Director of Career Exploration

Company: Roanoke College
Location: Salem
Posted on: January 27, 2023

Job Description:

Job Description

The Director of Career Exploration will lead efforts in providing a comprehensive and contemporary career center, serving students throughout their undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate years. Our on-campus center for Purpose, Life, and Career Exploration (PLACE) is dedicated to helping students develop career and life trajectories aligned with their strengths and sense of purpose. Rethinking the role of career services, this center blends traditional programming and support with counseling to guide students through the exploration of their ambitions, their goals, and their next steps moving forward. Encompassing career development, experiential learning, internship advising, student employment, career explorations, career advising, and exploration of purpose, PLACE is poised to innovate and transform the ways in which career and life planning services, programs, and resources are delivered.

Supported by the Assistant Director of Career Development & Professional Transitions and the Coordinator of Operations, the Director will develop and implement programs, services, resources, and engagement opportunities that will support students as they explore and prepare for life and work through their chosen careers and vocational paths. The Director will work with faculty and staff to integrate vocational exploration in the classroom and in other student-focused programs.

Reporting to the Senior Advisor to the President for Strategic Initiatives, the Director of Career Exploration is an integral part of the PLACE leadership team which includes the Director of New Student Orientation & Transitions and the Director of Strategic Partnerships for Student & Alumni Success. Together, the team provides visionary, innovative, and strategic leadership in creating a proactive and forward-thinking resource for students, alumni, faculty, and staff that prepares Roanoke College students for purpose driven lives and meaningful careers.

Opportunities and Challenges

The Director of Career Exploration will play a critical role in addressing the following opportunities and challenges:

Promote visibility of PLACE to increase student awareness and usage of resources. The Director will identify new approaches and leverage technology to effectively communicate the services and resources of PLACE, with a particular focus on strategies to reach and serve student populations with unique needs (e.g.: first-generation). The Director will also highlight news, accomplishments, and insights to effectively tell the story of the work of PLACE.

Gather and report annual data. The Director will be responsible for accurately collecting post-graduation data in accordance with National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) standards and protocols, and participation rates in high-impact practices. Utilizing their knowledge of assessment methods and database management, the Director will gather and analyze data to inform PLACE marketing and programming initiatives and effectively communicate to ensure that key constituents are informed regarding PLACE information and metrics.

Engage and collaborate with faculty and academic departments to ensure their involvement and expertise are fully utilized and leveraged. The Director will build strong relationships with faculty to collaboratively identify opportunities for integration of career exploration in the classroom or through departmental programs and initiatives. Informed by relevant historical data and external market trends, the Director will lead efforts to ensure there are clearly defined pathways, experiences, and support to post-graduate success for all students in all majors.

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead, supervise, and mentor the Assistant Director and the Coordinator of Operations. Lead meetings, trainings, and provide professional development opportunities. Inspire and motivate them to innovate, reaching beyond traditional responsibilities and ways of operating.
• Provide creative and strategic vision and leadership for a broad and dynamic range of curricular and co-curricular developmental career and life planning programs and services for students and alumni populations. Including but not limited to: career advising, experiential learning opportunities, individual career counseling, internships, student employment, partnerships on academic course offerings, and development of career and life planning learning outcomes and assessments.
• In collaboration with the Director of Strategic Partnerships for Student & Alumni Success and the Director of New Student Orientation and Transitions, cultivate strategic partnerships across campus including, faculty, staff, students, academic departments, student affairs departments, alumni engagement and development offices, alumni, parents, and community partners and employers to facilitate and support a robust career and life planning program. Incorporate ways for students to align their strengths, interests, beliefs, and values with vocational paths.
• Forge partnerships with faculty and academic departments in the development and sustainability of discipline-based and career discernment programs.
• Evaluate current PLACE programs and practices to identify areas for growth or improvement; collect and analyze performance metrics and measurable outcomes; assess effectiveness of current technologies, databases, and social media, and make recommendations as needed on tools to ensure PLACE objectives are achieved.
• Promote services, programs, and resources to internal and external stakeholders including students, faculty, staff, employers, and alumni through the use of marketing, including networking, brand management, social media, technology, professional presentations and print collateral.
• Administer PLACE budget and ensure funding for existing and future programs and initiatives.
• Engage as a member of the college community, serving on campus committees and task forces, participating in and contributing to major college activities and events, and engaging in professional associations to promote the objectives of PLACE and the College.
  Desired Qualifications and Characteristics
  
  • Master's degree in human resources, counseling, student personnel, marketing or other related field
  • Progressively responsible experience in support of career and professional development
  • Demonstrated ability to be innovative, entrepreneurial, and able to conceive of and implement an exciting vision, in collaboration with others
  • Comprehensive and contemporary knowledge of career and vocation services, trends and best practices, and employment trends and markets
  • Experience and demonstrated ability in leading and managing staff
  • Effective oral and written communication, interpersonal, leadership, and collaboration skills
  • Understanding of the academic environment and knowledge of student learning and student development
  • Ability to help students translate, articulate, and leverage an exceptional educational experience
  • Ability to build relationships and partnerships with a wide variety of stakeholders
  • Cultural sensitivity and competency around multiple dimensions of diversity and access
  • Ability to promote an inclusive and equitable working and learning environment for all students, employees, alumni, employers and other constituencies
  • Exceptional organizational, analytical, presentation, and public speaking skills
  • Decisive, collegial, and data-informed objective decision-making that moves processes forward
    Roanoke College is a nationally ranked residential liberal arts college affiliated with the Lutheran Church (ELCA), located in the beautiful Roanoke Valley of Virginia. A Phi Beta Kappa institution, Roanoke College is an equal opportunity employer and actively seeks diversity among its faculty, staff, and students; women and members of under-represented groups are especially encouraged to apply.

Keywords: Roanoke College, Roanoke , Director of Career Exploration, Executive , Salem, Virginia