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 support talent acquisition and experiential learning for University of Miami students and alumni. The role leads the development, implementation, and assessment of a university-wide employer engagement strategy and serves as a primary University contact for employers interested in recruiting students or establishing experiential learning partnerships. The Executive Director serves all 12 schools and colleges, reaching more than 19,000 undergraduate and graduate students, and works through influence, relationship management, coordination, and collaboration to connect employers with the appropriate University partners. The position develops employer partnerships to create full-time, part-time, and contract hiring pipelines, as well as internships, co-ops, practicums, applied projects, mentoring, and other learning opportunities. It collaborates with academic departments, career services colleagues, and University partners to align employer engagement with curricula, programs, initiatives, and student career goals. The Executive Director also analyzes labor market trends and partnership outcomes, uses CRM systems and analytics to guide decision-making, and advises University leadership on recruiting trends and strategies. The Executive Director provides leadership and direction for employer engagement initiatives and assigned staff, directly supervising 4–5 professional staff. Responsibilities include hiring, training, performance management, and professional development, as well as establishing goals and operational priorities. The position reports to the Associate Vice President, Career Services.

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 student hiring and experiential learning outcomes.
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 or 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.
Experience building comprehensive, multi-dimensional relationships with corporations and organizations beyond a single transaction, program, or point of contact.
Track record of developing collaborative partnerships involving multiple internal and external stakeholders and producing 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 a comprehensive 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, recruiting activity, and experiential learning opportunities across colleges and majors.
Build and maintain an employer partner pipeline that expands the volume and quality of job, internship, and experiential learning opportunities available to 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 and colleges, University partners, and career services colleagues to align employer engagement with curricula, programs, initiatives, and students’ career goals.
Coordinate with career services staff to translate employer partnerships into job and internship opportunities, recruiting events, and experiential learning experiences accessible to students.
Connect employers with appropriate University colleagues when their interests extend beyond talent acquisition and experiential learning, ensuring warm handoffs and avoiding duplicative outreach.
Analyze labor market trends and employer needs, and build workforce development, talent pipeline, and training initiatives.
Evaluate partnership performance using measures such as hires, internship placements, and student participation, and recommend improvements.
Establish and monitor key performance indicators, accountability, measurable outcomes, and continuous improvement.
Use CRM systems and partnership analytics to track employer 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; provide reports 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 the employer engagement function.
Advise University leadership on employer recruiting trends and strategies for expanding student hiring and experiential learning opportunities.