Sr. Career Advisor

Northern Kentucky University; United States; On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Northern Kentucky University is seeking a Sr. Career Advisor to provide individualized coaching, career readiness instruction, and data-driven program support.

You will lead workshops, coordinate events, and supervise peer career coaches while building relationships with students, faculty, employers, and campus partners to advance career readiness and student success. The role emphasizes collaboration, data accuracy, and timely reporting to support Career Services programs and campus engagement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• At least one year of experience in career services or related area.
• Knowledge of career development theory and internship/job-search processes.
• Strong written and verbal communication with students, employers, faculty, staff, and partners.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, especially Excel, and the ability to use career management and CRM systems.

Responsibilities

• Provide individual career advising to students, including exploration, readiness, and internship/job-search assistance.
• Develop and deliver presentations, workshops, and course content on career development and readiness.
• Oversee the Peer Career Coach program, including hiring, training, and supervision.
• Gather, analyze, and report data across platforms and create dashboards.
• Coordinate and support career fairs, workshops, and employer recruiting activities.

Skills

Career advising

Data analysis

Public speaking

Collaboration

Time management

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree (preferred)

Tools

Excel

Microsoft Office

CRM systems

Job description

Position Title: Sr. Career Advisor

Position Type: Regular

About the Role: Northern Kentucky University’s Career Services team is seeking a collaborative, student-focused professional to serve as a Senior Advisor. This position provides career advising, instructional programming, data management, reporting, event coordination, and operational support. The Senior Advisor helps students explore career options, identify academic and professional goals, and prepare for internships, employment, and other experiential learning opportunities. The position also manages departmental data, supports Career Services programs and events, supervises peer career coaches, and develops relationships with students, faculty, staff, employers, and campus partners to promote career readiness and student success.

Primary Responsibilities

• Provide individual career advising to students, including career exploration, career readiness, academic and major exploration, assessment interpretation, internship and job-search assistance, and documentation of advising interactions.
• Assist students in exploring employment, internships, and other experiential learning opportunities.
• Develop and deliver presentations, workshops, instructional materials, and course content related to career development, career readiness, and internship and job-search strategies.
• Teach career development courses as assigned.
• Oversee the Peer Career Coach program, including hiring, training, supervision, evaluation, and coaching on peer-advising tools and techniques.
• Gather, compile, maintain, and analyze data across multiple platforms.
• Import graduate and enrollment data into Handshake and compile career fair participation and outcomes data.
• Create reports and dashboards, complete data-cleanup projects, respond to internal data requests, and help ensure the accuracy and integrity of departmental data.
• Serve as a front-line point of contact for Career Services by greeting visitors, answering phones, monitoring the department’s email account, providing general information, and directing complex inquiries to the appropriate staff member.
• Coordinate and support career fairs, workshops, seminars, employer recruiting activities, and other Career Services programs and events.
• Collaborate with faculty, staff, employers, student organizations, and campus partners to promote career readiness, engagement, retention, and student success.
• Maintain knowledge of Career Services policies, procedures, programs, technologies, and resources.
• Assist with daily office operations and participate in relevant professional development activities.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree.
• At least one year of relevant experience in career services, career counseling, academic advising, student support, human resources, or a related area.
• Knowledge of career development theory, career readiness competencies, and internship and job-search processes.
• Ability to communicate clearly and professionally with students, employers, faculty, staff, and campus partners in both individual and group settings.
• Ability to develop and deliver instructional materials, workshops, presentations, or course content related to career development and career readiness.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, particularly Excel, and the ability to effectively use and adapt to career management systems, customer relationship management systems, and related technologies.
• Ability to prioritize competing responsibilities, manage multiple projects simultaneously, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment, maintain the confidentiality of student records, and accurately handle sensitive information and data.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently, solve problem, and proactively manage responsibilities with minimal supervision.
• Ability to train, supervise, coach, and evaluate student employees or peer career coaches.
• Ability to work collaboratively and build effective relationships with a variety of internal and external partners.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in higher education administration, student affairs, counseling, psychology, public administration, or a related field.
• Experience using career or personality assessment tools such as the Myers‑Briggs Type Indicator, Strong Interest Inventory, or FOCUS 2.
• Experience with Handshake, Qualtrics, Canvas, or similar systems.
• Experience managing data and creating reports or dashboards.
• Experience training, supervising, coaching, or evaluating student employees or peer educators.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong career advising and student-support skills.
• Excellent written, verbal, interpersonal, and presentation skills.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• The ability to manage confidential information appropriately.
• Sound judgment and effective problem-solving skills.
• The ability to manage multiple responsibilities and changing priorities.
• Proficiency in data management, analysis, and reporting.
• The ability to work both independently and collaboratively.
• A commitment to providing responsive, student-centered service.
• The ability to develop productive relationships with students, faculty, staff, employers, and other campus partners.

Work Environment & Physical Demands

Why Work at Northern Kentucky University

At NKU, our work revolves around three things: opening doors, helping people finish what they start, and connecting learning to real life. Those pillars—Access, Completion, and Career & Community Engagement—aren’t just strategic-plan wallpaper. They shape how we hire, how we serve students, and how we show up for the region. If you want your work to matter—NKU is a place where you can see your impact every day.

About NKU

Northern Kentucky University is a public, student-centered institution located just minutes from downtown Cincinnati. Our vision is clear: to be nationally recognized as a student-ready, regionally-engaged university that empowers diverse learners for economic and social mobility. We focus on opening doors, supporting students through graduation, and connecting learning to real opportunity in our region. NKU offers the reach of a comprehensive university with the feel of a close, collaborative campus.