Associate Director

The Associate Director, Employer Relations & Outcomes provides strategic and operational leadership in the management of employer relations, experiential learning, career outcomes, and related career services functions. This position is responsible for managing employer engagement strategies, recruiting programs, career technology platforms, and student employment outcomes reporting. The Associate Director provides leadership to professional staff, supports departmental and university-wide strategic initiatives, establishes operational priorities, and ensures programs and services align with institutional goals and professional standards.

FGCU is building a culture of curiosity, commitment and collaboration. We value employees who successfully work with others and drive positive change through critical thinking and decisive action. If you thrive in an environment of innovation, accountability and mutual respect, you will find a good home here.

Job Description

Typical duties may include but are not limited to:

• Assists the Sr. Director in strategic planning, operational management, and continuous improvement efforts related to employer engagement, student employment outcomes, experiential learning, and career development initiatives.
• Serves as a member of the leadership team and contributes employer relations and outcomes expertise to departmental planning, decision-making, and cross-functional and university-wide initiatives.
• Collaborates with professional staff and faculty responsible for employer engagement, experiential learning, career programming, recruiting initiatives, career technology platforms, marketing, and student employment pathways.
• Contributes to the development, management, and assessment of employer partnerships and engagement strategies designed to expand internship, employment, and experiential learning opportunities for students across academic disciplines.
• Contributes to strategic oversight for employer-facing programs and services, including career fairs, recruiting events, employer information sessions, and networking programs.
• Serves as a unit representative to employers, community partners, academic units, professional organizations, and university stakeholders to strengthen relationships and increase student access to career opportunities.
• Leads departmental management and continuous improvement of career services technology platforms, including employer access processes, job and internship posting standards, platform policies, and data practices to support effective student and employer engagement.
• Leads the collection, management, analysis, and reporting of student employment and internship outcomes data. Ensures accurate data practices and develops reports, dashboards, and presentations that support institutional reporting, assessment, accreditation efforts, and strategic decision-making.
• Oversees administration and assessment of student outcomes surveys and related data collection efforts in collaboration with campus partners.
• Collaborates with Institutional Research, academic colleges, faculty, and university stakeholders to ensure data integrity, alignment of reporting practices, and effective use of outcomes information.
• Uses labor market trends, employer feedback, outcomes data, and professional benchmarks to inform strategies that improve student access, employer engagement, and career outcomes.
• Collaborates with the Sr. Director and ELC Leadership Team to develop and implement strategies to increase student participation in internships, work-based learning experiences, employer programs, career-related opportunities, and experiential learning
• Assists the Sr. Director in formulating, implementing, and evaluating policies, procedures, and practices that support effective employer engagement and student career success.
• Ensures all programs, activities, and services comply with university policies, professional standards, and applicable state and federal regulations.
• Represents the unit on university committees, advisory groups, and professional networks as assigned.
• Stays current on trends in career services, employer engagement, workforce development, labor market changes, and higher education practices; provides recommendations to strengthen departmental effectiveness.

Other Duties:

• Performs other job-related duties as assigned.

Additional Job Description

Required Qualifications:

• This position requires either nine years of directly related full-time experience or, as an alternative, a Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in an appropriate area of specialization and five years of full-time experience directly related to the job functions.
• Progressively responsible experience in career services, employer relations, higher education, or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated supervisory or team leadership experience.
• Any appropriate combination of relevant education, experience, and/or certifications may be considered.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree from an accredited institution in higher education, student affairs, business, or a related field.
• Experience in a university career center setting.
• Experience administering or serving as a power user of Symplicity or a comparable multi-stakeholder platform. 
• Experience with Tableau or other data visualization tools in a reporting or assessment context.
• Experience with employer sponsorship programs, or revenue-generating employer engagement. 

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Proven ability to think strategically and approach challenges with creativity
• Demonstrated track record of reliability, meeting goals, and holding oneself accountable
• Strong interpersonal skills and experience working effectively across teams
• Knowledge and understanding of, practices, and standards, as applied to public institutions.
• Knowledge of employer relations, talent development, and career services practices, including strategies for building and sustaining partnerships that expand internship and employment opportunities for students.
• Strong interpersonal skills, flexibility, and customer service orientation.
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills and the ability to analyze, summarize, and effectively present data.
• Strong organizational and project management skills, with the ability to prioritize competing initiatives, manage complex projects, and meet established deadlines.
• Skill in examining and evaluating operations and developing and/or redesign operating strategies, systems, and procedures.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to interact effectively with a wide variety of people.
• Ability to foster a cooperative work environment and work effectively in a team environment.
• Ability and skill in data analysis and metrics.
• Ability to work evenings, nights, and weekends as needed.
• Ability to travel locally and occasionally regionally for employer visits and professional development. 

Institutional Values & Behavioral Expectation

In this role, the successful candidate will be expected to:

• Seek out new approaches to improve outcomes; remain open for feedback and new ideas.
• Lead with integrity; consistently produce high-quality work; persevere to overcome obstacles to meet deadlines and achieve deliverables.
• Share information and insights thoughtfully; build partnerships across departments; communicate respectfully; support colleagues to achieve common goals.

Pay Grade: 19

FGCU is a State University System of Florida member and an Equal Opportunity and Equal Access employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.