Director, Career Communities

Hamilton College•Clinton, NY

13d•$72,000 - $82,000

About The Position

As a key member of the Career Center’s leadership team, the Director of Career Communities provides strategic leadership for Hamilton’s industry education and Career Communities model—an integrated framework connecting students, alumni, and employers through industry-aligned education, advising, and experiential learning. The Director leads the next phase of this work, moving the model from initial launch to refinement, scale, and sustained impact, while positioning Hamilton as a leader in post-graduate preparation and alumni engagement. Reporting to the Executive Director of the Maurice Horowitch Career Center and situated within the College Advancement division, the Director focuses on deepening student engagement, strengthening clearly defined industry pathways, and expanding meaningful, scalable alumni involvement across career communities. This includes designing and overseeing structures that connect students with alumni expertise, networks, and experiential opportunities in ways that are intentional, sustainable, and aligned with institutional priorities. The Director partners closely with Career Center leadership, including the Executive Director, Director of Career Development, and Director of Employer Engagement, to set strategic priorities and ensure alignment across industry education, alumni engagement, and employer-facing initiatives. The Director also provides oversight and direction for a team of student intern coordinators and interns who support the planning, implementation, and ongoing management of Career Communities programs.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required, Master’s degree preferred, or Bachelor’s degree and several years of demonstrated success in a combination of higher education, career development, alumni relations and organizational development and management, business development, or another related corporate environment.
1-3 years of professional staff management experience required.
Ability to understand and demonstrate a commitment to Hamilton’s educational mission.
Proven leadership skills and an ability to manage, organize, motivate, and hold accountable employees and volunteers with different levels of commitment.
Vision, creativity and imagination.
Proven program planning, organization, and execution skills.
Ability to organize, analyze, prioritize, and problem-solve within a fast-paced office environment.
Excellent writing, public speaking, networking, and interpersonal communication skills including the ability to build rapport with students, communicate effectively with a wide range of campus constituencies, and leverage relationships with alumni, parents, faculty, and staff.
Ability to create systems and operational structures to accomplish defined goals and demonstrate high level of execution and follow-through.
Event planning and execution
Demonstrated ability in capturing data, tracking progress, sharing it with important constituents, and using it to guide future planning
Commitment to inclusivity - has developed or worked with initiatives that serve underrepresented groups.
Ability to participate in occasional overnight travel, including conferences and off-site engagements.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree preferred, or Bachelor’s degree and several years of demonstrated success in a combination of higher education, career development, alumni relations and organizational development and management, business development, or another related corporate environment.

Responsibilities

Serve on the Career Center Leadership Team, contributing to strategic planning, goal-setting, and operational decision-making.
Exercise sound judgment related to program strategy, resource allocation, and policy in support of the Center’s mission.
Represent Career Communities priorities to alumni, campus partners, and external stakeholders.
Lead the planning and implementation of industry-aligned education initiatives, including skills training and other scaled, group-based programs.
Develop structured pathways for industry exploration and experiential learning, including treks, job shadows, and alumni-led programs.
Partner with Career Development to align industry education with the Center’s core curriculum and coaching model.
Serve as a liaison to academic departments, student organizations, and campus partners to integrate industry education into the broader student experience.
Design and expand alumni-facing programming, including mentorship and coaching models that meaningfully integrate alumni expertise into student career development.
Serve as the primary liaison between the Hamilton Career Network and the Career Center, strengthening alumni participation across career communities.
Oversee alumni coaches and ensure programming respects alumni capacity while supporting student outcomes.
Supervise career community staff, including student intern coordinators and their teams, as well as volunteer alumni coaches.
In partnership with the Director of Career Development, support ongoing upskilling of professional career coaches and contribute to shared industry knowledge resources.
Support the Executive Director in implementing a comprehensive data and assessment strategy, for Career Communities, alumni engagement, and industry education.
Establish shared metrics and reporting practices to assess student engagement, program effectiveness, equity of access, and outcomes.
Use data and peer benchmarks to inform continuous improvement, strategic planning, and resource allocation.
Perform other duties as assigned.