Job Information
St. John Fisher College Associate Director for Experiential Learning & Employer Relations in Rochester, New York
Overview:
St. John Fisher University is an independent, liberal arts institution that provides a transformative education to approximately 3,800 undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students each year. Across its five Schools, Fisher offers nearly 40 majors in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, business, education, and nursing; 11 pre-professional programs; and master’s and doctoral programs in business, nursing, education, pharmacy, and public health. The University’s residential campus boasts a robust living and learning community and a successful intercollegiate athletics program. Fisher is a community where all are welcome, regardless of religious or cultural background.
The University continues to honor its founders, the Congregation of St. Basil, by embracing their motto, “Teach Me Goodness, Discipline, and Knowledge.” We are located in Pittsford, N.Y., seven miles outside of the city of Rochester. The campus is situated on 164 park-like acres—a beautiful setting for a warm, friendly campus community.
Job Responsibilities:
SJF seeks a visionary leader to champion the development and expansion of transformative experiential learning opportunities and foster strategic employer relations. This pivotal role will spearhead the design and implementation of a robust framework for experiential education, cultivating impactful programs that empower students across the School of Business and the School of Arts & Sciences.
As the primary liaison for employer relations, the Associate Director cultivates and manages vital partnerships with organizations across diverse industries. By leveraging strong communication and interpersonal skills, the individual builds trusting relationships and secures valuable internship, co-op, and job placement opportunities for students and graduates. This role spearheads the development of a robust ecosystem for experiential learning. Leveraging institutional resources, the Associate Director identifies and launches new programs, while enhancing the visibility and reach of existing offerings. Through meticulously designed tracking, reporting, and assessment systems, they diligently evaluate student learning outcomes and program effectiveness, ensuring continuous improvement.
The Associate Director serves as a dedicated mentor and advocate for students, providing personalized guidance and coaching sessions. By leading workshops and teaching the credit bearing internship class, they equip students with vital skills and empower them to navigate the professional landscape with confidence. Beyond individual contributions, this role demands effective leadership. The Associate Director chairs the Experiential Learning Advisory Council and Employer Advisory Board, fostering interdepartmental collaboration and aligning strategic goals. They manage on-site visits, oversee the Fisher Flight program in partnership with the alumni office, and manage the funding allocation for the Career Accelerator Awards.
The Associate Director actively participates in various aspects of the Career Services department, including facilitating recruitment activities, career fairs, workshops, classroom presentations, and contributing to data analysis and assessment initiatives. Proven leadership experience in educational or professional settings.
Employer Relations Responsibilities:
Serve as the dynamic face of employer relations, establishing and nurturing connections with key stakeholders on and off campus by strategically identifying and building relationships for recruitment of SJF students for experiential and job opportunities.
Work with employers, and in collaboration with the Office of Marketing and Communications, to develop marketing strategies and materials for experiential education, employer engagement, website content, and other resources.
Manage the Employer Advisory Board guiding strategic direction and fostering engagement.
Collaborate with other partner offices on campus as well as local community partners to facilitate relationships and build employer partnerships.
Provide employers with continued educational opportunities related to best practices on internships, experiential learning, and market trends.
Compile and report data on employer relations activities, assess employer relations efforts, and provide feedback as to the effectiveness of such efforts.
Engage with the Alumni office to collaborate on career ready and experiential education development with alumni.
Serve as the outward facing representative of career services on campus and in the community with employer partners.
Track and report on job market demand, use of career services, trends in recruiting, job-offer data, and hiring results for students in various academic majors.
Be up to date on best practices and hiring trends and managing employer education efforts on campus and in the community and participate in professional development activities and associations at the local, state and national level —as appropriate and directed.
Work with international students and serve as the DSO for the campus collaborating with appropriate offices.
Experiential Education Responsibilities:
Spearhead the development of a campus wide system to collect, compile, track and report experiential data from all five Schools at the University in collaboration with faculty, staff, employers and students.
Manage the creation and implementation of internship curriculum for students and employers host sites and serve as the faculty supervisor for these students.
Architect compelling new experiential learning programs, leveraging institutional resources and industry partnerships.
Manage metrics of success and conduct ongoing assessment and analytics in the context of All College Learning Goals and NACE career-readiness competencies and general annual report to show alignment and continuous improvement.
Create and manage workshops, webinars, and online content to maximize student learning and particularly to serve unique needs of underrepresented students and those for whom experiential learning is not a required element of academic program.
Oversee the Career Accelerator Awards, co-manage the Fisher Flight Program, and plan and implement Employer Site Visits.
Work to centralize and align experiential opportunities marketing, outreach, education, onboarding, and reporting (including student & supervisor progress evaluations), with the Fisher Outcomes, and core competencies from the School of Business and School of Arts and Sciences.
Provide holistic career development by conducting individual coaching sessions, delivering engaging presentations, and teaching the credit bearing internship class.
Represent career services on campus and in the community as needed.
Conduct data analysis and contribute to the development of the office’s assessment report.
Perform other duties as assigned by the Director.
Education / Experience:
A Master’s degree with three-five years of full-time experience developing, promoting, and managing internship/experiential learning opportunities or in career services for students in a college environment. Degrees must be in Higher Education Administration, Education, Human Resources, Communications, Psychology, Counseling, or related fields with at least one year of full-time experience in a career center is required. The candidate must be able to develop and maintain effective working relationships with employers, staff, faculty, alumni and students, and must have demonstrated success in program development and management.
Competencies / Skills:
Exceptional communication, interpersonal, relationship-building and organization skills
Demonstrate capability in teaching and presentation skills
Proven ability to work independently and collaboratively with diverse groups, including students, faculty, staff, alumni, employers & community partners
Ability to exercise professional/ethical judgment, manage time and prioritize multiple work projects simultaneously
Extensive knowledge of career development and experiential learning best practices and prior experience working in a career office providing career coaching
Industry/employer relations knowledge is a plus.
Proficiency in data analysis and assessment methodologies, and a commitment to student-centered learning and success.
Proficient in Handshake, and Microsoft Office/365.
The ability to travel to cultivate, and maintain relationships with employers and alumni
A collaborative and creative approach to problem-solving with strong organizational and project management skills.
Supervision of Employees:
Potential for student worker/intern supervision
Work Hours:
This is a 12-month, full time position and is scheduled for 35 hours per week, Monday-Friday, with the occasional evening and weekend hours.
EEO Statement:
It is the policy of St. John Fisher University to provide Equal Employment Opportunity to all employees and applicants for employment in accordance with the applicable federal, state, and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in each locality in which the University has employees.
The University does not discriminate against applicants or employees in hiring, promotion, termination or the terms and conditions of employment on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sex, perceived sex, gender identity, gender expression, the status of being transgender, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, marital status, military status, veteran status, predisposing genetic, characteristics or genetic information, arrest or conviction record, status as a victim of domestic violence, or any other characteristic protected by law.
The Title IX Coordinator is the designated University official with primary responsibility for coordinating compliance with Title IX and related federal and state laws. The Title IX Coordinator, Meg Flaherty, Ph.D., can be reached by phone (585-385-8232), email (titleix@sjfc.edu), in-person in Campus Center 206, or outside of business hours by contacting the Office of Safety and Security (585-385-8111).