Search for Director of Career Development
By leveraging our centralized career center model, we aspire to unite the Notre Dame community to inspire and prepare every student to pursue a life of impact and purpose.
We seek an innovative and collaborative professional who can champion our vision by leading a team of career development professionals who will advance our strategic priorities articulated in our strategic plan.
Position overview
- ~ 9,000 undergraduate students studying any major and pursuing any career path
- ~ 2,500 master’s and doctoral students (in Graduate School-affiliated programs) pursuing careers that align with their research and interests, whether in academia or industry.
The Director will build relationships and advance partnerships across academic departments and administrative units to understand and meet the current and developing needs of all undergraduate and graduate students.
The Director’s work is guided by the CCD’s strategic plan. Analyzing and interpreting data to inform our decisions is essential.
Responsibilities
- Manage a team of career advisors and other student-facing career development staff. This includes hiring, training, establishing and monitoring performance metrics, supervision, evaluation, and professional development of these staff.
- Analyze data and draw insights to align staff efforts with strategic priorities to create, advance, and refine career development communications, resources, and programs based on the needs and interests of undergraduate and graduate students.
- Advance relationships and collaborate with key campus partners to increase students’ engagement in career development opportunities, both organized through the CCD and offered elsewhere across the University.
- Develop, refine, and lead strategic initiatives to ensure Notre Dame students are provided access to the best possible resources and opportunities. This includes cultivating a professional network to research best practices.
- Ensure scaling and continuity of services to meet the needs of all students. This includes providing front-line, one-on-one career advisement for undergraduate and graduate students during peak recruiting seasons and times of staff transition.
The Director will also perform other duties as assigned by the Associate Vice President for Career and Professional Development and the Vice President for Student Affairs to advance the strategic goals of the Division of Student Affairs and the University’s mission.
Minimum qualifications
We believe that our next director can come from a variety of professional backgrounds. Some candidates may have direct experience in a career center while others may bring a different experience within higher education or from industry. We seek candidates who have these qualities:
- Bachelor’s degree required (advanced degree preferred)
- Experience supervising a team of full-time professional staff
- Acute understanding of the unique differences between providing career development support for undergraduate and graduate student populations at an R1 research university
- Commitment to advancing career development opportunities for all students, particularly historically underrepresented students
- Proficiency in relating to and communicating with undergraduate and graduate students
- Ability to work collaboratively and tactfully with university leadership, industry professionals, and other stakeholders
- Outstanding verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills
- Demonstrated proficiency with using technology (in particular, Google Suite, PowerPoint, Qualtrics, Handshake) and learning new technology in an efficient manner
- Ability to effectively present information to large and small audiences in compelling ways
- Innovative and creative thinker
- Excellent time management skills, particularly related to organizing and managing multiple priorities and projects
- Experience developing measurable outcomes and relevant assessment methods
- Ability to develop, deploy, and refine resources efficiently and at scale
About the Meruelo Family Center for Career Development
Notre Dame's Meruelo Family Center for Career Development is located on the fifth floor of Duncan Student Center on the University of Notre Dame's campus in South Bend, Indiana. Our facility includes one of the largest centralized career center and interview facilities in higher education which positions our students for success in both in-person and virtual interviews.
The Center is comprised of 25+ full-time and part-time staff members across four functions: Career Development (which includes Undergraduate Career Services and Graduate Career Services), Operations and Event Services, Employer and Regional Engagement, and Strategic Initiatives.
All staff work collaboratively to advance the Center's mission & vision:
Our mission: We prepare students for lifelong career readiness by guiding them to discern, pursue, and achieve career goals that align with their values, interests, and skills.
Our vision: Unite the Notre Dame community to inspire and prepare every student to pursue a life of impact and purpose.
We focus our communication efforts on tailored content. As such, the CCD manages a group of audience-focused websites:
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- undergradcareers.nd.edu - For undergraduate students (much of the Director's work will interface with resources contained on this site)
- gradcareers.nd.edu - for master's and PhD students
- recruitstudents.nd.edu - for employers and recruiters
- The CCD's landing page (CareerDevelopment.nd.edu) provides information for:
Learn about the University of Notre Dame
Information about our local community
Application instructions
- The search for our Director launched February 2, 2024.
- The application closed Thursday, February 29, 2024.
Questions
Questions can be directed to the search committee by e-mailing ccdsearch@nd.edu.