Career and Service Engagement Manager

Career And Service Engagement Manager

The Chicago School educates the next generation of change-makers in innovative theory and culturally competent practice to strengthen the integrated health of individuals, organizations, and communities. We enroll over 6,000 students across 40+ academic programs culminating in a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree or a professional certificate, and our unique approach to impact-focused education has made us a leading nonprofit university for more than 40 years.

As an employee at The Chicago School, you can become a member of a university community committed to true inclusion and equity. At The Chicago School, we celebrate individuals of all backgrounds and identities for who they are and what they can contribute. We take pride in hiring and retaining the most dynamic, talented, and passionate professionals who will help us continue to innovate for decades to come.

Position Summary: Reporting to the Assistant Director of Career Services, this position is responsible for overseeing the employer relations function. This includes developing, maintaining, strengthening and evaluating partnerships, coordinating events, and supporting the management of the career platform (Handshake).

This position will also manage community engagement, creating and nurturing partnerships, developing programming across campuses, and ensuring volunteer opportunities for students.

The Manager will also coordinate the student employment program in collaboration with key departments.

This position is hybrid, 3-4 days at one of the following campus locations: Washington, D.C.

Principal Duties:

Employer Relations:

• Collaborate with faculty, academic leadership, Career Services staff, campus partners to align employer engagement with career programming and institutional initiatives.
• Build and strengthen relationships with employers to expand access to employment and create meaningful opportunities for students and graduates.
• Serve as the point of contact to triage employer-related inquiries.
• In coordination with Career Services staff and campus partners, create recruiting initiatives, events, and programs for students to explore career fields, develop professional contacts, and build marketable experience.
• Employer engagement initiatives may include career fairs, industry panels, networking receptions, information sessions, workshops, employer spotlights.
• Implement marketing and social media strategies to increase awareness among students and employers of employer relations resources, programs and opportunities.
• Track employer engagement, student participation, and success metrics. Assess, analyze, and report on engagement and impact of services and programs and facilitate continuous improvement.
• Provide guidance on policies, procedures and protocols relevant to employer relations.
• Career management platform: support employers and students to optimize usage; promote opportunities to students and manage employer activities and data.

Community Engagement:

• Responsible for cultivating and maintaining partnerships with community organizations to create meaningful student engagement opportunities.
• Increase engagement with opportunities generated through Handshake and The Chicago School community.
• Coordinate volunteer/community engagement fairs for every campus.
• Supervise Community Outreach graduate assistants, supporting them with outreach and programming efforts.

Student Employment:

• Manage the student employment program, including on-campus and off-campus job opportunities, ensuring compliance with institutional policies, federal work-study guidelines, and other relevant regulations.
• Work closely with Human Resources and Financial Aid to align employment opportunities with students' educational and financial needs.
• Build and maintain partnerships to create off-campus student jobs.
• Maintain off-campus employer contracts, job descriptions, and student placements. Review and approve timecards, and prepare reports to monitor compliance.
• Promote the program through marketing materials, events, and informational sessions.
• Assist students in navigating application, hiring, and payroll processes.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree required
• 1-3 years of work experience in career development, student programming, student success initiatives in higher education, or employer relations/outreach, campus recruiting.
• Experience developing and maintaining professional relationships.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills; ability to engage diverse stakeholders.
• Commitment to community-engaged work, equity, and respectful collaboration.
• Experience representing an organization to external stakeholders through outreach, presentations, or event participation.
• Experience with strategic planning and event coordination.
• Proven ability to collaborate across departments and contribute to shared goals.
• Ability to work within a team structure.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's Degree preferred
• Ability to balance priorities, function independently, and meet timelines.
• Experience with career management platforms.

Compensation Range:

Salary range is $57,000-$60,000, commensurate with education and experience.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. All personnel may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities from time to time, as needed.

This opportunity is budgeted at $$57,000 to $60,000 base compensation. Additional compensation factors may impact total compensation. To learn more about our competitive benefits and additional rewards, including generous paid time-off, medical and dental insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, retirement plan with employer contribution, multiple flexible spending accounts, tuition reimbursement, click the link below.

The Chicago School is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Please note: For the protection of faculty, staff, students, and all who enter our facilities, The Chicago School strongly recommends that all employees are fully vaccinated for COVID-19 per CDC guidance.