Career Education & Community Engagement Coordinator

California State University, Bakersfield • Bakersfield, CA

9d • Onsite

About The Position

As part of the Division of Student Affairs and Strategic Enrollment Management, the CSUB Center for Career Education and Community Engagement (CECE) prepares students for lifelong learning and professional success by integrating career education with meaningful community engagement. CECE builds strong partnerships with community organizations, employers, students, faculty, and staff to provide comprehensive career counseling, job opportunities, and service-learning experiences. Staff work directly with students to explore their educational and career goals, guiding them in creating academic- and community-oriented professional roadmaps for success. The Career Education & Community Engagement (CECE) Coordinator independently develops, implements, and assesses comprehensive career and community engagement programs that prepare students and alumni for professional success and lifelong learning. Working under the general direction of the Director, the incumbent exercises professional judgment to provide advanced career advising, program planning, and strategic partnership development with employers, faculty, and community organizations. The CECE Coordinator independently coordinates major initiatives, provides lead direction to professional and student staff, designs career readiness curricula, and analyzes student engagement data to inform program improvement and reporting. The incumbent serves as a key advisor and campus resource on career education and community engagement, integrating career readiness across the university and representing CECE in campus‐wide initiatives. In the Director’s absence, the Coordinator exercises delegated authority for daily operations and lead direction over staff.

Requirements

• Equivalent to graduation from a four-year college or university in a related field, including or supplemented by upper division or graduate course work in counseling techniques, interviewing, and conflict resolution where such are job-related and three (3) years of progressively responsible professional student services work.
• A master’s degree in Counseling, Clinical Psychology, Social Work, or a directly related field may be substituted for one year of experience.
• A doctorate degree and the appropriate internship or clinical training in counseling or guidance may be substituted for the three years of experience for positions with a major responsibility for professional career or personal counseling.
• Regular and reliable attendance is required.
• Deep understanding of career counseling models, student development theory, and career readiness frameworks (e.g., NACE competencies).
• Ability to apply counseling techniques to guide students through complex career and life decisions.
• Skill in independently designing, coordinating, and assessing multifaceted career and engagement programs with measurable learning outcomes.
• Ability to integrate academic, experiential, and community-based learning components.
• Ability to design and manage assessment tools and dashboards for reporting student engagement outcomes.
• Capacity to analyze complex, ambiguous situations and exercise sound professional judgment when established guidelines do not apply.
• Understanding of workforce development practices, hiring trends, and regional employer needs and translate this knowledge into advising strategies and employer engagement efforts.
• Ability to provide lead direction, training, and feedback to professional staff, student assistants, and interns.
• Understanding of equity-minded and inclusive excellence principles in student affairs.
• Demonstrated customer service experience requiring a very high level of diplomacy and professionalism.
• Ability to use tact and diplomacy to effectively handle a broad range of high level and sensitive interpersonal situations with diverse personalities, and to respond appropriately to conflicts and problems.
• Ability to initiate, establish, and foster communication and teamwork by maintaining a positive, cooperative, productive work atmosphere in the University with the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships within a diverse population and with those from various cultural backgrounds.
• Excellent communication skills; ability to effectively communicate information in a clear and understandable manner.
• Thorough knowledge of English grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
• Ability to interpret, communicate and apply policies and procedures.
• Ability to maintain a high degree of confidentiality.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills with the ability to set own priorities to coordinate multiple assignments with fluctuating and time-sensitive deadlines.
• Excellent computer skills and competence with a variety of computer applications including word-processing, spreadsheets, databases, on-line systems, Internet as well as online calendaring and email.
• Working knowledge of or ability to quickly learn University infrastructure.
• Must be willing to travel and attend training programs off-site for occasional professional development.
• Must be able to work occasional holidays and adjust working hours to meet special jobs.
• May be called back periodically to perform work as needed on an emergency basis.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree in job related.
• Demonstrated skills in an institutional/educational environment possessing a customer-oriented and service-centered attitude.

Responsibilities

• Plan, implement, and evaluate career education and community engagement programs that integrate academic learning with professional and civic development.
• Collaborate with faculty to embed career readiness and community engagement components into coursework and co‐curricular learning.
• Serve as lead for assigned program area, providing guidance and training to staff and student assistants.
• Independently identify program gaps and develop innovative solutions to enhance student participation and learning outcomes.
• Provide advanced individualized and group career advising to students and alumni on complex educational and career planning issues, such as identifying and overcoming career barriers, selecting suitable career paths, evaluating graduate school options, and developing professional portfolios.
• Utilize counseling techniques to assist students in assessing interests, values, and skills, and in developing action plans aligned with academic and career goals.
• Design, deliver, and assess workshops, classroom presentations, and online modules that enhance career readiness competencies across diverse student populations.
• Maintain current knowledge of labor market trends, occupational requirements, and employer expectations to advise students on emerging career opportunities.
• Develop and manage peer advising and mentoring programs to extend CECE’s career education reach.
• Collaborate with the Employer Engagement Coordinator to align student preparation with employer expectations and facilitate mutually beneficial partnerships.
• Collaborate with the Employer Engagement Coordinator to design, implement, and manage internship programs that provide students with meaningful, career-aligned work experiences.
• Represent CECE and CSUB at professional meetings, job fairs, and conferences to promote institutional visibility.
• Design and manage assessment tools to measure the impact of CECE programs on student learning, engagement, and post‐graduation outcomes.
• Analyze and interpret data to identify trends and make recommendations for programmatic and strategic improvements.
• Prepare annual reports, dashboards, and outcome summaries for internal and external stakeholders, including accreditation and systemwide initiatives.
• Lead or participate in continuous improvement efforts to ensure program effectiveness and alignment with institutional priorities.
• Participate in division‐wide planning, assessment, and professional development initiatives.
• Maintain active involvement in professional associations to stay informed of emerging trends and best practices in career development and community engagement.

Benefits

• CSUB offers a best-in-class benefit package for eligible employees that includes an array of medical plans, choice of dental plans, vision coverage, retirement participation in CalPERS, CSU tuition waiver, up to 24 vacation days per year, sick leave with unlimited accrual, 15 paid holidays per year and more!
• See our benefits website for additional information.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level