Associate Director - Career & Experiential Learning (Engineering)

Vanderbilt University•Nashville, TN

19h

About The Position

The Associate Director of Career & Experiential Learning for Engineering & Technology leads the development and delivery of pathway-based career and experiential learning support for students pursuing careers across engineering, technology, computing, data science, and related technical fields. In partnership with the School of Engineering and Career Advancement & Engagement, the role integrates career coaching, experiential learning, faculty and academic engagement, and industry knowledge into a coordinated student experience. It helps students understand career possibilities, develop industry-relevant skills and experiences, and progress from early exploration through internships and full-time employment. The Associate Director serves as a primary bridge between Career Advancement & Engagement and the School of Engineering, working with faculty, academic advisers, departments, alumni, employers, and student organizations to create a more coordinated career-development experience. A particular emphasis is integrating career development and experiential learning early in the student journey, using projects, research, employer engagement, internships, and other experiences to support career exploration, professional capability development, and informed decisions. The role leads engineering and technology career pathways; provides individual and group coaching; integrates experiential learning into career development; partners with faculty and academic leaders; aligns employer, alumni, and university engagement with student needs; and assesses pathway participation and outcomes. The position reports administratively and functionally to the Senior Director of Engineering & Technology Career Pathways and works in close partnership with School of Engineering leadership, faculty, and staff.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree.
5–8+ years of experience in engineering, technology, career development, experiential learning, university-industry engagement, student development, recruiting, or a related field.
Demonstrated understanding of engineering and technology career pathways and professional opportunities for technically trained students.
Experience advising, mentoring, teaching, recruiting, or developing students or early-career technical talent.
Demonstrated ability to develop experiential-learning or career-development programs.
Ability to build effective relationships with students, faculty, academic leaders, alumni, employers, and university partners.
Strong communication, facilitation, coaching, and program-development skills.
Ability to operate effectively in a complex, highly collaborative environment.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree in business, engineering, technology, or a related field.
Professional experience within engineering, technology, computing, data science, product development, or another technical environment.
Experience working with engineering students or technically trained early-career professionals.
Familiarity with engineering recruiting, technical interviews, portfolio- or project-based hiring, and evolving technology talent practices.
Experience developing internships, employer projects, research-to-career programs, or other forms of experiential learning.
Familiarity with design thinking, Life Design, or other developmental approaches to career exploration.
Experience using AI and emerging technologies in career development, education, engineering, or professional practice.
Familiarity with CRM, Handshake, or similar student and employer engagement platforms.

Responsibilities

Lead the development and execution of career pathways for students across engineering, technology, computing, data science, and related technical fields.
Develop pathway-specific career preparation strategies reflecting professional opportunities across Vanderbilt's engineering disciplines.
Help students understand traditional engineering careers and emerging opportunities in technology, product development, AI, entrepreneurship, consulting, and other fields employing technical talent.
Monitor industry trends, recruiting practices, emerging occupations, and skill requirements, and translate them into student preparation.
Partner with academic departments to clarify career possibilities and strengthen connections between academic preparation and professional outcomes.
Provide individual and group coaching to undergraduate and graduate engineering students.
Help students explore career possibilities, articulate interests and goals, and plan how to gain relevant experience.
Help students translate coursework, research, projects, leadership, and other experiences into compelling professional narratives.
Prepare students for technical and behavioral interviews, networking, recruiting processes, and industry-specific expectations.
Develop milestone-based programming that supports progression from exploration through experiential learning, internships, and full-time placement.
Work closely with students in disciplines where career pathways are less visible or recruiting pipelines are less established.
Integrate experiential learning into engineering career development early in the student lifecycle.
Partner with faculty, academic programs, employers, alumni, and Career Advancement & Engagement colleagues to connect students with internships, projects, research, employer challenges, hackathons, company visits, and other applied experiences.
Help students use experiential learning to test career directions and develop industry-relevant capabilities.
Connect existing School of Engineering experiential opportunities to broader career development pathways.
Collaborate with the Associate Director for Employer & Industry Development to identify student needs that could be addressed through new employer-sponsored experiences.
Build working relationships with School of Engineering faculty, academic advisers, program leaders, and department leadership.
Serve as a Career Advancement & Engagement liaison and embedded partner to the School of Engineering.
Work with departments to identify gaps in student career preparation and develop coordinated solutions rather than duplicative programming.
Engage faculty in students' career ecosystems while ensuring they are supported rather than expected to serve as career advisers.
Identify opportunities to integrate career exploration, Life Design, employer exposure, and professional development into academic and co-curricular experiences.
Collaborate with the Associate Director for Employer & Industry Development to align employer-development priorities with student interests and academic strengths.
Engage alumni and industry professionals as mentors, speakers, advisers, and sources of career insight.
Support employer-facing programs that connect students with practitioners and organizations.
Help create a connected engineering career ecosystem involving students, faculty, alumni, employers, academic advisers, and Career Advancement & Engagement.
Track student engagement, experiential-learning participation, internship attainment, and full-time placement outcomes.
Identify outcome gaps by engineering discipline, degree level, career pathway, or student population.
Use feedback from students, faculty, employers, and alumni to improve pathway programming.
Monitor emerging career fields and changing skill requirements affecting engineering and technology students.
Contribute to assessment and reporting on Engineering & Technology pathway performance and student success.