IT Co-op Program Specialist

Planet Group; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 41,000 - 48,000; Part time

Job summary

Planet Group is seeking an IT Co-op Program Specialist to coordinate the ITS Co-op program on-site in Boston for a 6-month period. You will serve as the primary point of contact for co-op students and hiring managers, overseeing recruiting, onboarding, check-ins, and offboarding while aligning with academic terms.

The role emphasizes developing program processes, documentation, and metrics, with a focus on organization, relationship-building, and effective collaboration with universities and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in HR, Business Administration, Higher Education Administration, IT, or related field; equivalent experience considered.
• Relevant certifications preferred: PHR/SHRM-CP, project management, career coaching.

Responsibilities

• Manage full co-op lifecycle: recruiting, interview support, offers, onboarding, and offboarding.
• Maintain co-op rotation schedules, start/end dates, and academic term alignment.
• Primary contact for co-op students throughout placements.
• Maintain placement records, evaluations, and program documentation.
• Partner with ITS managers to identify projects and co-op opportunities.
• Guide managers on onboarding, supervision, and feedback.
• Conduct regular manager/student check-ins.
• Build relationships with university career services, co-op coordinators, and faculty.
• Represent ITS at career fairs, info sessions, and campus recruiting events.
• Coordinate program requirements, deadlines, and compliance with academic institutions.
• Develop/refine onboarding materials, guidelines, and templates.
• Track and report program metrics to ITS leadership.
• Identify opportunities to expand and improve the program.
• Ensure placements meet relevant academic and employment requirements.
• Prepare program status and outcome reports for ITS leadership.

Skills

Co-op programs

University partnerships

Recruiting

Onboarding

Organization

ATS / Scheduling tools

HRIS

Metrics tracking

Communication

Confidentiality

Ambiguity tolerance

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR or related field

PHR/SHRM-CP

Project management

Career coaching

Tools

ATS

Scheduling tools

Microsoft Office

HRIS

Job description

Title: IT Co-op Program Specialist
Location:1135 Tremont Street Boston, MA. 3 Days onsite
Contract length:6months
Pay:30-35

Summary

• Reports/Partners: ITS leadership, hiring managers, co-op students, and academic partners
• Own the day-to-day coordination and ongoing development of the ITS Co-op Program.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for co-op students and hiring managers.
• Manage the full co-op lifecycle: recruitment, placement, onboarding, performance check-ins, and offboarding.
• Partner with ITS managers to identify co-op project opportunities and define role expectations.
• Improve the program's structure, consistency, documentation, and overall impact.
• Track program outcomes and metrics to demonstrate value to ITS leadership.
• Ideal candidate is organized, independent, relationship-oriented, and comfortable building processes in an evolving program.
• Higher education, campus recruiting, or academic/employer partnership experience is a plus.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's degree in HR, Business Administration, Higher Education Administration, IT, or related field; equivalent experience considered.
• Relevant certifications preferred: PHR/SHRM-CP, project management, career coaching, etc.

Experience

• 3+ years in program coordination, campus recruiting, HR/talent programs, internship/co-op administration, or similar.
• Experience managing a program end-to-end, including recruiting, scheduling, stakeholder communication, and reporting.
• Experience partnering with hiring managers to define role scope, projects, and performance expectations.
• Experience developing/improving program processes, documentation, and onboarding materials.
• Higher education, university career services, or academic-employer partnerships preferred.

Key Skills

• Understanding of co-op, internship, or early-career talent programs.
• Ability to build relationships with universities, career services, faculty, and co-op coordinators.
• Recruiting, screening, and candidate-to-role matching experience.
• Ability to develop onboarding, training, and check-in processes.
• Strong organization and ability to manage multiple placements, timelines, and stakeholders.
• Proficiency with ATS, scheduling tools, and Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).
• HRIS or co-op management platform experience is a plus.
• Ability to track/report placement, retention, satisfaction, and conversion metrics.
• Strong written and verbal communication.
• Comfortable handling sensitive student/personnel information.
• Self-motivated and comfortable working with ambiguity and evolving processes.

Key Responsibilities

Program Coordination & Administration - 35%

• Manage full co-op lifecycle: recruiting, interview support, offers, onboarding, and offboarding.
• Maintain co-op rotation schedules, start/end dates, and academic term alignment.
• Primary contact for co-op students throughout placements.
• Maintain placement records, evaluations, and program documentation.

Manager & Employer Partnership - 25%

• Partner with ITS managers to identify projects and co-op opportunities.
• Guide managers on onboarding, supervision, and feedback.
• Conduct regular manager/student check-ins.

Academic & External Partnerships - 20%

• Build relationships with university career services, co-op coordinators, and faculty.
• Represent ITS at career fairs, info sessions, and campus recruiting events.
• Coordinate program requirements, deadlines, and compliance with academic institutions.

Program Development & Improvement - 15%

• Develop/refine onboarding materials, guidelines, and templates.
• Track and report program metrics to ITS leadership.
• Identify opportunities to expand and improve the program.

Compliance & Reporting - 5%

• Ensure placements meet relevant academic and employment requirements.
• Prepare program status and outcome reports for ITS leadership.