CUNY Beyond Lead (Assistant Vice President)

York College, founded in 1966, is a center of academic excellence in the heart of Jamaica, Queens. One of the eleven senior colleges in The City University of New York, the College’s mission is to enrich students' lives by fostering an environment where they’ll grow into passionate and engaged learners.

York’s academic programs are housed in three schools: The School of Arts & Sciences, The School of Business and Information Systems, and The School of Health Sciences and Professional Programs. Over sixty baccalaureate programs from across a variety of disciplines, including accounting, aviation management, business, computer science, journalism, social work, teacher education, a dual BS/MS degree in Occupational Therapy, and one of the top-ranked nursing programs in New York State, provide students with opportunities to study liberal arts, sciences, and professional programs. The College also offers six graduate programs: Aviation Management, Clinical Trials Management, Pharmaceutical Science and Business, Physician Assistant, Social Work and Nursing Education.

Located in Queens, the most ethnically diverse county in New York State, the College enrolls 7,000 students from over 95 nations. Nine out of ten students are members of a racial/ethnic minority group, and more than half of undergraduates are the first in their families to pursue higher education.

The College’s 50-acre campus encompasses seven buildings, including science and computer labs, music and television studios, a Performing Arts Center, and a Health and Physical Education Center. The College recently completed seven major construction projects, with more scheduled for the future. In addition, its neighborhood is at the center of a renaissance fueled by economic revitalization.

York College is committed to fostering integrity, diversity, intellectual discovery, and civic engagement to benefit its students, the community, and the world.

In CUNY Lifting NY, the University set out a bold goal - boost student career outcomes of all undergraduate students at time of graduation and one year out by 2030. Meeting this ambitious objective requires integrating career connections across the academic enterprise to reach all students - regardless of discipline, campus, or other commitments. This effort will require scaling proven interventions, growing relationships with employer partners in the public and private sector and establishing accountability for coordination and integration of career information across all units of a campus.

In 2025, CUNY launched CUNY Beyond, a university-wide transformation initiative designed to embed career readiness into every aspect of the undergraduate experience. The initiative ensures that all CUNY students gain the knowledge, skills, applied experiences, and employer connections needed to successfully transition into fulfilling, well-paying careers. Through comprehensive career exploration, skills development, and direct industry engagement, CUNY Beyond aims to elevate student success and expand economic mobility across all undergraduate campuses.

Reporting directly to the Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, the Assistant Vice President will serve as the institution’s Chief Careers and Industry Partnership Officer. This senior leader will drive a campus-wide student career success strategy that increases paid internship participation, strengthens post-graduate employment outcomes, and integrates career-connected learning across academic programs. The AVP will oversee major initiatives that enhance student engagement, academic innovation, and workforce preparation, including CUNY Beyond.

This position is funded for a three-year term. Continuation beyond this period is contingent upon available program funding.

Key Responsibilities:

Career Outcomes Leadership

Lead the development and execution of campus-wide strategies that significantly increase paid internships and post-graduate employment rates. This includes overseeing the rollout and ongoing implementation of CUNY Beyond at the campus level.

Academic Innovation

Advance career-connected learning across all undergraduate academic pathways by collaborating with academic units and faculty to embed career connected learning and work-based learning opportunities into curricula and pedagogy, consistent with faculty governance processes.

Employer & Industry Partnerships

Develop and sustain high-impact partnerships with employers and industry leaders that create consistent, equitable pipelines for internships, apprenticeships, and full-time employment. Leverage labor-market intelligence to align advising, curricula, and employer engagement with high-demand fields.

Staff, Resource Development, & Budget Management

Provide strategic oversight for career-readiness programs, including supervision of staff teams, budget administration, resource allocation, and operational planning. Participate in resource development activities including grant writing, pitching, and other forms of fundraising.

Data Strategy, Collection & Analysis

Direct data collection and evaluation efforts related to internships, career readiness milestones, and post-graduate outcomes. Ensure alignment and data harmonization with the CUNY Central Office.

Event Planning & Coordination

Oversee signature events-including faculty workshops, student career-readiness sessions, career fairs, and employer/industry panels-to strengthen career awareness and engagement across campus.

Strategic Planning & Execution

Guide multi-year planning efforts aligned with institutional goals for academic innovation, student success, and workforce preparation. Ensure cross-campus coordination and accountability.

Leadership & Collaboration

The Assistant Vice President will serve as a strategic thought leader, collaborating closely with multiple departments-such as the Office of the President, Career Center, Advising, Faculty Affairs, Continuing Education, Industry Engagement, and CUNY Inclusive Economy-to ensure cohesive, campus-wide execution of the CUNY Beyond strategy. The AVP will also engage internal and external stakeholders, including industry partners, to shape program design, implementation, partnerships, and evaluation efforts that advance student career success.

Perform other duties related to academic innovation, employer engagement, and student success as assigned by the President or Provost.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

This position is in CUNY's Executive Compensation Plan. All executive positions require a minimum of a Bachelor's degree and eight years' related experience. Additional qualifications are defined below by the College.

OTHER QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s degree in higher education administration, public administration, business, workforce development, or a related field
• Experience in change management, organizational transformation, or launching new cross-departmental initiatives.
• Established relationships with New York City-area employers, industry sectors, workforce agencies, or economic development organizations.
• Familiarity with career success technologies, career platforms, and data systems (e.g., CRM tools, internship tracking platforms, institutional research dashboards).
• Experience working with or within the CUNY system, a large public university, or a similarly complex higher education setting.
• Familiarity with curriculum innovation, experiential learning design, or integrating career connections and experiences into academic programs.
• Demonstrated success leading initiatives that advance equity, access, and economic mobility for diverse populations.
• Experience working with publicly or privately-funded workforce or education grants, including reporting and compliance.