Associate Director of Employer Relations - Center for Career Development and Academic Exploration - UTK

University of Tennessee•Knoxville, TN

5d•Onsite

About The Position

The Associate Director of Employer Relations provides strategic and operational leadership for the Center for Career Development & Academic Exploration’s employer relations, external partnerships, and career outcomes efforts. The position supervises the Assistant Director of Employer Development and the Assistant Director of Employer Engagement, and ensures alignment across employer development, engagement, and strategic partnership activities. The Associate Director manages the Center’s highest-level employer relationships, including Elite Partners and the Employer Advisory Council; develops opportunities for alumni to contribute to student success and career readiness; coordinates strategic employer and executive engagement with the University; and leads the Center’s career outcomes strategy. The role works collaboratively across the Center, Division of Student Success, academic colleges, Advancement, alumni engagement, and other university partners to strengthen connections among students, employers, alumni, and the University.

Requirements

Master’s degree in higher education, student affairs, business, communications, public administration, human resources, or a related field.
At least five years of professional experience in career services, employer relations, corporate partnerships, alumni engagement, advancement, workforce development, or a related area.
Demonstrated experience supervising professional staff or leading teams.
Knowledge of employer relations, strategic partnerships, career development, career outcomes, and workforce trends.
Knowledge of career outcomes data collection and reporting practices, including NACE standards and data quality principles.
Skill in building, stewarding, and expanding relationships.
Skills in supervision, team leadership, strategic planning, project management, and cross-functional collaboration.
Skill in analyzing, interpreting, and communicating data to varied audiences.
Ability to navigate complex organizations, build consensus, and lead initiatives across multiple stakeholder groups.
Ability to think strategically, exercise sound judgment, and manage multiple priorities with a high degree of independence.
Must be legally authorized to work in the United States full-time without a need now or in the future for sponsorship for employment-based visa status.

Nice To Haves

Higher education career services or employer relations experience.
Strategic partnership program experience.
First-destination or career outcomes experience and knowledge of NACE standards.
Experience with 12Twenty, Handshake, or comparable career technologies.
Experience collaborating with advancement, alumni relations, academic units, and senior leadership.

Responsibilities

Provide direct supervision, coaching, professional development, and performance management for the Assistant Director of Employer Development and Assistant Director of Employer Engagement.
Provide operational leadership for the Employer Relations unit and align employer development and engagement activities with Center and University priorities.
Establish goals, priorities, expectations, and workflows across Employer Relations functions in partnership with the Director.
Promote collaboration across the Employer Relations team and other Center functions, including Career Coaching & Education and Academic & Career Exploration.
Identify opportunities to improve processes, employer experience, team effectiveness, and resource utilization through assessment, stakeholder feedback, and emerging best practices.
Serve on the Center’s leadership team and represent Employer Relations in the Director’s absence, as appropriate.
Serve as primary relationship manager for the Center’s highest-level employer partners in the Elite Partners Program.
Develop individualized engagement strategies connecting partner organizations with recruiting, career readiness, experiential learning, student success, and other University priorities.
Lead partnership stewardship, assessment, renewal, and expansion, using engagement data and stakeholder feedback to evaluate impact and identify opportunities for growth.
Lead the Employer Advisory Council, including membership strategy, meeting planning and facilitation, member engagement, and translating employer insights into recommendations.
Provide strategic direction for and host high-level employer engagement and campus visits, partnering with Employer Development and Employer Engagement staff on planning and execution.
Collaborate with University partners to identify innovative opportunities to deepen employer relationships and advance institutional priorities.
Lead and streamline the Center’s career outcomes strategy, including collection, validation, analysis, and reporting of first-destination and career outcomes data.
Ensure career outcomes practices align with NACE standards and University reporting expectations, and improve data quality, consistency, efficiency, and knowledge rates.
Coordinate outcomes data from students, employers, institutional systems, and other sources, collaborating with the Career Systems Manager on effective use of 12Twenty and related technologies.
Analyze and translate career outcomes data into insights that inform strategy, demonstrate student success, and communicate impact to internal and external stakeholders.
Lead and support annual and institutional reporting related to student career outcomes and employer engagement.
Develop and lead a coordinated strategy for engaging alumni in career development and student success through contributions of time, talent, expertise, and professional networks.
Create opportunities for alumni participation in mentoring, career education, experiential learning, networking, employer engagement, and other student-facing initiatives.
Partner with Advancement, alumni engagement, academic colleges, Student Success, and other University stakeholders to align and steward alumni and external partnerships.
Identify and develop collaborative opportunities among alumni, employers, and campus partners that advance career readiness and post-graduation success.
Support Employer Relations team efforts, including orienting employers to UTK recruiting, tracking employer engagement and industry trends, and identifying growth opportunities.
Serve on the departmental leadership team, support effective departmental operations, analyze the long-term impact of decisions and plans, and establish and evaluate performance standards.
Assist with departmental activities, events, and programs aligned with the Center’s mission, including career fairs and major events, marketing, and community outreach.
Participate in Division of Student Success activities aligned with the Division’s mission.
Participate in professional development activities to maintain professional knowledge and leadership skills.
Investigate employment trends and hiring practices and train Center staff on relevant information.
Participate in local, state, regional, and national organizations, such as chambers of commerce, SoACE, and NACE, to increase employment opportunities for students and alumni.