Director, Career Services

Job Purpose Provide strategic leadership and direction for University Career Services at Wayne State University. Lead a comprehensive, student-centered approach to career development that helps students explore career pathways, develop career-ready skills, gain meaningful career-engaged experiences, and successfully transition from college to career.

Collaborate across the university and with external partners to strengthen career development, employer engagement, and connections between education and career pathways. Build partnerships with schools and colleges, student success and engagement units, enrollment and outreach programs, employers, alumni, and community partners to extend the reach and impact of career development.

Serve as a key partner in advancing Wayne State's College to Career (C2C) initiative and other institutional priorities related to student success, career readiness, and workforce development Essential Functions (Essential functions are the primary duties/major job responsibilities that an employee must be able to perform, with or without reasonable accommodation.

The essential functions are listed in order of importance.) Strategic Leadership and Administration - 25% Provide strategic leadership for University Career Services. Establish priorities, goals, programs, and practices aligned with university and student success priorities. Lead, supervise, develop, and evaluate staff and foster a collaborative, student-centered, high-performing team.

Oversee departmental operations, budgets, resources, policies, assessment, and continuous improvement. Identify and incorporate emerging trends and best practices in career development, employer engagement, higher education, and workforce development to strengthen Career Services strategy and operations. Career Development and Student Engagement - 20% Lead the delivery of comprehensive career development services, including career advising and coaching, career exploration, career preparation, workshops, programs, and resources that support students throughout their academic journey and transition to employment or continued education.

Develop strategies to increase student awareness, engagement, and utilization of career services and career-engaged learning opportunities. Advance scalable approaches to career development through technology, digital resources, peer-to-peer models, programming, and embedded partnerships. Promote equitable access to career development resources and opportunities for students across disciplines, backgrounds, and stages of their academic experience.

University Partnerships and Career Integration - 15% Build collaborative partnerships with schools and colleges, faculty, academic advisors, student success and engagement units, enrollment and outreach programs, and other university partners to integrate career development and career awareness throughout the student experience.

Provide consultation, resources, tools, and scalable infrastructure that support schools and colleges and other campus partners in strengthening career development and connecting students with career opportunities. Collaborate with university partners on K–12 outreach, recruitment, career exploration, and pathway initiatives that help prospective and current students understand connections among academic programs, career interests, and future opportunities.

Partner across the university to advance institutional priorities related to career readiness and career-engaged learning, including internships and other experiences that connect academic learning with career goals. Employer, Alumni, and External Engagement - 15% Provide strategic leadership and oversight for employer engagement, recruiting activities, career fairs, student employment initiatives, and other programs that connect students with employment and career opportunities.

Develop and strengthen relationships with employers and other external partners to expand internships, employment opportunities, career exploration, mentoring, networking, and other career-engaged experiences. Oversee Career Services' student employment programs and initiatives and collaborate with campus employers to connect students with meaningful on-campus employment opportunities.

Collaborate with schools and colleges, advancement, alumni relations, and other university partners to leverage alumni and professional networks in support of student career development. Represent Wayne State University with employers, professional organizations, community partners, and other external stakeholders. Technology, Data, and Assessment - 10% Provide strategic leadership and oversight for the university's career management platform and other career technologies and digital resources to support student engagement, employer recruiting, career services delivery, data collection, and operational efficiency.

Establish goals and metrics to assess student engagement, employer engagement, service utilization, post-graduation career outcomes, and program effectiveness. Use data, labor-market information, and stakeholder feedback to inform priorities and continuous improvement. Collaborate with university partners to strengthen career-related data collection, analysis, and reporting.

Communication and Outreach - 10% Develop and oversee communication and outreach strategies that increase awareness and utilization of Career Services, career resources, programs, and opportunities among students and university stakeholders. Collaborate with university partners to communicate career opportunities, student experiences, employer partnerships, and career outcomes and to extend the reach of career development resources across the university.

Serve as a visible campus advocate for career development and career readiness. Perform other related duties as assigned - 5% WORK CONTEXT (Position Scope) Job Reports to: Vice President/AVP/Dean Leadership Accountability: Develops strategic plans and interprets policy Supervisory Accountability: Supervises professionals and non-managers Organizational Accountability: Manages department Financial Accountability: Manages operating budget Customer Accountability: Interfaces with officials and executives Freedom to Act: Sets broad policies and objectives