Senior Program Director, Careers in Education Professions

Department
 

ESA Deputy Director - Direct Reports

About the Department
 

Career Advancement serves a student population of approximately 7,000 arts and sciences undergraduate students, in addition to alumni who have graduated within the last five years. Career Advancement plays a vital role in ensuring our students’ success after graduation. Career Advancement offers innovative and comprehensive career development services with a focus on pre-professional preparation, experiential education, and access to internship and full-time opportunities. Through career advising, programs, and comprehensive resources, Career Advancement supports undergraduate students and alumni as they develop the skills necessary to manage their career development, while working with alumni and employers to provide students with meaningful opportunities. For more information, please visit the Career Advancement website at careeradvancement.uchicago.edu.

Job Summary
 

UChicago Career Advancement’s Careers in Education Professions program builds on the world-class UChicago liberal arts foundation to give students a competitive edge in their professional development and in recruiting for a wide range of education fields. Careers in Education Professions provides expert advising, employer connections, and career exploration and experiential learning opportunities through the selective EdPros cohort and additional open advising and programming resources available to all students.
The Senior Program Director, Careers in Education Professions will be responsible for the management of all education-focused career programs including workshop curriculum, asynchronous resources, individualized advising, reporting and data management, and communication to senior leadership and other program constituencies. This includes oversight for the EdPros selective track including student recruitment, curriculum design, student advising and outcomes tracking, and reporting. This individual will also participate in student advising, planning and execution for select student workshops, programs, and employer treks, and oversee outcomes reporting and analytics.

Responsibilities

• Guides and leads the strategy for Careers in Education Professions programming curriculum to support student career development, industry understanding, and student satisfaction.
• Organizes and leads programs and workshops to support and drive outstanding placement success in education and related fields across class years (e.g., policy competitions, coordinating internships at top employers, overseeing workshops, planning and leading career and graduate school exploration trips to US cities and internationally).
• Plans, designs and supports the execution of student workshops and immersion programming including career treks and Career Exploration Week for incoming students.
• Utilizes first-hand knowledge and skills gained from industry experience to successfully counsel and advise students interested in pursuing a career in a variety of education fields, including graduate and teaching certification programs.
• Assists students with professional resumes/cover letters, general career guidance and industry exploration discussions.
• Develops and maintains efficient methods to track student data, quantify student engagement, monitors outcomes progress; regularly considers and communicates program successes to Career Advancement, ESA, program donors and University leadership through the creation of memos, proposals, reports, and other written material.
• Engages with Career Advancement and University leadership to participate in and advance important Divisional and/or University priorities as needed.
• Analyzes markets and trends as they relate to job searches. Assesses student feedback and evaluations and collaborates with other career services staff members, student organizations, or other staff to determine program offerings and innovations.
• Oversees the development and implementation of a strategic employer development and management strategy including outreach to new employers, delivery of high-quality support and customer service to current employer partners, and employer visits as appropriate.
• Acts as a Careers in Education Professions ambassador at Career Advancement, Admissions, and other campus events such as student activities fair, and orientation week. Summarizes and presents information at knowledge-sharing meetings with colleagues.
• Works closely with the Urban Education Institute, the Social Sciences Division and other campus partners to assess and improve top employers’ awareness of UChicago programs and students.
• Leverages virtual technology to provide innovative programs and oversees communications strategy to foster student engagement and satisfaction.
• Collaborates with Employer Relations to share information on student recruiting interests, guides the design and execution of large-scale industry events, supports Metcalf internship and full-time placements, and meets with recruiters and/or alumni to discuss recruiting strategies and hiring needs.
• Supports No-Barriers-related career initiatives including the Odyssey Scholars Career Program for lower-income student and/or who are the first in their families to attend college, and other career program to support diverse students.
• Prepares communications, delivers webinars, and presents at sessions for incoming and current students and parents; provides information about the Odyssey Scholars Career Program and its resources and benefits.
• Tracks Odyssey student engagement data, develops targeted outreach to students, and coordinates Odyssey-specific career programming.
• Oversees Odyssey internship budget and works with employer portfolio managers to allocate funding effectively.
• Serves as Odyssey and first-gen liaison and representative to campus partners and supports programming for Admissions and partner organizations.
• Prepares Odyssey Career Program annual reports and ad-hoc data requests; collaborates with Alumni Relations & Development team as needed.
• Leads and coordinates the annual Diversity + Inclusion Summit.
• Manages or provides support to additional Career Advancement initiatives as assigned, including events, career fairs, or perform other work as needed.
• Conducts complex job search and career management related large lectures, hands-on workshops, special events, training programs, and one-on-one career coaching sessions. Acts as a lead resource for and directs students to other career resources as needed.
• Analyzes markets and trends as they relate to job searches. Assesses student feedback and evaluations and collaborates with other career services staff members, student organizations, or other staff to determine program offerings and innovations.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications
 

