Upper Midwest HERC

The Director of Career and Student Success serves as a college leader, provides expert services and consultation in career development, academic advising, student support, and retention and serves as a recognized expert within the community.  The director provides strategic and specialized leadership for managing, planning, implementing, and continuously improving comprehensive and complex student support and career development programs at the Humphrey School to enhance the student experience and to respond to industry trends. The director provides oversight, vision strategy, organization, and supervision. The Director collaborates actively with the offices of admissions, academic programs, faculty, administration, advancement, communications and other Humphrey School departments and programs that relate to student and alumni wellbeing. In addition, the Director creates partnerships with other University of Minnesota programs and networks and with national public affairs schools and associations to maximize access to resources and promote mutual advantage.  Through providing expert services and strategies, this position directly effects graduate employment outcomes, important to admissions and rankings.

Leadership, Management, Strategy, Vision:

• Ensures the vision, mission, goals, and strategic objectives for Career and Student Success are in alignment with the school and university's mission and strategic plan, standards, benchmarks, and public affairs work force.
• Supervise and guide Career and Student Success staff in prioritizing efforts to ensure seamless delivery of services that meets the Career and Student Success goals and strategic objectives and the standards set by faculty and administration for student retention, progression to graduation, and employment
• Ensure development, implementation, and evaluation and use of best practices related to student advising, student leadership/engagement, retention, and career advancement for all programs.
• Provide supervision and oversight to office operations including, making decisions, managing program budgets and human resources oversight, and professional development for all staff.
• Ensure commitment and action to diversity in all aspects of career and student support. Serves on the Equity and Inclusion Council and responsible for related portions of the EIC plan.
• Manages highly complex projects and programs to ensure successful execution.
• Supervise and guide Career and Student Success staff in prioritizing efforts to ensure seamless delivery of services that meets the Career and Student Success goals and strategic objectives and the standards set by faculty and administration for student retention, progression to graduation, and employment
• Monitors and responds to changing job market and student enrollment and implements programmatic changes into programs and employer outreach planning
• Supervises Assistant Director, Graduate Program Coordinator, MPP and MURP Coordinator, PhD and MPA Coordinator and administrative support.  Gives regular feedback and actively encourages career development. Coaches and mentors staff and provides work direction. Manages work schedules and resources.
• Develop an annual budget for Career and Student Success that supports the strategic and operational plan.
• Provide ongoing monitoring of budget implementation ensuring timely evaluation and processing of expenses, alerting administration of resource needs not planned for in the annual budget.

Provision of Student and Career Success Support:

• Supervises staff to provide technical guidance and counseling to students, prospective students, and alumni on job and internship search strategies and career development plans. Serves as career liaison to Mid-Career Masters students (Master of Public Affairs) and Alumni
• Manage and work with staff to develop and maintain student career exploration trip to Washington DC, career engagement fair and collaborates on University career fairs to promote opportunities for Humphrey students. Oversees Careers in Public Service 1 credit class taught by assistant director.
• Convenes regular meetings of program coordinators and responsible for managing advising, registration, onboarding and orientation for incoming students.
• Develop, implement and evaluate innovative and effective student engagement initiatives for students in all programs.
• Develop, implement and evaluate effective career services and resource strategies relevant to students in all programs, including but not limited to resume/cover letter reviews, mock interviews, course presentations, and general career coaching
• Develop and implement an effective and coordinated approach to support and guide student organizations, ensuring student organizations are aware of and compliant with university policy.
• Serve as staff advisor to the Public Affairs Student Association (PASA).
• Work with the internship team to ensure that internships are registered and noted in GPAS and support staff in administering grants for internships and other summer experiences.
• In collaboration with the academic program directors and administration, support student conduct code procedures following the student handbooks and University protocol, consulting with General Counsel as needed.
• In collaboration with Academic Programs staff, ensure all students are and remain in compliance according to the University and Humphrey School policies.
• Develops and modifies practices and procedures to improve efficiency and quality services, programs, resources, and reporting.
• Serve as support for Humphrey Student Organizations.

Employer Relationship Management:

• Responsible for strategic plan for employer relationship management in collaboration including marketing and events to bring employers on campus; manages implementation of the plan
• Builds and maintains relationships with employers in the Twin Cities and around the world.
• Manages the design and production of marketing materials, including website content
• Encourages and develops contacts between employers and students through programming and on-campus visits
• Work with potential employers to obtain insight and feedback on job and market trends, interview protocols, and other information necessary to support students in their job/internship search

Alumni Mentor Programs:

• Leads program design and implementation in collaboration with staff, and the Alumni Board
• Manages program publicity, supports mentor recruitment and oversees matching process
• Manages and develops mentor events
• Evaluates the program and reports results to Alumni Board

Relationship Development and Coordination:

• Serve as a resource to coach and develop faculty in their student mentoring and advising roles
• Work in close collaboration with Advancement to maximize engagement of alumni to support student recruitment, engagement, and career advancement.
• Work in close collaboration with Communications and the academic program directors to ensure effective and accurate dissemination of information about our academic programs.
• Establish and maintain relationships with a wide range of constituencies that include, but not limited to:
  • University committees: Student Services and Career Development Network and Directors/Leaders, Diversity Community of Practice, Office of Student Affairs College Contacts
  • Humphrey School committees and groups: Program Directors, Coordinators, Academic Programs, Admissions, Operations, Student Affairs Leadership Team, Advancement Team, Business Functions Team, Equity and Inclusion Council
• Builds and maintains relationships and collaborates with other U of M career and graduate advising professionals on joint events and career development resources including Government Job Fair
• Builds and maintains relationships with national career professionals through NASPAA and APSIA Career Directors Group and other professional associations

Information Management:

• Supervises publicity of job & internship opportunities
• Manage, evaluate and utilize effective and up-to-date career technology for students, alumni and employers and the availability of appropriate career information and resources
• Manages research and reporting on graduates’ employment status and Student Lifecycle Management database updates of career information
• Communicates with faculty and administration on career and job market issues
• Produces website content for Career Services & Mentor websites
• Oversees regular newsletters for students through weekly newsletters, marketing, branding, and social media.
• Manages access to and functionality of APLUS and Handshake. Works with GPAS, Perceptive Content, Peoplesoft, and other University tools.

• BA/BS degree plus at least eight years of relevant experience, or master's degree plus at least six years of relevant experience.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate in a variety of methods to a diverse campus population.
• Highly varied and unpredictable situations, complex and often non-recurring; new and creative approaches required

About University of Minnesota Twin Cities

The University of Minnesota, founded in the belief that all people are enriched by understanding, is dedicated to the advancement of learning and the search for truth; to the sharing of this knowledge through education for a diverse community; and to the application of this knowledge to benefit the people of the state, the nation, and the world.

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