Associate Director for Career Development and Partnerships - Penn Engineering

Associate Director for Career Development and Partnerships - Penn Engineering

University Overview

The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn's distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of America's Best Large Employers in 2023.

Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.

The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.

Posted Job Title
Associate Director for Career Development and Partnerships - Penn Engineering

Job Profile Title
Associate Director C, Student Services

Job Description Summary
The Associate Director for Career Development and Partnerships provides leadership and operational oversight for career development and industry activation for Penn Engineering's growing on-campus master's community (2,000+ students across 15+ programs). Penn Engineering's residential master's portfolio is a global, fast-paced, and career outcomes-focused community. This leader will create scalable infrastructure that ensure students receive high-quality career coaching, professional development opportunities, and meaningful connections to employers and alumni-while demonstrating impact through outcomes reporting used to guide school-level investment.

Reporting to the Managing Director of the Office of Academic Services, the Associate Director will design and launch a modern, data-informed career ecosystem that blends self-guided learning, peer/GA supports, targeted 1:1 coaching, and robust industry programming. The role will build and lead a team of two advisors, set clear service standards and KPIs, and cultivate partnerships across engineering and technology sectors. In close collaboration with Penn Engineering Online and Central Career Services, the Associate Director will co-create reusable offerings, align resources and data, and scale what works across audiences-while maintaining clear ownership of the residential advising model and in-person activation.

Early priorities include launching a tiered career support model and establishing student-facing service standards, piloting three industry-specific programs with measurable participation and outcomes, and enhancing the knowledge rate of outcomes through an integrated survey and CRM workflow. Ideal candidates are energized by building new models, experimenting with high-impact formats, and delivering visible results for students and Penn Engineering.

Job Description

Job Responsibilities

Strategy & Portfolio Leadership

• Build a comprehensive, tiered career development model for residential master's students (e.g., self-service learning; peer/GA supports; 1:1 advising), sharing best practices with the Online program's career support model.
• Develop an annual strategy and calendar that integrates advising, industry programming, and alumni engagement; ensure accessibility for international and career-switching students.
• Launch cohort-based career communities (industry pods, peer networking circles, alumni micro-mentoring) to increase belonging and job-search momentum.
• Own program design and implementation decisions; lead tool/vendor evaluation and make resourcing recommendations to scale the ecosystem.
• Establish service standards (e.g., response and appointment SLAs) and define KPIs (touchpoints, fill rate, wait time, NPS, outcomes knowledge rate, event participation, resource use).
• Co-create cross-audience programs and reusable content with Penn Engineering Online (Office of Academic Innovation) and Central Career Services.
  - Own career advising model and in-person activation for residential master's students.
  - Online owns online student career advising along with community-building and the online learner lifecycle.

Partnerships & Market Activation

• Design and deliver industry-specific programming (e.g., Industry Days, micro-fairs, employer spotlights, alumni panels, mock interviews, technical interview sprints, international hiring strategy series, alumni-in-residence weeks) in partnership with degree programs and/or cohort-based communities.
• Partner with central Career Services on employer relationships and large-scale fairs (the University is primary on fairs); co-sponsor events and share learnings where appropriate.
• Cultivate and track relationships with employers, alumni, and professional associations; manage pipeline health and yield.

Team Leadership & Operations

• Hire, onboard, supervise, and develop two full-time advisors who deliver both career advising and industry programming/employer relations with discipline area alignment, as well as periodic bridge programming open to online or non-master's audiences.
• Build team culture, professional development pathways, and a consistent advising/programming playbook that scales.
• Set priorities and goals, provide coaching and performance feedback, and manage peer/GA coverage during peaks.
• Oversee operations, calendars, communications, and records; ensure consistent use of platforms (e.g., Handshake, Slate/CRM, Canvas, event tools).
• Maintain playbooks/SOPs for advising, programming, and employer engagement to support consistency and scale.

Career Advising

• Maintain an advising portfolio centered on topical expertise and complex cases (strategy, negotiation, pivots), delivering select, high-impact coaching and serving as the quality and training backbone for the advising team.
• Ensure high-quality coaching in job search strategy, networking, resume/LinkedIn optimization, interviewing (technical/behavioral), and professional communication.
• Partner with graduate program administrators/faculty and student organizations to embed career learning (webinars, learning modules, clinic/lab touchpoints) and extend practice-ready skill development.

Data, Assessment & Continuous Improvement

• Implement NACE-aligned surveys and outcomes data collection; increase outcomes knowledge rate and use insights to iterate on programming.
• Monitor use, equity of access, event ROI, and employer pipeline metrics.
• Use data to refine services, inform resource allocation, and communicate impact.
• Prepare briefings and dashboards used by School leadership to guide investment and strategy in graduate career support.

Perform other duties as assigned to contribute to the wrap-around professional development support for Penn Engineering's student communities.

