Associate Director

Department

ESA External Relations 2

About the Department

Career Advancement serves a student population of approximately 7,000 arts and sciences undergraduate students, in addition to alumni who have graduated within the last five years. Career Advancement plays a vital role in ensuring our students’ success after graduation. Career Advancement offers innovative and comprehensive career development services with a focus on pre-professional preparation, experiential education, and opportunities. Through career advising, programs, and comprehensive resources, Career Advancement supports undergraduate students and alumni as they develop the skills necessary to manage their career development, while working with alumni and employers to provide students with meaningful opportunities. For more information, please visit the Career Advancement website at careeradvancement.uchicago.edu.

Job Summary

UChicago Career Advancement builds on the world-class UChicago liberal arts foundation to provide students with a competitive edge in their professional development. Career Advancement’s Experiential Education team collaborates closely with partners across the University to deliver a wide range of non-industry-specific programs that are accessible to all undergraduates, supporting their diverse career interests.

The Associate Director will use advanced program management skills to oversee and execute the Career Exploration Trek Program, which annually sends 500–600 College students on 30+ trips to key destinations around the globe. They will also oversee the Career Exploration Week Program, which sends 300–350 incoming College students on 10+ trips to key U.S. cities during Labor Day week. This role also provides direct career advising to first-year students, offering personalized guidance on job searches, resumes, and professional development. In addition, the Associate Director will advise specialized student cohorts, such as the Evan Scholars, helping these students achieve their unique academic and career goals.

The Associate Director will supervise one staff member who provides essential operational support across several key areas. This includes administering student payments related to internships, stipends, and reimbursements; coordinating the administration of merit scholarships; processing payments; and assisting with student communications. This position requires a passion for student support, strong collaboration with campus and external stakeholders, and a commitment to excellence in program execution and service delivery. The ideal candidate will be a proactive and detail-oriented administrator with a demonstrated ability to thrive in complex, decentralized environments where relationship-building and cross-functional teamwork are essential to success.

Responsibilities

• Utilizes first-hand knowledge and skills gained from recent work or higher education experience to successfully counsel and advise students interested in pursuing a career in a variety of fields.
• Provides high-quality career advising to undergraduate students and alumni. This includes providing one-on-one career advising sessions to undergraduates in various formats such as scheduled appointments, walk-ins, and electronic/virtual support and communication.
• Maintains a regular schedule of one-on-one advising appointments and provides additional advising hours during the busiest times of the academic year.
• Leads the strategic planning and execution of the Career Exploration Trek Program, overseeing 30+ annual trips and ensuring high-impact student experiences through effective coordination with staff, faculty, and external partners.
• Oversees the Career Exploration Week Program, managing 10+ immersive career trips during Labor Day week for incoming students and ensuring smooth operations and high student engagement.
• Supervises and supports a full-time staff member responsible for student payments, vendor processing, scholarship administration, and data tracking related to experiential programs.
• Monitors and analyzes program data and student outcomes to produce reports for leadership, identify trends, and recommend strategic improvements for experiential learning programs.
• Fosters strong relationships with campus and external partners to enhance program impact and expand opportunities for student participation.
• Develops and tracks performance metrics to assess program effectiveness and continuously improve service delivery across the Experiential Education portfolio.
• Develops metrics for tracking progress against goals and reviews goals on a bi-monthly basis with internal team and external colleagues.
• Supports Career Advancement in strategically developing and maintaining relationships with campus partners.
• Conducts job search and career management related large lectures, hands-on workshops, special events, training programs, and one-on-one career coaching sessions. Acts as a resource for and directs students to other career resources as needed.
• Analyzes markets and trends as they relate to job searches. Assesses student feedback and evaluations and collaborates with other career services staff members, student organizations, or other staff to determine program offerings and innovations.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 5-7 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Certifications:

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Preferred Qualifications

Experience:

• Developing and delivering presentations.
• Working with college-aged students and/or recent college graduates strongly preferred; developing and managing an internship or fellowship program.

Technical Skills or Knowledge:

• Proficient in Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Expertise in budget and project management, or a related area.
• Knowledge of career development theory and strong coaching or counseling skills.

Preferred Competencies

• Strong interpersonal skills, demonstrated initiative, and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively, with flexibility and adaptability.
• Efficiently and quickly navigate various University budget, accounting, and human resources systems and platforms.
• A demonstrated passion for supporting the success of students.
• Communicate to large groups as well as one-on-one with students, senior management, alumni, and external partners.
• Expertise in program development, or a related area.
• Demonstrated success in maintaining collaborative relationships with diverse constituencies.
• Deep commitment to customer service, prioritize and balance different work streams, meet deadlines, and work successfully in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent verbal communications skills. Strong interpersonal, quantitative, and networking skills.

Working Conditions

• Work evening hours and weekends on an occasional basis, generally 1-2 days per month.
• Travel, generally one or two times per year.

Application Documents

• Resume/CV (required)
• Cover Letter/Statement of Interest (required)
• Three Professional References Contact Information (required)

Job Family

Student Affairs & Services

Role Impact

Individual Contributor

Scheduled Weekly Hours

37.5

Drug Test Required

No

Health Screen Required

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required

No

Pay Rate Type

Salary

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FLSA Status

Exempt

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Pay Range

$87,550.00 - $113,300.00

The included pay rate or range represents the University’s good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.

Benefits Eligible

Yes

The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook.

Posting Statement

The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history.A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment.Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

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