Associate Director for Career Readiness
Student Services
College of Biological Sciences

The College of Biological Sciences is a college of approximately 2,300 undergraduate students pursuing degrees in the life sciences at the University of Minnesota. The college offers eight majors and fourteen minors to prepare students to solve biological problems facing our world. CBS Student Services affirms students' identities and life experiences while supporting students as they identify, develop, and achieve their academic, career, and personal goals. Through a team of 20 professionals, each contributing to the shared responsibility of advancing the mission and vision of the college, staff serve students in three functional areas: academic advising, career coaching, and student engagement.
In alignment with CBS Student Services goals and priorities, the Associate Director for Career Development manages the career function and leads a team of two senior career coaches and one outreach coordinator, provides career coaching to undergraduate students, and reports to the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs and International Programs.

Summary of Position
The Associate Director leads career-readiness initiatives and programming for CBS undergraduate students, manages employer and organizational outreach, supports students through programming and one-to-one settings, and supervises the career team. By developing and implementing unit goals for increasing student career success, this role provides a nuanced understanding of the needs of CBS students who often advance to roles in life sciences, research, and health care. As a member of the CBS Student Services leadership team, this role will have a collective responsibility for ensuring exceptional equity-minded student support services that facilitate student learning, retention, and degree attainment through career readiness and skill development.

Annual Salary Range: $72,000-$80,000

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

Career Unit Leadership (40%)

Provide overall strategy and responsibility for CBS career readiness initiatives focused on social equity, relationship-building, and student support. Through a focus on providing innovative and timely programming, coordinate the continuous improvement by monitoring, assessing, and evaluating the operational delivery models and key student success metrics.

-Direct the career development function, which prepares students for opportunities post-graduation with career competencies and transition skills through programming and one-to-one student support
-Lead the strategic planning for career team in the areas of career coaching and employer and organizational outreach
-Oversee systems and processes for career coaching appointments, drop-in services, e-doc reviews, and student-facing resources
-Ensure the delivery of programs and activities that support students in building their network/social capital and support identities underrepresented in the life science industry and healthcare settings
-Represent and promote career development by fostering and maintaining connections with other career leaders, faculty, and Student Services staff
-Establish collaborative relationships within CBS (communications, alumni relations, Dean's office, faculty), student organization, and industry and educational professionals
-Create career content and resources, deliver workshops, and/or serve as an instructor for various career related courses
-Support student outreach and promotion strategy to promote career services
-Collaborate with communication colleagues to promote career services and programming
-Keep abreast of emerging and high impact career practices, market and job trends, technological solutions and other ways to deliver innovative and timely career services

Outreach, Data Analysis + Outcome Reporting (20%)

Creating strong partnerships with targeted organizations, employers, and educational institutions of interest to the career pathways of CBS students. Utilize data to inform effectiveness of current programming and services, as well as future strategies and initiatives for supporting student career-readiness.

-Identifies prospective employers and educational organizations, as well as engage existing contacts to expand internship, job shadowing, site visits, and full-time opportunities in the biological sciences
-Ensure a socially conscious portfolio of employers who are dedicated to the recruitment, hiring, and promotion of candidates of diverse backgrounds
-Represents office in a variety of University, community, and other networking events, and hosting organizations on campus
-Analyze data and develop reports about CBS students' career outcomes, including internships, admission to health professional and graduate programs, and first destination job locations/gap year plans
-Use outcome data to advise unit decisions regarding employer and organizational outreach, adjustments to career management curriculum and programming, and services to students that address equity gaps
-Cultivate and share student success stories and career outcomes in various settings (newsletters, student programming, website, within the CBS community)

Career Staff Supervision (20%)

Supervise 3 career team members and manage daily operations and projects of the career function to optimize service to students.

-Create and ensure a supportive work environment so that individuals may effectively perform their duties and enhance their professional growth
-Empower career staff to initiate proactive outreach and sustained connections with students in an effort to establish stronger career coaching relationships and services
-Supervise career project execution and ensure alignment with unit goals
-Establish expectations for equity-conscious student service and high quality work
-Ensure ongoing staff growth and development through feedback, coaching and support
-Oversight for the hiring, onboarding, training, and performance review of career staff
-Troubleshoot student issues and act as a first line of consultation for career staff

Career Coaching (15%)

The cornerstone of career coaching is the ability to build relationships with individuals with varied backgrounds, perspectives, and identities to support and guide students and recent alumni. This position will also provide career coaching across the CBS student body in a broad range of industry, research, and educational pathways in the life sciences.

