Sr. Assistant Director, Career Fair Strategy & Event Experience

This position oversees the strategy, planning, and execution of CES’s large-scale, university-wide career and internship fairs, including the Fall, Winter, and Spring Career & Internship Mega Fairs as well as specialized large-scale industry days. These major events are open to all Rutgers students and alumni and serve every academic program and degree level across the university. They attract employers from a wide range of industries and are typically organized around career communities to help students connect with aligned opportunities. The Fall and Winter Fairs are multi-day events, while the Spring Fair is a one-day event open to both the university and surrounding community. Responsibilities include managing logistics, employer registration and participation strategy, and student outreach in collaboration with marketing and advising staff. The Sr. Assistant Director also leads communication with external vendors, internal campus partners, and university leadership, serving as the public-facing lead for employer support and event promotion. They maintain employer-facing communications, and policies related to CES career and internship fairs.

This position provides strategic oversight and operations support for CES’s boutique and identity-based recruiting events, which may include First-Year Fairs, International Student Fairs, Diversity Recruitment Nights, and major or community-specific events held in partnership with academic departments or cultural centers. This position serves as the unit’s lead for developing scalable registration and planning processes for these smaller events, ensuring accessibility and high employer satisfaction while balancing equity, branding, and consistency with other CES events. May also include participation in regional virtual or off-campus events hosted by partner universities or consortiums.

This role chairs the cross-functional planning committees for CES’s major Career and Internship Fairs, ensuring alignment among employer relations, operations, student engagement, and marketing teams. The Sr. Assistant Director manages a recruiting events budget and oversees all career fair-related revenue collections, including registration and sponsorship payments. They hire and supervise one student intern (up to 10 hours per week) to support event logistics, employer communication, registration processing, and materials preparation. In addition, the Sr. Assistant Director coordinates the involvement of student organization representatives who assist during major career fairs as part of a fundraising partnership. This includes scheduling, task assignments, and real-time supervision to ensure the event runs efficiently while reinforcing positive employer impressions. Responsibilities include onboarding, training, and direct oversight to ensure professional, high-impact event execution. They also provide mentorship to the Recruiting Events & Operations Graduate Coordinator who will organize their own smaller on-campus job fair as an experience-building opportunity.

This individual identifies and evaluates external virtual career and internship fairs hosted by third-party organizations that are open to Rutgers students. These events are added to Handshake and promoted in collaboration with marketing to ensure representation in areas CES does not directly program.

Each position is expected to participate in team, departmental, and cross-functional meetings as needed. Staff are encouraged to engage in ongoing professional development to enhance their skills and stay informed of best practices in event management and employer engagement. Additional responsibilities may be assigned to support the overall success of Career Exploration and Success.

To be considered for the assistant director position, candidates must meet the following minimum requirements:

1. Experience and Education: This position requires a bachelor’s degree and at least five years of relevant experience, a master’s degree and three years of relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of education and related experience. Candidates should demonstrate strong experience in large-scale event planning, employer engagement, and cross-functional program leadership. Experience in career services, employer relations, or higher education event planning is preferred. Experience with college recruiting or university relations, especially from an employer-facing or talent acquisition role is also preferred.
2. Skills and Competencies: The ideal candidate will bring demonstrated success in event strategy, planning, and logistics, along with strong communication skills and the ability to represent the unit publicly to employers, vendors, and campus leaders. They should be comfortable making independent decisions in high-pressure or fast-changing environments, coordinating across departments, leading planning committees, and managing key operational areas such as revenue tracking, sponsorships, and vendor coordination.