Director of Career Success & Community Engagement

University of Dubuque; Asbury (IA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Dubuque seeks a Director of Career Success and Community Engagement to lead strategic employer partnerships and experiential learning initiatives that prepare students for meaningful careers and purposeful lives.

The role serves as the campus liaison to regional and national employers, shaping a career success ecosystem across academic affairs, student life, athletics, residence life, alumni relations and community engagement.

Qualifications

• Graduate degree required in Higher Education Administration, Business Administration, Student Affairs, Human Resources, Organizational Leadership, Counseling, or a related field.
• Five or more years of progressively responsible leadership experience in career services, employer relations, workforce development, corporate partnerships, or related areas.
• Proven success in developing strategic partnerships with employers and community organizations.
• Experience supervising professional staff and managing budgets.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and implementation of a comprehensive Career Success Strategic Plan.
• Develop annual departmental goals, assessment plans and strategic performance metrics.
• Supervise professional staff, graduate assistants, interns, and student employees.
• Serve as liaison with regional, national, and global employers.
• Create partnerships offering internships, apprenticeships, mentoring, and employment opportunities.
• Coordinate annual career fairs, networking events, panels and professional development workshops.
• Embed career readiness across the student experience in collaboration with campus partners.
• Coordinate employer site visits and industry immersion experiences.
• Oversee Handshake and other career-management platforms and related systems.

Skills

Relationship-building

Business development

Strategic planning

Workforce development

Employer partnerships

Public speaking

Budget development

Data analytics

Program evaluation

Cross-campus collaboration

Innovative thinking

Interpersonal communications

Education

Graduate degree in Higher Education Administration or related field

Job description

Description

The Director of Career Success and Community Engagement providesvisionary leadership for developing strategic employerpartnerships, experiential learning opportunities, andcomprehensive career readiness initiatives that prepare Universityof Dubuque students for meaningful careers and lives ofpurpose.

The Director serves as the University's primary liaison toregional, state, and national employers while leading a campus-widecareer success ecosystem that integrates academic affairs, studentlife, athletics, residence life, alumni relations, and communityengagement. This position develops innovative communitypartnerships that expand internships, apprenticeships, mentorships,experiential learning, sponsorships, and employment opportunities;while strengthening the University's workforce developmentmission.

The Director works collaboratively across campus to assist studentsin graduating with professional experience, career competencies,meaningful employer relationships, and a post-graduation planaligned with the University's mission of educating and forming thewhole person.

Requirements

Primary Responsibilities

• Facilitate the development and implementation of acomprehensive University-wide Career Success Strategic Plan
• Develop annual departmental goals, assessment plans, andstrategic performance metrics
• Supervise professional staff, graduate assistants, interns, andstudent employees
• Serve as the University's primary relationship manager withregional, national, and global employers
• Develop strategic partnerships that provide internships,cooperative education experiences, clinical placements,apprenticeships, corporate mentoring, employer-sponsored projects,recruitment pipelines, and collaborative international experiences
• Coordinate annual career fairs, networking events, employerpanels, and professional development workshops

• Collaborate with campus partners to embed career readinessthroughout the student experience
• Support faculty in integrating career preparation into academiccurricula
• Coordinate employer site visits and industry immersionexperiences
• Assist in developing Employer-in-Residence andExecutive-in-Residence programs
• Develop strategic partnerships with the Greater DubuqueDevelopment Corporation, local chambers of commerce, healthcaresystems, manufacturing partners, financial institutions, andnonprofit organizations
• Collaborate with regional employers to identify workforce needsand emerging employment trends
• Coordinate workforce pipeline initiatives with community andeconomic development organizations
• Collaborate with campus partners to collect, analyze, andreport data regarding internship participation, career readiness,completion, graduate placement, graduate school enrollment,employer satisfaction, student engagement, career outcomes, andFirst Destination Survey results
• Serve as campus administrator for: Handshake, career managementplatforms, employer relationship management systems, and careerassessment software
• Represent the University at professional organizations,employer meetings, workforce initiatives, and higher educationconferences
• Serve as a Title IX Campus Security Authority
• Support the University's Christian mission and institutionalvalues
• Willingness and ability to be an active participant infollowing applicable safety rules and regulations, includingnecessary training and drills
• Perform other duties as assigned in support of the University's Mission

Position Skills and Abilities

• Exceptional relationship-building and partnership developmentskills
• Proven business development and external relationsexperience
• Strategic planning and organizational leadership abilities
• Knowledge of workforce development and labor market trends
• Experience developing employer partnerships and experientiallearning opportunities
• Strong presentation, communication, and public speakingskills
• Budget development and fiscal management experience
• Assessment, data analytics, and program evaluationexpertise
• Ability to collaborative across multiple campus divisions
• Ability to inspire innovation and entrepreneurial thinking
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communicationskills

Requirements

• Graduate degree required in Higher Education Administration,Business Administration, Student Affairs, Human Resources,Organizational Leadership, Counseling, or a related field
• Five or more years of progressively responsible leadershipexperience in career services, employer relations, workforcedevelopment, corporate partnerships, university advancement, talentacquisition, or related areas
• Success in developing strategic partnerships with employers andcommunity organizations
• Experience supervising professional staff and managingbudgets