Director - Employer Connections

Lawrence University; Appleton (WI); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Lawrence University seeks a Director of Employer Connections to lead its employer engagement and recruiting activities. You will build strong partnerships with employers, alumni, and campus partners to expand job, internship, and career exploration opportunities for students and graduates.

You will oversee programs, coordinate events, advise partners on recruiting strategies, and help students prepare for successful transitions to employment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• 2+ years’ experience in program management, event planning, or public relations.
• Ability to travel in-state and out-of-state to attend career events, with flexibility for evenings and weekends.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement an employer engagement strategy to expand opportunities for students and recent graduates.
• Build and deepen relationships with employers, alumni, and partners; act as primary contact for recruiting efforts.
• Advise employer partners on recruiting and student engagement strategies and share labor-market trends.
• Represent Lawrence and the Career Center at employer visits, career fairs, and external events.
• Lead Career Center’s employer recruiting programs, including fairs, events, interviews, and class presentations.
• Collaborate to develop workshops that strengthen students’ career readiness and engagement with employers.
• Identify internship opportunities and coordinate with internship development teams.
• Oversee Handshake and other recruiting platforms; ensure quality and approvals.

Skills

Relationship-building

Event management

Strategic planning

Public relations

Project management

Data analysis

Communication

Travel

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master’s degree

Tools

Handshake

Symplicity

People Admin

Job description

Position Overview

The Director of Employer Connections provides strategic leadership for Lawrence University’s employer engagement and recruiting efforts. The Director builds and strengthens relationships with employers, alumni, and other partners to expand employment, internship, and career exploration opportunities for Lawrence students and recent graduates. The Director leads employer recruiting and engagement programs, including career fairs, interviews, meetups, career treks, and other opportunities that connect students with organizations, industries, and career pathways. The role also identifies meaningful ways to engage Lawrence’s alumni community in recruiting, career exploration, and student career development. Highly collaborative, the Director partners with Career Center colleagues, faculty, staff, and campus partners to identify areas of need and strengthen opportunities for students.

REPORTS TO

Dean of the Career Center

Responsibilities

Employer Connections & Opportunity Development

• Develop and implement a proactive employer engagement strategy designed to expand the number, quality, and range of employment opportunities available to Lawrence students and recent graduates.
• Build, maintain, and deepen relationships with employers, alumni, and other partners, serving as a primary point of contact for organizations interested in recruiting or engaging Lawrence students
• Advise employer partners on effective recruiting and student engagement strategies, and share employer feedback, labor-market trends, and emerging opportunities with Career Center colleagues.
• Represent Lawrence and the Career Center through employer visits, networking events, career fairs, conferences, and other external engagement opportunities.

Recruiting & Career Exploration Programs

• Lead the Career Center’s employer recruiting program, including career fairs, employer events, interviews, class presentations, and other opportunities that connect students with prospective employers.
• Develop opportunities for employers and alumni to contribute to career exploration and career readiness programming that exposes students to industries, organizations, roles, and career pathways.
• Collaborate with Career Center colleagues to develop and deliver workshops and programs that strengthen students’ career readiness and ability to engage successfully with employers.

Internship & Experiential Learning Partnerships

• Identify internship opportunities that emerge through employer and alumni relationships and coordinate with colleagues responsible for internship development and administration.
• Support Lawrence-funded internship initiatives by identifying and engaging prospective employer partners and assisting with related partnership development and administrative needs as appropriate.

Handshake & Recruiting Technology

• Oversee employer and early-career job activity in Handshake, including employer and opportunity approvals, quality standards, and communication with recruiting partners.
• Collaborate with colleagues on internship approvals and supervise and train student staff supporting opportunity review and employer engagement.
• Manage CareerShift and other recruiting technologies used to expand student access to employment opportunities and track employer engagement.

Communications, Assessment, and Collaboration

• Contribute to targeted communications promoting recruiting opportunities, employer and alumni engagement, and career exploration programs, and maintain relevant employer-facing resources and policies.
• Maintain records of employer relationships and recruiting activity and use engagement and outcome data to identify gaps, establish priorities, and improve programs.
• Provide career guidance to students and alumni as needed and contribute to Career Center and cross-campus initiatives, programs, and events.
• Participate in appropriate professional associations and represent the Career Center and Lawrence University externally.
• As needed, meet with students and alumni to provide guidance related to job-search strategies, résumés and applications, employer connections, and the transition from Lawrence to employment.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 2+ years’ experience of relevant program management, event management, strategic planning, and/or public relations experience; or the equivalent.
• Ability to travel in-state and out-of-state to attend career fairs, conferences, networking events, student career exploration trips (career treks), and employer site visits, with flexibility to work occasional evening and weekend hours as needed.

This is both a student-facing and employer/alumni-facing position and requires an on-site presence.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Higher Education, Counseling, Student Affairs, Educational Psychology, Social Work, College Student Personnel, Human Resources, or a similar field.
• Program/workshop development and implementation experience.
• Experience with talent recruiting (either through talent acquisition or through career center employment).
• Experience using online recruiting platforms (e.g., Handshake, Symplicity, People Admin, etc.).
• Experience using data to strategically plan for events, programs, and continuous improvement.

Successful Candidates Will Possess

• Well-developed interpersonal and relationship management skills. Ability to create, maintain and grow a professional network. A natural connector who exhibits a high degree of professionalism.
• Ability to exercise independent judgment.
• Project and event/program management skills. Attention to detail and the ability to simultaneously manage multiple priorities.
• Oral and written communication skills. Capable of effectively representing the Career Center on-campus and off-campus.
• A desire to continuously improve and a willingness to take initiative. Action-oriented and self-motivated.
• The flexibility, creativity, and energy needed to be able to adapt and operate in an ever-changing environment.
• An ability to navigate and use technology to track engagement and promote opportunities for students.
• Resourcefulness and an interest in researching industries, organizations, people, and business trends.
• A commitment to the values and mission of a residential liberal arts college.

Lawrence is committed to enhancing the diversity of its faculty and staff and the viewpoints and approaches that a diverse community represents. We strongly encourage candidates who can contribute to diversity at Lawrence to apply. See the Lawrence Careers website for more information about Lawrence and its surrounding community. All candidates are encouraged to address in their letters of application the ways in which they could contribute to Lawrence’s institutional mission and commitment to diversity and inclusion.