Assistant Director, Career Development

Rice University•Houston, TX

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

Under general direction, the Assistant Director of Career Development delivers individual and group career coaching, designs and teaches contemporary career readiness curricula, and orchestrates impactful campus outreach. This position serves as a member of a collaborative, high-impact career development team and as a school liaison for the School of Engineering and Computing, in addition to designated industry career communities, building structural bridges between academic exploration and real-world professional environments. As the Center for Career Development (CCD) advances a comprehensive career ecosystem model across campus, the Assistant Director serves as a vital champion of student career readiness. This role goes beyond traditional transactional milestones to help students actively design their professional futures and launch successfully into the global workforce. The Assistant Director directly impacts the upward mobility of an exceptionally bright, diverse student body by facilitating and creating innovative career curricula and building authentic, high-trust relationships. This is a visible opportunity to practice equity-forward, student-centered career education at an elite global university.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree.
2+ years of professional experience within university career services, talent development, recruiting, workforce development, student success, advising, or a closely related, people-facing consultative role.
Evidence-based individual and group career counseling.
Strong facilitation, presentation, and communication skills.
Ability to build trust and rapport across diverse student, alumni, employer, faculty, staff, and family audiences.
Demonstrated independence, initiative, and an active, student-first mindset.
Foundational knowledge of labor market dynamics, occupational tracking, and structured coaching frameworks.
Strong project management, organizational, and analytical skills.
Proficiency with modern productivity tools (ex. Microsoft Office Suite, Google Workspace, collaborative virtual platforms).

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Counseling, Higher Education Administration, Student Affairs, Human Resource Development, or a related behavioral science field.
Prior experience operating within a fast-paced, high-performing university career ecosystem, with a proven track record of serving diverse student bodies.
Familiarity with nationally recognized career readiness frameworks (ex. National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Career Readiness Competencies, High-Impact Practices (HIPs)).
Hands-on experience administering and interpreting standard career assessments and navigating specialized campus talent management platforms (ex. Handshake, 12twenty, Symplicity).
Prior experience teaching students how to ethically navigate AI-driven Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), optimize profiles for digital algorithmic screening, and utilize generative tools for mock interviews.
Evidence-based individual and group career counseling, including the use of career assessments (ex. MBTI, Strong Interest Inventory, Focus2).
Advanced oral, written, and presentation skills; high relational intelligence and demonstrated diplomacy across diverse populations.
Knowledge of labor market trends, hiring practices, and equity-focused advising models.

Responsibilities

Deliver individual and group career coaching.
Design and teach contemporary career readiness curricula.
Orchestrate impactful campus outreach.
Serve as a school liaison for the School of Engineering and Computing and designated industry career communities.
Build structural bridges between academic exploration and real-world professional environments.
Champion student career readiness.
Help students design their professional futures and launch successfully into the global workforce.
Facilitate and create innovative career curricula.
Build authentic, high-trust relationships.
Practice equity-forward, student-centered career education.
Conceptualize, deliver, and continuously optimize modern career workshops, credit-bearing courses, and educational resources.
Design and implement equitable, scalable career initiatives tailored to support specialized student populations.
Provide direct operational oversight, mentorship, and training to assigned CCD peer cohorts.
Conduct educational and informational sessions for university faculty and staff to promote a shared institutional responsibility for embedding career readiness across the co-curriculum.
Guide students and recent alumni through holistic internship, employment, and graduate school exploration using structured coaching frameworks and career assessment tools.
Utilize career management software and student information platforms to track student engagement, analyze intervention outcomes, and produce qualitative and quantitative progress reports.
Develop and update high-quality digital, print, and social media career resources.
Monitor, benchmark, and report on emerging national trends in career services and student development.
Collaborate with the Employer Engagement Team to provide essential operational support during major recruitment events.
Support CCD colleagues on special strategic projects or fill operational gaps during peak workflow constraints.
Serve as an exemplary representative of Rice University, exercising exceptional diplomacy, courtesy, tact, and discretion in all internal and public-facing interactions.
Perform all other duties as assigned.