Director, Human Ecology Career Development

Cornell University•Ithaca, MI

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Cornell Human Ecology explores the complexity of human life, bringing together a wide range of perspectives to understand the full context of the human experience and improve lives at every scale, from cells to society. Their research and academic programs focus on the interaction of humans with their biological, economic, social and physical environments. Through Cornell's extension network and translational research, findings are delivered directly to communities and families. The Director of Career Development will oversee the College of Human Ecology career development function, providing students with information and tools for career goals and developing strategic relationships with employers and alumni to secure internship and employment pathways. The director will collaborate with college leadership, the Alumni Affairs and Development team, and academic departments to cultivate relationships with Human Ecology alumni for career and networking opportunities. Serving as the college's voice in the Cornell Career Development Network, the director will work closely with campus career development colleagues to ensure outstanding services for Human Ecology students. In collaboration with Cornell Career Development, the director will develop metrics to assess career support quality and effectiveness, reporting regularly to the Assistant Dean for Student Experience, academic department leadership, Cornell Career Development, and the Human Ecology Dean’s Office. As part of the Student Experience team, the director will promote and support the university’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, adopting a student-centered approach, contributing to a collaborative community based on trust, and promoting values of belonging. Success factors include strong strategic thinking, ability to develop and execute strategic plans in a complex environment, expertise in building strong relationships with various constituents to support recruiting, a demonstrated interest in supporting college students, and a commitment to belonging. All people leaders are expected to foster a culture of belonging and a psychologically healthy work environment by being trustworthy, respecting all individuals, being flexible, supporting work/life integration and healthy boundaries, inviting new ideas, speaking up against exclusion, and recognizing contributions.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree and 5-7 years of related experience or equivalent.
Excellent communication (verbal and written) and organizational skills.
Ability to manage multiple projects.
Ability to function effectively with minimal supervision in a fast-paced environment.
Must be proactive, persistent, resourceful, innovative and both a team leader and a team player.
Proven leadership skills.
Strategic thinking and priority setting are essential.
Confidence to lead under dynamic conditions.
High level of interpersonal skills, including experience maintaining positive relationships with various constituencies, such as students, employers, other staff, and the public.
Significant management experience, including the ability to maintain a collaborative virtual team environment that plays to strengths of individuals.
Exhibit commitment and ability to foster professional growth and excellence among staff.
Experience in and/or demonstrated commitment to supporting belonging.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in business, education or a related field and 5 years of experience.
Knowledge of the fields within our college.
Background in working with multiple disciplines and experience working in higher education.
Experience working with high-level individuals to advance relationships.
Proven experience connecting belonging practices to business goals.

Responsibilities

Develop strategic direction for a comprehensive career development office that supports undergraduate studies.
Serve on the Cornell Career Development leadership team with other college career directors.
Implement strategy and deploy resources that align with priorities to advance office and college goals.
Lead efforts for building relationships and developing partnerships with college and department leadership, faculty, alumni affairs and development staff, and colleagues across campus.
Prepare reports and documents on Human Ecology employment rates, post-graduate activities, and employment/recruiting projections; lead post-graduation data collection for the college.
Evaluate and implement technology that advances programs and services.
Collaborate with Cornell Career Development in program and service delivery and contribute to the mission and vision of career development at Cornell.
Supervise a team of peer career advisors.
Collect and analyze data related to student outcomes.
Prepare reports for internal decision making and external recruitment efforts.
Oversee career development marketing strategy, including web content development and publications.
Manage career-specific budget.
Participate in committees and projects within the Student Experience Team, Human Ecology, and Cornell Career Development.
Develops and directs implementation of strategic vision for the college’s Career Exploration Center through marketing and advertising; programming evaluation; measuring student traffic, demand, and interaction.
Supervise student career team.
Hire and train Career Assistants.
Meet with Career Assistants and Senior Career Assistants monthly.
Collaborate with Alumni Affairs & Development, program directors, faculty and alumni to identify industry growth opportunities and employer targets in order to increase employment opportunities for students.
Manage a portfolio of employer relationships following the university “One Cornell” strategy for employer engagement that includes regular strategy calls, check-ins, and follow-up.
Build relationships with student organizations in your college that have recruiting partnerships with employers; track engagement and provide support.
Guide employers about the most effective means of identifying potential job candidates to meet the employer's specific needs.
Travel to employers for meetings and on-site recruitment events in key cities/regions.
Proactively implement strategies designed to increase employment opportunities for our students and graduates.
Maintain a working knowledge of local and national employment market trends and their actual and potential impact on the hiring of college students and graduates.
Identify and cultivate relationships with target organizations.
Strategically identify and build relationships with regional, state, national, and international employers for recruitment of university students and alumni.
Utilize the CRM for accurate tracking of employer relationships and to facilitate campus recruiting activity in partnership with all career development staff.
Advise students and alumni on career interests, internship and job search strategy, career planning and career preparation; including giving feedback, coaching, and connecting students to resources to advance job readiness.
Present professional development workshops and small group activities related to career.
Provide guidance to student groups looking for professional development sessions; build partnerships with student organizations in the college.
In collaboration with the academic departments and Associate/Assistant Director facilitate program-specific programs and career-related opportunities for Human Ecology students.
Represent Career Development at prospective student events, orientation events, and other opportunities to engage students, parents and families; highlight Human Ecology career development outcomes to students and families.
Build Faculty Research Connections and create a way to share opportunities with students.
Manage summer experience funding.
Partner with CHE in NYC in supporting the Summer Experience Symposium Poster Session each September on campus.
Represent Human Ecology on the SEG Funding Committee which meets bi-weekly from January through June.
Complete all steps of application review of SEG applicants from Human Ecology in Salesforce.
Update application status in Salesforce as decisions are made.
Collect and read student applications for the Alumni Summer Internship Funds, and in collaboration with the Senior Associate Dean, make decisions about who to fund and who to deny.
Work with Administrative Assistant to notify applicants of decisions.
Collect thank you letters at the end of the internship experience to be shared with Alumni Affairs and development and donors.
Liaison to PLAN (pre-law advisors’ network).
Participate in projects or other duties as assigned with occasional work responsibility falling above or below current classification.
Completion of any university required compliance trainings.
Participate in some night or weekend work as needed.
As a member of the Student Experience Team, work to advance department and college goals.
Actively participate in events such as orientation, family weekend, Cornell Days, commencement, HE Core Course presentations, etc.