Assistant Director of Career & Professional Development (STEM Fields)

Job Description

Job Description

Lycoming College is hiring an Assistant Director of Career and Professional Development for the STEM fields

This position is integral to sustaining the College’s strategic embedded career advising model. Through this model, career advising is conducted in close collaboration with faculty in order to incorporate students’ career exploration and professional development within the departmental curriculum. The Assistant Director/STEM Career Advisor works closely with the faculty of Actuarial Science, Astronomy, Astrophysics, Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Environmental Studies, Exercise Science, Mathematical Sciences, and Physics to help develop and support students’ to be competitive for internship and practicum placements, graduate/professional school applications, and job searches. Given Lycoming’s richly-diverse student body and the College’s commitment to fostering an inclusive campus environment, all members of the Office of Career and Professional Development utilize cultural competencies to help craft individually tailored student guidance.  

The position is an exempt full-time, benefits eligible 10-month position. Nine of the months - beginning two weeks prior to the start of the fall semester and ending with Commencement are conducted within the standard professional position of approximately 40 hours per week. The tenth month’s hours are spread somewhat evenly across the 13 weeks between the beginning of May term and ending two weeks prior to the start of the fall semester. Note that this is a grant funded position with designed grant funds for five years.

Who We Are:
Founded in 1812, Lycoming College is one of the nation’s oldest and most respected liberal arts colleges. Today, our community of 1,200 active learners from 22 states and territories and 17 countries comprises a student body that is 32 percent domestic students of the global majority or international, all of whom work with our renowned scholars to craft customized combinations of market-driven majors, minors and concentrations across our 48+ academic programs. Students compete in 19 NCAA Division III sports, participate in faculty-driven research, thrive in a robust program of internship experiences, and study abroad in more than two dozen countries. Lycoming College has one of the highest endowment-per-student ratios in the country. The institution is a member of the Annapolis Group of Liberal Arts Colleges and is recognized by U.S. News as a top 100 National Liberal Arts College and the No. 22 Best Value School. Lycoming College is dedicated to providing a high-quality liberal arts and sciences education for all students. Learn more at

The College proudly celebrates and values the principle of inclusive excellence. In support of its commitment to establishing an inclusive and equitable campus, Lycoming College seeks to recruit more faculty and staff from historically underrepresented groups with the recognition that doing so advances institutional excellence.

Lycoming College is an equal opportunity employer.

What will I do in this role?

• Advise and support students one-on-one on career pathway identification—including clarification of personal values, connections between academic and professional interests, and career exploration tools within a cultural competency and theoretical framework.
• Work with faculty within STEM disciplines to strengthen career-connected learning and identify and support curricular points for embedding appropriate professional development assignments and activities, which may include classroom presentations.
• Support students pursuing competitive Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) programs and other research opportunities and assist in tracking career outcomes and experiential learning participation.
• Provide guidance to students on career skillset development, with emphasis on honing of resumes, personal statements, and cover letters; interview strategies; internship, job, and graduate school/professional school searching strategies; and personal branding.
• Maintain individual student case notes via office software system.
• Collaborate with career advising team members to provide Center for Enhanced Academic Experiences (CEAE) professional development workshops and career readiness programming throughout the academic calendar, along with STEM specific events.
• Support new student enrollment through participating in signature new student on-boarding experiences and individual meetings with prospective students.
• Work collaboratively with career advising team members, faculty, campus offices, and alumni relations to maintain existing internship and research experiential learning partnerships and work with these partners to identify the specific talents and qualifications that would pair best with students pursuing internship placements.
• Work collaboratively with career advising team members, faculty, campus offices, and alumni relations to identify external partnership gaps and work to expand experiential learning offerings and employment opportunities.
• Cultivate relationships with employers, research institutions, and alumni to expand experiential learning opportunities for students.
• Work to support institutional strategic priorities as they relate to and are incorporated within the CEAE operations.
• Support the College’s commitment to inclusive excellence by working toward successful outcomes for all students.

What are we looking for?
Education and Experience:
Bachelor’s degree required with related work experience in higher education, STEM-related fields, career development, student advising, or workforce development.

• Successful candidates will demonstrate strong interpersonal and communication skills, an ability to build partnerships across campus and beyond, familiarity with career development practices, and a passion for helping students translate their academic interests into successful career pathways.

Knowledge and Skill Set

• Commitment to fostering an inclusive work environment in support of all students

• A passion for working within a liberal arts institutional setting
• Working knowledge of career development and advising strategies
• Ability to utilize theoretical concepts such as trait and factor, social learning, and/or behavioral/personality theories along with person-centered counseling concepts such as empathic understanding as applied to career exploration and advising

• Ability to craft and teach interactive and effective career topic sessions

• Experience with a student case management system preferred

• Strong interpersonal skills
• Strong commitment and demonstrated professionalism
• Ability to be energetic, self-motivated, and independent while also able to collaborate well within a team setting

What We Offer!
Lycoming College has an excellent benefits package that includes:
Health & Wellness Benefits:

• Health insurance – Lycoming College offers a wide variety of health plan options available
• Dental insurance, including orthodontia coverage
• Vision insurance
• Flexible spending accounts for medical expenses and dependent care expenses
• Life & accidental death and dismemberment insurance
• Long-term disability insurance
• Short-term disability insurance
• Cancer insurance
• Personal accident insurance
• Wellness program
• Employee assistance program

Retirement Benefits:

• 403(b) retirement plan with up to 8 % contributions from the College

Tuition Benefits:

• Free tuition for employees, spouses, and eligible dependents at Lycoming College
• Free tuition for eligible dependents at over 600 colleges nationwide through Tuition Exchange, Inc.
• Free tuition for employees, spouses, and eligible dependents at the Pennsylvania College of Technology

Paid Leave Benefits:

• Generous paid time off (PTO)
• Paid Parental Leave
• 14 holidays per year
• Summer hours

Employee Perks:

• 10% discount at the campus bookstore, excluding textbooks and snacks
• Reduced rates for meal packages for on-campus dining facilities
• Use of the campus recreations center and gym facilities for employees and household family members
• Use of the campus Library

How do I Join the Warrior Team?
Apply directly online by submitting your resume, cover letter, and the names and contact information for three professional references. Within the cover letter, please include a description of your career advising philosophy in relation to liberal arts education and inclusive student support. Priority consideration will be given to applications received by November 13th; position will be posted until filled. Post-offer motor vehicle record and criminal history background checks will be conducted.

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