Director, Career Connections, Community College of Philadelphia

Posted by Community College of Philadelphia on January 4, 2022

Reporting to the Vice President for Workforce & Economic Innovation, the Director, Career Connections provides strategic vision, leadership, and assessment for comprehensive career and outreach services that meet the changing needs of our students, recent graduates, and alumni.

The Director is responsible for the development and execution of a vision to position Community College of Philadelphia as a career and employer-oriented institution that provides experiential learning opportunities for our students. The Director is charged with developing, leading, and overseeing the College’s comprehensive career services including student services, employer services, and faculty and academic services. This position provides strategic leadership in the design and implementation of experiential learning and job opportunities; tracking and reporting employment statistics; developing marketing materials for internal and external stakeholders; and the development of programs aimed at providing students with the skill sets necessary for success in the workplace, professional fields and placement in selected career paths. The Director oversees an Associate Director and the Manager of Employer Partnerships.

Specific Responsibilities

• Establish strategic direction of the Career Connections department, driving departmental priorities and goals in alignment with Workforce & Economic Innovation Division plan and the College’s strategic plan.
• Determine staffing needs to implement expanded services, more employer focused approach to Career Connections.
• Collaborate with Academic and Divisional leadership to prioritize programs in need of stronger employer connections and experiential learning opportunities.
• Provide strategic direction to design and implement innovative educational programming aimed at preparing students for professional success.
• Establish and develop strategies to drive results and provide intentional career development programs, using best practices in career development.
• Oversee and support the Associate Director and Manager of Employer Partnerships in the development of strategic relationships with employers and employer intermediaries and student engagement activities to enhance meaningful connections to the College and identify new programs, or revise existing programs, to meet local workforce needs.
• Develop and promote a prominent employer presence through the use of on-site recruitment events and information sessions, guest speakers, social media, the College’s website, etc in collaboration with the Manager of Employer Partnerships.
• Collaborate with other Workforce & Economic Innovation ( WEI ) team members and departments to leverage employer relationships to inform programming and curriculum development so offerings are labor market responsive.
• Provide leadership to the Career Connections staff in the attainment of performance goals and objectives.
• Develop and manage the Department’s software platforms and analyze reports to enhance and assess student outcomes, employer relationships, experiential learning opportunities for students and alumni, and job placements.
• Oversee and provide direction to Associate Director and other staff to ensure the successful collaboration with College faculty, staff and students to identify internships, externships, career exploration experiences, job shadowing, co-ops, etc.
• Represent the College internally and externally.
• Develop job placement services in support of WEI certificate programs, and other grant-funded programs the College develops that require it.
• Implement, compile and analyze relevant labor market data to drive and assess departmental goals and effectiveness with the Manager of Employer Partnerships.
• Develop and maintain updated content for the Career Connections websites and maximize the usage and functionality of the College’s employment platform, Handshake.
• Develop a strategy and system to support and track students’ success through career placements.
• Provide leadership in the development of an active and updated Career Connections resource bank for job and experiential learning opportunities.
• Collaborate with the Institutional Advancement team to attract grant funds to support departmental goals.
• Oversee the successful delivery and outcomes of our career development-related workshops, activities for students and employers.
• Manage departmental budget.
• Deliver quality customer services to both internal and external constituents in a professional helpful and courteous manner.
• Other duties as assigned.

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