Career Specialist

Job no: 519916
Position Type: Staff Full Time
Campus: UMass Boston
Department: Career Services
Pay Grade: 30
Date opened: 31 Jul 2023 Eastern Daylight Time
Applications close: 20 Aug 2023 Eastern Daylight Time

General Summary:

The primary mission of the Academic and Career Engagement and Success (ACES) Center is to provide holistic, high quality, and culturally responsive academic and career success coaching. Success coaching engages students in an intentional process that values students’ strengths and cultural wealth. It advances their personal, academic, and professional goals, expands access to experiential learning opportunities and connects them with resources. The departments’ values promote inclusive excellence through holistic student success and equitable outcomes.

The Career Specialist supports the mission of the department by providing Career Services to the UMass Boston students, undergraduate, graduate, and alumni. The incumbent will participate in the planning, development, and administration of programming and services tailored to the needs of undergraduate students, alumni, and employers. The incumbent will be responsible for cultivating and maintaining relationships with key constituents, such as students, faculty, alumni, employers, and staff in departments across campus. The Career Specialist will be responsible for one-on-one career individual appointments and drop-in appointments; student-employer programming; networking events; and educational seminars/workshops. In addition, the Career Specialist will help develop the ACES Career Communities model to engage students and employers in the career industry model.

Examples of Duties:

The primary mission of the Academic and Career Engagement and Success (ACES) Center is to provide holistic, high quality, and culturally responsive academic and career success coaching. Success coaching engages students in an intentional process that values students’ strengths and cultural wealth. It advances their personal, academic, and professional goals, expands access to experiential learning opportunities and connects them with resources. The departments’ values promote inclusive excellence through holistic student success and equitable outcomes.

The Career Specialist supports the mission of the department by providing Career Services to the UMass Boston students, undergraduate, graduate, and alumni. The incumbent will participate in the planning, development, and administration of programming and services tailored to the needs of undergraduate students, alumni, and employers. The incumbent will be responsible for cultivating and maintaining relationships with key constituents, such as students, faculty, alumni, employers, and staff in departments across campus. The Career Specialist will be responsible for one-on-one career individual appointments and drop-in appointments; student-employer programming; networking events; and educational seminars/workshops. In addition, the Career Specialist will help develop the ACES Career Communities model to engage students and employers in the career industry model.

B. Example of Duties

Develop, manage, and administer career advising and career counseling and other workshops and programs to undergraduate and graduate students, as well as alumni; coordinate career counseling activities and programs, as well as advise and counsel students regarding career selection, resume, and cover letter development, job searches and internships, and career readiness activities in line with the establishment of career communities model for the UMass Boston community

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In collaboration with the Assistant Director of Programming and the Director of Career Engagement and Employer Partnerships, the incumbent will develop and implement a career development program, career opportunities and special events
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Collaborate with the faculty, employers, student organizations, administrators, and staff within the department and across campus to promote opportunities and manage career counseling activities and programs; track and monitor career learning outcomes in conjunction with faculty and staff
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Deliver ACES presentations and workshops for classes, open houses, orientation, welcome days, etc.; marketing programs, opportunities, and events
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Assist students and develop career resources on a variety of topics including but not limited to career exploration, resume/curricular vita (CV) and cover letter preparation, interview strategies, development of internship and career goals, graduate school research and preparation, support during students’ academic and post-academic career, career change and career readiness at different life stages, and follow-up evaluations and assessments
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Develop and maintain relationships with key academic programs and departments across campus, to identify employers, employer associations and professional associations to cultivate in the creation of opportunities and programs in support of the career communities model; work with the Assistant Director of Employer Partnerships to establish and maintain a positive rapport with the community, alumni, civic and professional organizations, local business and industry community and other potential employers for the purpose of promoting the university
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Work with the Director of Career Engagement and Employer Partnerships and other colleagues to develop career readiness and career communities’ standards for UMass Boston students
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Support ACES team with coverage during Career Signature career events, workshops, panels, career expos, and fairs
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Keep abreast and well-informed of hiring/employer trends at the local, state, and national levels
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Manage and develop, as well as assist others, in one or more programs and/or projects, such a
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ACES Peer career advising: hire, train and supervise a group of peer career advisors who assist with resume checks, mock interviews, and Handshake
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Assist in the development of community and employer partners to serve on the career community advisory board. Board membership shall include employers/alumni, faculty/staff, student leaders, and ACES staff, etc. The board will direct the overall administration of community-specific career journey programs, student-alumni mentoring activities, and recruiting programs. The board will also assist the career community lead with engaging academic departments, student organizations, and other community members. The boards will meet virtually or in-person at least monthly. Create, present, and co-chair career/industry and employment specific events, such as career expos (career fairs), career forums, career workshops and panels
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Assist in the development of the UMass Boston ACES/Beacon Mentorship Program (AMP), matching students with knowledgeable alumni mentors and spearheads career spotlights to help students and alumni reflect on professional experiences and inspire classmates, amplifying existing content and facilitating creation of new content
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Assist in staffing weekly Drop-in Hours and provide one-on-one career advising to students regarding resumes, cover letters, internships, and job search strategies; conduct in-person and virtual workshops for classroom presentations and student organizations; Administer and interpret appropriate assessment instruments which assist students and alumni in planning, goal setting, progressing academically, and career search/change
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Write and design appropriate communications/publications, including annual and college reports, and manage the distribution accordingly; develop handouts, packets and related materials for students and alumni; gather resources for students and alumni
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Represent ACES on university committees
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Perform other duties as assigned
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Qualifications:

