
Sr. Assistant Director, Career Fair Strategy & Event Experience
Position Announcement
Sr. Assistant Director, Career Fair Strategy & Event Experience
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, seeks a dynamic team member to serve as the Sr. Assistant Director, Career Fair Strategy & Event Experience (UHR Title: Sr. Program Administrator) within the Office of Career Exploration and Success.
Application Deadline to Apply: 11:59 pm on June XX, 2024
Connecting Talent to Opportunity in the Heart of the Northeast
Located between two major metropolitan hubs—New York City and Philadelphia—New Jersey offers unparalleled access to a wide range of employers across industries. From global corporations and healthcare systems to startups, research labs, government agencies, and nonprofits, the region is home to thousands of organizations actively recruiting top talent. Rutgers–New Brunswick’s central location makes it a powerful connector between students and the regional job market, positioning our career fairs and recruitment events as vital touchpoints for employers seeking the next generation of professionals. The Sr. Assistant Director, Career Fair Strategy & Event Experience plays a pivotal role in shaping these experiences, helping to ensure that our events reflect both the evolving hiring landscape and the diverse career goals of our students.

Institution Overview
Rutgers University-New Brunswick, the flagship campus of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a renowned academic institution that boasts a vibrant and diverse community of learners. With its enrollment numbers exceeding 43,000 students, Rutgers-New Brunswick offers a broad range of programs across its schools and colleges, providing students with ample opportunities for intellectual growth and personal development. The campus's rich history, state-of-the-art facilities, and distinguished faculty contribute to a dynamic learning environment that prepares students for success in their chosen fields and equips them with the skills necessary to thrive in an ever-changing world.

About Career Exploration and Success
Career Exploration and Success (CES) is committed to assisting students with making connections between their academic experience and career paths. We provide career-related advising, resources, and programs to help individuals discover their interests, values, and skills, explore careers and majors, develop skills through internships and experiential opportunities, and pursue their post-graduate goals. We build relationships with alumni, employers, and graduate schools to optimize internship, job, and career opportunities while also creating strategic partnerships with campus departments to assist students in developing and articulating co-curricular experiences that will help to ensure they are competitive in their future pursuits.
CES is comprised of four units, each with its own director who is responsible for the day-to-day operations of their unit, making hiring decisions, providing leadership to their unit, managing their unit's budget, solving challenges and celebrating wins, and making decisions aligned with overarching goals.

About the Industry and Student Connections Unit
One of four units within the Office of Career Exploration and Success, the Industry & Student Connections unit strengthens, expands, and diversifies recruiting relationships to maximize not only career opportunities for Rutgers University–New Brunswick students and graduates but also to generate support for the university’s academic mission from these important partners. Staff organizes recruiting events such as fairs, interviewing days, employer information sessions, and more. They also build relationships with recruiters and help them to connect with campus partners. The unit also oversees the Knights of the Round Table corporate partners sponsorship program which financially supports CES operations. The ISC unit consists of eight full-time staff members and three graduate coordinators organized into two teams led by associate directors: Recruiting Programs team and Industry-to-Campus Connections team (associated with this role).

About the Recruiting Initiatives & Operations Team
Aligned with the ISC Unit's mission, the team is dedicated to creating dynamic employment opportunities that enable industry partners to effectively connect with students at-large through networking events, interview programs, and employment platforms, fostering opportunities for students’ future pursuits.

About the Associate Director, Recruiting Initiatives & Operations
Larissa Keller brings more than two decades of experience to her leadership of the Recruiting Initiatives & Operations team within Career Exploration and Success. A proud Rutgers alumna, Larissa has been with CES since 2001 and has played a central role in shaping the university’s employer engagement strategy. In her current role, she oversees the strategic execution of all recruiting events and services, including high-impact initiatives like the CES Career Catalysts Case Study Competitions and the Student Organization Reception and Employer Networking Dinner (SOREND).
Known for her attention to detail, collaborative spirit, and deep institutional knowledge, Larissa remains focused on enhancing the experience for students, employers, and alumni alike. Her leadership ensures that Rutgers continues to offer meaningful, career-connected opportunities that reflect the evolving needs of the workforce and the diverse aspirations of our student body.

