Associate Director

Job Title:

Associate Director, Career Services

Job Summary:

The Associate Director, Career Services works closely with the Director and the staff of the Office of Career Services (OCS) to oversee and provide career counseling services and coordinate programming for roughly 450 law school students. The Associate Director joins an Office of Career Services Team (OCS Team) comprising two Associate (or Senior Associate) Directors, a Program Assistant, and the Director of Career Services to develop relationships with alumni and non-alumni employers for the purpose of developing career opportunities for current students and alumni. This position reports directly to and supports the Director of Career Services. The Associate Director will play a critical role in the development and implementation of student and alumni services. Under the Director’s supervision, the Associate Director will have a portfolio of current J.D., LL.M., and Master’s students and recent graduates whom they are responsible for counseling throughout their law school career and afterwards, assisting in their networking and job search strategies, with the goal of finding legal employment that matches their skills, talents, and abilities. The Associate Director will also play a role in implementing programs at the law school that develop students’ job seeking skills and enhance opportunities for students and alumni seeking jobs.

Full Job Description:

ESSENTIAL JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

Counseling

• With the OCS Team, provide a counseling services program to current J.D., LL.M. and Master’s students and recent graduates that provides consistently high quality, individualized, and effective support. 

• Counsel a portfolio of current J.D., LL.M. and Master’s students, recent graduates and alumni about career options, professional development, networking, job search strategies, and interviewing skills, working with a group of assigned students and recent graduates from their first year of law school through to their first successful post-graduation job placement.

• Review resumes, cover letters and supporting job application materials with students and recent graduates.

• Enter counseling notes and track student and recent graduate progress and development in an online career database,

• Ensure that data can be collected and assessed for reporting purposes (to ABA and NALP), and for metrics collection and assessment.

Programming

• With the OCS Team, create and implement short-term and long-term targeted programming for each semester, with the goal of building students’ skills and connecting them with meaningful job opportunities. 

• Support the on-campus recruiting program, including sourcing employers for on-campus recruiting and preparing students for their interviews in partnership with the OCS Team.      

• Participate and implement mock interview programs, along with the OCS Team.

• Create and implement career-related presentations, workshops, and programs.

• Assess and recruit appropriate speakers and help develop multi-media content on legal career development topics including but not limited to: self-assessment, networking, interviewing, and legal specialty topics.

• Develop and coordinate relationships with and serve as primary office liaison for various student affinity groups 

• Collaborate with other School of Law departments, other USF departments, and peer institutions to develop and support co-sponsored events.

• Work with OCS Team to plan and staff events and networking receptions with law firms, public sector agencies, public interest organizations, and other employers to introduce students to practitioners.

• Assist with Public Interest/Public Service Day, On-Campus Recruiting, and other employer recruiting events and job fairs as needed.

• Work with the Director to ensure all programming is in line with the office’s strategic goals.

Office Administration

• Participate with the OCS Team in development and implementation of policies and short and long-range planning for OCS and in the development and implementation of metrics to assess efficacy of efforts and progress towards goals.

• Provide day-to-day supervision of OCS support staff and student assistants, in line with office goals and strategies, as established by the Director.  The Director allocates supervisory responsibility between the Associate Directors of OCS (All HR or potential HR matters to be determined by the Director.)

• Participate in regular OCS Team meetings regarding progress toward short-term and long-term strategic goals, metrics reporting and assessment, and programming.

Resource Development and Acquisition

• Collect and develop materials and resources for students.

• Develop, edit, and update career services materials.

• Work with the OCS team to ensure that recent graduates fill out and turn in their job surveys.     

• Research, evaluate and recommend pertinent career-related resources for acquisition.

Social Media and Web Management

• Work with the OCS Team and the Law School’s Communication Partner to  manage and keep current OCS’s web page and social media presence, and to enhance the use of social media and other online outreach to connect with students, employers and alumni.

Representation of OCS and Networking

• Work closely with the OCS Team to establish a strategy for developing and maintaining relationships with law faculty, administrators, alumni practitioners, and career services and counseling professionals. Help lead the implementation of the developed opportunities.

• Represent OCS at conferences, meetings, and events associated with the National Association for Law Placement (NALP), the Bay Area Legal Recruitment Association (BALRA), the Northern California Consortium of Law Career Services, and other legal, educational, and career-related organizations.

• Represent OCS and the School of Law at Admissions and Alumni events.

Employer Outreach

• Work closely with the OCS Team and the Director of Alumni and Donor Relations to leverage contacts and employment market expertise to develop them into direct opportunities for students and alumni, including job, mentorship and networking opportunities.  Help lead the implementation of the developed opportunities.

• Work with the OCS Team and the Director of Alumni and Donor Relations to secure new On-Campus Recruiting program employers and to generally leverage our extensive and engaged network of alumni volunteers and mentors.

• Assist the other Directors in the development of marketing and promotional strategies and campaigns to enhance the reputation of the School of Law and increase the recruitment of USF students.

• Maintain relationships with employers through regular dialogue with existing contacts and attendance at industry and employer-sponsored events and work to cultivate and expand employment opportunities for our students and graduates.

OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES

Other duties as assigned.

REQUIREMENTS

• Minimal qualifications consist of a J.D. and a minimum of five (5) years successful experience in the practice of law.

• Extensive knowledge of career-related issues particular to the practice of law and extensive experience with or in the legal market.  Established contacts in both the private and public sector preferred.

• Ability to provide excellent, high level, tailored counseling. Preference given to those candidates with previous career counseling experience.

• Effective interpersonal and customer service skills and ability to collaborate effectively with all segments of the law school, including students, faculty, alumni, professional colleagues and members of the USF community.

• Ability and interest in networking actively with alumni and potential employers, including at evening and weekend events, on behalf of the law school and the student body.

• Strong leadership and management skills to effectively help lead the OCS Team and serve as a role model for students and alumni.

• Ability to independently generate new ideas for career programs and resources and efficiently plan and organize events, workshops and other projects.

• Experience with or the ability to work with a diverse student body, faculty and staff.  Strong equity lens, cultural humility and proven ability to work well in a diverse context.

• Excellent grammar, writing and editing skills sufficient to effectively proofread and edit application materials and draft correspondence and resource materials.

• Excellent presentation and verbal skills sufficient to effectively articulate concepts in counseling sessions and presentations.

• Ability and comfort in counseling students in person, virtually (usually via Zoom) and over the phone.

• Ability to efficiently execute all office objectives and to assess and optimize office processes and procedures.

• Extensive organizational skills to handle multiple long-term and short-term projects and ability to juggle competing priorities in a fast-paced office.

• Extensive computer skills required, including experience with the Microsoft Office suite of programs including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Google/G Suite Apps.

• Experience working with online databases.  Preference for candidates with experience working with 12Twenty and Salesforce / Affiniquest  or similar job and student information system databases.

• Preference for candidates with experience of active development and management of social media tools and websites.

• Commitment to the vision, mission and values of the University of San Francisco and the School of Law.

This is a full-time, salaried, exempt position, ineligible for overtime compensation.  Position requires some evening hours and occasionally requires weekend hours.  Regular local travel and occasional regional and national travel required for industry conferences and meetings.

Full-Time/Part-Time:

Full time

Pay Rate:

Salary

Salary Range :

$90,000 - $100,000 annualized; commensurate with experience