Asst Dir, The Smith Institut

Job Description

Job Description

This position is fully in-person (not remote or hybrid).

Reporting to the Director of The Smith Institute, the Assistant Director is a key operational and outcomes leader responsible for translating the Institute’s strategic priorities into disciplined execution, measurable student engagement, high-quality employer connections, and reliable data. The position supports The Smith Institute’s evolution from a traditional career-services model into an integrated hub for career success and career-connected learning that connects students to career readiness, experiential learning, employer and alumni networks, internships, employment, graduate and professional pathways, and documented postgraduate outcomes.

The Assistant Director provides direct leadership for the Institute’s employer-facing and career-readiness operations, with primary responsibility for Workforce Wednesdays, Resume Thursdays, Handshake administration and optimization, employer and talent pipeline development, student/employer engagement data, and routine performance reporting. The Assistant Director develops repeatable systems that move students from awareness and preparation to meaningful connections, opportunities, interviews, internships, employment, and other postgraduate pathways.

The position works closely with the Director, Career Coach and Career Pathways Coordinator, Administrative Assistant II, faculty, Institutional Research/Institutional Effectiveness, student-success units, alumni, employers, graduate and professional schools, and other campus partners. The Assistant Director is expected to maintain accurate systems of record, monitor key performance indicators, identify gaps in participation and outcomes, and use data to improve execution. This position is accountable for results, follow-through, data integrity, and the quality of the student and employer experience.

This position is supported by Title III grant funds and is contingent upon the availability and continuation of grant funding. The Assistant Director is responsible for maintaining appropriate program documentation, participation and outcome data, and other evidence necessary to support grant and institutional accountability. Duties may include assistance with Title III activity reporting, assessment, documentation, and sustainability planning consistent with University and applicable grant requirements.

Career Readiness Programming and Student Engagement

• Provides operational leadership for recurring career-readiness programming, including but not limited to Workforce Wednesdays and Résumé Thursdays, ensuring consistent scheduling, high-quality content, employer and campus-partner participation, student promotion, attendance capture, assessment, follow-up, and documented outcomes.
• Develops and maintains an annual programming calendar that intentionally sequences career exploration, résumé development, interviewing, networking, job and internship search strategies, workplace professionalism, employer engagement, and postgraduate transition.
• Uses student-level participation data to identify students who have and have not engaged with career-readiness opportunities and coordinates targeted outreach with the Director, Career Coach and Career Pathways Coordinator, and appropriate campus partners.
• Provides career education, presentations, group workshops, and limited individual coaching as needed while coordinating with the Career Coach and Career Pathways Coordinator to avoid duplication and ensure appropriate referral and follow-up.
• Supports the coordination of the Career & Leadership Expo and other signature Institute initiatives, with particular responsibility for employer participation, student readiness, Handshake workflows, attendance/data capture, and post-event conversion and follow-up.

Handshake Administration, Technology, and Data Management

• Serves as the primary operational administrator and subject-matter resource for Handshake, maintaining accurate student, employer, job, internship, event, appointment, and engagement records in accordance with University policies and approved recruiting standards.
• Develops and executes strategies to increase student Handshake activation, profile completion, platform engagement, and use of jobs, internships, events, appointments, and employer connections; monitors progress against annual Institute targets.
• Reviews and manages employer accounts, job and internship postings, event registrations, recruiting activity, and related platform workflows; identifies questionable or incomplete submissions and escalates concerns consistent with University policy.
• Establishes routine data-quality audits and reconciliation processes to ensure student participation, employer activity, opportunities, placements, and outcomes are captured accurately and consistently across Institute systems.
• Develops recurring dashboards and reports for the Director summarizing Handshake engagement, student participation, program utilization, employer activity, talent-pipeline development, opportunity volume, placements, and other approved KPIs.
• Uses Excel, Handshake analytics, Qualtrics, and other University-approved platforms to analyze trends, identify gaps, prepare data visualizations, and translate findings into recommendations for improvement.
• Maintains clear data definitions, documentation standards, standard operating procedures, trackers, and reporting calendars that strengthen continuity, institutional memory, and audit readiness.

Employer Engagement and Talent Pipeline Development

• Develops, manages, and advances a disciplined employer and talent-development pipeline aligned with JCSU academic programs, student interests, workforce demand, and the Institute’s career-success priorities.
• Conducts proactive employer outreach to cultivate internships, entry-level employment, project-based learning, job shadowing, mentoring, networking, information sessions, and other career-connected opportunities.
• Maintains an employer relationship-management process documenting prospect stage, relationship owner, engagement history, student opportunities, next actions, recruiting outcomes, and partnership value.
• Serves as a primary operational contact for employers engaging with The Smith Institute and provides responsive support related to recruiting, Handshake, campus engagement, student connections, and talent needs.
• Partners with the Director to move employer relationships beyond transactional recruiting toward sustained talent pipelines and year-round engagement and identifies promising relationships for strategic partnership, sponsorship, alumni engagement, or institutional advancement conversations.
• Uses employer and labor-market feedback to identify skills, industries, occupations, and recruiting trends that should inform student programming, career coaching, and talent-development strategies.
• Tracks conversion from employer engagement to tangible student opportunities and outcomes, including postings, applications, interviews, internships, offers, hires, and other documented connections when data are available.

