Senior Director of Career Readiness & Cooperative Education

POSITION PURPOSE

The Senior Director of Career Readiness and Cooperative Education has a focus on external engagement efforts, coordination of cooperative education through all of the intricacies from acceptance to the program through post-graduation success and promoting career readiness for the entire student population.

GENERAL EXPECTATIONS:

All Lakeland University staff members are expected to:

• Demonstrate in their words and actions an appreciation for the history of Lakeland University and a commitment to its stated mission;
• Represent unequivocally in their behavior the stated values of the University;
• Be good stewards of the University's resources, including its personnel and the goodwill of its friends, its alumni, and local community;
• Work collaboratively (as opposed to competitively) with their peers to meet objectives and achieve our goals;
• Keep their supervisor appropriately informed;
• Be forthright and honest in their communication with all members of the University community;
• Treat all members in a manner of teamwork and respect;
• Advise their supervisor with respect to all matters that require their attention, including their own performance.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Develop initiatives to connect with area organizations, regional K-12 schools (Academic and Career Planning & Youth Apprentice programs) and community groups to share the cooperative education message. Follow up with individual companies for partnership and create cooperative education positions for students.
• Meet with regional employers to discuss the Cooperative Education program and ways to cultivate a partnership and share the Corporate Partnership program also.
• Maintain working relationships with area employers to connect students with organizations of interest.
• Serve as the leader of the cooperative education and career readiness team.
• Develop and oversee the allocation of departmental budget dollars for the Cooperative Education and Career Readiness department and Student Employment.
• Coordinate annual programming calendar with the team that will include small- and large-scale event programming, for example: career fairs/networking events, career readiness education, and cohesive marketing plan.
• Collaborate with Marketing to establish a communications plan highlighting student stories.
• Collect, analyze, distribute data from Jenzabar and Handshake for reporting purposes that includes interactions with students, employment information of interns and graduates. This includes providing necessary information to Institutional Research and faculty dean's when requested. Develop performance metrics for all relevant aspects of Cooperative Education and Career Readiness.
• Represent Cooperative Education and Career Readiness at a variety of college, community and networking related events for additional cultivation of relationships.
  • On-Campus Involvement (includes but is not limited to):
    • Administrative Leadership Team (ALT) - meets monthly
    • Cooperative Education Committee - meets monthly
    • Lead the Cooperative Education Advisory Board - meets twice a year
  • Off-Campus Involvement (includes, but is not limited to):
    • INSPIRE WI Board Member (Meets monthly)
    • Business and Education Partnership Group - Chamber of Commerce (Meets monthly)
    • Sheboygan Economics Club (Meets six times annually - evenings)
    • Wisconsin Private Colleges Career Consortium (WIPCCC) Board of Directors (Meets monthly)
  • Teach 12 credits of EXP coursework over the course of an academic year, including summer, which may include classroom teaching or overseeing students who are engaged in a co-op experience.
  • Maintain a portfolio of non-traditional students, serving as a liaison for their cooperative education and career readiness needs.
  • Conduct campus presentations in classes and at area events educating others on career resources and strategies.
  • Partner with the Admissions team ensuring the recruitment message about Cooperative Education is clear. Be available to present the Cooperative Education program at Preview Days.

ESSENTIAL SKILLS:

• Master's degree required - Education, Business, or Counseling
• Must be proficient in the use of Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint and Word) and database management programs
• Ability to maintain a high degree of confidentiality.
• Ability to effectively manage time and priorities.
• Ability to prioritize office workflow and make effective administrative decisions to increase efficiency, accuracy, and productivity.
• Demonstrate ability to effectively communicate with a variety of individuals.
• Strong critical thinking skills.
• Demonstrate organizational ability and attention to detail.
• Ability to work independently, as well as in a team environment.
• Ability to work evenings or weekends as needed.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT

• No or very limited exposure to physical risk;
• No or very limited physical effort required;
• Work is normally performed in a typical interior/office work environment during business hours, except when off campus to meet with employers.

OTHER DUTIES

• Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Lakeland University does not offer H-1B or other work authorization visa sponsorship for this position. Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States at the time of hire and maintain work authorization throughout the employment term. If you have questions regarding this, please contact Human Resources.

Lakeland University is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Educator