About the Director of Industry & Student Connections
Michelle Galando is the director of Industry & Student Connections, appointed in November 2023. Michelle has served in various roles over 10 years within CES, including Associate Director of Industry-to-Campus Connections, Assistant Director of Networking Programs, and Recruiting Programs Coordinator. In 2023, Michelle was selected as the Outstanding Career Services Supervisor of the Year by the HireBig10+ Career Consortium, honored for her genuine support and regard for her colleagues who reported to her. She is also a former President of the New Jersey Career Center Consortium and very active in the career services community.

About the Executive Director
Michelle Galando, Director of Industry and Student Connections, reports to William (Wil) Jones, Executive Director of Career Exploration and Success. Wil was officially named Executive Director in 2021 by Rutgers University-New Brunswick Chancellor-Provost Francine Conway. Jones previously served in various roles within CES, including Director of Operations and Strategic Initiatives, Senior Director, and interim Executive Director. At Rutgers, he co-founded the industry-centric career community approach to career development – which has become a national model – to diversify office offerings and help students think about their professional goals beyond the confines of their academic discipline. Before joining Rutgers, Wil oversaw an industry relations team at the University of Maryland, among other responsibilities.

Position Description
The Sr. Assistant Director, Career Fair Strategy & Event Experience (Sr. Program Administrator – AFT-6), is responsible for the strategy, coordination, and execution of university-wide recruiting events that serve all Rutgers–New Brunswick students and alumni across academic programs and degree levels. This includes leading the Fall, Winter, and Spring Career & Internship Mega Fairs—Rutgers’ largest employer engagement events—which attract top employers from all industries and are often organized around career communities. The Sr. Assistant Director also manages CES’s boutique and identity-based fairs in collaboration with campus partners and employer-facing staff to ensure inclusive, high-impact opportunities for all student populations, while also evaluating and promoting virtual third-party recruiting events to expand access in areas CES does not directly program. Reporting to the Associate Director of Recruiting Initiatives & Operations, this position chairs cross-functional planning committees for major events, oversees career fair-related budgets and revenue collections, and supervises student event support, including an intern and student organization volunteers. As a visible representative of CES to employers, vendors, and campus stakeholders, the Sr. Assistant Director ensures consistency, professionalism, and logistical excellence across all fair experiences—positioning Rutgers as a premier recruiting destination.
University-wide Career and Internship Fairs
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.

Boutique and Identity-Focused 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.

Leadership and Budget Management
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.

External Virtual Career & Internship Fair Review
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.

Miscellaneous:
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.

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







Salary Transparency
The budgeted starting salary range is between $78,020 and $80,000.

Flexible Work Arrangement Program
Rutgers is pleased to announce the extension of the FlexWork@RU Pilot Program through August 31, 2024. Full-time staff members within Career Exploration and Success are permitted to either a 4:1 compressed work week or up to two days per week of remote work.
The flexible work arrangements outlined in Rutgers Policy 60.3.22 are part of a pilot program that is effective September 1, 2022 and extended through August 31, 2025. Therefore, there is no guarantee that this flexible work arrangement will continue beyond that date. Flexible work arrangements are not permanent, are subject to change or cancellation and contingent on the employee receiving approval in the FlexWork@RU Application System. Additional information may be found at https://futureofwork.rutgers.edu.
Additionally, CES has implemented #FocusFriday, a department-wide practice where internal meetings between CES colleagues are discouraged every Friday. This dedicated time enables staff to concentrate on accomplishing their goals. Periodic meditation or mental health breaks throughout the day are also supported. To further support productivity, CES encourages the utilization of automated "Focus Blocks" through Microsoft Outlook. These automated blocks allow staff members to schedule designated periods of uninterrupted work time, further maximizing productivity and focus.

Benefits Program
Rutgers offers a comprehensive benefit program to eligible employees. For details, please go to http://uhr.rutgers.edu/benefits/benefits-overview.
Rutgers also offers a benefit program to eligible full-time postdoctoral fellow students. For details, please go to https://finance.rutgers.edu/healthcare-risk/insurance/postdoctoral-health-insurance.

Non-Discrimination Statement
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, age, or any other category covered by law in its admission, programs, activities, or employment matters. For additional information, please see the Non-Discrimination Statement at the following web address: http://uhr.rutgers.edu/non-discrimination-statement

Search Committee:
Barbara Thomson, thomson.barbara@rutgers.edu (Search Committee Chair)
Director, Career Operations & Initiatives - Career Exploration & Success
The remaining committee members will be announced shortly.

Apply Today
Application Deadline to Apply: 11:59 pm on June XX, 2024