The posting
Position Title:
Director, Career Readiness & Alumni Connections
Work Type:
Full time
Location:
Swarthmore College
Approved Location Type:
On Campus
Department:
Work Shift:
Day Shift (United States of America)
The Opportunity:
Swarthmore College Career Services seeks a Director of Career Readiness & Alumni Connections to lead the vision, strategy and implementation of a comprehensive and scalable career development program that elevates the visibility, engagement and impact of Career Services among students and alumni. This exciting new role will focus on integrating career development throughout the student experience with an emphasis on early engagement, to encourage exploration through meaningful campus and alumni connections while strengthening student preparedness for life after Swarthmore.
Essential Responsibilities:
The Director will set and implement strategies to infuse occupational wellness into the first year experience through leadership of the Career Education team to develop more robust campus partnerships, and design programs that strengthen student and alumni career readiness. The Director is responsible for reexamining how alumni engage with programs to ensure the network serves as a central pillar for student and alumni career exploration, mentorship, and professional development. As part of these efforts, the Director will partner with the Office of Alumni Engagement & Development to develop more robust and streamlined channels for alumni engagement with career programming and co-manage the Swarthmore mentoring platform, SwatLink. The person in this role will also collaborate closely with the Director of Employer Connections & Assessments to monitor student outcomes and career competencies.
Management & Supervision
- Manage & supervise team of career exploration & readiness advisors, including setting and measuring annual performance goals.
- Contribute as an active member of the Career Services leadership team, providing guidance and support for all major Career Services initiatives, representing the Center/Office at appropriate campus and off-campus functions, and standing in for the Executive Director/AVP during absences.
- In collaboration with the Executive Director & AVP, develop a vision and implementation plan for a comprehensive, innovative, and inclusive career and professional development service delivery that is in alignment with the broader Career Services strategic plan and the College’s strategic goals.
- Provide leadership on cross-campus efforts to define, improve awareness of, and assess the career and professional readiness of Swarthmore students and alumni.
- In collaboration with the Director of Employer Connections & Assessment, develop programs, systems and initiatives that prepare students to successfully engage with alumni, recruiters and other employer professionals.
- Oversee the content and layout for the alumni sections of the Career Services website, and strategy for featuring of alumni profiles on industry & affinity communities.
Campus Partnership Development & Outreach
- Establish and implement goal-oriented and data-driven strategies to enhance and expand innovative and inclusive career development initiatives, programming and resources that foster career readiness skills and occupational wellness with an emphasis on early engagement. This will include oversight and evolution of the “dedicated first year career advisor” pre-orientation virtual advising sessions.
- Develop and strengthen campus partnerships to infuse career exploration and development into the student ecosystem at Swarthmore. Cultivate collaborative relationships with faculty, academic departments, Intercultural Centers, student organizations and the broader student affairs division. This may entail serving on affiliated campus committees, including the committee on the first year experience, the Wellness Coalition, the Teaching Learning Commons (TLC) Inquiry groups & potentially a career services oriented faculty advising committee.
- Expand and enhance partnerships with the Center for Innovation & Leadership, On-Campus Employment, Lang Center, and the Office of Academic Success to bolster experiential learning opportunities and career preparedness, including co-developing tailored programming and initiatives.
- Stay abreast of industry trends and represent Swarthmore College Career Center through active involvement in regional and national associations.
- As part of the Career Services Leadership team, lead and oversee dynamic career development content and resource generation on the Career Center website with specific emphasis on promoting a sense of belonging at the intersection of identities and career interests.
Alumni Engagement & Program Development
- In consultation with the Executive Director & AVP, develop and manage a comprehensive strategy with specific goals to increase alumni engagement with Career Services as mentors, panelists and program participants.
- Ideate and manage meaningful and substantive career development volunteer opportunities and for alumni, including cultivating streamlined processes for volunteer recruitment and referrals.
- Strengthen and expand formalized avenues for alumni to offer mentorship to current student and young alumni.
- Serve as primary point of collaboration for career-related alumni engagement requests from Advancement and academic departments.
- Collaborate with Alumni Relations/Advancement to develop and execute alumni-facing events, virtual workshops and programs for alumni that support career advancement.
