Director Student Career Services

Universal Technical Institute; Lisle (IL); On-site; USD 112,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

Universal Technical Institute is seeking a Director of Student and Career Services to lead all functional areas and improve student outcomes. The role focuses on advising, records, housing, career counseling, and employer engagement across campuses.

Responsibilities include setting vision, ensuring policy compliance, building employer relationships, and driving accountability and performance within the team. Strong leadership and strategic planning are essential.

Qualifications

• HS Diploma or GED required.
• Bachelor’s Degree in counseling, social work, psychology, education or related field.
• Five (5) years leadership or management experience preferred.
• Five (5) years administrative experience in Student or Career Services at a post-secondary school preferred.
• Strong customer service orientation and business operations understanding.
• Ability to set goals and hold teams accountable.
• Excellent organizational and communication skills.
• Experience working with campus presidents and stakeholders to align Career Services with organizational goals.

Responsibilities

• Lead and direct every functional area within Student and Career Services to build a high-performing team.
• Set vision and strategic plans to improve student experience and outcomes.
• Ensure policy compliance and processes are followed.
• Develop employer relationships to boost local and graduate job opportunities; coordinate with EDGE team.
• Ensure compliance with federal/state accreditation standards via audits and training.
• Manage department goals, scheduling metrics, persistence, satisfaction and outcomes.
• Oversee Student and Career Services operations, coaching and staff development.
• Collaborate with other divisions to meet campus and organizational goals.
• Manage departmental budget and allocate resources efficiently.
• Recognize employee contributions and maintain high-performance culture.

Job description

Overview

Pay Range: $112,000-125,000

The Director, Student and Career Services plays a pivotal role in driving student success across the UTI network by overseeing teams dedicated to increasing persistence, completion, graduation, and employment rates. This position provides leadership and support in key areas, including Advising, ADA/504 compliance, Title IX, Clery Act, DFSCA, Student Records, VA Benefits, Student Affairs, Housing, Scheduling, Graduation, Orientation and Registration, Student Activities, Career Counseling, Local and Graduate Employment, In-Brand Employment, and Employer events such as career fairs. The Director collaborates closely with campus leadership and divisional teams, working alongside counterparts in Education, Financial Aid, Accounting, and Admissions to identify and resolve challenges.

Responsibilities

• Lead and direct every functional area within Student and Career Services to develop a high performing work team
• Set vision and strategic plans to ensure continuous growth and improvement of processes to enhance the student experience
• Ensure team members implement and adhere to company policies, procedures, and processes as established
• Ensure high student employment outcomes by developing employer relationships to increase, enhance, and maintain effective local and graduate job opportunities and by ensuring continual follow up with graduates who are not yet employed in the industry. Partners with EDGE team on employer development activities and employer program offerings
• Ensure processes such as academic standing, satisfactory academic progress, leave of absences, consecutive days absent, etc. are adhered to timely and accurately
• Ensure compliance with all federal, state, and accreditations standards through auditing processes, training staff, and holding teams accountable (ADA/504, Clery Act/VAWA, DFSCA, Title IX, FERPA, SEVIS, VA Principles of Excellence, etc.)
• Ensure code of conduct violations and other investigations are conducted according to established guidelines and serves as campus resource for complaint resolution
• Responsible for achievement of department goals and objectives i.e., scheduling metrics, advising requirements, persistence, student satisfaction, LOA return rate, returning students, graduation outcomes, in-brand employment, local and graduate employment outcomes, etc.
• Oversee operation of Student Services and Career Services departments, including coaching, mentoring, and development of staff
• Partner with other functional areas and division team to support and meet Campus and organizational goals
• Manage departmental budget and adept at resource management
• Drive department process consistency to ensure compliance in all areas and efficiency throughout the division
• Establish/maintain a high performance team of professional, motivated and engaged staff utilizing effective training, performance management and career-development activities while leading them to achieve established business results and performance metrics
• Recognizes and rewards employee contributions and achievements
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

• HS Diploma or GED (required)
• Bachelor’s Degree in a related field (counseling, social work, psychology, education) and/or equivalent experience of four (4) years of experience (required)
• Five (5) years leadership or management experience (preferred)
• Five (5) years experience in an administrative position in the Student Services or Career Services office of a public or approved private post-secondary school (preferred)
• Sound judgment in conflict resolution, a high level of customer service and a strong understanding of business operations
• Establish clear goals and hold teams accountable for achieving objectives
• Oversee the execution of projects, ensuring timely completion, resource allocation, and evaluation of outcomes
• Deep understanding of student engagement, retention, and support services, with the ability to innovate and enhance student success programs
• Innovative, agile learner dedicated to continuous process improvement
• Oversee the execution of projects, ensuring timely completion, resource allocation, and evaluation of outcomes
• Adept at organizing, planning, and prioritizing work
• Excellent organizational skills
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Experience with MS Office
• Skilled at working with campus presidents, department leaders, and other stakeholders to align Career Services with broader organizational goals
• Able and willing to:
  • Communicate, think, learn, and reason
  • Use computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to process transactions, store documents, enter data, or perform assigned tasks
  • Safely ambulate and/or maneuver when on-site at Company locations
  • Demonstrate and utilize active listening, inductive reasoning, information ordering and category flexibility
• Ability to use good judgment, problem-solving and decision-making skills
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and manage sensitive information with discretion
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment where deadlines are essential and multiple projects are worked simultaneously
• Ability to gain, understand and apply information and data as it relates essential functions of the position
• Ability to foster long-term relationships with stakeholders
• Ability to work through complex situations, drawing from a variety of resources, to arrive at quality and actionable decisions
• Work is performed indoors in a climate-controlled environment when on site at assigned company location. Employees must be able to safely ambulate when on company premises.
• This position is designated as On Campus or On site; Work environments may include exposure to student learning environments with a variety of conditions. Employees must be able to follow all safety precautions including the use of personal-protective equipment. Employees must also be able to adhere to site-specific safety procedures.
• No travel required