Associate Director, Career Readiness

Internal•Bellingham, WA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Academic Advising and Career Readiness (AACR) supports students’ academic advising and career development, fosters campus partnerships, and connects students with institutional resources. The Associate Director leads the development, implementation, and assessment of career education initiatives supporting student and alumni career readiness. The role designs career learning experiences, educational resources, and scalable programs that help students build the knowledge, skills, and confidence to navigate career exploration, experiential learning, job and internship searches, and lifelong career management. Working with the Executive Director of Academic Advising & Career Readiness and other colleagues, the Associate Director collaborates with faculty, advisors, student affairs professionals, and campus partners to integrate career readiness throughout the student experience. The role also collaborates with academic partners on industry relations strategies to expand internship and employment opportunities, oversees career education curriculum, digital learning resources, workshops, outreach, and employer engagement, and works with industry and corporate leaders to support student retention and post-graduation success. This position reports to the Executive Director of Academic Advising & Career Readiness.

Requirements

Master’s degree in Career Development, Counseling, Student Affairs, Education, Business Management, or Human Resources Management.
Three years of professional experience in career services, advising, counseling, workforce development, or education.
Three or more years of progressively responsible experience supervising professional staff.
Experience designing and delivering educational programs, workshops, or curriculum.
Experience supporting diverse student populations.
Experience building collaborative partnerships across diverse stakeholder groups.
Experience using assessment data to evaluate and improve programs and services.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Experience using technology and software such as Microsoft 365, Teams, and Zoom.
Submit an ADEI statement describing professional commitment and experience fostering an inclusive environment.
Comply with WWU immunization policies, including providing proof of Rubeola (measles) immunity within 60 days of hire.
Use WWU-issued computer equipment and work-related software platforms, including Microsoft 365 applications and Zoom.
Employment eligibility verification and a background check, including a sexual misconduct background check, are required for new hires.

Nice To Haves

Experience integrating career readiness into academic or co-curricular environments.
Experience working with Canvas, career technologies, or digital learning tools.
Familiarity with NACE Career Readiness Competencies and career development theory.
Fluency in two or more languages.

Responsibilities

Lead the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of the department’s career education strategy.
Design, implement, and assess career education curriculum and programming aligned with institutional goals and career readiness competencies.
Develop and maintain career learning outcomes, milestones, and student success benchmarks across the student lifecycle.
Create scalable career-development educational resources, guides, toolkits, and learning materials.
Monitor trends and best practices in career development and higher education and use assessment data and student feedback to improve offerings and outcomes.
Collaborate with faculty, advisors, and campus partners to integrate career readiness into courses, advising, co-curricular experiences, and student programs.
Consult with campus partners on embedding career learning into existing student experiences and support career readiness initiatives across colleges, departments, and student organizations.
Develop, manage, and coordinate activities and meetings for career-related advisory committees involving on- and off-campus stakeholders.
Promote career-readiness technology and software across campus.
Engage with industry partners to support student internship and employment opportunities and collaborate with academic partners on industry relations strategy.
Develop resources and training materials that help campus partners facilitate career-related learning experiences.
Coordinate with the Career Coach to develop and deliver career-readiness workshops and programs; implement innovative student engagement approaches.
Expand self-service career education resources and learning opportunities, and coordinate outreach to increase awareness and use of career services.
Lead implementation and integration of career-readiness technology solutions in collaboration with the Program Specialist.
Evaluate program effectiveness and recommend improvements based on participation and assessment data.
Support new-student onboarding experiences.
Supervise career-readiness staff, including the Career Coach and Program Specialist; create leadership and professional-development opportunities; and coordinate staff scheduling, assignments, and program support responsibilities.
Provide career-readiness training and professional development for the WWU advising community.
Facilitate distributed drop-in advising and career education services across campus.
Provide career coaching and advising to students and alumni as needed, including support with career exploration, internship and job searches, networking, and career decisions.
Develop resources that help students independently navigate career-development processes.