Director of Career Development: Center for Academic Advising, Careers, and Experiential Learning

DEPARTMENT: Academic Affairs

CATEGORY: C2-1

SUPERVISOR: Provost or any other supervisor as designated by the President

POSITION OVERVIEW

The American University of Paris is currently seeking a highly motivated and dedicated individual to serve as the next Director of Career Development. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to develop and implement engaging career development programs that align with AUP’s strategic objectives for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as playing a critical role in supporting overall student success and increasing retention and persistence to graduation. Collaborating with campus and community partners, as well as employers, will be a key aspect of this role, allowing for meaningful connections that enhance our students’ career opportunities. The Director should be an autonomous, student-centered, entrepreneurial leader, capable of creating a sense of mission both within Career and Internship Advising and its sister half, Academic Advising, as well as across administrative units and academic departments in support of the holistic student learning experience. The Director will be a visionary career development professional, capable of launching, supporting and curating innovative programs and structures, such as the recent redesign of ACE, but also existing programs such as the Global Professional Skills (GPS) program, ensuring that career development at AUP builds on the pathways program as described within the University’s new strategic plan.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The director is responsible for the following areas:

• Creating, delivering, and evaluating quality career development programming for undergraduate and graduate students.
• Works with the Director for Academic Advising to improve the unit’s holistic guiding of students through the AUP experience, englobing both requirements and progress toward degrees and co-curricular and career possibilities for students.
• Advises students on internships and careers, with sufficient understanding of the academic advising process so that the student’s movement between career and academic advising is seamless.
• Works with the Global Liberal Arts Core Curriculum Committee to ensure that GPS remains within the framework of Experiential Learning (CCX) requirement, for as long as GPS may be used to fulfill that requirement.
• Works with Career Advisors to ensure appropriate cross-training so that Career Advisors have functional knowledge of all aspects of the work of the Career Advising team.
• Contributes to collective awareness of trends and best practices in career development and recruitment throughout the world; use of social media for job seeking and the latest developments in resume writing; and maintain a presence in professional networks such as NACE and the American Chamber of Commerce in France.
• Coordinates with Alumni Affairs, Outreach and Advancement to identify alumni contacts for job and internship leads and to grow the Global Mentoring Program.
• Coordinates with University Registrar on issues impacting both teams such as policy issues including those related to internships, internal CCX projects, and CCX requirements.
• Coordinates with the Registrar’s Office, Student Accounting Services, Student Immigration Services, and Academic departments on policy development and implementation.
• Continually works to build, grow and improve the Unit’s work and collaboration with constituents, particularly with a view to developing trust and working relationships within academic departments and those whose students have generally not been users of internship and career services.
• Interfaces with Alumni and Faculty/Staff Emeriti Councils and Advancement and Outreach.
• Works on special internal projects (internal CCX programs, Learning Commons, Academic Affairs Management Group, etc.)

Oversees and supports Career Advising Team projects and programs:

• Works in collaboration with the GPS Governance Committee, the Global Liberal Arts Core Curriculum Committee, and the Provost to maintain, build and assess the GPS program.
• Chairs GPS Governance Committee.
• Oversees cross-department coordination, such as recruiting university units to be involved with, and/or support the program, recruiting volunteers and/or mentors among AUP faculty/staff/students.
• Supports the team member taking point on internships, particularly in situations of tension or conflict between internal and external constituents.
• Acts as spokesperson with all administrative units as necessary for Career Advising projects and Programs.
• Works with the staff member taking point on GPS to ensure that the Engage platform effectively delivers the GPS Program moving forward, automating tasks whenever possible.
• Manages the annual calendar of the career team’s mission-critical events to ensure equitable distribution of tasks and prevent overlap.
• Develops and runs workshops and/or courses designed to provide students with hands-on guidance as they prepare to launch their career, search for an end of studies internship, or pursue graduate studies.
• Supports the team members in their work developing trust and contacts within the academic departments, particularly those whose students have generally not been users of internship and career services.
• May be called on to liaise with host companies for any issues arising during the internship, particularly disciplinary issues or accidents.
• Ensures student internship advising needs are met.
• With the career advisors, monitor French legislation concerning internships to ensure compliance, keeps AUP’s internship documents up to date and revisits them regularly in order to guarantee accuracy and user friendliness.
• Ensures that the internship point person has renewed annual renewal of civil liability insurance policy and filed internship declarations and URSSAF payments.
• Responsible for coordinating annual internship declaration and payments to URSSAF.
• Advises various departments when applicable on issues related to internships and careers, to facilitate the development of a shared student professional development culture with faculty.
• Contributes (e.g., via speaking engagements) to the promotion of ACE and programs under its purview.
• Liaises with the Provost and the Dean of Student Development to raise the profile of co-curricular contributions to the student learning experience and development of competencies.
• Contributes to the overall strategic goal of increasing student participation in career planning and professional development.

General Office Management

• Building a belief in our mission and in the centrality of the student experience among ACE staff members and motivating them.
• Working collaboratively to enhance career development and post-graduation success.
• Supervision of the Career Advising staff members, ensuring the appropriateness of assignments and resource allocation, which includes efficient work assignments across the team, oversight of the internship program and GPS programs, and distribution of workshops and other activities.
• With the Director for Academic Advising, ensures coordination and back-up across functions within the ACE group.
• Coordinates office assessment activities and routine program evaluation to streamline current practices to ensure maximum sustainability of the program and maximum utility of assessment practices.
• Maintains student confidentiality and office adherence to FERPA and GDPR regulations.
• Oversees Career Advising timesheets and carry out annual interviews.

Other

• The post holder may additionally be involved in transversal projects the University or Department wish to explore. Other appropriate duties may also be assigned as requested by the Supervisor and according to the needs of the Department.

QUALIFICATIONS

• High level of organization
• Demonstrated leadership capacity
• Master's Degree
• Professional proficiency in French, fluency a plus.
• Capacity to manage others
• Experience in program design and development
• Willingness to work to goals and targets
• Strong communication skills
• Familiarity with American educational institutions, particularly liberal arts colleges, a plus.
• Work experience in a French language/cultural environment a plus.

Candidates should apply (CV and cover letter) by e-mail to recruitment.hraup.edu