Position Summary
The Career Coach and Career Pathways Coordinator serves as a key
member of the Smith Institute and is responsible for providing
holistic career coaching while coordinating experiential learning
and career-connected pathways that prepare students for meaningful
employment, graduate education, and lifelong success.
This position supports students throughout the career development
lifecycle by facilitating career exploration, career readiness
skill development, internship and experiential learning
preparation, graduate school planning, and transition-to-career
outcomes. The Coordinator works collaboratively with academic
departments, employers, alumni, faculty, student support units, and
community partners to expand access to internships, undergraduate
research, service-learning, leadership development, co-ops,
practicums, field experiences, and other high-impact educational
practices.
The position advances Johnson C. Smith University's commitment to
career readiness, student success, experiential learning, and
post-graduation outcomes through data-informed practices and
student-centered engagement.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities Career Coaching and
Student Development (40%)
- Provide individualized career coaching to undergraduate and
graduate students.
- Assist students with career exploration, career planning,
major-to-career alignment, and career decision-making.
Conduct résumé, cover letter, LinkedIn, and personal branding
reviews.
Facilitate mock interviews and interview preparation
workshops.
Assist students with job and internship search strategies.
Guide students through graduate school and professional school
planning processes.
Support students in developing career readiness competencies
aligned with National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE)
standards.
Maintain accurate coaching records and student engagement
documentation.
Career Pathways and Experiential Learning Coordination (25%)
- Coordinate experiential learning opportunities including
internships, undergraduate research, co-ops, practicums, clinical
placements, field experiences, service-learning, and leadership
development experiences.
- Collaborate with academic departments to identify and expand
discipline-specific career pathways.
- Develop systems for tracking student participation in
experiential learning opportunities.
- Contribute to the work of the Experiential Learning Data
Collaborative
- Support faculty and campus partners in integrating experiential
learning into academic and co-curricular experiences.
- Assist with the administration and assessment of internship and
experiential learning programs.
Employer, Alumni, and Community Engagement (15%)
- Cultivate relationships with employers, alumni, graduate
programs, and community partners.
- Identify internship, employment, and experiential learning
opportunities for students.
- Assist with employer recruitment efforts and employer
engagement activities.
- Coordinate employer information sessions, networking
opportunities, career treks, and industry panels.
- Collaborate with Institutional Advancement and Alumni Affairs
to leverage alumni as career mentors and industry partners.
- Coordinate Workforce Wednesday series for each semester.
Career Education and Programming (10%)
- Develop and facilitate workshops, presentations, and career
readiness programming.
- Support career fairs, graduate school fairs, networking events,
and employer recruitment activities.
- Coordinate career readiness initiatives within First-Year
Experience, Sophomore Success, leadership development, and
identity-based student success programs.
- Promote utilization of career development technologies (i.e
Handshake) and resources.
Data Management, Assessment, and Reporting (10%)
- Maintain student records and engagement data within Handshake
and other career services platforms.
- Monitor career coaching utilization, internship participation,
experiential learning engagement, and career outcomes.
- Assist with First Destination Survey administration and
reporting.
- Prepare reports, dashboards, and assessment summaries to
support institutional effectiveness and continuous
improvement.
- Utilize data to inform programming, outreach, and student
success interventions.
Minimum Qualifications
- Master’s degree from an accredited institution.
- Two to three years of experience in career services, career
coaching, student affairs, workforce development, academic
advising, experiential learning, employer relations, or a related
field.
- Two to three years of Career Coaching and/or Student Success
Coaching experience.
- Certified Career Coach, Certified Career Services Provider
(CCSP), or commitment to obtaining a career coaching certification
within the first 12 months of employment if not currently
certified.
- Demonstrated commitment to student development and
success.
- Strong written, verbal, interpersonal, and presentation
skills.
- Ability to build collaborative relationships across campus and
with external stakeholders.
- Experience utilizing Handshake and student information
systems.
Preferred Qualifications
- Master's degree in Higher Education, Student Affairs,
Counseling, Human Resources, Career Development, Education, or a
related field.
- Experience working in career services or experiential learning
programs within higher education.
- Experience using EAB Navigate Student Success Management System
or similar student success technologies.
- Knowledge of NACE Career Readiness Competencies and career
development theories.
- Experience supporting diverse student populations, including
first-generation and historically underserved students.
- Experience developing employer and community partnerships.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Career coaching and student development.
- Internship and experiential learning program coordination.
- Employer and alumni engagement.
- Workshop facilitation and public speaking.
- Data collection, analysis, and assessment.
- Relationship building and partnership development.
- Project management and event coordination.
- Commitment to equity, inclusion, and student success.
Success Measures (Performance Expectations)
Success in this role will be measured through:
- Number of students receiving career coaching.
- Student participation in internships and experiential learning
opportunities.
- Handshake utilization and profile completion rates.
- Career readiness workshop participation.
- Employer and alumni engagement activities.
- Graduate school and employment outcomes.
- First Destination Survey response and outcome rates.
- Student satisfaction and engagement metrics.
- Contributions to institutional career readiness and
post-graduation success goals.
To apply, please include a cover letter, resume, and contact
information for three supervisory references including the most
recent supervisor.
Finalists for this position are subject to a background check.
Employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a
background investigation including criminal history and identity
check.
The statements herein are intended to describe the general nature
and level of work being performed by the employee in this position.
These statements are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive
list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of a
person in this position.
