Director of Career Success & Community Engagement

The Director of Career Success and Community Engagement provides visionary leadership for developing strategic employer partnerships, experiential learning opportunities, and comprehensive career readiness initiatives that prepare University of Dubuque students for meaningful careers and lives of purpose.

The Director serves as the University's primary liaison to regional, state, and national employers while leading a campus-wide career success ecosystem that integrates academic affairs, student life, athletics, residence life, alumni relations, and community engagement. This position develops innovative community partnerships that expand internships, apprenticeships, mentorships, experiential learning, sponsorships, and employment opportunities; while strengthening the University's workforce development mission.

The Director works collaboratively across campus to assist students in graduating with professional experience, career competencies, meaningful employer relationships, and a post-graduation plan aligned with the University's mission of educating and forming the whole person.

Requirements

Primary Responsibilities

• Facilitate the development and implementation of a comprehensive University-wide Career Success Strategic Plan
• Develop annual departmental goals, assessment plans, and strategic performance metrics
• Supervise professional staff, graduate assistants, interns, and student employees
• Serve as the University's primary relationship manager with regional, national, and global employers
• Develop strategic partnerships that provide internships, cooperative education experiences, clinical placements, apprenticeships, corporate mentoring, employer-sponsored projects, recruitment pipelines, and collaborative international experiences
• Coordinate annual career fairs, networking events, employer panels, and professional development workshops

• Collaborate with campus partners to embed career readiness throughout the student experience
• Support faculty in integrating career preparation into academic curricula
• Coordinate employer site visits and industry immersion experiences
• Assist in developing Employer-in-Residence and Executive-in-Residence programs
• Develop strategic partnerships with the Greater Dubuque Development Corporation, local chambers of commerce, healthcare systems, manufacturing partners, financial institutions, and nonprofit organizations
• Collaborate with regional employers to identify workforce needs and emerging employment trends
• Coordinate workforce pipeline initiatives with community and economic development organizations
• Collaborate with campus partners to collect, analyze, and report data regarding internship participation, career readiness, completion, graduate placement, graduate school enrollment, employer satisfaction, student engagement, career outcomes, and First Destination Survey results
• Serve as campus administrator for: Handshake, career management platforms, employer relationship management systems, and career assessment software
• Represent the University at professional organizations, employer meetings, workforce initiatives, and higher education conferences
• Serve as a Title IX Campus Security Authority
• Support the University's Christian mission and institutional values
• Willingness and ability to be an active participant in following applicable safety rules and regulations, including necessary training and drills
• Perform other duties as assigned in support of the University's Mission

Position Skills and Abilities

• Exceptional relationship-building and partnership development skills
• Proven business development and external relations experience
• Strategic planning and organizational leadership abilities
• Knowledge of workforce development and labor market trends
• Experience developing employer partnerships and experiential learning opportunities
• Strong presentation, communication, and public speaking skills
• Budget development and fiscal management experience
• Assessment, data analytics, and program evaluation expertise
• Ability to collaborative across multiple campus divisions
• Ability to inspire innovation and entrepreneurial thinking
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills

Requirements

• Graduate degree required in Higher Education Administration, Business Administration, Student Affairs, Human Resources, Organizational Leadership, Counseling, or a related field
• Five or more years of progressively responsible leadership experience in career services, employer relations, workforce development, corporate partnerships, university advancement, talent acquisition, or related areas
• Success in developing strategic partnerships with employers and community organizations
• Experience supervising professional staff and managing budgets