Director, Career and Student Services

University of Iowa•Iowa City, IA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

This individual serves as the director for the Career Services Office. Provide career advising services to law students and alumni. Provide advice and guidance in the development and implementation of policies, procedures and objectives relevant to respective areas, such as recruiting programs and compliance, compliance with accrediting body and professional affiliations, and federal and state policies. Plan, study and recommend new programs and services. Prepare and direct the preparation of special reports, proposals, and other related materials, including accreditation data, reports to news/media sources, reports for internal stakeholders, for university officials, and state bar association bodies.

Requirements

Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree required.
Three years of progressively responsible experience in career services, student affairs, higher education administration, legal recruiting, professional development or a related field.
Experience providing advising, counseling, coaching, or guidance to students, professionals, or clients.
Demonstrated experience developing, implementing, and evaluating programs, services or initiatives.
Experience building and maintaining relationships with external partners, employers, professional organizations, or other stakeholders.
Experience collecting, analyzing, and reporting data for assessment, accreditation, compliance, or strategic planning purposes.
Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively with a broad range of audiences through presentations, written communications, and one-on-one consultations.
Experience supervising, training, or leading staff, student employees, or volunteers.
Demonstrated commitment to student success, engagement, and professional development.
Demonstrated experience working effectively and collaboratively with individuals from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives.

Nice To Haves

Experience working in a law related field.
Experience working with law students or graduate/professional students.
Knowledge of University of Iowa policies and procedures.

Responsibilities

Enhance and Support Student Educational Experiences and Increase Retention.
Foster a Sense of Community and Engagement for Students.
Direct and collaborate with numerous educational panels and programs each semester both presented by the Career Services Office solely and in conjunction with other College of Law departments or student organizations.
Career advising for individual students and small groups. Plan, execute, and direct presentation of educational programming regarding practical job seeking as well as exploration of opportunities.
Create and manage programming to meet evolving student needs.
Manage the “Peer Advisors” program of 2L and 3L student volunteers to promote interaction with 1L students and provide informative programming, advice, and social contacts. Develop new student resources or update existing resources as needed.
Draft and distribute student communications to provide updates regarding the Bar Examination procedures, student success and wellness, and other student resources.
Meet individually and in groups with students to provide information on graduation requirements, complete academic advising, and answer student questions.
Work with Associate Dean of Students to address accommodations requests, respond to faculty/staff reports of concern about a student, and address other student issues as needed.
Establish and Maintain Relationships with Partners to Provide Educational Support Services. Partners Include on-campus Units and External Agencies (Local, State, National and International).
Manage On-Campus Interview (OCI) programs occurring during late-summer, fall semester, and spring semester. Supervise outreach and recruitment of employers to participate in the program as well as advertisement to students.
Direct execution of required tasks for OCI set up, including student and employer communications, issue resolution, and follow-up with employers and students.
Conduct outreach to employers at law firms, corporations, government agencies, non-profit organizations, and others. Develop relationships with recruiters and attorneys to aid in student job placement during summer and post-graduation.
Maintain relationship with the Iowa State Bar Association groups, including the Rural Practice Group and the Young Lawyers’ Division. Maintain relationship with local bar organizations.
Collaborate with the College of Law’s in-house counselor to address student mental health and wellness issues and develop programming to serve students’ needs.
Maintain relationship with National Association for Law Placement (NALP) community to learn about student mental health/wellness and professional development trends and to attend informational programming and trainings.
Direct, implement, and evaluate recruiting practices for the College of Law, including instituting additional and new recruiting initiatives in response to and anticipation of changes in the legal hiring market. Manage five on campus interviews (OCI) sessions with mixed modalities.
Manage the use of Career Services Management platform (12twenty) to ensure positive student and employer/alumni user experience and the efficiency and efficacy of the Career Services Office.
Oversee execution of required tasks for OCI, including student and employer communications, issue resolution, and follow-up with employers and students.
In collaboration with the Associate Dean of Career and Student Services, identify strategic partnerships and develop relationships with alumni, employers, state bar association representatives, and other law schools to increase student employment.
In collaboration with the Associate Dean of Career and Student Services, provide strategic input for the department/College of Law. Manage relationships with key internal and external constituents through timely and effective communications as well as advocacy, including student organizations, our in-house therapist, wellness, mental health, ISSS, and crisis response colleagues on main campus.
Review and assess communications and products from vendors; maintain subscriptions/memberships for services in use; review and approve monthly Transaction Detail Reports.
Oversee employment tracking for all current students and the previous year’s graduates (four classes of graduates simultaneously). Gather and prepare statistical reporting ABA accreditation, NALP reporting, and US News reporting. Prepare documentation for ABA auditing.
Schedule, prepare agenda, and lead staff meetings and program planning meetings. Train and supervise Career Services Office staff. Supervise Career Services Office student Research Assistants and temporary employees.
Set and track goals for the Career Services Team. Work with direct reports and other members of the team to support both individual and group growth and professional development. Work to maintain a cohesive and effective team to maintain national ranking for employment and continued success for the College of Law.
Collaborate with student services team to anticipate and respond to student issues.