Director, Career Education & Early Engagement

University of Miami•Coral Gables, FL

10d

About The Position

The Director, Career Education & Early Engagement provides strategic leadership, implementation, coordination, and oversight of the Toppel Career Center’s Career Education & Readiness function, with an emphasis on engaging University of Miami students early and developing career readiness throughout their academic experience. Reporting to the Executive Director of the Toppel Career Center, the Director is a member of the Center’s Leadership Team and collaborates with senior leadership to advance strategic priorities while aligning departmental objectives with the Center’s vision and University policies. The Director leads a team consisting of an Associate Director, three Career Specialists, and 10–20 student interns and peer career coaches. The team supports undergraduate and graduate students in exploring interests, understanding career pathways, and developing the skills, confidence, and connections to pursue opportunities. Services include individual and drop-in coaching, educational programming, outreach, and virtual and in-person initiatives. The role requires independent decision-making and ongoing awareness of career-services trends and best practices at state, regional, and national levels. The Director sets the strategic direction for early career engagement and career readiness; oversees coaching, training, programming, outreach, assessment, partnerships, and budget management; and develops stage-based initiatives that help students explore interests, values, strengths, majors, fields, and career pathways while building foundational skills. The role also fosters collaboration with academic and campus partners, employers, alumni, and University leadership to integrate career readiness into students’ curricular and co-curricular experiences.

Requirements

Master’s degree in higher education, student affairs, counseling, or a related area.
Five to seven years of professional experience in higher education, student affairs, career development, human resources/recruiting, or a related area.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Demonstrated commitment to valuing diversity and contributing to an inclusive working and learning environment.
Knowledge of career development theory and student development, particularly in exploration, decision-making, and early career readiness.
Ability to design outreach and engagement strategies for diverse student populations, including undergraduate, graduate, first-generation, and transfer students.
Ability to assess, organize, and prioritize multiple tasks.
Ability to make complex, independent decisions and programmatic recommendations to Center and University leadership.
Ability to present career-related topics to small and large audiences and a variety of stakeholders.
Skills in strategic planning and using data to measure engagement and outcomes.
Skills in staff training and supervision.
Skills in building partnerships with faculty, advisors, and campus units.
Proficiency with career services platforms such as 12Twenty, Handshake, Interstride, and Big Interview.

Nice To Haves

Experience designing and leading career exploration, first-year, or early engagement programming.
Experience supporting both undergraduate and graduate student populations.

Responsibilities

Develop and articulate the strategic direction and vision for early career engagement, informed by career development theory, labor market trends, student data, emerging issues, and peer-institution benchmarking.
Design and lead a developmental, stage-based approach to career readiness that supports exploration of interests, values, strengths, majors, fields, and career pathways, as well as foundational skill development.
Align Career Education initiatives with the Center’s mission and strategic plan and University priorities, including student success, value, and outcomes.
Set and monitor engagement goals for first-year, new transfer, and new graduate students, including participation in career exploration, coaching, and experiential learning.
Partner with Employer Engagement colleagues to introduce students to industries, professionals, and exploration opportunities such as job shadowing, informational interviews, and employer insights.
Direct and manage career coaching training and development, including staff training on student development, exploration, decision-making, trends, and industry recruiting practices.
Collaborate with leadership to create educational programming, online resources, self-assessment tools, webinars, workshops, and outreach initiatives for undergraduate and graduate students.
Lead regular Career Education team meetings and establish and monitor individual and team goals and data in collaboration with the Executive Director.
Research emerging practices in early career exploration and readiness, recommend initiatives, and lead communication and engagement with key stakeholders.
Develop, implement, and refine outreach and marketing strategies to increase awareness of career education and services, with emphasis on early engagement and reaching first-generation, transfer, and previously unengaged students.
Represent the University and Career Center in regional and national professional associations and initiatives related to career education and student success.
Recruit, train, develop, supervise, and evaluate professional and student staff, including the Associate Director, Career Specialists, peer career coaches, and interns.
Develop the peer career coach model as a channel for reaching new students early and building a culture of career readiness.
Oversee and expand Career Education & Early Engagement programs, resources, and services for undergraduate students, graduate students, and alumni, including the Career Champions Certification Program, Faculty & Staff Engagement Hub, First Year Directions career curriculum, and endowed student funds.
Expand first-year and new-student programming, career exploration events and workshops, major and career pathway resources, and programming for graduate and professional students; work with Cane Navigators and academic advising colleagues.
Deliver career-related workshops and classroom presentations across the University, including at orientation, in first-year courses, and early in graduate programs.
Collaborate with academic partners, advising, residential life, student affairs, and other campus units to integrate career readiness into curricular and co-curricular experiences from students’ first term.
Oversee the planning, execution, and evaluation of Career Education events and workshops.
Lead Career Education assessment efforts with the Director of Data Strategy & Analytics and use engagement, participation, and outcome data to inform program improvements and decisions.
Track engagement metrics, including first-year and early-stage participation, and hold staff accountable to established expectations.
Collaborate with Alumni Relations to expand Cane2Cane participation and student-alumni networking, and develop meaningful ways for alumni to engage early in students’ career journeys.
Develop and manage the annual operating budget for Career Education & Early Engagement programs and services in compliance with University financial policies and procedures.
Contribute as a Leadership Team member to analysis and evaluation of departmental expenditures to support fiscal responsibility and cost effectiveness.
Plan, implement, and evaluate innovative programming as market trends and student needs change.
Maintain a weekly career coaching schedule as needed.
Serve as liaison to assigned offices and departments in coordination with the Associate Vice President and Executive Director.
Participate in regular meetings with team members and staff events during some evening and weekend hours.