Student Employment and Federal Work-Study

• Works collaboratively with Human Resources and Financial Aid to support the effective administration and continuous improvement of the University's Federal Work-Study program, with particular emphasis on student employment readiness, position development, employer/supervisor engagement, student placement, and career-connected learning.
• Partners with Human Resources, Financial Aid, and campus supervisors to develop and promote meaningful Work-Study opportunities that allow students to build transferable skills, career competencies, and relevant professional experience.
• Supports Work-Study talent-matching and placement efforts by connecting eligible students with appropriate campus employment opportunities and promoting available positions through Handshake and other University-approved platforms.
• Develops career-readiness resources and programming for Work-Study students, including résumé development, workplace professionalism, supervisor expectations, communication, interviewing, and translation of student-employment experiences into marketable career competencies.
• Collaborates with Human Resources and Financial Aid to monitor Work-Study participation, placement, engagement, and other agreed-upon indicators while maintaining appropriate distinctions among financial-aid eligibility, employment administration, and career-development responsibilities.
• Uses Work-Study participation and outcome data to identify placement gaps, strengthen student and supervisor engagement, and inform strategies for integrating campus employment into the University's broader career-readiness and talent-development ecosystem.

Assessment, Outcomes, and Continuous Improvement

• Owns the routine collection, validation, organization, and reporting of Institute operational data and ensures programs are assessed for both participation and impact.
• Develops pre/post assessments, satisfaction measures, employer feedback tools, participation records, and other evaluation methods appropriate to Workforce Wednesdays, Resume Thursdays, employer engagements, and assigned initiatives.
• Monitors performance by student classification, academic program, and other institutionally approved categories to identify engagement and opportunity gaps and support equitable access to career-connected learning.
• Assists the Director with annual unit assessment, Title III reporting, accreditation or institutional reporting, executive dashboards, and other evidence of Institute effectiveness.
• Oversees First Destination Outcomes and Senior Exit Survey collection and follow-up as assigned, including outreach, data validation, employer/outcome verification, and reporting.
• Prepares concise monthly and quarterly performance summaries identifying accomplishments, trends, unresolved issues, corrective actions, and priorities for the next reporting period.

Career-Connected Learning and Campus Collaboration

• Collaborates with the Career Coach and Career Pathways Coordinator to connect students to internships, experiential learning, undergraduate research, leadership experiences, graduate/professional pathways, and employment opportunities.
• Partners with faculty, academic leaders, CSSAE, TRIO/McNair, Honors, Athletics, Student Leadership & Engagement, Alumni Relations, Admissions, Institutional Advancement, and other campus units to extend career readiness and employer engagement into the broader student experience.
• Supports the University’s experiential-learning and outcomes infrastructure by ensuring employer-generated internships and career-connected opportunities are appropriately documented and routed into established tracking processes.
• Assists with targeted career-readiness campaigns and talent pipelines for priority student populations and academic programs as identified by the Director.
• Represents The Smith Institute at employer meetings, campus programs, professional events, and community engagements as assigned.

Operational Leadership and Accountability

• Translates the Director’s strategic priorities into operational work plans, timelines, deliverables, ownership assignments, and measurable results.
• Maintains weekly and monthly operating rhythms for assigned portfolios, including KPI review, pipeline review, program readiness, data-quality checks, follow-up, and issue escalation.
• Develops and maintains written standard operating procedures for Workforce Wednesdays, Résumé Thursdays, Handshake administration, employer engagement, talent-pipeline management, attendance/data capture, and assigned reporting processes.
• Coordinates with the Administrative Assistant II on scheduling, communications, event logistics, records, purchasing, and documentation while retaining professional accountability for program quality, data integrity, employer relationships, and outcomes.
• May supervise student employees, interns, peer career coaches, or other personnel assigned to support the Assistant Director’s portfolio and provides training, work direction, feedback, and performance accountability.
• Exercises sound judgment, confidentiality, professionalism, and timely follow-through in matters involving students, employers, data, recruiting activity, and University partners.

• Strong operational leadership and demonstrated ability to convert strategy into consistent execution, measurable deliverables, and documented outcomes.