Associate Director, Experiential Education
UChicago Career Advancement builds on the world-class UChicago liberal arts foundation to provide students with a competitive edge in their professional development. Career Advancement's Experiential Education team collaborates closely with partners across the University to deliver a wide range of non-industry-specific programs that are accessible to all undergraduates, supporting their diverse career interests. The Associate Director will use advanced program management skills to oversee and execute the Career Exploration Trek Program, which annually sends 500-600 College students on 30+ trips to key destinations around the globe. They will also oversee the Career Exploration Week Program, which sends 300-350 incoming College students on 10+ trips to key U.S. cities during Labor Day week. This role also provides direct career advising to first-year students, offering personalized guidance on job searches, resumes, and professional development. In addition, the Associate Director will advise specialized student cohorts, such as the Evan Scholars, helping these students achieve their unique academic and career goals. The Associate Director will supervise one staff member who provides essential operational support across several key areas. This position requires a passion for student support, strong collaboration with campus and external stakeholders, and a commitment to excellence in program execution and service delivery. The ideal candidate will be a proactive and detail-oriented administrator with a demonstrated ability to thrive in complex, decentralized environments where relationship-building and cross-functional teamwork are essential to success.
Responsibilities :
- Utilizes first-hand knowledge and skills gained from recent work or higher education experience to successfully counsel and advise students interested in pursuing a career in a variety of fields.
- Provides high-quality career advising to undergraduate students and alumni. This includes providing one-on-one career advising sessions to undergraduates in various formats such as scheduled appointments, walk-ins, and electronic / virtual support and communication.
- Maintains a regular schedule of one-on-one advising appointments and provides additional advising hours during the busiest times of the academic year.
- Leads the strategic planning and execution of the Career Exploration Trek Program, overseeing 30+ annual trips and ensuring high-impact student experiences through effective coordination with staff, faculty, and external partners.
- Oversees the Career Exploration Week Program, managing 10+ immersive career trips during Labor Day week for incoming students and ensuring smooth operations and high student engagement.
- Supervises and supports a full-time staff member responsible for student payments, vendor processing, scholarship administration, and data tracking related to experiential programs.
- Monitors and analyzes program data and student outcomes to produce reports for leadership, identify trends, and recommend strategic improvements for experiential learning programs.
- Fosters strong relationships with campus and external partners to enhance program impact and expand opportunities for student participation.
- Develops and tracks performance metrics to assess program effectiveness and continuously improve service delivery across the Experiential Education portfolio.
- Develops metrics for tracking progress against goals and reviews goals on a bi-monthly basis with internal team and external colleagues.
- Supports Career Advancement in strategically developing and maintaining relationships with campus partners.
- Conducts job search and career management related large lectures, hands-on workshops, special events, training programs, and one-on-one career coaching sessions. Acts as a resource for and directs students to other career resources as needed.
- Analyzes markets and trends as they relate to job searches. Assesses student feedback and evaluations and collaborates with other career services staff members, student organizations, or other staff to determine program offerings and innovations.
- Performs other related work as needed.
Minimum Qualifications :
Education : Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.
Work Experience : Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 5-7 years of work experience in a related job discipline.
Certifications :
Preferred Qualifications :
Developing and delivering presentations.Working with college-aged students and / or recent college graduates strongly preferred; developing and managing an internship or fellowship program.Technical Skills or Knowledge :
Proficient in Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.Expertise in budget and project management, or a related area.Knowledge of career development theory and strong coaching or counseling skills.Preferred Competencies :
Strong interpersonal skills, demonstrated initiative, and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively, with flexibility and adaptability.Efficiently and quickly navigate various University budget, accounting, and human resources systems and platforms.A demonstrated passion for supporting the success of students.Communicate to large groups as well as one-on-one with students, senior management, alumni, and external partners.Expertise in program development, or a related area.Demonstrated success in maintaining collaborative relationships with diverse constituencies.Deep commitment to customer service, prioritize and balance different work streams, meet deadlines, and work successfully in a fast-paced environment.Excellent verbal communications skills. Strong interpersonal, quantitative, and networking skills.Working Conditions :
Work evening hours and weekends on an occasional basis, generally 1-2 days per month.Travel, generally one or two times per year.Application Documents :
Resume / CV (required)Cover Letter / Statement of Interest (required)Three Professional References Contact Information (required)When applying, the documents MUST be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.