Senior Director, Career Development

Eastern Michigan University Foundation; Ypsilanti (MI); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Eastern Michigan University seeks a dynamic, innovative Senior Director, Career Development within the University Career Development Center to reimagine career development and connect students with employers, alumni, and academic partners.

As a builder and collaborator, the Sr. Director will lead programs, drive strategic initiatives, use data to show impact, and expand experiential learning, internships, and employer engagement across campus.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Higher Education or related field is required.
• 5+ years of professional experience in career development or related area.
• Experience supervising 6-8 staff.
• Ability to develop and implement programs from concept to execution.
• Strong interpersonal, written, verbal, organizational, and collaborative leadership skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership for development, assessment, and continuous improvement of career development programs.
• Develop a comprehensive vision for career development across the student experience.
• Identify opportunities to innovate programming in response to student needs and workforce trends.
• Build partnerships with colleges, departments, faculty, and alumni engagement.
• Develop strategies for engaging students in career exploration, experiential learning, and networking.
• Coordinate employer engagement, internships, mentoring, and career readiness initiatives.
• Oversee events, resources, and platform enhancements to support student success.
• Utilize data and feedback to evaluate programs and guide decisions.

Skills

Leadership

Interpersonal skills

Written communication

Verbal communication

Education

Master's degree

Job description

Employee Classification: AP - Administrative Professional

Pay Grade: AP 09

Division: Advancement

Campus Location: Main Campus

Opening on: Sep 16 2026

Closing on: Oct 16 2026

General Summary

Eastern Michigan University seeks a dynamic, innovative, and student-centered leader to serve as Senior Director, Career Development within the University Career Development Center. This position represents an exciting opportunity to help reimagine career development at Eastern Michigan University and strengthen the ways EMU prepares students to translate their education, experiences, talents, and aspirations into meaningful careers and lives. The successful candidate will understand that career development is not a single office, program, or moment near graduation. It is an essential part of the student experience and a shared University responsibility. This is a role for a builder, collaborator, and innovator who can help EMU think boldly about the future of career development while translating that vision into programs, partnerships, experiences, and measurable outcomes for students.

The Sr. Director will be a transformative leader who brings an entrepreneurial mindset to career development. Working collaboratively across the University, this individual will help strengthen a career development ecosystem that begins early in the student experience, extends across academic disciplines, and connects students with industry employers, alumni, faculty, staff, and other partners.

Reporting jointly to the Vice President for Advancement and the Assistant Vice President for Alumni Engagement, the Sr. Director will provide strategic and administrative leadership for career development programs, initiatives, partnerships, technology, communications, and outreach within the University Career Development Center.They will work closely with University partners to develop and implement innovative approaches to career exploration, career readiness, professional development, experiential learning, employer engagement, and student success. The will expand the reach and impact of career development across the University and ensure students have access to high-quality career resources, experiences, relationships, and opportunities.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide leadership for the development, implementation, assessment, and continuous improvement of career development programs and initiatives serving EMU students and alumni.
• Help develop and execute a comprehensive vision for career development that integrates career exploration and preparation throughout the student experience.
• Identify opportunities to innovate and expand programming in response to changing student needs, employer expectations, emerging technologies, economic conditions, and workforce trends.
• Build strong partnerships with academic colleges, departments, faculty, advisors, student-success professionals, alumni engagement, advancement, and other University units.
• Develop innovative strategies for engaging students earlier and more consistently in career exploration, professional development, experiential learning, networking, and career preparation.
• Partner with employers, alumni, community organizations, and industry leaders to create meaningful connections and opportunities for students.
• Expand opportunities for internships, experiential learning, mentoring, employer engagement, networking, and other experiences that prepare students for successful transitions from college to career.
• Develop and coordinate programs, workshops, events, resources, and other experiences that strengthen career readiness and professional competencies.
• Provide leadership and support for career fairs, employer engagement programs, networking opportunities, industry-focused events, alumni career programs, and other signature experiences.
• Develop strategies to ensure career development programs and resources are accessible and responsive to EMU's broad and diverse student population.
• Serve as a resource and representative of the Center and provide leadership on career development, partnerships, marketing, and outreach.
• Assist in developing and implementing marketing, communications, and outreach strategies that increase awareness and engagement.
• Collaborate on continuous improvement of the Center's website, digital resources, social media, communications, and other platforms.
• Explore and advance emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and digital career platforms, to expand access, personalize the student experience, and prepare students for a changing workplace.
• Use data, assessment, student and employer feedback, and workforce trends to evaluate programs, demonstrate impact, and guide strategic decision-making.
• Develop meaningful measures of student engagement and career outcomes and contribute to a culture of assessment and continuous improvement.
• Assist with annual and periodic reports, career outcomes information, employment trend analyses, and other materials demonstrating impact.
• Assist with development and monitoring of the Center budget and strategic deployment of resources.
• Supervise, coach, and develop assigned professional, support, and student staff.
• Represent the Department at professional conferences, meetings, employer and community events, and on University committees.
• Maintain knowledge of national trends and emerging practices in career development, higher education, workforce development, experiential learning, and student success.
• Identify opportunities for partnerships, sponsorships, external resources, and collaborations that expand career development opportunities for EMU students.
• Adhere to applicable Eastern Michigan University policies, rules, regulations, and operational procedures.
• Perform related departmental duties, as required.

Minimum Qualifications

• Knowledge of higher education, career development, workforce and recruiting trends, experiential learning, communications and marketing strategies, employer engagement, and program development typically acquired through completion of a master's degree in Higher Education, College Student Personnel, Counseling, Human Resources, Business, Communications, Marketing, or a related field is required.
• At least five years of progressively responsible professional experience in career development, higher education, workforce development, employer relations, student success, experiential learning, or a closely related area is required.
• Demonstrated experience supervising, developing, or leading staff is required. The Director will lead a team of 6-8 career services professionals, with the opportunity to grow leadership in the future, both personally and within the team.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and implement programs, initiatives, or partnerships from concept through execution is required.
• Strong interpersonal, written, verbal, organizational, and collaborative leadership skills are required.
• Demonstrated ability to establish productive relationships with students, faculty, staff, administrators, employers, alumni, and external partners is required.
• Experience using technology, data, assessment, and feedback to improve programs, services, or constituent experiences is required.
• Preferred Qualifications:
• Direct experience in career services, career development, employer relations, experiential learning, workforce development, academic advising, or another student-success function in higher education is preferred.
• Experience developing innovative career programs, employer partnerships, experiential learning opportunities, or student engagement initiatives is preferred.
• Experience with career management platforms, CRM systems, digital engagement tools, artificial intelligence, or other emerging technologies relevant to career development is preferred.

Special Instructions

This position may be filled at the Director or Senior Director levels.