Assistant Director for Employer and External Relations (Program Director)

Assistant Director for Employer and External Relations (Program Director)

About UIS: Located in the state capital, the University of Illinois Springfield is one of three members of the University of Illinois system. The University serves more than 4,000 students in 44 graduate and 56 undergraduate programs. You are encouraged to visit the university web page at http://www.uis.edu.

Application deadline: 5:00pm CST,  9/26/2025 at https://uis.csod.com/ux/ats/careersite/1/home/requisition/1111?c=uis

Minimum Starting Salary: $55,000 Annually 

Job Summary:

Under minimal supervision, perform duties involved in the administration of the employer relations and career outcomes programs within the Career Development Center. Plan and implement employer engagement activities with local, regional and national employers to connect students with career-related opportunities. Manage career fairs and provide high quality services and onboarding of staff, students, and employers who use UIS Career Connect powered by Handshake. Lead the planning, coordination, and execution of the graduates' career outcomes survey in collaboration with Institutional Research. Serves as a liaison to external stakeholders. Assumes full operational leadership of the Career Center in the Director's absence.

Job Duties & Responsibilities:

Employer Relations and Campus Partnerships:

• Directs the employer relations program; responsible for creating, interpreting, and implementing operational policies and procedures; evaluates program effectiveness and recommends changes.
• Develops and manages a budget for running the career fairs and employer outreach efforts.
• Identify, cultivate, and sustain relationships with prospective and current employers.
• Provide management for career fairs and related activities. Including directing the physical planning and logistics for 2-4 career fairs annually.
• Provide consultative expertise to employers in a wide array of fields and industries.
• Collaborate with employers in designing relevant campus recruitment activities including managing logistics for on campus interviews, information sessions, and other recruiting related activities.
• Target employers through strategic outreach.
• Research and keep current on relevant employment trends for the college labor market (i.e. occupational outlook, salary trends and employment trends).
• Partner with advancement on the management and marketing of the UIS Unite alumni portal.

Career Outcomes:

• Oversee large-scale, institution-wide post-graduation survey efforts for multiple graduation cohorts (e.g., December, May, and August), in alignment with NACE standards and university needs and priorities. Plans program content and delivery.
• Collaborate with Institutional Research on efficient data collection and cleaning processes.
• Contribute to dashboards and data visualizations to support planning and decision-making.
• Ensure that outcomes data is showcased annually through means such as the annual career outcomes report and inclusion in the NACE national outcome reports.

Supervision and Administrative:

• Serve as primary point of contact for employer account management in UIS Career Connect powered by Handshake.
• Serves as primary advisor to the Career Center Director regarding career fairs, employer relations, and career outcomes reporting.
• Supervise and train part-time student staff, which may include a graduate assistant. May supervise professional staff.
• Contribute to the creation and delivery of presentations for a variety of audiences, including parents, prospective students, campus partners and external constituents.
• Participate in relevant institutional committees and working groups with a particular focus on those dedicated to assessment, outcomes, and/or employer relations.
• Participate in professional development activities and associations, as well as engage in continual training to stay up to date on issues related to outcomes reporting, student success, and trends in higher education.
• Represent the Career Center at internal and external events. Act as the primary liaison to campus, agencies, administrators and university departments and represent the Career Center Director when needed.
• Assumes full operational leadership of the Career Center in the Director’s absence.

Other projects/duties as discussed.

Minimum Qualifications: 
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university
• A total of three (3) years (36 months) in education, training and/or work experience in higher education, advancement, career services, human resources, recruiting/staffing, and/or relationship building with influential professionals and diverse groups. (Note: Master’s Degree in an area consistent with the duties of the position may be substituted for one (1) year of work experience.

Preferred Qualifications:
• Master’s degree in higher education, business, human resources, social science, communication, or a related field
• Training, certification, credential and/or licensure related to human resources, career management, career counseling, and/or career development
• Experience within a higher education, student services, or career services organization
• Experience managing cross-functional projects and collaborating with diverse stakeholders
• Experience using LinkedIn, social media, databases, and/or web-based platforms such as Simplicity, GradLeaders, and/or Handshake

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:
Ability to analyze and develop guidelines, procedures and systems
Ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense
Ability to develop goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish work
Ability to work independently while also contributing to a team-oriented culture
Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail
Openness, inclusiveness, sensitivity to cultural differences, and the ability to interact with all people
Oral and written communication, leadership, and management skills
Proficient with Microsoft Suite, especially Word, Excel, Teams, and Outlook and the ability to learn new technologies or systems
Skill in analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems
Skill in scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others
Strategic thinking, adaptability, collaboration, and problem-solving abilities