Sr. Assistant Director, Scarlet Career Mentoring Course
Position Announcement
Sr. Assistant Director, Scarlet Career Mentoring Course
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, seeks a dynamic team leader to serve as the inaugural Sr. Assistant Director, Scarlet Career Mentoring Course (UHR Title: Career Counseling Officer) within the Office of Career Exploration and Success.
Application Deadline to Apply: 11:59 pm on May XX, 2026
About Rutgers–New Brunswick: Building a Career-Ready Campus
Rutgers University–New Brunswick, the flagship campus of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a leading public research university with a vibrant and diverse community of more than 43,000 students. Across its schools and colleges, Rutgers–New Brunswick offers a broad range of academic programs that foster intellectual growth, personal development, and career readiness. The campus’s rich history, distinguished faculty, and commitment to innovation create a dynamic learning environment that prepares students to succeed in an ever-changing world.
As part of its commitment to student success, Rutgers is advancing a university-wide “Building a Career-Ready Campus” initiative, led by the Assistant Vice Provost for Career Development and aligned with a Chancellor-level goal of achieving a 90% post-graduation career outcomes rate by 2030. This work brings together faculty, staff, employers, and alumni to embed career readiness across the student experience, with mentoring programs serving as one of six strategic priorities to expand access to networks, strengthen career preparation, and advance social mobility.
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 Career Discovery Unit
One of four units within the Office of Career Exploration and Success, the Career Discovery unit guides students through the early stages of their career journey. Its primary objective is to assist them in discovering their interests, skills, and values, while facilitating the exploration of potential career pathways to inform future decision-making. The unit consists of 10 full-time staff members and five graduate coordinators organized into two teams led by associate directors: the New Student Career Engagement Team and the Scarlet Career Mentoring Network Team (associated with this role).
About the Scarlet Career Mentoring Network Team and Scarlet Career Mentoring Course
Aligned with the Career Discovery Unit's mission, the Scarlet Career Mentoring Network Team leads the design and delivery of accessible, scalable mentoring initiatives that connect Rutgers students with industry partners and professionals to support career exploration, skill development, and long-term success. The team expands access to networks and opportunities that advance social mobility while empowering students to leverage their individuality as a strength and move forward with confidence.
The Scarlet Career Mentoring Course, launching in Spring 2027, will be a credit-bearing experience developed in partnership with the School of Management and Labor Relations that will pair students with industry professionals to build meaningful mentoring relationships while completing a structured job simulation project. Through this course, students will expand their networks, develop career readiness competencies, and apply what they are learning in a real-world context.
About the Associate Director, Scarlet Career Mentoring Network
As Associate Director and direct supervisor, Stacey Kohler leads a portfolio of career mentoring programs that offer tailored resources to Rutgers—New Brunswick's diverse student body. Her responsibilities include overseeing the 4WARD Career Pathways Program for undergraduates, the Graduate Student Career Pathways Program, the International Career Pathways program, and the Scarlet Career mentoring Course. Before her promotion to associate director, Stacey managed the 4WARD Career Pathways Program as an Assistant Director and also worked with graduate students on their career journey. With nearly a decade of experience in career services, she excels at supporting students and fostering collaborative campus partnerships. Prior to joining Rutgers, Stacey worked in the public school system.
About the Director of Career Discovery
Sue Pye is the director of Career Discovery. Sue has decades of experience leading high-impact experiential education initiatives, working with campus partners to develop career curricula, leading teams, and even liaising with graduate school programs in a previous role. Before Rutgers, she worked in career services at Seton Hall University and the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). She began her full-time career in higher education in residence life, working at Kean University, William Paterson University, and the College of Saint Elizabeth.
About the Assistant Vice Provost and Executive Director
Sue Pye, Director of Career Discovery, 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 and later promoted to Assistant Vice Provost. 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 various functions at the University of Maryland Career Center, including helping student leaders translate their experiences to the world of work by making connections to the skills employers sought.
Position Description
Career Exploration and Success (CES) at Rutgers University–New Brunswick seeks an innovative and strategic professional to serve as Career Counseling Officer (Scarlet Career Mentoring Course) (Operational Title: Sr. Assistant Director). This role leads the development, implementation, and expansion of a credit-bearing mentoring course that integrates academic learning, employer engagement, and alumni mentorship.
The Career Counseling Officer is responsible for launching and scaling the Scarlet Career Mentoring Course in partnership with the School of Management and Labor Relations, including curriculum design, instructional coordination, and mentor integration. A central responsibility of the role is the development and management of a scalable mentor recruitment and engagement strategy, including building and sustaining partnerships with employers and alumni to create a robust pipeline of industry mentors to support course delivery.