- In collaboration with the Director of Employer Connections, determine best practices for encouraging alumni-featured employer engagement and opportunity sharing.
- Create, execute and manage utilization strategy for Swarthmore mentoring and networking platform, SwatLink (powered by PeopleGrove), including serving on Swatlink steering committee.
Advising
- Provide one-on-one career advising to current students and alumni on career development strategies including feedback on resumes, interview preparation, and offer negotiation.
Assessment & Outcomes
- Oversee and manage accurate tracking of alumni engagement touchpoints for Career Services, including through Swatworks micro-internship program and student interactions with alumni on SwatLink, as well as the growth of student-to-alumni groups on Swatlink.
- Utilize quantitative and qualitative data to showcase impactful stories of engagement to college stakeholder groups.
- Collaborate with Assistant Director, Communications and Engagement to develop materials that showcase the diverse range of possibilities for Swarthmore students, including major and industry-specific reports with an emphasis on utilizing data to showcase impactful stories and methods for engagement.
What you bring:
Required Qualifications
- Master’s degree (in Counseling Psychology, Counselor Education, Student Affairs, Higher Education, Human Resources, or a related discipline) and 4-6 years relevant experience related to career services and/or alumni/donor engagement initiatives, or an equivalent combination of education and experience is required.
- Knowledge of leadership and management best practices to foster staff professional growth and engagement through support and guidance for professional staff in a team setting.
- Prior supervisory experience.
- In alignment with Swarthmore’s commitment to Inclusive Excellence, it is vital that all candidates seeking employment not only be committed to, but also demonstrate skills, knowledge and values necessary for serving the unique needs of our diverse campus community.
- Demonstrated presentation skills and ability to communicate effectively in both written and verbal form with a variety of constituents, including students, alumni, faculty, staff, employers, parents, etc.
- Proven record of developing and implementing innovative and interactive programming.
- Strong knowledge of career development methods, including career readiness, and employment trends across multiple industries.
- Demonstrated ability to build and maintain strong relationships and strategic partnerships.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, with an ability to tailor messaging for different constituent groups including students, faculty, staff & alumni
- Capability to assess and redefine priorities to adapt in rapidly changing environments
- Adept in using and learning new technologies
- A proven ability in taking the initiative on project work within a collaborative setting across multiple teams.
- Ability to manage deadlines and juggle multiple projects simultaneously.
- Must be able and willing to work flexible hours, including some evenings and weekends.
Preferred Qualifications
- Prior experience leading a team.
- Training in Life Design is a plus.
- Familiarity with related career services platforms such as Handshake, Peoplegrove, and Uconnect is a plus.
- Experience with assessing programs highly valued.
- Experience with creating a career development curriculum is highly desirable.
- Ability to promote high level of motivation and excellent work performance without bias.
Physical Demands:
- Must be able to remain in a stationary position at least 50% of the time.
- Ability to occasionally lift and carry boxes up to 30 pounds.
PA Criminal Clearance Required
Swarthmore College requires a PA Criminal background check for all staff positions prior to the start of employment.
Education Verification Required by Position
An education verification is required for this position because a college degree is a required qualification for this position.
Applications received are reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. An optional cover letter indicating how your qualifications and experience have prepared you for this position is preferred. If you have experience that meets any of the preferred qualifications, please include a detailed explanation of any such experience in your cover letter and how it meets the preferred qualification(s).
We offer benefit plans starting at zero cost! Upon benefit eligibility, the College contributes 10% of an employee’s salary to their retirement account. Employees are 100% vested in their accounts on the date participation begins.
Swarthmore Benefits and Programs
Retirement Plans
Tuition Grant Program
Tuition Reimbursement Program
Paid Time Off (Staff)
Holiday Schedule
Swarthmore College is committed to creating a culture of respect and inclusion so that every member of our community feels a sense of belonging. We actively seek and welcome candidates with diverse perspectives and experiences, exceptional qualifications, and a demonstrable commitment to a more inclusive society and world. Swarthmore College is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate based on any identity or characteristic protected by law or College Policy.
