Assistant Director of Employer Relations

Position Title & Department:

Assistant Director of Employer Relations; Career Development Center

Detailed Description:

The Assistant Director of Employer Relations is responsible for the strategic implementation of the Center's employer engagement and outreach initiatives. Focusing on the proactive cultivation of new industry partnerships and the stewardship of existing relationships, the Assistant Director identifies and secures internship, employment, and career development opportunities for students and alumni through high-impact outreach and relationship management. This role applies a collaborative approach to maximize recruitment impact, facilitating meaningful engagement between students and employers to build career readiness and drive positive career outcomes.

In partnership with the Associate Director, the Assistant Director drives the strategic implementation of outreach and relationship management efforts for the Center's employer engagement initiatives, surfacing career pathways and opportunities for students and alumni. The Assistant Director facilitates employer participation across a wide range of activities, including large-scale career fairs, networking events, job boards, and employer site visits. This role also collaborates across the university to support the specialized programming needs of the Center and the broader campus ecosystem.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Employer Outreach and Relationship Management

• Directs the operational execution of the Center's employer outreach and development strategy to increase the availability of internship, employment, and career development opportunities for students and alumni.
• Executes employer recruitment, outreach, communication, and registration management for the Center's full suite of employer engagement activities; proactively inviting prospective and existing partners to participate in career fairs, Torero Treks (site visits), events, and broader career development initiatives.
• Consults with new and existing partners to analyze needs and implement engagement plans that effectively connect USD talent with career opportunities and pathways.
• Proactively identifies, cultivates, and onboards new industry partnerships, expanding the recruitment pipeline and securing new internship and employment opportunities for USD students and alumni.
• Manages and stewards a vast portfolio of existing employer partners, ensuring high levels of engagement and continued participation in USD's recruitment ecosystem.
• Actively represents the Career Development Center in the field at various industry events and professional networks to source new leads and gather market intelligence on evolving recruitment practices.
• Ensures employer recruitment practices align with USD guidelines and NACE Principles for Ethical Professional Practice to maintain a high-standard recruitment environment.
• Optimizes the use of the career management system (Handshake) to streamline employer internship/job postings and enhance the visibility of opportunities to the USD talent pool.
• Collects and analyzes employer engagement data and recruitment trends to evaluate partnership effectiveness and inform future outreach strategies.

Employer and Industry Engagement Initiatives

• Embeds employer and alumni partners into career fairs, networking sessions, and site visits; manages the employer registration lifecycle, vetting, and organizational alignment for these initiatives.
• Partners with the career counseling team to integrate various industry stakeholders into student-facing programming to increase industry exposure and networking opportunities.
• Facilitates the operational implementation of Torero Trek visits, consulting with hosts to structure high-value schedules and engagement activities that align host site programming with student career interests and departmental objectives.
• Engages campus partners and career staff to surface industry partners for participation in mentorship initiatives and experiential learning opportunities, such as professional networking and industry-specific engagement.
• Cultivates relationships with campus partners to facilitate avenues for employer engagement within the campus community and academic environment.
• Supports the operational management and strategy for the Employer Advisory Board and related industry-led initiatives to foster a robust recruitment pipeline for USD students.

Administrative Management and Supervision

• Exercises supervision of student employees and interns as assigned to support departmental operations and employer initiatives.
• Collaborates with the assessment team to monitor employer participation metrics and gather partner feedback to improve engagement initiatives.
• Contributes to the Career Development Center's strategic plan and broader efforts to enhance employer relations and recruitment impact.
• Identifies opportunities for process improvement, resource expansion, and increased employer participation within the Center.
• Onboards and helps train new staff members on policies and procedures related to employer engagement and recruitment guidelines.
• Serves as a liaison to professional associations to stay abreast of current developments in industry trends and recruitment best practices (e.g., MPACE, NACE).

Special Conditions of Employment:

• Ability to travel locally and regionally to employer sites and networking events.
• Able and willing to occasionally work evenings and weekends for events and programming.

Background check: Successful completion of a pre-employment background check.

Degree Verification Requirement: Persons offered employment in this position will be required to provide official education transcripts for degree verification purposes.