What are the responsibilities and job description for the Career Coach (Career Development Lead) position at Pacific Lutheran University?
Posting Details
Posting Details
Posting Number:
0602929
Recruitment Type:
Open to All Applicants
Position Title:
Career Coach (Career Development Lead)
Position Type:
Staff
Benefits Status:
Benefits Eligible
FLSA:
Non-Exempt
Hiring Range:
$23.60 - $25.48 per hour
Location
Tacoma, WA 98447
Department:
Alumni and Student Connections
Posting Date:
03/24/2025
Closing Date
When a sufficient number of qualified applicants has been identified.
Work Schedule:
Monday – Friday; 8am – 5pm
In-office days required with option for some hybrid/remote.
In-office days required with option for some hybrid/remote.
General Description:
At PLU, we believe that education can change the world. As an employee of PLU, you will have the opportunity to join a learning community committed to doing, investigating, teaching, creating, and serving. The PLU experience allows students’ ambition to bloom into purpose, their abilities to sharpen into tools, and their caring to become a transformative force.
The Alumni & Student Connections office supports each Lute in utilizing the PLU network to help make their visions a reality. The Career Coach – Career Development Lead is responsible for providing learning, development, career and internship advising and support to all students and alumni. This position works alongside a team of other career coaches and a portion of this role is focused on collaborating with other coaches to provide seamless career support to our students and alumni. In addition, this position leads in the development of resources, integration of career learning into the curriculum, and communication with students. This position reports to the Executive Director of Alumni & Student Connections.
Essential Functions and Responsibilities:
Career Development Lead Responsibilities
- Collaborate with campus faculty to integrate career learning objectives into academic programs.
- Develop and execute student and faculty outreach activities to increase engagement and knowledge of career development best practices. This includes regular communication to students, marketing materials, faculty newsletters, and learning modules.
- Serve as the primary point of contact with TimelyCare, our tele-counseling provider, and analyze usage data to identify trends and inform the development of targeted career resources and programming.
- Lead in the creation of resource materials for both faculty and students, such as online resources and guides, how to videos, and presentations.
- Oversee activity reporting for career development, ensuring accurate tracking of advising appointments, workshop attendance, and utilization of online tools and systems.
- Develop relationships with faculty to better understand career development needs and maintain a network of faculty career champions across campus.
- Professional development – attend webinars and other trainings; research trends and information related to student development, career development, advising best practices, the job and internship market.
Collaborative Responsibilities – Duties Shared Across All Career Coaches
- Engage with students and alumni through in-person and virtual advising appointments to support them in developing critical thinking, problem solving and independent learning skills throughout the career exploration and job search process. The Career Counselor will help individuals to:
- Master essential aspects of the internship/job search and application process, including networking, cover letter and resume writing, interviewing, and job offer evaluation/salary negotiation.
- Identify potential career paths through individual career counseling sessions.
- Explore career fields and job market conditions by assisting individuals in navigating online career resources.
- Develop effective strategies for identifying internship and career opportunities.
- Working collaboratively with the Executive Director and the ASC team design, contribute to the planning, delivery and assessment of in-person, virtual and hybrid workshops, special events, classroom presentations, and programming in collaboration with academic departments and campus programs, covering a range of topics such as resume preparation, understanding the job market, job & internship search strategies, career-related technology (e.g., LinkedIn, Handshake, PeopleGrove), interviewing, experiential learning opportunities, salary negotiation, career exploration, and choosing a major.
- Contribute to ideas for continuous improvement of services for connecting with all students and focused populations including PLU graduate students, alumni, Veterans, students with disabilities, and non-traditional aged students.
- Engage in outreach activities with academic departments, other student service offices, and student groups to promote integrated career planning, to foster inclusivity, and to provide support towards student success.
- Utilize appropriate technology to support and evaluate career development activities.
Perform other duties as assigned. (Required for all positions)
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
- Ability to articulate thoughts and express ideas effectively using oral, written and non-verbal communication skills as well as listening for meaning to gain understanding in person, virtually, and in writing.
- Ability to build and maintain collaborative relationships with others in a team setting through shared responsibility, empathy and respect.
- Ability to set priorities and manage details.
- Student-centered perspective with skill in the provision of career and internship advising to a diverse student body.
- Proficient in use of Google products (Gmail, Drive, Calendar), Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), and virtual meeting tools.
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree AND at least 1 year of experience (e.g. advising, counseling, marketing or teaching)
- Knowledge of and commitment to practices that support diversity, equity, and inclusion
- Knowledge of career and internship advising topics including exploration and decision-making, interest, skill, and work values identification/development, job search, graduate/professional school, post-graduate service search, resume, cover letter, personal statement writing, interviewing, and other career related topics.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Master’s degree is preferred
Work Conditions:
Physical Requirements:
Special Instructions to Applicants:
Other Information:
PLU is a small, private university where caring means more than kindness and consideration — it means a bold commitment to expanding well-being, opportunity, and justice. Because PLU is a community committed to the creation and advancement of knowledge through diversity and inclusion, the university actively recruits a diverse faculty, staff, and student body. PLU is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from members of historically underrepresented and minority groups, women, veterans, persons with disabilities, and others who would bring broadly diverse perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds in educational, research or other work activities.
PLU offers an excellent benefits package including tuition remission for employees and their dependents, retirement plan, medical, dental, paid vacation and sick leave, major holidays off (including Christmas/New Year’s break), additional flexible time off, and many other great university benefits. PLU is a qualifying employer under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program as a 501©(3) tax-exempt organization.
For general application questions or if you need accommodations at any point in the application and/or interview process, please contact the Human Resources Office at 253-535-7185 or humr@plu.edu
PLU offers an excellent benefits package including tuition remission for employees and their dependents, retirement plan, medical, dental, paid vacation and sick leave, major holidays off (including Christmas/New Year’s break), additional flexible time off, and many other great university benefits. PLU is a qualifying employer under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program as a 501©(3) tax-exempt organization.
For general application questions or if you need accommodations at any point in the application and/or interview process, please contact the Human Resources Office at 253-535-7185 or humr@plu.edu
Salary : $24 - $25
