Assistant Director for Academic & Career Integration Center for Career

The University of Pikeville is seeking qualified candidates for the position of a grant-funded Assistant Director for Academic & Career Integration within the Center for Career, Vocation, & Leadership.

The Assistant Director is a strategic and collaborative leader responsible for integrating career readiness and experiential learning into the academic experience. This position works closely with faculty, academic advisors, alumni, employers, and campus partners to ensure that all students have access to meaningful career exploration, professional development, internships, and skill-building opportunities.

The Assistant Director will develop scalable career-readiness resources, strengthen connections between academic programs and workforce needs, provide specialized academic and career advising, and lead collaborative initiatives that connect student learning with career and post-graduate outcomes.

Responsibilities:

Faculty Partnership & Curricular Integration

• Embed Career Readiness into Academic Programs: Identify and cultivate “Faculty Champions” to integrate career-oriented modules directly into 100- and 200-level core courses.
• Develop “Plug-and-Play” Modular Content: Create discipline-specific, 15-minute career modules, such as skill mapping or industry trend analysis, that faculty can incorporate into existing syllabi without disrupting academic goals.
• Scale Experiential Learning: Work with academic departments to explore incorporating career-focused outcomes—such as LinkedIn-ready projects or employer-designed assignments—into course requirements and student assessments, where appropriate.
• Faculty Recognition and Incentive Alignment: Collaborate with leadership to explore opportunities to recognize and support faculty contributions to student career readiness and post-graduate success.

Equity-Centered & Purpose-Driven Strategy

• Expand Access to Career Services: Shift career services from an “opt-in” model to one that brings career conversations into the classroom, where students already are, reducing barriers for students with busy work and family schedules.
• Implement “Purpose-Driven” Planning: Move beyond destination-driven models, such as choosing a job title, to help students articulate the societal impact they want to make through “Finding Your Y.” Build professional self-efficacy through low-stakes reflection and mastery experiences.
• Targeted Support for Underserved Student Populations: In collaboration with campus services, help design career success interventions specifically for first-generation, neurodivergent, and historically marginalized students, ensuring they develop the social capital and professional networks needed for post-graduation success.

Institutional Collaboration & Integration

• Unified Student Care Model: Partner with Academic Advising to create a combined advising experience in which coursework planning and career aspirations are discussed simultaneously in a single space.
• Alumni & Advancement Integration: Leverage the Alumni Relations and Institutional Advancement teams to develop dedicated hiring pipelines, using alumni as mentors and project partners for classroom-based experiences.
• Centralized Experiential Hub: Support the CVL’s efforts to coordinate internships, fieldwork, and co-ops through a centralized institutional hub that provides a consistent point of contact for students and external employer partners.

Strategic Event Management

• Employer-Driven Hiring Pipelines: Supplement traditional information sessions with interactive, employer-designed assignments and “reverse career fairs,” where students exhibit their work to visiting recruiters. Lead the end-to-end planning, promotion, and execution of events, including employer recruitment, logistics management, and post-event impact analysis.
• Labor Market Intelligence: Use current labor market data and employer feedback to ensure that academic requirements and internship strategies remain aligned with evolving workforce needs.
• Professional Etiquette Programming: Organize and host specialized “Etiquette Dinners” and “Professionalism Workshops” that teach students professional dining etiquette, workplace networking, and appropriate attire for a variety of professional settings.
• Employer Relations: Act as a secondary liaison between the institution and industry partners to curate site visits, guest speaker panels, and recruitment sessions.

Specialized Academic Advising

• Undecided Student Support: Facilitate “Major Exploration” sessions for undeclared students, utilizing career assessments and interest inventories to help them align their academic paths with long-term goals.
• Interdisciplinary & Professional Studies: Provide dedicated advising for students in Interdisciplinary Studies and Professional Studies programs. Assist them in synthesizing diverse coursework into a cohesive degree plan and a compelling professional narrative.
• Retention & Degree Mapping: Monitor student progress to ensure all general education and major-specific requirements are met, while proactively identifying students who may need additional support and providing targeted interventions.

Career Integration & Coaching

• Personalized Career Mapping: Conduct one-on-one coaching sessions to help students translate their academic experiences into professional competencies through résumé development, LinkedIn optimization, and mock interviews.
• Resource Development: Create digital and physical career resources tailored specifically to nontraditional and interdisciplinary career paths.

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in higher education, counseling, or a related field.
• Proven experience in curriculum design or in working closely with faculty to implement high-impact educational practices.
• Strong knowledge of developmental advising theories and the ability to navigate complex degree requirements across multiple departments.
• Proven ability to manage budgets and coordinate logistics for large-scale events.
• Demonstrated commitment to equity-centered practices and experience supporting diverse student populations.
• Strong data literacy and the ability to use predictive analytics to monitor student career progress and identify opportunities for timely intervention.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and a collaborative mindset, with the ability to build partnerships across diverse campus divisions.
• Exceptional public speaking skills, with the ability to facilitate workshops and represent the department to external stakeholders.
• Ability to move effectively between the technical details of academic auditing and the interpersonal dynamics of professional networking.

Important Notes:

Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Applications received on or before 08/16/2026 will be given priority consideration.

Resume and other application materials will be reviewed to determine if you meet the required qualifications for the position. If it is determined that you meet the required qualifications, your application materials will be used to identify a top group of the most highly qualified candidates. Please, specifically address the qualifications, competencies and desired qualifications in your resume and application materials.

The University of Pikeville is committed to providing a safe and productive learning, living and working community. To achieve this goal, we conduct background investigations for all final applicants being considered for employment. Background investigations include a criminal history record check, and when appropriate, a financial and/or motor vehicle history.

The University of Pikeville is an equal opportunity employer committed to assembling a diverse, broadly trained faculty and staff. The University of Pikeville does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, age or disabilities in its programs, activities, hiring, or the admission of students.

For more information about the University of Pikeville, please visit http://www.upike.edu. In addition to the application, interested applicants are requested to attach to their application a letter of interest, current curriculum vitae, copies of their transcripts, and the contact information for three to five professional references.