"Assistant Director, Career Development"

Assistant Director, Career Development

Company: Villanova University

Job Location: Villanova, 19085

Category: Career Development and Services

Type: Full-Time

Posting Number: 20260019S

Location: Villanova, PA

Work Schedule: full-time/12-months

Department: 323-Career Services

Position Summary

Why work at Villanova?

Join a mission-driven organization. Since Villanova University's founding in 1842, we have been inspired by the values of truth, unity, and love, and are a community dedicated to service to others. Villanova has been included among the nation's best colleges and universities. VU's inclusion again in U.S. News & World Report's 2025 "Best Colleges" rankings is another indication of the University's continued prominence and forward momentum. Villanova's most precious asset is our people. As an employee, you will receive a holistic benefits package, generous paid time off, a competitive retirement savings plan, flexible work options, wellness programs including gym membership, professional development, tuition assistance, and more.

The Assistant Director, Career Development is responsible for counseling and coaching Villanova students and alumni on career decisions, job search strategies, and graduate school preparation. The successful candidate will serve as a Career Center liaison to an assigned academic college. They will also support programming for exploratory students and those seeking graduate study. The Assistant Director will collaborate with campus partners to develop community-focused career initiatives, programs and services to support a variety of student populations. This role will develop partnerships with faculty and staff across the university to deliver presentations and programming, create and plan events, and enhance career education opportunities.

This position has an anticipated start date of June 1, 2026.

Villanova is a Catholic university sponsored by the Augustinian Order. The University is an equal opportunity employer and seeks candidates who understand, respect and can contribute to the University's mission and values.

Duties and Responsibilities

Career Counseling and Coaching

Counsel and coach students and recent alumni in all areas of career and professional development, including major and career exploration, successful strategies for seeking jobs and internships, developing application materials (resumes/CVs, cover letters), and practice interviews. Advise students in graduate school exploration and preparation, including the review of admissions documents (personal statements, statements of purpose). Support students through individual appointments, drop-in hours, group presentations, and virtual resources/training.

Career Programming and Events

Develop and support university career events (networking, panels, career fairs, classroom visits, etc.). Create and deliver programs and presentations to meet career development needs of students and alumni in focused areas such as exploratory students, graduate school seekers, and campus liaison communities.

Campus and Community Engagement

Build relationships and manage outreach efforts to career communities by serving as liaison to student groups and organizations, collaborating with student leaders and campus partners, and creating relevant career resources and digital content. Maintain engagement with faculty and staff to promote services and support programming needs. Represent the Career Center on campus committees and off campus consortia.

Perform other duties and assist with projects as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

Formal Education

• Master's degree required. Combination of a bachelor's degree and relevant experience, in addition to the experience requirements listed below, may be considered in lieu of graduate level degree.

Work Experience

• Minimum 2 years of experience in education, human resources, communication, non-profit, or related field. Work experience may include graduate assistantships and internships.
• Event coordination and programming experience.

Work Skills (e.g., written and verbal communication skills)

• Counseling/coaching skills.
• Event coordination and programming experience.
• Written, verbal and presentation skills.
• Collaboration and relationship management skills.
• Strong digital fluency with collaboration tools (Outlook, Teams, Zoom) and the ability to adapt to and effectively use new and emerging technologies, including AI tools.
• Knowledge of employment and career services management software preferred (i.e. Handshake).

Specific Job Knowledge (e.g., knowledge of principles and procedures related to field and area)

• Understanding of student career development process, current job market trends, and hiring/graduate school admissions processes - especially as it relates to undergraduate student populations

Other:

• Ability to work some evenings and weekends required.

Preferred Qualifications

Formal Education

• Master's degree in Counseling, Higher Education, Human Resources preferred.

Closing Date (11:59pm ET)

03/06/2026

Salary Posting Information

This position falls within salaried grade 14 and the range for this position is $57,200-71,500. The final salary will be determined with consideration of several factors including the selected candidate's qualifications, department budget availability, market data, and internal equity.

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