Associate Director, Career Services

The Associate Director, Career Services serves as a key point of contact for business students within the Warrington College of Business and provides day-to-day career planning, advising, coaching, the creation and delivery of career workshops, and the accountability for direct placement of our business students into internships and full-time employment, specifically for Undergraduate Business Students within the Heavener School of Business.  

Key responsibilities include one-on-one career advising and broad-based career management support. This includes assisting each student to develop and continually refine a realistic job search strategy/marketing plan for both internship and full-time employment; actively monitoring each student's progress against career goals; and guiding, assisting, and holding students accountable in the achievement of those goals. In addition, the Associate Director will be responsible for the creation and delivery of career workshops/seminars for both large and small groups, along with taking part in special events such as career fairs, advisory board meetings and professional development events, including activities and events associated with Warrington College of Business Alumni.

The Associate Director will provide supervision and direction to career services support staff within the Department.

The Associate Director will also play a role in the annual planning and analysis of the overall BCS strategy and be an integral part of accomplishing the office’s vision and mission.

Key Duties -

Career Advising: Serve as a key point of contact for a select population of Heavener School of Business undergraduate students in providing one-on-one career planning, advising, and coaching assistance. This includes, but not limited to, career development/job search strategy planning and monitoring, resume and cover letter critiquing, mock interview critiquing, career assessment assistance, and job/internship offer negotiation assistance. The Associate Director will also be responsible and accountable for the direct placement of Heavener School of Business graduate students into internships and/or full-time job opportunities. This will be accomplished by ensuring proactive job applications are being executed by the student into such areas as HIREWarrington, job boards of both national career fairs and local UF Career Fairs, company job boards and other independent job boards that are available. He/she will maintain updated records of meetings with business students, to include such things as students’ career advancement activities, employment activities, networking contacts and all information related to the student’s career development. This also includes gathering, tracking, and ensuring that students complete first-destination/employment surveys, and that internship and full-time employment data is captured in HIREWarrington.

Career Focused Presentations: Create and conduct engaging career workshops and presentations that empower business students with the essential skills and knowledge for professional growth and success. Ability to effectively convey valuable information on topics ranging from resume building, interview preparation, networking strategies, career development, and other pertinent career development strategies. Continuously assess and adapt workshop content based on student feedback and industry trends to ensure relevance and effectiveness in addressing the evolving needs of internship and full-time job seekers.

Leadership: Provide strategic leadership and ongoing support to two (2) Assistant Directors in the oversight and management of career coaching. Regularly assess the effectiveness and efficiency of their day to day responsibilities, offering constructive feedback, coaching, and guidance to ensure optimal team performance and alignment with departmental goals. Conduct bi-annual performance reviews with the direct reports utilizing the UF Engaged performance review platform. 

Employer Relations: He/she will support the Employer Relations team by assisting in providing employers and alumni with information on available employer services. Collaborate with Employer Relations team to engage with employers to facilitate their participation in career-related programming for students such as workshops, panels, events, and conferences. Work with Employer Relations team to implement programs and events to connect students with industry. Keep Employer Relations team informed and updated regarding new and existing employer and alumni relationships aimed at increasing internship and employment opportunities for students.  

Commensurate with experience  

• The successful candidate is required to possess 5-plus years of professional work experience, preferably in a corporate and/or academic setting. The ideal candidate will have professional work experience in functional areas such as university/college level career services, corporate recruiting, human resources, talent acquisition, training, and development.
• An MBA/MS degree is required.
• Prior experience in leading teams is preferred.
• Highly proficient with web-based technology and data analytics tools and resources, with the ability to extract, organize, and analyze data, resulting in the ability to define the data story and provide valuable recommendations and courses of action.
• Ability to design highly effective presentations and workshops combined with the confidence to deliver them to both large and small audiences and key stakeholders.
• Strong customer focus (ability to listen attentively to students, recruiters, and stakeholders, with the ability to understand and respond positively to their requests) is required.
• Strong project management skills, ability to multitask in a fast-paced environment and meet deadlines.
• An entrepreneurial orientation, proven track record of taking initiative and making things happen (i.e. self-starter, sense of ownership for the role)
• Excellent resume, interviewing, and job search marketing plan skills
• Strong understanding of business degree career paths and management level career issues along with in-depth understanding of the college recruiting employment market and corporate hiring practices/process
• Ability to work under pressure, with the flexibility to respond to changing priorities and fluctuating workloads.
• Strong organizational work skills, defining tasks, prioritizing assignments, and following through on all projects independently.
• Strong interpersonal communication skills and emotional intelligence.
• Evidence of being relationship-driven with the proven ability to establish rapport with students, faculty/staff, and recruiters.
• Track record of successfully collaborating with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Strategic thinker that has solved complex problems and enacted positive change in a large organization.