Director of Recruiting & Employer Engagement

Job Description The Director of Recruiting & Employer Engagement leads Vanderbilt’s employer engagement and hiring outcomes strategy, serving as the primary owner of relationships with recruiting organizations. This role is responsible for developing, managing, and growing a portfolio of employer partners and ensuring those relationships translate into sustained internship and full-time hiring activity for students.

#VUrecruitIND Reporting to the Executive Director of Employer Relations & Experiential Learning, this role focuses on relationship management, employer strategy, and partnership development, while ensuring effective execution of recruiting processes that support student placement outcomes. This position translates employer relationships into measurable hiring activity — including interviews, offers, and placements — and ensures Vanderbilt is a reliable, high-performing partner for recruiting organizations.

The career center at Vanderbilt University is building a pathway-based career ecosystem that aligns academic experience, experiential learning, and employer engagement to improve student outcomes at scale. Through advising, internships, industry partnerships, and AI-enabled tools, the Career Center helps students explore, prepare for, and launch into meaningful careers across a broad range of industries.

This model expands access to opportunities, strengthens employer relationships, and positions Vanderbilt as a leading source of talent in a rapidly evolving workforce.

Duties and Responsibilities

Employer Relationship & Portfolio Management Own and manage a portfolio of employer partners across key industries Develop deep, ongoing relationships with hiring organizations to drive sustained engagement Proactively engage employers to understand hiring needs and align opportunities for Vanderbilt students Lead employer strategy and account development to expand hiring pipelines and long-term partnership Employer Engagement & Experience Ensure a high-quality, consistent employer experience across all recruiting interactions Standardize processes for employer onboarding, scheduling, and engagement Drive proactive outreach and engagement strategies to deepen employer relationships Support long-term partnership building and repeat engagement across recruiting cycle Recruiting Operations & Pipeline Alignment Oversee all on-campus and virtual recruiting activities, including interviews, events, and employer engagement workflows Ensure seamless execution of recruiting cycles across all pathways Track and manage internship and full-time hiring pipelines Identify bottlenecks and improve funnel performance Cross-Functional Coordination Partner with Employer Relations to convert relationships into active recruiting engagement Collaborate with advising and experiential learning teams to align student readiness with recruiting timelines Serve as a key connector across teams to ensure alignment between employer demand and student preparation Data & Performance Management Develop dashboards tracking recruiting activity, conversion rates, and employer engagement Use data to improve efficiency, predict demand, and drive outcomes Leverage data to inform employer strategy, prioritize high-impact partnerships, and guide portfolio management decisions Qualifications Bachelor’s degree is necessary.

8–10+ years in recruiting, talent acquisition, or university recruiting operations is necessary. Strong experience managing recruiting pipelines and employer engagement execution. Data-driven mindset with strong operational leadership skills. Ability to travel 20% of time.