The position establishes the structure and standards for a mentoring-based academic experience that connects students with industry professionals while building career readiness competencies. This includes supervising co-adjunct instructors and ensuring alignment between course delivery, mentor engagement, and student learning outcomes.
Reporting to the Associate Director, Scarlet Career Mentoring Network, this role also leads a career community and contributes to the broader strategy of integrating mentoring and career development across the student experience. The position requires strong leadership, independent judgment, and the ability to design and scale complex initiatives that bridge academic and co-curricular career development.
Mentor Recruitment, Engagement, and Pipeline Development
Leads the development of a scalable mentoring infrastructure to support course delivery. Designs and implements strategies to recruit, onboard, train, and retain industry and alumni mentors. Builds and sustains relationships with employer partners, alumni networks, and campus stakeholders to create a consistent and reliable pipeline of mentors.
Develops mentor training materials and engagement models to ensure effective participation in a structured academic environment. Oversees mentor matching processes, facilitates onboarding and training sessions, and provides ongoing support and feedback mechanisms. Establishes standards and expectations for mentor participation and ensures alignment between mentor engagement and course learning outcomes.
Scarlet Career Mentoring Course Leadership and Expansion
Leads the creation, implementation, and expansion of the Scarlet Career Mentoring Course, a credit-bearing academic experience developed in partnership with the School of Management and Labor Relations. Designs and refines curriculum aligned with career readiness competencies and course learning objectives. Establishes instructional standards and ensures consistency across course sections. Oversees course operations, including scheduling, coordination with academic partners, and integration of mentoring components.
Develops and executes strategies to scale the course beyond the pilot phase, including increasing enrollment, expanding course sections, and refining delivery models. Supervises co-adjunct instructors supporting course delivery and ensures alignment with course objectives and instructional expectations. Collaborates with internal partners to assess course outcomes and continuously improve curriculum and student learning experiences.
Career Community Leadership and Campus Partnerships
Leads a designated career community, developing and implementing programming that connects students with career pathways, professional networks, and experiential learning opportunities. Serves as the primary liaison to Rutgers cultural centers, building partnerships that expand access to mentoring, career exploration, and professional development opportunities for students.
Collaborates with campus partners, student organizations, and academic units to integrate career development into the student experience. Facilitates advisory structures and engagement opportunities that inform program development, employer engagement strategies, and student outreach efforts.
Career Advising
Provides individual and group career advising to students, with an emphasis on mentoring, networking, and career development strategies. Supports students in developing professional narratives, building networks, and navigating career pathways. Develops and delivers workshops and group programming to expand access to advising and career development resources.
Programming, Administration, and Professional Engagement
Develops and delivers career-related programming for students and campus partners, including presentations, workshops, and professional development sessions. Participates in departmental, divisional, and university-wide initiatives.
Engages in ongoing professional development and represents Rutgers through conference presentations, publications, or contributions to professional associations. Supports additional initiatives and special projects as needed.
Candidate Profile
To be considered for the assistant director position, candidates must meet the following minimum requirements:
- Experience and Education: UHR requires a Bachelor’s degree with five years of relevant experience or a Master's degree with three years of relevant experience.
- Skills and Competencies: The incumbent must have a student-focused orientation with exceptional counseling skills, knowledge of career development theory and career assessment interpretation, as well as good organizational, presentation, administrative, and computer skills. Requires a high-energy level and receptivity to change is also important.
Preferred Qualifications: Experience within a career services or higher education setting working with large and diverse student populations is preferred. Candidates with experience managing forms of mentoring programs (internship, peer instruction, industry mentors, etc.) and course instruction are also preferred.
Flexible Work Arrangement Program
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 through the Rutgers FlexWork@RU Program. 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.
Equal Opportunity Employer
It is university policy to provide equal employment opportunity to all its employees and applicants for employment regardless of their race, creed, color, national origin, age, ancestry, nationality, marital or domestic partnership or civil union status, sex, pregnancy, gender identity or expression, disability status, liability for military service, protected veteran status, affectional or sexual orientation, atypical cellular or blood trait, genetic information (including the refusal to submit to genetic testing), or any other category protected by law. As an institution, we encourage all qualified applicants to apply. For additional information please see the Non-Discrimination Statement at the following web address: http://uhr.rutgers.edu/non-discrimination-statement.
Search Committee:
Christine Anderson, anderson.christine@rutgers.edu (Search Committee Chair)
Sr. Assistant Director, 4WARD Career Pathways Program - Career Exploration and Success
Full search committee coming soon.
Apply Today
Application Deadline to Apply: 11:59 pm on May XX, 2026