Colgate University

Posting Details

Position Information

Job CategoryProfessional/Administrative

Position TitleAssociate Director of Career Development

Full Time/Part TimeFull Time

DivisionDean of the College

DepartmentCareer Services

Hiring Wage/Salary Range$80,000-$85,000

• Professional Experience/ Qualifications
• A minimum of 3 years leading career development or student affairs teams, or comprehensive career or professional development initiatives.
• Prior experience with directly supervising a team to produce high-quality work.
• At least 5 years of prior advising, coaching, or counseling experience.
• Assessment experience and a demonstrated ability to synthesize and analyze quantitative and qualitative data. Proficiency in Excel is required.
• Success with independently managing multiple projects.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, strong organizational and analytical skills, and the ability to set priorities and take initiative.
• A demonstrated ability to build relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrated success of working collegially with a diverse group of parents, alumni, employers, faculty, staff, and students within a university setting.
• Demonstrated awareness of the impact contemporary challenges and nuances may have on new graduates navigating career searches in today’s economy.
• Preferred Qualifications
• Prior counseling or advising experience with a traditional college-aged, liberal arts student population.
• Experience leading group advising sessions.
• Experience with Handshake and various third-party career development preparation resources.

EducationA Bachelor’s degree is required.

A Master’s degree in a related field is preferred.

Certifications

Offer DeterminationWhen extending an offer, Colgate University considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, as well as market and organizational considerations.

Physical Requirements

Other InformationAPPLICATIONS & DEADLINES

Interested applicants should submit a cover letter, current resume, and three references saved as one document, either Word or a PDF. The file name should start with your first and last names, such as “John Doe – Colgate University Application.” This should be emailed to search@careerleadershipcollective.com with the subject “Application for Associate Director of Career Development.”

To be considered, interested applicants should submit the requested materials no later than Friday, August 15, 2025, 11:59 EDT.

Please note that applications will only be accepted following the instructions provided.

BenefitsColgate University offers a competitive benefits package, with most benefits effective on the date of hire. Highlights include: medical, dental, vision, retirement contributions, paid time off, paid family leave, health & wellness, continuing education and professional development. We also offer unique perks, such as free parking, gym discounts, bookstore savings, athletic tickets, and access to cultural and recreational facilities. Explore the full benefits package on our Benefits page.

Department StatementThis is an exciting time to join Career Services at Colgate University. Colgate’s Third Century Plan, the university’s strategic plan for short- and long-term transformation, was adopted during Colgate’s bicentennial year in 2019. In tandem with the Third Century Plan, Career Services launched a four-year career development plan to ensure students’ early and frequent engagement with Colgate’s excellent career preparation resources. The approach to students’ career development serves as a foundational structure to strengthen students’ career outcomes. Now, more than 80% of students annually are engaged in intentional, developmental, and personalized journeys of self-discovery and experiential education. This results in more than 97% of Colgate respondents securing a job, graduate or professional school admission, a competitive fellowship, or military commission within six-to-nine months of their graduation.

The successful associate director candidate will serve as a critical member of this department’s senior leadership team and report directly to the Milone Family AVP for career initiatives. This role offers an experienced colleague the opportunity to leverage a strong team of career services professionals and build upon the team’s demonstrated success. This colleague’s work will continue to strengthen Colgate’s career development program and deepen the team’s capacity to guide students through the contemporary challenges and opportunities inherent in competing for competitive internship, job, and graduate school outcomes. The associate director will be accountable to ensure Colgate’s four-year career development plan continues to meet students’, departmental, and university needs. They will do so by leveraging a strong understanding of assessment practices and a solid commitment to making data-informed decisions.

The successful candidate must demonstrate strong competency in team leadership and supervision, career advising and coaching, program development, assessment, and operational management. They will strive to meet their direct reports’ needs by intentionally and individually guiding their supervisees’ professional development. The associate director will possess a clear strengths-based approach in their work and a demonstrated record of leveraging practices that positively meet a diverse undergraduate student population that possesses a variety of backgrounds and career aspirations.