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

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Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 7+ years of work experience in a related job discipline.

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Certifications:

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Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree.
• Master's degree or a comparable advanced degree.

Experience:

• Minimum of seven years of professional experience working in a related job discipline.
• Career advising experience with students or young professionals.
• A minimum of five years of administrative experience providing strategic directions and vision, setting priorities, developing and implementing projects and programs, and identifying opportunities for improvement.

Technical Skills or Knowledge:

• Intermediate skills in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint.
• Experience utilizing Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or other digital platform for meetings and events.
• Budgetary experience.
• Expertise in counseling, program development, or a related area.
• Knowledge of career development theory and strong coaching or counseling skills.

Preferred Competencies

• Deep commitment to customer service, strong interpersonal skills and a high level of professionalism when interacting with internal and external clients.
• Support students, staff, and other constituents from diverse backgrounds.
• Multitask, meet deadlines, and work successfully and positively in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience working with college-aged students and/or new recent college graduates strongly preferred; experience developing and managing an internship program a plus.
• Expertise in program development, or a related area.
• Demonstrated success in maintaining collaborative relationships with diverse constituencies.
• Strong coaching or counseling skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills; strong interpersonal, quantitative, and networking skills.
• Experience developing and delivering presentations, and ability to communicate to large groups as well as one-on-one with students, senior management, faculty, and alumni.
• Develop strong relationships with a wide variety of constituents, including employers and external partners like alumni and parents, students, faculty, staff, and senior leadership.
• Outcomes-driven and action-oriented attitude, ability to prioritize work and meet deadlines.
• Problem solving and reasoning, critical thinking and decision-making skills.
• Exemplary organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Handle sensitive matters with tact and discretion and maintain confidentiality.

Working Conditions

• Work evening hours and weekends on an occasional basis, generally 1-2 days per month.
• Travel, generally two or three times per year.

Application Documents

• Resume/CV (required)
• Cover Letter (required)
• References Contact Information (3)(required)

When applying, the document(s) MUST  be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.

Job Family
 

Student Affairs & Services

Role Impact
 

Individual Contributor

FLSA Status
 

Exempt

Pay Frequency
 

Monthly

Scheduled Weekly Hours
 

37.5

Benefits Eligible
 

Yes

Requires Compliance with University Covid-19 Vaccination Requirement
 

Yes

Drug Test Required
 

No

Health Screen Required
 

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required
 

No

Posting Statement
 

Employees must comply with the University’s COVID-19 vaccination requirements. More information about the requirements can be found on the University of Chicago Vaccination GoForward .
The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity/Disabled/Veterans Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

 

Staff Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

 

We seek a diverse pool of applicants who wish to join an academic community that places the highest value on rigorous inquiry and encourages a diversity of perspectives, experiences, groups of individuals, and ideas to inform and stimulate intellectual challenge, engagement, and exchange.

 

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history.  A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment.  Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

 

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