Executive Director - Career Futures

Northeastern University•Boston, MA

1d•$130,945 - $189,869

About The Position

The Executive Director will build and lead Northeastern University's Career Futures platform, creating a university-wide, globally connected capability that brings together workforce intelligence, employer insight, alumni and parent engagement, industry partnerships, and lifelong learning to support professional success throughout the career lifecycle. Reporting to the Assistant Vice President of Leadership Relations and Campaign Strategy, the Executive Director will work across university teams, colleges, schools, academic leadership, the global campus network, and external partners, serving as Northeastern's institutional connector to the evolving global talent marketplace. The role requires current knowledge of talent dynamics, career pathways, hiring trends, and emerging opportunities, and the ability to translate workforce intelligence into engagement strategies, thought leadership, programming, and partnerships. As a newly created position, the Executive Director will shape Career Futures' vision and operating model, establishing the infrastructure, partnerships, governance, and scalable operations needed to turn pilots and emerging initiatives into a sustainable institutional platform. The position is part of Advancement. Northeastern offers eligible employees a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, vision, dental, paid time off, tuition assistance, wellness and life benefits, retirement benefits, and commuting and transportation benefits. Expected hiring range: $130,945.00–$189,868.75; starting salary depends on factors including experience, education, location, knowledge, expertise, skills, and internal pay comparisons.

Requirements

At least 10 years of progressive leadership experience in workforce strategy, talent, employer engagement, alumni engagement, executive search, human capital, organizational development, or a related field.
Knowledge of labor-market trends, workforce dynamics, talent ecosystems, and the future of work, with the ability to translate insights into scalable programs, partnerships, and engagement strategies.
Experience building new initiatives, operational infrastructure, partnerships, or platforms within complex organizations.
Ability to engage alumni and parents as active contributors and strategic partners.
Entrepreneurial, first-mover mindset and global fluency, with the ability to work effectively across Northeastern's global campus network.
Outstanding communication, relationship-building, and executive presence, including the ability to convene diverse stakeholders and influence across organizational boundaries.
Strong analytical orientation and experience using workforce intelligence, engagement metrics, and outcomes data to guide strategy and measure impact.

Nice To Haves

Experience in higher education, employer engagement, workforce development, talent strategy, or another highly matrixed organization.
Familiarity with AI-enabled workforce technologies, labor-market intelligence platforms, and digital engagement tools.
Professional credibility and networks in one or more industry sectors, with the ability to expand Career Futures strategically across additional sectors and disciplines.

Responsibilities

Build and lead the Career Futures platform, aligning university collaborators around shared workforce thought leadership.
Scale proven pilots and initiatives into durable infrastructure and ongoing Career Futures operations.
Establish a workforce intelligence function that monitors talent trends, employer priorities, skills gaps, technology, and global labor-market developments, and translates insights into lifelong career value.
Connect alumni and related audiences with people, industries, and opportunities shaping the future of work.
Activate alumni and parent networks as sources of mentorship, career intelligence, and pre- and post-graduate professional opportunities.
Engage alumni and parents as coaches and cohort leaders, and offer industry-aligned credentialing programs with sector-specific and cross-industry skills, including support for alumni founders and entrepreneurs.
Build reciprocal relationships in which alumni and parents both access workforce intelligence and opportunities and contribute insight and mentorship.
Prioritize sectors with concentrated alumni and parent networks and significant workforce disruption; launch in sectors with strong existing senior relationships and expand strategically across industries and global labor markets.
Position Northeastern as a trusted voice on workforce transformation, lifelong learning, and career mobility through content, partnerships, and engagement.
Offer candid, substantive perspectives to senior alumni and parent audiences and cultivate high-value relationships and future collaboration.
Collaborate across Leadership Relations and Campaign Strategy, Employer Engagement & Career Design, Global Enterprise Initiatives, Education Innovation, the Co-op ecosystem, colleges and schools, academic leadership, Northeastern's global campus network, and external partners.