Executive Director, Employer Engagement & Partnerships

University of Miami•Coral Gables, FL

About The Position

The Executive Director, Employer Engagement & Partnerships provides strategic leadership for building and growing employer relationships that drive talent acquisition and experiential learning for University of Miami students and alumni. Serving as the University’s lead strategist and thought leader on employer engagement, the Executive Director cultivates relationships with corporate, nonprofit, government, and healthcare organizations to generate hiring pipelines, internships, co-ops, mentoring, industry projects, and other applied learning opportunities for students and faculty across the University. The role serves all 12 schools and colleges, reaching more than 19,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Reporting to the Associate Vice President, Career Services, the Executive Director creates, implements, and assesses a university-wide “OneU” employer engagement strategy. The role partners with academic departments, University offices, and career services colleagues to align employer engagement with student career outcomes, and represents the University as a primary contact for employers. It leads through influence, relationship management, coordination, and collaboration, connecting employers with colleagues responsible for specific areas of engagement. The Executive Director provides leadership and direction for employer engagement initiatives and directly supervises 4–5 professional staff. Responsibilities include hiring, training, performance management, and professional development, as well as establishing goals and operational priorities for the function. The position also serves as a senior leader and strategic advisor on workforce development, employer engagement, partnership management, and change leadership.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in business administration, higher education administration, public administration, communications, marketing, human resources, or a related field.
At least eight years of progressively responsible experience in business development, strategic partnerships, corporate relations, employer engagement, workforce development, higher education, economic development, or a related field.
Demonstrated success building relationships, developing partnerships, and growing organizational opportunities.
Strong business development and relationship management skills, focused on converting employer relationships into hiring and experiential learning outcomes for students.
Demonstrated ability to build and sustain executive-level employer partnerships.
Excellent communication, presentation, negotiation, and facilitation skills.
Ability to work effectively with academic departments and career services colleagues to align employer engagement with student needs.
Experience analyzing data and using CRM systems to manage partnership and recruiting activity.
Ability to develop and execute strategic initiatives that expand student hiring and experiential learning opportunities.
Strong project management and organizational skills.
Demonstrated commitment to valuing diversity and contributing to an inclusive working and learning environment.
Ability to work in a fast-paced environment.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in higher education, human resources/recruiting, communications, or a related area.
Knowledge of and established relationships within South Florida and national business communities, including experience engaging senior business and civic leaders and understanding regional industries, employers, and the economic ecosystem.
Demonstrated experience building comprehensive, multidimensional relationships with corporations and organizations beyond a single transaction, program, or point of contact.
Track record of developing collaborative partnerships that bring together multiple internal and external stakeholders and create mutually beneficial outcomes.
Knowledge of employer recruiting strategies, internship and co-op program design, and higher education career services.
Experience managing enterprise relationship management or CRM platforms.

Responsibilities

Develop and implement an employer partnership strategy focused on student hiring pipelines and experiential learning opportunities.
Identify, cultivate, and manage regional, national, and global employer relationships to secure recruiting commitments and opportunities across colleges and majors.
Build and maintain a pipeline of employer partners that expands the availability and quality of jobs, internships, and experiential learning for students.
Design new employer engagement models, including sponsored projects, employer-in-residence programs, and career treks.
Create, implement, and assess a university-wide employer engagement strategy, including proactive multi-sector outreach and mechanisms for gathering employer input.
Serve as a primary institutional contact for employers seeking to recruit University of Miami students or establish experiential learning partnerships.
Manage a portfolio of high-impact employer relationships and track hiring activity, internship placements, and student outcomes.
Engage corporate, nonprofit, healthcare, and government leaders to expand recruiting commitments and experiential learning capacity.
Represent the University at career fairs, professional conferences, industry meetings, and employer engagement events.
Cultivate relationships with employers, industry leaders, community partners, faculty, and University stakeholders to advance strategic objectives.
Partner with schools, colleges, University offices, and career services colleagues to align employer engagement with curricula, programs, initiatives, and student career goals.
Coordinate with career services staff to ensure employer partnerships lead to accessible jobs, internships, recruiting events, and experiential learning.
Connect employers with appropriate University colleagues when their interests extend beyond talent acquisition and experiential learning, facilitating warm handoffs and avoiding duplicative outreach.
Analyze labor market trends and employer needs, and develop workforce strategies, talent pipelines, and training initiatives.
Evaluate partnership performance and recommend continuous improvements based on hires, internship placements, and student participation.
Establish and monitor key performance indicators and accountability for measurable outcomes and continuous improvement.
Use CRM systems and partnership analytics to track engagement and support data-driven decisions.
Identify emerging industries and employers aligned with University programs and student career interests.
Oversee assessment, outcomes, and employer engagement data; report findings to University leadership.
Lead employer engagement initiatives and assigned staff focused on talent acquisition and experiential learning.
Directly supervise 4–5 professional staff, including hiring, training, performance management, and professional development.
Provide professional development and training for employer relations team members across campus.
Establish goals, performance expectations, and operational priorities for employer engagement.
Advise University leadership on employer recruiting trends and strategies for expanding student hiring and experiential learning.