Full-Time
Associate Director of Health Professions & Life Sciences Career Advising
Updated on 9/3/2026
Northeastern
51-200 employees
Global research university with co-op education
Compensation Overview
$76.3k - $107.8k/yr
Boston, MA, USA
In Person
Bachelor's, Master's, PhD
Category
 Education |
|---|
Required Skills
Data Analysis
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Requirements
- A bachelor's degree in a life sciences, health, or related field is required.
- A minimum of 4–6 years of experience in career services, health professions advising, clinical or research recruiting, workforce development, or the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, or healthcare industries is required.
- Substantive knowledge of health professions and life sciences job markets, including pre-medical, pre-dental, pre-pharmacy, and pre-physician assistant advising pathways; professional and graduate school application processes; biotechnology and pharmaceutical recruiting cycles; clinical research career tracks; and demand for professionals with combined biological and data science competencies is required.
- Experience working with or advising students or early-career professionals in health or life sciences fields is required.
- Experience managing others, including regular coaching and feedback, structured professional development, performance management, and engagement support, is required.
- Proficiency with career management platforms such as Handshake, labor market intelligence tools such as Lightcast and LinkedIn Talent Insights, pre-health advising platforms such as Liaison and American Medical College Application Service familiarity, and artificial-intelligence-enabled career development tools is required.
- Demonstrated ability to build and sustain employer relationships with hospitals and health systems, biotechnology and pharmaceutical firms, research institutions, and public health organizations is required.
- Ability to interpret employment outcome data, professional school matriculation rates, labor market trends, and program metrics is required.
- Strong presentation, coaching, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage students at varying levels of clinical experience, research background, and career and professional school readiness, are required.
Responsibilities
- Provide individualized career advising and coaching to students and recent graduates pursuing internships and full-time roles in healthcare, life sciences, and related fields.
- Guide students through industry-specific job-search strategies, résumé development tailored to healthcare science positions, interview preparation, and offer evaluation.
- Manage up to two Assistant Directors of Career Development by providing coaching, professional development, feedback, and support.
- Maintain current knowledge of how artificial intelligence is transforming early-career hiring practices, including artificial-intelligence-assisted screening and changing skill expectations, and incorporate this knowledge into advising interactions.
- Design, deliver, and continuously improve sector-specific programming addressing industry exploration, networking, mock interviews, career fairs, employer showcases, and salary negotiation in relevant industries.
- Develop programming in partnership with faculty, student organizations, and employer partners.
- Evaluate program effectiveness using attendance, engagement, and downstream employment outcome data, and revise programming accordingly.
- Cultivate and steward relationships with health professions and life sciences employers, including hospitals and health systems, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, clinical research organizations, public health agencies, and research institutions, to generate internship and full-time opportunities.
- Collaborate with the employer relations team to coordinate on-campus recruiting, information sessions, and hiring events.
- Build pathways with health systems and research institutions that regularly hire university talent.
- Track employer pipeline health and identify gaps in sector coverage, clinical specialty representation, or geographic reach.
- Monitor labor market trends, including hiring volumes, emerging roles, compensation benchmarks, and geographic hiring hubs, and synthesize this intelligence into programming, advising content, and student-facing resources.
- Maintain sector-specific employment outcome data, contribute to reporting, and identify opportunities to improve student placement rates.
- Share market insights with colleagues, academic partners, and students through regular communications and resources.
- Serve as the Career Education Center's embedded expert and representative for the health professions and life sciences sector in cross-campus partnerships.
- Build working relationships with the College of Science, Bouvé College of Health Sciences, and other programs with significant healthcare-interested student populations.
- Participate in curriculum, advising, and student success initiatives.
- Represent health professions and life sciences fields at career center team meetings, contribute to strategic planning, and share sector expertise to strengthen team-wide knowledge.
Desired Qualifications
- A master's degree or doctorate in higher education, counseling, public health, a clinical discipline, or a related field is preferred.
- A health professions advising certification is a plus.
Northeastern is a global research university focused on experiential learning and discovery. It combines classroom study with professional work through its extensive cooperative education program, allowing students to alternate between academics, paid internships, research, service, and global study in 100 countries. Its approach links education to real-world problems, supported by collaborations across campuses in Boston, Charlotte, Seattle, San Francisco Bay Area, Toronto, and satellite sites in Burlington and Nahant. The university’s research agenda is use-inspired, addressing health, security, and sustainability challenges through interdisciplinary teams and institutes. Northeastern aims to prepare graduates with practical experience while advancing knowledge to tackle global issues across multiple disciplines.
Company Size
51-200
Company Stage
N/A
Total Funding
N/A
Headquarters
New York City, New York
Founded
N/A
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- The July 2026 New York City campus launch expands admissions, brand, and employer access immediately.
- The 840 Columbus residence hall adds 1,215 beds, supporting Boston enrollment growth through 2027.
- Massachusetts awarded Northeastern $207,538.62 in FY26 safety research funding, validating its public-policy research engine.
What critics are saying
- March 2025 hiring slowdowns and conservative FY26 budgets signal ongoing cost pressure.
- Loss of two USAID grants in 2025 cuts research revenue and weakens federally funded labs.
- Trade-secret litigation and Stephen Stoute appeals distract leadership and can escalate legal costs in FY27.
What makes Northeastern unique
- Northeastern fused Marymount Manhattan on July 9, 2026, adding a New York City degree-granting campus.
- Its co-op model still dominates experiential learning, anchoring employer relationships across campuses.
- The network spans Boston, Oakland, London, and New York, widening student mobility and recruiting reach.
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Benefits
Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Unlimited Paid Time Off
Paid Vacation
Wellness Program
401(k) Retirement Plan