Qualifications
Required

• Bachelor's degree and 3-5 years of progressively responsible experience in career services, employer relations, student affairs, workforce development, or a related field; or an equivalent combination of education and direct experience.
• Demonstrated experience supervising professional staff and/or high-volume advising operations, especially in professional/career development settings.
• Familiarity with job search strategy, resume/LinkedIn optimization, interviewing, and networking.
• Fluency with career platforms and CRM/event tools (e.g., Handshake; experience with Slate/Canvas or similar is a plus).
• Proficient with Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 Copilot, and communication tools (e.g., Slack, Teams), and able to adapt to new tools and technologies.
• Ability to, at times, participate in events and trainings outside normal business hours.
• Strong data literacy: ability to design surveys, interpret outcomes metrics, and make data-informed decisions.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and project management skills; commitment to student success.

Preferred

• Master's degree in Higher Education Administration or a relevant field.
• Experience in an R1 or highly decentralized research university; familiarity with STEM/engineering labor markets (e.g., software/data/AI, hardware/semiconductor, robotics, biotech, biomedical, product development, energy and sustainability).
• Direct experience advising master's-level or advanced professional students on job search strategy, resume/LinkedIn, interviewing, and networking.
• Proven record of building industry partnerships and delivering scalable programs (workshops, panels, recruiting events).
• Prior responsibility for hiring, onboarding, and developing professional advising teams.
• Demonstrated success coordinating with a central career office and/or multi-unit employer-relations ecosystem.
• Background in creating asynchronous learning modules or credit-adjacent career content.
• Knowledge of NACE standards and outcomes reporting; experience improving knowledge rate and storytelling with data.
• Comfort engaging with alumni, corporate partners, and faculty to co-create experiential programming.

Job Location - City, State
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Department / School
School of Engineering and Applied Science

Pay Range
$66,000.00 - $80,000.00 Annual Rate
Salary offers are made based on the candidate's qualifications, experience, skills, and education as they directly relate to the requirements of the position, and in alignment with salary ranges based on external market data for the job's level. Internal organization and peer data at Penn are also considered.

Equal Opportunity Statement

The University of Pennsylvania is an equal opportunity employer. Candidates are considered for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin (including shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics), citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status or any class protected under applicable federal, state or local law.

Special Requirements
Background checks may be required after a conditional job offer is made. Consideration of the background check will be tailored to the requirements of the job.

University Benefits

• Health, Life, and Flexible Spending Accounts: Penn offers comprehensive medical, prescription, behavioral health, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits to protect you and your family's health and welfare. You can also use flexible spending accounts to pay for eligible health care and dependent care expenses with pre-tax dollars.
• Tuition: Take advantage of Penn's exceptional tuition benefits. You, your spouse, and your dependent children can get tuition assistance here at Penn. Your dependent children are also eligible for tuition assistance at other institutions.
• Retirement: Penn offers generous retirement plans to help you save for your future. Penn's Basic, Matching, and Supplemental retirement plans allow you to save for retirement on a pre-tax or Roth basis. Choose from a wide variety of investment options through TIAA and Vanguard.
• Time Away from Work: Penn provides you with a substantial amount of time away from work during the course of the year. This allows you to relax, take vacations, attend to personal affairs, recover from illness or injury, spend time with family-whatever your personal needs may be.
• Long-Term Care Insurance: In partnership with Genworth Financial, Penn offers faculty and staff (and your eligible family members) long-term care insurance to help you cover some of the costs of long-term care services received at home, in the community or in a nursing facility. If you apply when you're newly hired, you won't have to provide proof of good health or be subject to underwriting requirements. Eligible family members must always provide proof of good health and are subject to underwriting.
• Wellness and Work-life Resources: Penn is committed to supporting our faculty and staff as they balance the competing demands of work and personal life. That's why we offer a wide variety of programs and resources to help you care for your health, your family, and your work-life balance.
• Professional and Personal Development: Penn provides an array of resources to help you advance yourself personally and professionally.
• University Resources: As a member of the Penn community, you have access to a wide range of University resources as well as cultural and recreational activities. Take advantage of the University's libraries and athletic facilities, or visit our arboretum and art galleries. There's always something going on at Penn, whether it's a new exhibit at the Penn Museum, the latest music or theater presentation at the Annenberg Center, or the Penn Relays at Franklin Field to name just a few examples. As a member of the Penn community, you're right in the middle of the excitement-and you and your family can enjoy many of these activities for free.
• Discounts and Special Services: From arts and entertainment to transportation and mortgages, you'll find great deals for University faculty and staff. Not only do Penn arts and cultural centers and museums offer free and discounted admission and memberships to faculty and staff. You can also enjoy substantial savings on other goods and services such as new cars from Ford and General Motors, cellular phone service plans, movie tickets, and admission to theme parks.
• Flexible Work Hours: Flexible work options offer creative approaches for completing work while promoting balance between work and personal commitments. These approaches involve use of non-traditional work hours, locations, and/or job structures.
• Penn Home Ownership Services: Penn offers a forgivable loan for eligible employees interested in buying a home or currently residing in West Philadelphia, which can be used for closing costs or home improvements.
• Adoption Assistance: Penn will reimburse eligible employees on qualified expenses in connection with the legal adoption of an eligible child, such as travel or court fees, for up to two adoptions in your household.

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To learn more, please visit: https://www.hr.upenn.edu/PennHR/benefits-pay


Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The University of Pennsylvania is an equal opportunity employer. Candidates are considered for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin (including shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics), citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status or any class protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.


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