Assistant Director of Career Development

Position Summary

The Data Science Institute at Columbia University is a world-leading institute in research and education in theory and practice of the emerging field of data science.

The Data Science Institute’s mission involves advancing the state of the art in data science while ensuring the responsible use of data for the benefit of society.

To drive both innovative approaches and best practices for career development, as well as community building-centered for the Institute’s alumni, the Institute invites candidates for the Assistant Director of Career Development.

Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer in Data Science Institute, the Assistant Director of Career Development’s primary responsibility is to assist the Institute’s students’ career and professional development which includes oversight and leadership for securing full-time positions and / or internships, as well as developing and maintaining a robust and intentional community-building portfolio for the Institute’s graduates.

The Assistant Director of Career Development will work closely with Institute faculty, staff, relevant SEAS administration, alumni, and the Center for Career Education (CCE) to broaden and deepen relationships with employers and to develop additional marketing outreach strategies to accomplish this overall goal.

The candidate will also actively work with students to track their academic progress and help them achieve their career and placement goals.

Additional responsibilities include : Organizing information sessions and tech talks, collecting / analyzing employment data, generating placement and related reports for the Department / School, developing relationships with alumni, building and enhancing a database of department-specific alumni and employers, designing and implementing career-development workshops and programming, and other projects as requested.

Serve as the backup advisor for the Data Science Student Council (DSSC), and student ambassadors, in collaboration with the Associate Director of Admissions and Student Affairs.

Responsibilities

Career Development : Assist students in securing full-time positions / internships by organizing information sessions and tech talks, building relationships with potential employers, developing relationships with alumni, and related reporting on these efforts :

• Provide individual career counseling to assist students with achieving their career and placement goals as DSI’s primary career development / placement staff member;
• Establish and maintain relationships with prospective employers, including alumni, to encourage the hiring of students;
• Organize recruitment events with prospective employers at the department level;

Organize career education workshops (job or internship search strategies, interviewing skills, resume and cover letter writing, networking, etc.

• tailored to the needs of DSI’s students;
• Curate and manage student / alumni-related job postings (full-time, part-time, internships); Oversee Campus Connections Program;
• Establish a liaison role between academic departments, School administration, and the CCE concerning career placement;
• Oversee student requests for CPT / OPT work-authorization application process in collaboration with the affiliated academic department(s) and ISSO;

assist students’ faculty advisors and the Assistant Director of Admissions and Student Services with monitoring student academic progress in support of their intended professional goals.

Assist with the articulation of and adherence to academic policies and community standards.

Partner, collaborate, and assist with the execution of the Columbia Engineering's Professional Development and Leadership program required of all SEAS graduate students.

Work closely with the Directorate on balancing recruitment needs from the Institute’s Industry Affiliates and related activities.

Assist with Industry I3 series events and solicitation for Capstone Projects as needed.

Maintain relationships with Institute alumni to encourage the recruitment of prospective graduate students, and / or the hiring of future graduating students;

serve as the Institute’s alumni services liaison with affiliated offices that support these activities, to include, but not limited to, the Institute’s Director of Development.

Partner with the Institute’s Communications team to contribute to the promotion and marketing of our graduate community as part of a larger strategy to showcase alumni news / updates on the Institute’s website, newsletters, and social media.

Work with the Associate Director of Admissions and Student Services and the Student and Alumni Engagement Coordinator on post-admissions related activities, to include but not limited to, Admitted Student Open-House (on-campus and virtual sessions), Virtual Pre-Orientation Information Sessions (to include current students and alumni participation), New Student Orientation, and Graduation related activities and academic and student leadership recognition award(s).

Additional Responsibilities :

Develop and maintain an active and ongoing tracking of the Institute’s alumni base; collect and analyze data, build and enhance student career and alumni databases, generating reports as needed for the Institute’s annual and ad-hoc reports.

In the absence of the Associate Director of Admissions and Student Services, assist with providing support for current students as needed.

Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's degree or its equivalent, or a commensurate combination of education and / or experience. A minimum of 3-5 years related experience is required.

This position requires both familiarity with the knowledge of the technology job market and best practices in creating community-building;

previous experience in student affairs, career counseling, marketing, workshop planning, or administration is expected.

Understand career development issues affecting the constituents (Engineering) and the associated professions. Ability to identify and analyze trends.

Must be able to work independently, exercise good judgment and discretion, and prioritize and manage multiple tasks.

Excellent presentation, interpersonal, written and oral communication, and computer skills required (proficiency with MS Office Suite;

prior experience with admissions application systems critical).

Must possess advanced Excel skills, including familiarity with the creation and use of complex pivot tables, lookup functions, and other features for formatting, manipulating, and analyzing data.

Computer literacy / proficiency required : an understanding and appreciation of career services database software and online resources, and the willingness to respond to the needs of students and employers in an increasingly technologically-oriented society.

Candidate must possess strong skills in diplomacy, tact, and discretion.

The ability to work independently in a dynamic environment with changing priorities and multiple responsibilities is an asset.

Preferred Qualifications

An advanced degree in a relevant discipline is highly desired.

Supervisory experience that includes hands-on familiarity with personnel policy and practice; ability to mentor management-level team members.