Associate Director, Career and Professional Development Advising

Colorado School of Mines

2d • Hybrid

About The Position

Engineering a world of possibilities The transition from student to professional is integral to the success of Mines graduates and to the mission of Mines as an institution. The Associate Director of Career and Professional Development Advising fulfills the mission to maximize professional development of students and recent graduates at Mines, to oversee first destination employment outcomes, and to supervise the delivery of career and professional development advising and programming. The Associate Director leads the design, coordination, and continuous improvement of advising services, professional development resources, and institution wide programming, supervising the delivery of career and professional development advising while guiding curriculum, resource development, and a cohesive strategy for workshops, events, and engagement initiatives. The role also oversees the production of comprehensive graduate outcome surveys and the annual first destination report, ensuring data accuracy, accessibility, and strategic use in institutional planning. Central to this leadership is the strategic integration and advancement of Professional Advantage, the Vallejo Irvine Program (VIP) for Professional Development, and Mines’ broader professional development ecosystem, ensuring these initiatives collectively deliver high impact, inclusive, and scalable professional development experiences that meet the evolving needs of Mines’ diverse student population. Through data driven decision making, cross campus collaboration, strong professional staff supervision skills, and a commitment to professional development, the Associate Director strengthens Mines’ capacity to prepare students for graduate school, industry roles, entrepreneurial ventures, and emerging fields. This leadership position plays a critical role in shaping the professional readiness of Mines graduates and elevating the visibility and impact of Professional Advantage, VIP, and all Career Center professional development and career-readiness initiatives across campus. This is a full-time, 12-month professional exempt position. NOTE: this Position may be eligible for occasional hybrid work, following a training period and subject to Leadership approval at that time.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in student affairs, career development or counseling, college student personnel, higher education administration, or related field from an accredited institution of higher education.
• Five to seven years’ experience advising students and graduates on career development and job searching techniques.
• Two to five years’ experience developing, supervising, and evaluating professional staff.
• Experience with coordinating and organizing workshops, meetings and events.
• Significant experience in using university data systems and database applications for data collection, analysis, and reporting.
• Experience using Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Proven skills in organizing resources and establishing priorities; ability to analyze and solve problems.
• Demonstrated presentation skills.
• Strong interpersonal and communications skills, works effectively with postsecondary staff and faculty.
• Knowledge of laws and regulations as applicable to the employment recruitment of interns, co-ops and new graduates.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in gathering data, compiling and analyzing information, and preparing reports from systems such as Symplicity, Banner, Cognos, or another comparable systems.
• Significant experience in the supervision and training of student employees, including organizing, prioritizing, and scheduling work assignments.
• Experience in coordinating and organizing classroom instruction and staffing.
• Experience working directly with undergraduate and graduate level engineering, business, and/or technology students.
• Knowledge of NACE university recruiting principles and procedures.

Responsibilities

• Strategic and operational leadership with professional development programs Provides leadership in managing programs, directing initiatives, and setting strategic goals that deliver career guidance, professional development, and job‑search support to all students and recent graduates, ensuring equitable access to high‑quality advising services.
• Oversees the scheduling and delivery of individual and group advising—both appointment‑based and drop‑in—to support instruction in career exploration, résumé and CV development, cover and thank‑you letter writing, interview preparation, offer negotiation, and other essential job‑search competencies.
• Leads and advances key professional development initiatives, including Professional Advantage, the Second‑Year Signature Experience, and the Vallejo‑Irvine Program (VIP), ensuring alignment with institutional goals and student needs.
• Instructs students and recent graduates on the use of the online recruiting system and communicates Career Center policies and procedures to support effective engagement with services.
• Supports the continued execution and expansion of Career Center academic courses, including CSM250: Engineering Your Career Path, and CSM550: Navigating Career Success, ensuring courses are high quality and relevant.
• Designs, schedules, and delivers presentations and career‑related workshops for current students, prospective students, and graduates, contributing to a comprehensive professional development ecosystem.
• Maintains a small caseload of student advisees, providing individualized career, job‑search, and professional development advising.
• Data management and Reporting Responsibilities Leads the strategic design, implementation, and continuous improvement of all first‑destination data collection and analysis efforts, including developing outreach plans, managing data workflows, and establishing staff goals, timelines, and performance benchmarks.
• Partners closely with the Office of Institutional Research and Strategic Analytics to maintain and enhance Tableau‑based outcomes dashboards, and provides training to Career Center staff and campus stakeholders to ensure effective use of data tools.
• Supervises data entry processes and oversees the generation of statistics measuring student engagement and post‑graduation outcomes, including part-time technical roles, summer positions, cooperative education, full-time employment, graduate school enrollment, and continuing education.
• Produces annual and one‑year follow-up reports on post‑graduation survey results, including detailed salary analyses and trend summaries.
• Serves as the operational lead, in collaboration with the Director, for Career Center software systems supporting professional development, advising, and data management; evaluates, implements, and maintains vendor solutions to ensure optimal functionality.
• Contributes to the development of the Career Center Annual Report by providing accurate, comprehensive data and narrative content related to first‑destination outcomes and advising engagement.
• Responds to internal and external requests for employment and outcomes information, ensuring accuracy, clarity, and alignment with institutional reporting standards.
• Collects and analyzes program data, preparing periodic and ad hoc reports to support decision‑making, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Maintains program records and statistical information related to graduate employment outcomes and program effectiveness.
• Supervision and Administrative Oversight Provides thoughtful, intentional supervision of the Assistant Director for Career and Professional Development and the Career and Professional Development Advisors, ensuring high‑quality delivery of Mines Career Center programs and services to students, graduates, and campus stakeholders.
• Oversees all aspects of staff supervision including hiring, evaluation, professional development, and, when necessary and with appropriate approvals, termination, while offering guidance, coaching, and support that fosters staff growth and long-term professional success.
• Exercises administrative oversight of transactional and fiscal responsibilities associated with the Associate Director role and supervised positions, including management of the area budget, personal P‑Card, budget projections, and reconciliation in collaboration with the Career Center Administrative Assistant.
• Support of Career Center Efforts and Other Duties as assigned Serves as a key member of the Career Center leadership team, contributing to the strategic development, growth, and execution of Career Center priorities and initiatives, including providing meaningful support for major efforts such as Career Days.
• Assumes Director‑level responsibilities when needed, representing the Career Center at meetings, stewarding delegated projects, and ensuring continuity of leadership; such delegation is based on capacity and is not intended to be indefinite.
• Actively participates in Student Life and broader Mines community, attending relevant meetings, engaging in cross‑campus initiatives, volunteering when appropriate, and ensures involvement in campus‑wide programming and service from direct supervisees.

Benefits

• Flexible health and dental care options
• Generous sick/vacation time: 13 paid holidays per year – including a week-long winter break for entire campus.
• Fully vested retirement plan on first day of employment, with generous employer contribution
• Tuition benefits (6 credits per year for employees, 50 percent discount for dependents)
• Free RTD Ecopass
• All Mines employees also have access to discount programs through the State of Colorado and free tickets for Mines Athletics home games, as well as access to the state of the art Recreation Center (fitness classes and training, swimming pool and more) and equipment rentals through the Outdoor Rec Center.
• We are proud to have recently opened an on campus daycare center.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Number of Employees: 101-250 employees