Walla Walla, WA - Posted on: Wednesday 03/06/13
Description
Whitman College seeks a creative, collaborative and entrepreneurial individual to help guide the evolution and development of the Student Engagement Center. The Associate Director will report to the Assistant Dean for Student Engagement and will have a leadership role in cultivating and brokering relationships between the for-profit private sector and Whitman students and alumni. This is a full time, 12-month position. Principal responsibilities and duties include:
- Develop business internships and full-time opportunities for students and alumni.
- Establish ‘cluster’ internship programs in five targeted urban areas with high concentrations of Whitman College alumni.
- Organize campus programming that demonstrates connections between liberal arts education and opportunities in the for-profit private sector.
- Mentor, advise and counsel students about how their Whitman experiences provide a strong foundation for success in the business world.
- Assist students in effectively utilizing their co-curricular experiences to advance their prospects for employment after graduation and be more competitive in the marketplace.
- Develop entrepreneurship initiatives and related programming, including symposia.
- Work collaboratively with Whitman faculty, staff, and alumni, to help students access alumni working in the for-profit sector in the U.S. and abroad.
- Serve as an advisor to students considering MBA and related graduate programs.
- Organize workshops that teach students effective job search strategies for business.
- Develop web-based, print, and other media and materials to support advising, internship, and job search efforts, and ‘tell the Whitman story.’ Participate in social media initiatives.
- Maintain effective regular contact with community partners, and cultivate new ones.
- Develop and implement methods for collecting and tracking data about student practices and outcomes, particularly in the areas of internships and job searches.
- Maintain regular contact with faculty to enhance connections between academic and co-
curricular programming
Qualifications
- 3-5 years professional experience working in business organizations
- Expertise about business internships, entry-level positions and post-graduate internships and longer-term professional roles
- Familiarity with trends and industry-specific approaches to job search process
- Extensive networks in at least several professional realms typically sought by Whitman students
- Travel as needed
- Experience supervising student interns and student workers
- College student career counseling experience desirable
- Familiarity with liberal arts colleges desirable
- Willingness and ability to work independently and as part of a team
- Skills and experiences that contribute to the diversity of the college
- Master’s degree in related field preferred, or the equivalent in experience
- Excellent interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills, and an awareness of the sensitivities of others are extremely important
- Competency with social media and other job search software
The successful candidate will possess a Bachelor’s degree (Masters preferred) and 3-5 years of professional experience working in business or related organizations, preferably in some form of marketing, recruitment, and outreach. Candidates with demonstrated knowledge of business internships and entry-level private sector opportunities are particularly sought. Student career counseling experience and knowledge of private sector trends and industry-specific approaches to job search process are preferred. Ideally, the candidate will possess extensive networks in at least several professional realms typically sought by Whitman students, and demonstrated competency with social media and other job search software.
The following attributes, skills, and experience represent the ideal profile: an ability to clearly articulate the value of a liberal arts and sciences education; a seasoned traveler, adept at working with a variable schedule (occasional long hours, evenings, weekends) and working independently; strong organizational skills; an excellent public speaker who thrives in small group presentations; an ability to exercise sound judgment and respect for strict confidentiality; a professional presence, exhibiting poise and sensitivity in dealing with students, faculty, alumni and Trustees, business executives, and other constituencies; a high integrity leader, committed to collaboration and accountability; a sense of humor; excellent interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills
Related Links
Interested candidates please apply online at: https://whitmanhr.simplehire.com/postings/812
