Director of Career Development, Public Interest and Government

Drake University•Winnipeg, MB

About The Position

Drake Law School's Career Development Office (CDO) is seeking a Director of Career Development, Public Interest and Government. This role is committed to providing first-rate, proactive assistance to law students and alumni throughout their job search and professional development. The Director will focus on supporting students interested in public interest, government positions, and judicial clerkships. This includes coordinating pro-bono opportunities, public service stipends, and fellowships. The Director will also lead the Drake Law Mentorship Program and engage with various stakeholders including students, alumni, staff, faculty, and employers. The position requires the ability to lead large-scale events, manage multiple responsibilities, and contribute to the development and execution of high-impact career experiences within the Law School.

Requirements

J.D. or a master’s degree in a relevant field
Broad understanding of career counseling techniques with specific knowledge of market trends and job search strategies
Superior organizational, communication, and relationship management skills
Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills
Demonstrable understanding of and proficiency with current career center technology, assessment, and related software

Nice To Haves

Active law license with experience in public interest or government roles
Knowledge of job search, career/employment services, recruiting, and interviewing principles and practices
Comfortable balancing multiple large-scale events and projects
Strong judgment, decision-making capabilities, and problem-solving skills
Creative and innovative mindset for pursuing an effective strategy to serve an ever-evolving student and employer population
Excellent oral and written presentation skills and ability to take on teaching professional development courses as determined necessary
Experience with Symplicity or similar CSM programs
Candidate should be able to work independently with technology and be proficient in the use of Microsoft Office programs including Teams, Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint as well as Zoom and other communication tools

Responsibilities

Meets with students and alumni on an individual basis to provide career counseling, planning, and job search assistance, including help in making informed self-assessments, drafting resumes and cover letters, developing and perfecting job-seeking strategies, and practicing and honing interviewing skills and techniques as well as job negotiation skills.
Communicates with students regularly in regard to their plans, the status of their job searches, and opportunities, conferences, or events of interest to them.
Administers the Alumni Mentoring Program, through which the CDO collaborates with employer partners to connect with students on job search strategy, interviewing, networking, and other skills critical to securing long-term meaningful employment.
Assists the CDO staff in developing and actively promoting a series of career development seminars, events, and programs to help students and alumni in understanding, preparing for, and effectively pursuing public interest career options including the Public Interest/Government Career Fair.
Acts as primary liaison between the CDO and law student organizations related to public interest and government jobs, developing partnerships for the delivery of career-related programming.
Coordinates experiential opportunities, stipends, and fellowships for students interested in public interest, government entities, non-profit organizations, public interest law firms, public defenders, and prosecutorial offices.
Monitors federal educational loan repayment information and educational programs to advise students.
Cultivates relationships with government/public service employers and potential federal work study employer partners.
Attends alumni and other law school functions to represent the law school and help form and sustain relationships with present and future alumni.
Attends professional meetings and functions to develop and maintain relationships with employers, alumni, and potential public interest and government program and panel participants.
Creates, develops, maintains, and updates substantive career development materials for use by students in learning about and effectively pursuing the variety of career options available.
Suggests and develops content and design for career web page and social media focused on public interest, government, and judicial clerkships.
Assists with the gathering of student information for reports submitted to the American Bar Association, National Association of Law Placement, U. S. News & World Report and other surveys in which the Law School participates.
Serves as liaison to university and law school committees as appointed/requested, and to faculty and administration.
Leads the faculty judicial clerkship committee.
Performs other duties, as assigned.