Assistant Director of Employer Relations

Job #: 042878

Location: Syracuse, NY

Pay Range: $62,400 - $72,400

Hours: Standard University business hours 8:30am - 5:00pm (academic year) 8:00am - 4:30pm (summer). Hours may vary based on operational needs.

Job Type: Full Time

Job Description:

The Assistant Director of Employer Relations serves as a partner for the employer community, ensuring seamless engagement across recruiting touchpoints that directly impact student outcomes and supporting efforts to elevate Whitmans brand in the marketplace. This role blends analytics-informed strategy with industry partner development, positioning Whitman as a premier destination for recruiting top undergraduate and graduate talent. This role reports to the Director of Employer Relations.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelors degree required.
• A minimum of five years of progressive experience in employer relations, career services, recruiting, strategic partnerships, or a related field is preferred.
• Demonstrated background in program oversight, employer relations strategy, and data-informed decision-making is strongly valued.
• Familiarity with business school ecosystems and industry talent acquisition practices is a meaningful advantage.

Skills and Knowledge:

The ideal candidate is a collaborative and credible communicator who builds trust with industry partners, university leadership, and internal teams alike. They bring a demonstrated ability to think strategically about employer relations, using labor market insight and student outcomes data to shape programming and outreach priorities. Experience managing the full lifecycle of projects and events, from initial planning through execution, assessment, and iteration, is essential. The candidate will have fluency or be able to develop with CRM and recruiting platforms as well as reporting tools that translate complex data into clear leadership narratives. Financial literacy is expected, including experience managing budgets, processing contracts, and tracking expenditures. Above all, this person brings a high level of initiative, sound judgment, and the organizational discipline to manage competing priorities without sacrificing quality or attention to detail.

Responsibilities:

Strategic Planning & Program Oversight

• Analyze employer engagement trends to identify gaps, forecast hiring patterns, and inform programming.
• Conceptualize program and policy improvements based on labor market data, alumni outcomes, and industry reports.
• Oversee execution and assessment of employer-facing programs and initiatives.
• Contribute to departmental planning and continuous improvement efforts aligned with top-25 business school standards.

Data-Driven Strategy & CRM Integration

• Evaluate ROI of employer initiatives and report on strategic metrics to inform future engagement.
• Develop reports for leadership to visualize impact and guide decision-making.
• Manage and analyze career-related data, including employer surveys and session evaluations, to ensure reporting integrity and strategic alignment.
• Oversee system management of platforms such as Handshake, Salesforce, and internal scheduling tools ensuring data integrity.

Employer Engagement & Marketing outreach

• Execute external communications with employer partners, ensuring clarity, thoughtful responsiveness, and alignment with Whitmans brand and values.
• Manage external outreach plans informed by employer data research and student outcomes to re-engage partners and expand high-growth sectors in consultation with the Director of Employer Relations.
• Planning and execution of employer-facing events that reflect student interests, academic programs, and industry demand.
• Develop templates and toolkits that simplify employer engagement and strengthen partnerships.
• Support the Director of Employer Relations in advancing Whitmans employer brand through strategic messaging and external-facing initiatives.

Operational Excellence & Collaboration

• Coordinate all logistical aspects of on-campus, virtual, and hybrid recruiting processes, including scheduling, hosting, and follow-up.
• Coordinate all logistics of off-campus student engagement opportunities with industry and alumni partners.
• Provide exceptional customer service to recruiters, alumni, and internal SU partners, with flexibility for early morning, evening, or weekend support.
• Position includes occasional travel to support external industry engagement and student support.
• Manage logistics for career services initiatives, including catering, room reservations, and event data tracking.
• Support financial management of employer relations activity, including drafting budgets, processing contracts, and tracking expenses for career exploration trips and employer-facing events.
• Ideal candidate should be proactive, thoughtful, thorough, and responsive, and possess team and goal-oriented drive.