‑year and early‑stage participation, and holds staff accountable to established expectations.
• Collaborates with Alumni Relations to expand Cane2Cane participation and strengthen student‑alumni networking opportunities that help students explore career paths early. And develops meaningful ways for UM alumni to engage early on in a student’s career journey.

Budget and Finance

Develops and manages the annual operating budget for Career Education & Early Engagement programs and services ensuring compliance with University financial policies and procedures.

As a member of the Leadership Team, contributes to the analysis and evaluation of departmental expenditures to ensure fiscal responsibility and cost effectiveness.

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Plan, implement, and evaluate innovative programming as market trends and student needs change.
• Maintain weekly career coaching schedule on an as‑needed basis.
• Serves as liaison to assigned offices and departments in coordination with the Associate Vice President and the Executive Director.
• Participate in regular meetings with team members.
• Staff events during some evening and weekend hours.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES (KSA)

• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• Demonstrated commitment to valuing diversity and contributing to an inclusive working and learning environment.
• Knowledge of career development theory and student development, particularly as they relate to exploration, decision‑making, and early career readiness.
• Skills in designing outreach and engagement strategies that reach diverse student populations, including undergraduate, graduate, first‑generation, and transfer students.
• Skills in assessing, organizing, and prioritizing multiple tasks.
• Ability to make complex, independent decisions and programmatic recommendations to Center and University leadership.
• Ability to present to small and large audiences on career‑related topics to a variety of stakeholders.
• Skills in strategic planning and in using data to measure engagement and outcomes.
• Skills in staff training and supervision.
• Skills in building partnerships with faculty, advisors, and campus units.
• Proficiency with career services platforms (12Twenty, Handshake, Interstride, Big Interiew, etc).

EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

Master's degree in higher education, student affairs, counseling, or related area required.

WORK EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

• Five to seven years of professional experience in higher education, student affairs, career development, human resources/recruiting, or related area.
• Experience designing and leading career exploration, first‑year, or early engagement programming strongly preferred.
• Experience supporting both undergraduate and graduate student populations preferred.

The University of Miami is recognized as one of the nation’s premier research institutions and academic health systems and is among the largest employers in South Florida. With more than 20,000 faculty and staff, the University is committed to excellence and guided by a mission to positively impact the lives of students, patients, and communities locally and globally.

We are dedicated to fostering a culture where every individual feels valued and empowered to contribute meaningfully. United by shared values, the University community works together to build an environment defined by purpose, collaboration, and service.

The University of Miami is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applicants and employees are protected from discrimination based on certain categories protected by Federal law.

Job Status: Full time Employee Type: Staff The mission of the University of Miami is to transform lives through education, research, innovation, and service. A vibrant and diverse academic and healthcare community, the University of Miami and the University of Miami Health System ("UHealth") have rapidly progressed to become one of the nation’s top research universities and academic medical centers in the nation.

The University comprises 12 schools and colleges serving undergraduate and graduate students in more than 350 majors and programs. Visit welcome.miami.edu/about-um to learn more about our points of pride.

The University ranks No. 55 on U.S. News & World Report’s 2022 Best Colleges list and ranked No. 49 in the 2022 Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education College Rankings.

Bascom Palmer Eye Institute is ranked the #1 eye hospital in the USA and offers some of the nation's premiere eye doctors to treat every eye condition for adults.

Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer, part of the Miller School of Medicine, received the prestigious National Cancer Institute designation in 2019.

The University of Miami and UHealth have also ranked among the Forbes Best Employers and Best Employers for Women on several occasions, most recently in 2022.

With more than 17,000 faculty and staff, the University strives for excellence, and is driven by a powerful mission to transform and impact the lives of its students, patients, members of the community, and people across the globe.

The University of Miami is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applicants and employees are protected from discrimination based on certain categories protected by Federal law.