-Provide holistic, inclusive career coaching to CBS students as they learn about careers in the biological sciences and health professions, and pursue experiences that are reflective of their career goals, strengths, values, interests and identities
-Coach students as they identify their career goals and pursue related experiences, through individual one-on-one appointments and drop-ins, as well as provide support on document development (resumes, cover letters, personal statements), job/internship/shadowing search strategies, and gap year opportunities
-Conduct mock interviews with students and provide constructive and developmental feedback intended to improve their performance
-Assist students in handling uncertainty and disappointment, and redefining goals
-Serve as a cultural navigator of the world of work and higher education

Professional Development & Service (5%)

-Engage in professional development and service activities related to academic advising, student development, and the student services profession, within the University of Minnesota community and beyond.
-Commitment to ongoing social justice and racial equity work in order to identify, challenge, and remove barriers to access at the individual, community, and system level
-Serve on College and University committees as requested

Minimum Qualifications

-Bachelor's degree plus at least eight years or Master's degree plus at least six years of relevant experience in career services, human resources, or student affairs
-Demonstrated leadership experience
-Supervisory experience or potential to supervise
-Experience aligning work to support a strategic direction and achieve outcomes
-Ability to work effectively with people with diverse identities and backgrounds
-Evidence of commitment to supporting principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion
-Ability to work well independently and collaboratively

Preferred Qualifications

-Experience delivering career coaching/counseling or as a career course instructor
-Experience supervising full-time professionals for at least two years
-Familiarity with national trends and leading practices in higher education career development and the related needs specific to Generation Z, and life sciences and pre-health students
-Knowledge of assessment best practices, particularly in career development
-Demonstrated experience in applying an equity lens to create an inclusive office environment and practices
-Proven ability to develop and maintain collaborative professional partnerships (students, staff, faculty, employers, graduate/professional school representatives)
-Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to initiate projects and programs and see them through to completion
-Innovative approaches to career development, including ability to leverage data, assessment insights, and technology tools to enhance effective delivery of services and supports to undergraduate students in the life sciences

The search committee will begin reviewing applications the week of June 3rd.

We anticipate that initial round interviews will be conducted remotely, with finalist interviews in-person. Funding for non-local finalists will be available from CBS Student Services. CBS Student Services operations are primarily conducted in-person in our office and staff have options for some remote work. Starting salary is determined by the candidate's previous experience and equity within the unit.

For more information about working in CBS Student Services, visit: https://z.umn.edu/workingincbs

If you have questions about the position or the search, please contact Lily Pope at pope0083@umn.edu.

Working at the University

At the University of Minnesota, you'll find a flexible work environment and supportive colleagues who are interested in lifelong learning. We prioritize work-life balance, allowing you to invest in the future of your career and in your life outside of work.

The University also offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Competitive wages, paid holidays, and generous time off
• Continuous learning opportunities through professional training and degree-seeking programs supported by the Regents Tuition Benefit Program
• Low-cost medical, dental, and pharmacy plans
• Healthcare and dependent care flexible spending accounts
• University HSA contributions
• Disability and employer-paid life insurance
• Employee wellbeing program
• Excellent retirement plans with employer contribution
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) opportunity
• Financial counseling services
• Employee Assistance Program with eight sessions of counseling at no cost

Please visit the Office of Human Resources website for more information regarding benefits.

Applications must be submitted online. To be considered for this position, please click the Apply button and follow the instructions. You will be given the opportunity to complete an online application for the position and attach a cover letter and resume. Please include a cover letter of no more than 2 pages, single-spaced, that addresses the following themes: your approach to supervision, career readiness initiatives for undergraduate students studying the life-sciences, and equity within career services.

Additional documents may be attached after application by accessing your "My Job Applications" page and uploading documents in the "My Cover Letters and Attachments" section.

To request an accommodation during the application process, please e-mail employ@umn.edu or call (612) 624-8647.

The University recognizes and values the importance of diversity and inclusion in enriching the employment experience of its employees and in supporting the academic mission. The University is committed to attracting and retaining employees with varying identities and backgrounds.

The University of Minnesota provides equal access to and opportunity in its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. To learn more about diversity at the U: http://diversity.umn.edu

Any offer of employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a background check. Our presumption is that prospective employees are eligible to work here. Criminal convictions do not automatically disqualify finalists from employment.

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMTC)

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