Associate Director

The College of Wooster•Wooster, OH

11h

About The Position

The Associate Director at The College of Wooster’s Institute for Business and Entrepreneurship plans, implements, and assesses student-facing programs and experiential learning opportunities. The role oversees day-to-day programming, including professional development workshops, company visits, career treks, entrepreneurship and innovation initiatives, applied business experiences, certification programs, and Business Fellows activities. The position builds relationships with students, faculty, alumni, employers, entrepreneurs, and community partners; coordinates complex program logistics; and fosters an engaging, inclusive learning environment. As a contributor to a growing Institute, the Associate Director develops programs, processes, and partnerships that strengthen student engagement and support career and entrepreneurial success. The role also supports internships, consulting projects, innovation challenges, student ventures, and professional development. It provides individual student coaching, leads the Business Fellows cohort’s development and engagement, collaborates with academic departments to advance entrepreneurship across campus, supervises student employees, and represents the Institute internally and externally when the Executive Director is unavailable.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required.
Demonstrated experience in program, project, event, experiential learning, student engagement, business, entrepreneurship, career development, or related program management roles.
Strong organizational, project management, and problem-solving skills, including the ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines in a dynamic environment.
Ability to build effective relationships with students, faculty, administrators, alumni, employers, and external partners while fostering an inclusive and engaging environment.
Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills; ability to work independently and exercise sound judgment.
Experience coordinating complex programs, events, partnerships, or experiential learning opportunities, including operational planning and logistics management.
Ability to coach, mentor, or advise students and support their professional, leadership, and career development.
Entrepreneurial, proactive, and resourceful approach; strong attention to detail and comfort working in a fast-moving environment.
Ability to move comfortably between students and senior external professionals.
Knowledge of the Microsoft Office suite and comfort using generative AI.
Student-centered relationship-building abilities and professional judgment.
Commitment to the College of Wooster’s mission, vision, and values.
Ability and willingness to work occasional evenings and weekends and travel with students as needed.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree or equivalent professional experience preferred.
Experience using assessment methods and data to evaluate program effectiveness and drive continuous improvement preferred.
Familiarity with entrepreneurship, business, innovation, professional development, higher education, student affairs, economic development, or related fields preferred.

Responsibilities

Develop, coordinate, and assess student-focused programs and experiences supporting business, entrepreneurship, innovation, and career readiness.
Plan and execute an annual calendar of workshops, speakers, networking events, competitions, company visits, career treks, and experiential learning opportunities.
Recruit, engage, and advise students from diverse academic backgrounds and foster an inclusive, active Institute community.
Coordinate company visits, career treks, and other off-campus experiences, including student preparation, logistics, transportation, and post-event assessment.
Support internships, consulting projects, innovation challenges, and other applied business experiences as liaison among students, faculty, and external partners.
Direct entrepreneurship and innovation programming, including pitch competitions, workshops, ecosystem engagement activities, and student venture support.
Establish and manage professional development initiatives and certification programs, including workshop delivery, credential administration, and completion tracking.
Coach and guide students on professional development, networking, experiential opportunities, and career-related resources.
Lead recruitment, development, and engagement of the Business Fellows cohort through leadership development, mentoring, programming, and outcomes tracking.
Build and maintain relationships with alumni, employers, entrepreneurs, and community partners; track outcomes, analyze engagement data, and improve programs continuously.
Collaborate with academic departments to advance entrepreneurship across campus.
Supervise student employees.
Represent the Institute internally and externally when the Executive Director is unavailable.