Associate Director of Industry-to-Campus Connections
Position Announcement
Associate Director of Industry-to-Campus Connections
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, seeks a dynamic team leader to serve as the next Associate Director of Industry-to-Campus Connections within the Office of Career Exploration and Success.
Application Deadline to Apply: 11:59 pm on February 16, 2024
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 & 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 Industry-to-Campus Connections Team
Aligned with the ISC Unit's mission, the Industry-to-Campus Connectors Team cultivates meaningful relationships with industry partners, enabling deeper connections within the campus community through specialized recruiting opportunities. Each team member is assigned career communities that focus their outreach efforts, and they work closely with the student-facing staff members associated with their community.
About the Director of Industry & Student Connections
Michelle St. George-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 St. George, director of Industry & 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.
The previous director of this unit, Janet Jones, has announced her retirement. She served in various roles within CES for more than 30 years.
Position Description
Reporting to the Director of Industry & Student Connections, the Associate Director for Industry-to-Campus Connections is the lead staff member for developing and maintaining employer outreach operations within the Office of Career Exploration & Success at Rutgers University. He/she leads and supports employer initiatives and services to meet the recruitment needs of Rutgers students, including handling employer inquiries and providing strategy support to the Director of Industry & Student Connections. The position will entail strategic and aggressive prospecting of new employment, increasing the pool of employers participating in recruitment programs, and connecting with campus resources. The incumbent will also work to strengthen relationships with current employers and diversify the employer base. He/she will aid with employer-delivered and sponsored workshops, large-scale programming, and boutique events to assist employer-branding efforts and encourage greater collaboration opportunities. They will supervise up to four full-time staff members and various student positions.
45% - Employer Outreach
The Associate Director for Industry-to-Campus Connections will oversee the development of opportunities for employers to engage with Rutgers University.
The Associate Director develops, implements, and manages strategies to create new full-time, internship, and co-op opportunities for all Rutgers students. The incumbent will conduct site visits and on-campus presentations for targeted employment organizations and create strong relationships with a portfolio of employers. The incumbent will be responsible for creating engaging and professional content to promote our students, showcase our services, highlight upcoming recruiting events, and oversee our employer and alumni e-newsletters. When necessary, the Associate Director will partner with the Operations & Strategic Initiatives Unit for design, technology, and data management support. He/she will also develop and maintain effective working relationships with representatives of various professional associations and societies to increase engagement opportunities.
The Associate Director works with a team of Industry-to-Campus Connectors and the broader Industry and Student Connections unit to identify employers with large hiring needs (portfolio employers) per each career interest community, develop meaningful relationships, and increase their engagement with CES and campus resources. They will also work with high-profile, low-engaged employers to increase opportunities and improve relationships.
35% - Special Programs
The Associate Director will also work with the appropriate student-facing career community staff members to ensure ideal conditions for collaboration when working with special populations/career communities to attract new employers to the campus or expand existing relationships. In addition, the Associate Director will chair additional recruiting-focused programs such as “How to Recruit R-Talent,” an in-person recruiting event designed to introduce employers to campus, and events that allow students to connect with recruiters through the lens of the various career communities.
The Associate Director will also manage the Knights of the Round Table employer partners program, a donor-based initiative to raise revenue for CES. It will also provide opportunities for employers to increase their brand on campus. The Associate Director will work with the student-facing team so that they can understand the hiring needs of the KoRT partners. He/she will also work with the University Foundation to coordinate payment processing for the Knights of the Round Table partners program.
15% - Supervision and Leadership
The Associate Director will supervise four full-time Industry-to-Campus Connectors and one graduate coordinator. The incumbent will be part of the department management team and involved in annual planning meetings for the Office of Career Exploration and Success.
5% - Miscellaneous
The Associate Director will participate in committee/staff meetings, professional development, and other responsibilities as assigned. He/she will also assist with creating and adhering to the Office of Career Exploration & Success policies governing employer and student candidates in recruitment programs. He/she will also work on other duties as assigned.
Candidate Profile
To be considered for the associate director position, candidates must meet the following minimum requirements:
- Experience: A bachelor's degree and at least four years of experience in career services, workforce development, university relations and recruiting, or similar fields. Or a master's degree with two years of experience.
- Education: A bachelor's degree
- Skills and Competencies: Should have an in-depth understanding of employer engagement and the needs of recruiters. Must demonstrate the ability to work effectively in teams, problem-solve, and manage projects. Should also have a track record of successfully managing employer inquiries and increasing employer participation in critical recruiting services. And proficiency with Career Management Systems (e.g., Symplicity, CSO, Handshake, etc.).
Preferred Qualifications: Ideally, the person will have experience within a career services setting conducting employer development or fulfilling a college relations/recruiting role in a corporate setting.
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, 2024. 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:
Susan Bennett (Search Chair), sb1363@echo.rutgers.edu
Associate Director, First-year Student Career Engagement - Career Exploration & Success
Additional search committee members coming soon.
Apply Today
Application Deadline to Apply: 11:59 pm on February 16, 2024