What are the responsibilities and job description for the Director, Employer Engagement and Experiential Learning position at Rice University?
Job Description
Special Instructions to Applicants:
All interested applicants should attach a resume and cover letter in the Supporting Documents section of the application, preferably in a PDF format to avoid any formatting issues.
Position Summary
The Director leads the Employer Engagement Team, including employer relations, on-campus recruiting, experiential education, marketing, communication, career development events and first destination reporting. The Director supports the Executive Director in leading the vision, strategy, and goals of the Center for Career Development to help all Rice students find and make their place in the world by educating, connecting, and empowering students to pursue their professional goals. The Director collaborates in the Center for Career Development strategy development including what career development events and workshops to offer, long-range planning including capacity constraints for one-on-one appointments and options for scalability, and employer and alumni partnership development. He/she will lead employers in developing effective recruiting and marketing strategies unique to their goals. The Director oversees the administration of the Owl Edge Externship Program and the Summer Experience Fund. In addition to program administrative functions, this position is responsible for program design and development, reporting on semester and annual usage and first destinations, and evaluation of department offerings. Will supervise up to five staff members.
The ideal candidate has: 1) Strong Communication Skills: ability to communicate effectively with employers, students, faculty, and staff both verbally and in writing. 2) Networking Abilities: Proficiency in building and maintaining relationships with employers, alumni, and industry professionals to create job opportunities for students. 3) Understanding of Recruitment Trends: Knowledge of current recruitment practices, employer expectations, and industry trends to advise students and tailor career services accordingly. 4) Data Analysis and Reporting: Capability to analyze employment data, trends, and outcomes to assess the effectiveness of employer relations strategies. 5) Supervisory experience: Ability to lead, motivate, and guide the team to meet CCD’s goals and objectives.
Workplace Requirements
This position is offered as a hybrid role, combining both in-office and remote work to provide flexibility and support collaboration. Policy can change depending on recruiting time of year. Per Rice policy 440 , work arrangements may be subject to change.
Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime.
Minimum Requirements
Rice Mission and Values: Mission and Values | Rice University
Rice University is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to diversity at all levels. It considers for employment qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status.
About Us
Boasting a 300-acre tree-lined campus in Houston, Rice University is ranked among the nation’s top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has a 6-to-1 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio, and a residential college system, which supports students intellectually, emotionally and culturally through social events, intramural sports, student plays, lectures series, courses and student government. Developing close-knit, diverse college communities is a strong campus tradition, which is why Rice is highly ranked for best quality of life and best value among private universities.
Special Instructions to Applicants:
All interested applicants should attach a resume and cover letter in the Supporting Documents section of the application, preferably in a PDF format to avoid any formatting issues.
Position Summary
The Director leads the Employer Engagement Team, including employer relations, on-campus recruiting, experiential education, marketing, communication, career development events and first destination reporting. The Director supports the Executive Director in leading the vision, strategy, and goals of the Center for Career Development to help all Rice students find and make their place in the world by educating, connecting, and empowering students to pursue their professional goals. The Director collaborates in the Center for Career Development strategy development including what career development events and workshops to offer, long-range planning including capacity constraints for one-on-one appointments and options for scalability, and employer and alumni partnership development. He/she will lead employers in developing effective recruiting and marketing strategies unique to their goals. The Director oversees the administration of the Owl Edge Externship Program and the Summer Experience Fund. In addition to program administrative functions, this position is responsible for program design and development, reporting on semester and annual usage and first destinations, and evaluation of department offerings. Will supervise up to five staff members.
The ideal candidate has: 1) Strong Communication Skills: ability to communicate effectively with employers, students, faculty, and staff both verbally and in writing. 2) Networking Abilities: Proficiency in building and maintaining relationships with employers, alumni, and industry professionals to create job opportunities for students. 3) Understanding of Recruitment Trends: Knowledge of current recruitment practices, employer expectations, and industry trends to advise students and tailor career services accordingly. 4) Data Analysis and Reporting: Capability to analyze employment data, trends, and outcomes to assess the effectiveness of employer relations strategies. 5) Supervisory experience: Ability to lead, motivate, and guide the team to meet CCD’s goals and objectives.
Workplace Requirements
This position is offered as a hybrid role, combining both in-office and remote work to provide flexibility and support collaboration. Policy can change depending on recruiting time of year. Per Rice policy 440 , work arrangements may be subject to change.
Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime.
Minimum Requirements
- Bachelor’s Degree
- 7 years of experience in recruiting at the university level or with an organization
- In lieu of the experience requirement, additional related education, above and beyond what is required, may be substituted on an equivalent year-for-year basis.