Bachelor’s Degree required, Master’s Degree in Higher Education Administration, College Student Personnel, Career/Employment Counseling, MBA, or a closely related field preferred, and a minimum of two-five (2-5) years of work experience in college/university career services operations in workforce development/employment, graduate students, alumni relations, in a higher education setting or corporate/non-profit human resources and/or in sourcing college student for an employer is required.

Demonstrated experience effectively managing and developing new programs and/or initiatives is required. Demonstrated ability to work effectively with employers, administrators, faculty, and students is required. Some evening and weekend work required

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Understanding of the unique career development needs of first generation, international, racially, and ethnically diverse students
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Knowledge of career development theory
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Knowledge of current trends in career services field
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Knowledge of the job search strategies
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Demonstrated ability to collaborate cross-functionally and to interact effectively with employers, students, alumni, faculty, and university administrators is required
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Knowledge of best practices in developing operational employer relations, partnerships, and workforce development
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Knowledge of and ability to work with diverse student populations and organizations to effectively prepare them for employment
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Knowledge of career assessment tools and ability to interpret results with students and alumni
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Knowledge of best practices in workforce development and working with employers
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Knowledge of current regional and state-wide industry and employment trends and needs
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Knowledge of various administrative software applications and programs, including Microsoft Office
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Knowledge of and ability to work with diverse student populations to effectively prepare them for employment
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Knowledge of the use technology and computer systems (Handshake) relevant to the career services fiel
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Demonstrated ability to collaborate cross-functionally and to interact effectively with employers, students, alumni, faculty, and university administrators is required
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Ability to successfully manage a liaison relationship between the Office of Career Services and Internships and other university departments
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Ability to plan and manage multiple projects simultaneously and balance priorities
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Ability to manage complex tasks under time constraints, while maintaining strong attention to detail
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Ability to work effectively and efficiently in a team capacity with a broad range of staff to accomplish departmental, program and university goals
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Ability to approach the position in a results-oriented sense of responsibility, collegiality, and collaboration
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Ability to work under pressure and under tight timeframes and deadlines
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Ability to use independent judgment, work with discretion and be entrusted with confidential information
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Ability to manage major projects from development to implementation
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Ability to evaluate programs and collect and analyze data
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Strong oral and written communication skills
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Strong interpersonal skills, including the capacity to work cooperatively with a wide range of individuals
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Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills
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Strong commitment to student success and customer service
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Application Instructions:

Please apply online with your resume, cover letter and list of three professional references.

Review of candidates will begin following the application closing date.

Only Internal candidates in the Professional Staff Bargaining Unit will be considered during the first 10 business days of the posting. All other candidates will be considered after that period.