Career Services Manager

Job Description

Job Description

TITLE:  Career Services Manager

DEPARTMENT:  Student Affairs

REPORTS TO:  Dean of Students

CLASSIFICATION: Staff-12 months

EFFECTIVE DATE: TBD

STANDARD WORK HOURS: 37.5 hours per week

LOCATION: On-site Main Campus

EMPLOYMENT STATUS: Full-Time

EMPLOYMENT CLASSIFICATION: Exempt

JOB SUMMARY: 

Under the general direction of the Dean of Students, the Career Services Manager provides strategic leadership, operational management, and assessment for the Office of Professional Development and Career Services. The position is responsible for planning, implementing, and evaluating comprehensive career development programs, employer engagement initiatives, experiential learning opportunities, and career readiness services that support student and alumni success. The Career Services Manager supervises departmental personnel, manages program budgets and assessment activities, develops strategic partnerships with employers and community organizations, and collaborates with faculty and administrators to strengthen career preparation and post-graduation outcomes. The position exercises independent judgment in program development, resource allocation, policy implementation, and operational decision-making. This position requires a regular, reliable, and consistent on-campus presence to effectively perform supervisory, student service, employer engagement, and administrative responsibilities and is not suitable for remote work except as approved in accordance with University policy.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Provides leadership, direction, and operational oversight for all Career Services programs, initiatives, and daily departmental activities.
• Develops and implements comprehensive career development strategies that align with University priorities and support student career readiness, experiential learning, and employment outcomes.
• Supervises, trains, mentors, evaluates, and provides ongoing professional development for Career Services staff and student employees.
• Establishes, develops, and maintains strategic partnerships with employers, industry representatives, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and community partners to expand internship, cooperative education, and employment opportunities.
• Plans, coordinates, and evaluates career fairs, employer recruitment events, networking opportunities, workshops, presentations, and professional development programs.
• Provides advanced individual and group career advising to students and alumni, including career exploration, job search strategies, résumé and cover letter development, interview preparation, graduate school planning, and employment readiness.
• Collaborates with academic departments, faculty, and campus partners to integrate career readiness competencies and experiential learning opportunities throughout the student experience.
• Develops departmental goals, strategic plans, assessment measures, and performance metrics to evaluate program effectiveness, employer engagement, and student success outcomes.
• Collects, analyzes, and reports data related to internships, employment outcomes, employer partnerships, student participation, and other key performance indicators.
• Administers departmental budgets and monitors expenditures in accordance with University policies and fiscal procedures.
• Ensures compliance with University policies and applicable federal, state, and employment-related regulations governing Career Services operations.
• Represents the University and Career Services at campus meetings, professional conferences, employer events, recruitment activities, and community engagement initiatives.
• Maintains accurate records, prepares reports, and supports institutional assessment, accreditation, and strategic planning activities.
• Maintains a regular, reliable, and consistent on-campus presence to effectively perform the essential functions of the position.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES REQUIRED:  

• Comprehensive knowledge of career development theory, student advising principles, workforce development, and employment readiness best practices.
• Knowledge of internship programs, employer relations, career assessment tools, and experiential learning models.
• Knowledge of higher education administration, student development principles, and employment trends.
• Knowledge of assessment methods, strategic planning, program evaluation, and data analysis.
• Ability to supervise, mentor, develop, and evaluate employees.
• Ability to establish and maintain collaborative relationships with students, faculty, employers, alumni, community organizations, and external partners.
• Strong organizational, leadership, project management, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment, maintain confidentiality, and make effective administrative decisions.
• Excellent written, verbal, interpersonal, and presentation skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and career management systems or comparable student information technologies.
• Ability to prepare reports, analyze data, manage budgets, and support institutional planning initiatives.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY:

• Provides direct supervision of Career Services staff and student employees.  

OTHER DUTIES: 

• Perform other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Master's degree from an accredited college or university in Business, Higher Education Administration, Counseling, College Student Personnel, Human Resources, Student Affairs, or a related field.
• Minimum of three (3) years of progressively responsible experience in career services, professional development, workforce development, student affairs, higher education administration, or a related field.
• Supervisory experience is preferred.
• Experience developing employer partnerships, managing career programs, or coordinating experiential learning initiatives is preferred.

Licensing and Certifications: NA

WORKING CONDITIONS:

• Work is performed primarily in a professional office environment with frequent interaction with students, faculty, staff, employers, alumni, and community partners.
• Occasional evening and weekend work may be required to support career fairs, employer events, networking programs, recruitment activities, and other University-sponsored events.
• Occasional travel may be required to attend employer meetings, conferences, professional development activities, and outreach events.
• Work requires prolonged periods of sitting, standing, walking, and regular use of computers and other office equipment.

Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the United States. At this time, Kentucky State University is unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa

Internal candidates are encouraged to apply.

KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY is an Equal Opportunity Employer

The functions, qualifications, knowledge/skills, and physical requirements listed in this job description represent the essential duties of the job, which the incumbent must be able to perform either with or without reasonable accommodation. The Job Functions listed do not necessarily include all activities that the individual may perform.