- Exemplary leadership prowess evidenced by adept strategic decision-making and comprehensive organizational oversight
- Outstanding proficiency in both oral and written communication, demonstrating the ability to articulate intricate concepts with precision
- Strong interpersonal and organizational skills, underpinned by a deep comprehension of career development philosophy and models; proactive engagement with students
- Ability to interact and collaborate effectively with staff and faculty leaders, cultivating trust and confidence among students, and nurturing their progression into leadership roles
- Possesses diplomacy, patience, and tact as indispensable attributes for navigating a diverse spectrum of interactions successfully
- Adheres rigorously to confidentiality protocol
- Highly skilled in utilizing computer software, website development, and database packages, with a keen awareness of cutting-edge technological advancements in the field.
- Experience in University career services, alumni services, business, business development, human resources, recruiting
- Must have demonstrated ability to work both independently and collaboratively with program staff, faculty and course teams and external contractors
- Adept at problem solving, creating contingency plans, and handling issues when necessary.
- Strong client service orientation and attention to detail.
- Substantial knowledge and skills in current educational technologies, software and learning platforms.
- Lead projects through the design lifecycle from ideation, research and analysis, design, development, and launch; providing clear timelines and metrics through all phases, communicating with key stakeholders, and selecting appropriate measurement for successful implementation
- Provides strategic direction for all facets of the career development office, encompassing the establishment of strategic priorities, supervision of staff, and comprehensive budget management
- Formulates short and long-term operational plans, encompassing budgets, services, personnel, and technology
- Designs and executes workshops, seminars, and presentations targeting students, faculty, employers, and alumni groups, thereby enhancing the department's visibility
- Devises marketing strategies to promote a diverse range of departmental services to both new and existing employers
- Supervises the marketing and promotion of recruiting initiatives, ensuring their effectiveness
- Takes charge of student programming, overseeing, analyzing, and assessing student participation and its alignment with programmatic goals
- Cultivates and manages relationships with employers and recruiters across a broad spectrum of industries and organizations
- Sustains connections with academic departments, collaborative offices, and residential college constituencies, enhancing services for current and evolving affiliate programs
- Leads the development and implementation of major programs including employer relations and on-campus recruiting, experiential education, marketing, communication, career development events, and first destination reporting.
- Collaborates with faculty and staff leadership to design programs and establish long range strategic and operational plans
- Oversees the operations, administration, and evaluation of programs
- Identifies and implements program changes to ensure alignment with mission and program effectiveness
- Develops and implements strategies related to outreach, events, communication, and sponsorships
- Devises and manages financial and budgetary plans for the program(s), approves and monitors expenses for CCD events and resources including Career Crawls, on-line resources, and sponsorship opportunities
- May be responsible for grant preparation and submission or research administration
- May teach a course, seminar or workshop
- May supervise staff (up to five full time staff)
- Leads and supervises the employer engagement staff, including fostering a collaborative team; ensuring appropriate staff training, coaching and assignment of team responsibilities, delegating work assignments, managing and coordinating hiring and development activities for the team, setting expectations, and managing performance
- Collaborates with the Executive Director and the Director of Career Development and Counseling in guiding the CCD to meet its objectives, including but not limited to setting yearly career education/workshop schedule, guiding team through the strategic plan
- Creates short term and long term plans to achieve mission and objectives for the instructional content and programs.
- Develops and maintains relationships with Rice recruiters, alumni, parents, and friends of Rice to create opportunities for Rice students through internships, full-time positions, externships, and mentoring opportunities.
- Oversees and shepherds the CCD’s goal setting process.
- Serves in a leadership capacity responsible for reporting to outside agencies and internal partners including NACE, US News and World Report, academic school deans and department chairs, and other ad hoc requests as received. Uses reporting, metrics, and data to assess effectiveness of program goals and activities. Partners with the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Office of Institutional Research to collect data and execute student surveys.
- Represents CCD on various committees and work groups, and acts on behalf of the Executive Director, as requested. Assists Executive Director and other CCD staff on projects or filling in where needed during periodic workflow constraints. Provides one-on-one student and alumni coaching as appropriate. Rotate as needed for student walk-in hours.
- May teach or co-teach CCD course offering and create and deliver workshops.
- Supervises Center for Career Development staff
Rice Mission and Values: Mission and Values | Rice University
Rice University is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to diversity at all levels. It considers for employment qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status.
About Us
Boasting a 300-acre tree-lined campus in Houston, Rice University is ranked among the nation’s top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has a 6-to-1 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio, and a residential college system, which supports students intellectually, emotionally and culturally through social events, intramural sports, student plays, lectures series, courses and student government. Developing close-knit, diverse college communities is a strong campus tradition, which is why Rice is highly ranked for best quality of life and best value among private universities.
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