AccountabilitiesThe successful candidate must demonstrate strong competency in team leadership and supervision, career advising and coaching, program development, assessment, and operational management. They will strive to meet their direct reports’ needs by intentionally and individually guiding their supervisees’ professional development. The associate director will possess a clear strengths-based approach in their work and a demonstrated record of leveraging practices that positively meet a diverse undergraduate student population that possesses a variety of backgrounds and career aspirations.

The successful candidate will be accountable for providing the primary vision and leadership to ensure Colgate’s four-year career development plan leads to strong student outcomes and is widely considered to be among the best career development programs in the nation.

Specific duties include the following:

Leadership and Strategy

• Train and lead the career development team to guide students through a developmental process of exploration, discernment, action planning, and the successful pursuit of internships and post-graduate opportunities.
• Responsible for the career services team’s delivery of effective career advising, skill-development workshops, industry exploration and preparation programming, and print and digital resources.
• In collaboration with departmental colleagues, the associate director will leverage alumni and parent volunteers to showcase the breadth of paths in which a liberal arts education can lead to meaningful professional contributions and successes.
• Responsible for assisting colleagues in developing student-facing initiatives with developmentally appropriate learning outcomes, high levels of interactivity, and assessment strategies to measure intended impact.
• Accountable to train advisers to advise and coach high-capacity students to build self-awareness, explore career interests, gain industry-based content knowledge and understanding of hiring practices and timelines, and pursue employment and graduate school searches.

Managing a Data-Informed Practice

• Provide team leadership that supports the continuation of Career Services data-informed practices.
• Maintain and improve on how the Career Services team identifies, tracks, and assesses overall student engagement with the four-year career development plan.
• Deploy quantitative and qualitative analyses that inform and deepen students’ interactions with programming and advising. Independently prepare analyses and reports.

Supervision

• Responsible for the effective hiring, supervision, and performance management of all direct and indirect reports – including professional staff and student interns.
• Provide timely performance evaluations, hold colleagues accountable for stated goals, and create individualized plans for staff development and professional growth.
• Responsible for ensuring fair and equitable decisions regarding employment (e.g., hiring, promotion, termination).

Relationship Management

• Work closely with the team’s communications professional to shape the departmental strategy to increase students’ awareness of and engagement with Career Services’ resources and initiatives.
• Establish connections with faculty, staff, and student leaders to facilitate collaborations and build networks of support for students.
• Cultivate strong, ongoing relationships with students whom you career advise.

Posting Detail Information

Requisition Number2025S066Posting

TemporaryNo

Work ScheduleWeekdays

Job Open Date07/15/2025

Job Close Date

Open Until FilledYes

Special Instructions Summary

EEO StatementThe University recognizes that equal employment opportunity can only be achieved through demonstrated leadership. It is the Policy of the University to recruit, employ, retain, promote, and train employees on the basis of merit, ability, and valid job qualifications without regard to any characteristics protected by applicable local, state or federal laws.

Clery ActCAMPUS CRIME REPORTING AND STATISTICS

The Department of Campus Safety will provide upon request a copy of Colgate’s Annual Security and Fire Safety Report. This report includes statistics as reported to the United States Department of Education for the previous three years concerning reported: 1. crimes that occurred on-campus; in certain off-campus buildings or property owned or controlled by Colgate University; and on public property within, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from, the campus and 2. fires that occurred in student housing facilities. The report also includes institutional policies concerning campus security and fire safety, such as policies concerning sexual assault, life safety systems, and other related matters. You may access the report from the Clery Compliance web page at: https://www.colgate.edu/about/offices-centers-institutes/dean-college/campus-safety-staff/clery-compliance. Printed copies of this report may be obtained upon request from the Department of Campus Safety via e-mail at cusafety@colgate.edu.

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