Executive Director for Foundations Forward

Job Description

Job Description

Description:

Candidates must be eligible to work in the U.S. Assumption University has retained the Executive Search Firm, The Ward Group, to lead the search efforts. Interested applicants should submit a cover letter and resume to: View email address on us.fitly.work and reference “Assumption” in the subject line.

Basic Purpose:

Assumption University (AU) is a comprehensive, private Catholic liberal arts institution, sponsored by the Augustinians of the Assumption. We awaken in students a sense of wonder, discovery, and purpose, forming graduates known for their intellectual seriousness, thoughtful citizenship, and devotion to the common good. Our curricular and co-curricular programs provide students with an education that shapes their souls, forms them intellectually, and prepares them for meaningful careers. We are a diverse community that welcomes different points of view and embraces all who share our mission. Enlivened by the Catholic affirmation of the harmony of faith and reason and by the pursuit of the truth in the company of friends, an Assumption education transforms the minds and hearts of students.

Situated in the heart of New England in Worcester, Massachusetts, Assumption University is a vibrant community home to 2,000 full-time undergraduate and graduate students. With an average class size of 18, students study under the close mentorship of faculty and staff who are experts in their fields, with over 90 academic programs offered across five schools and colleges. Assumption’s 26 sports teams compete in the Northeast-10 Conference, with our academic and athletic success consistently resulting in the NCAA Division II President’s Award for Academic Excellence. Marked by gritty determination, relentless curiosity, and a lack of entitlement, Assumption graduates are in demand exactly because our understanding of Catholic liberal education knits enduring ideas and professional preparation into a single fabric.

Nondiscrimination Statement:

In compliance with the requirements of federal law and/or the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Assumption University prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, disability, age, veteran status, marital status, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy, as well as other legally protected status, in admission to, access to, treatment in, or employment in its programs and activities, except where such conditions may constitute bona fide qualifications for the programs or activities in question.

Position:

Executive Director for Foundations Forward

Reports to:

Chad Rohman, Provost

Opportunity Proposition:

Assumption University presents an exciting opportunity for a visionary operator to design and lead Foundations Forward, an initiative that will transform how Assumption University students discover purpose, prepare professionally, and launch successfully into life after graduation. With strong support from University leadership, the Executive Director will create a four-year model that integrates Catholic liberal education, vocational discernment, and career outcomes into a cohesive student experience.

This is a high-impact opportunity for a systems-oriented and collaborative builder who is energized by shaping culture, developing scalable structures, and connecting mission-centered education with meaningful student outcomes.

Principal Responsibility:

The Executive Director for Foundations Forward will design, integrate, and oversee a comprehensive student development and career readiness experience that ensures every Assumption student engages in sustained vocational exploration, develops and actively executes a personalized four-year plan, gains meaningful experiential learning, and graduates with direction, professional readiness, and a strong network of support.

The Executive Director will lead Foundations Forward and oversee the activities of the Denecker Career Development & Internship Center, including core career education services, networking events, career fairs, employer engagement, and experiential learning opportunities. They will align career coaching, academic advising, experiential learning, alumni mentoring, and employer partnerships into an integrated institutional framework. The role requires both strategic vision and operational excellence, with responsibility for building systems, driving execution, measuring outcomes, and fostering a culture of student ownership and accountability. This is not a programmatic initiative. It is an institutional commitment central to the Assumption University experience.

Specific Duties:

Strategic Leadership and Systems Design:

· Translate the Foundations Forward vision into a four-year operating model with clearly defined stages, expectations, milestones, and student outcomes.

· Integrate currently distinct functions, including academic advising, career preparation, mentoring, and experiential learning, into a unified and navigable student experience.

· Serve as a collaborative strategic partner to academic and institutional leadership in advancing a shared vision of vocational discernment and career readiness across the University.

Student Development and Career Readiness

· Develop a student-centered case management model ensuring each student receives personalized support.

· Ensure students actively engage in vocational exploration, professional skill development, experiential learning, and launch preparation throughout the student lifecycle.

· Establish year-by-year expectations and developmental milestones related to career exploration, internships, networking, interviewing, and post-graduate planning.

· Reinforce a culture in which students are expected to take ownership of their vocational development.

Team Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness

· Lead, align, and develop a multi-functional team responsible for career coaching, internship support, employer engagement, and all programming and events related to student career preparation.

· Foster a culture of responsiveness, accountability, collaboration, and student-centered execution.

· Establish clear performance expectations, operational processes, and measurable outcomes across the team.

Alumni Mentorship and Employer Partnerships

· Design and scale a mission-aligned alumni mentoring network that meaningfully connects students with graduates and professionals.

· Develop systems for mentor recruitment, matching, engagement, assessment, and long-term relationship management.

· Oversee a strategic and proactive approach to employer engagement and partnership development.

· Build well-defined and sustainable internship, fellowship, and entry-level employment pipelines that expand access to meaningful experiential opportunities for students.

Faculty Collaboration and Academic Integration

· Collaborate closely with the academic community—including with the Center for Purpose and Vocation, faculty, and staff—to integrate vocational reflection, professional preparation, and experiential learning into the academic experience.

· Support the development of shared institutional language and practices around vocation, purpose, and professional formation.

· Ensure Foundations and major programs of study are intentionally connected to students’ evolving sense of purpose and direction.

Assessment, Outcomes and Continuous Improvement

· Define, track, and report key outcomes related to student engagement, internship attainment, career readiness, and post-graduate outcomes.

· Develop dashboards and reporting mechanisms that provide meaningful insights for institutional leadership.

· Utilize data and assessment to continuously refine programs, systems, and student experiences

Requirements:

Professional and Personal Profile:

Assumption University recognizes that transformative leadership can emerge from a variety of professional pathways. The University welcomes candidates from higher education, workforce development, leadership development, talent management, coaching, nonprofit leadership, mission-driven organizations, and other student- or customer-focused environments.

· Demonstrated ability to design, build, and operationalize student development, career readiness, advising, coaching, or experiential learning initiatives.

· Experience creating scalable developmental frameworks, student engagement strategies, or customer/client journey models.

· Strong systems-thinking orientation with the ability to translate ambitious vision into disciplined execution and measurable outcomes.

· Exceptional leadership presence with the ability to inspire trust, accountability, collaboration, and shared ownership.

· Strong communication and relationship-building skills, including the ability to engage effectively with students, faculty, staff, alumni, employers, and senior leaders.

· Experience utilizing data and performance metrics to improve engagement, outcomes, and operational effectiveness.

· Demonstrated organizational leadership skills, including strategic planning, team development, and process management.

· Entrepreneurial mindset with comfort driving change, navigating ambiguity, and creating alignment around new initiatives.

· Commitment to ongoing engagement through professional organizations such as NetVUE and related networks that advance vocational discernment, Catholic liberal education, student development, and emerging best practices in career education.

· Heart of an educator, with demonstrated commitment to mentorship, care for the whole person, and the development of young adults.

· Appreciation for the value of Catholic liberal education.

· Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.

Candidates must be eligible to work in the U.S. Assumption University has retained the Executive Search Firm, The Ward Group, to lead the search efforts. Interested applicants should submit a cover letter and resume to: View email address on us.fitly.work and reference “Assumption” in the subject line.