Early Career Engagement Advisor, Staff Assistant

Department Summary:

Bridgewater State University is an inclusive community dedicated to the lifelong success of all students, focused on the continuous improvement of its people, and responsible for leading innovation that benefits Southeastern Massachusetts, the commonwealth, and the world. Bridgewaters accessible environment of teaching and learning stimulates critical thinking, pursuit of new knowledge, and deeper understanding, the cultivation of meaningful and diverse interpersonal relationships, and fostering an appreciation for global engagement, all aimed at transforming lives and improving the human condition.
Our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is reflected in our institutional values, which ensure that all students are supported and succeed.
The Early Career Engagement Advisor supports early career exploration and engagement efforts for first-year and sophomore students. This individual assists with career advising, programming, and outreach activities that help students, especially those who are undecided or exploratory, connect their interests and academic experiences to potential career pathways and early work-based and experiential learning opportunities.

Position Summary:

The Advisor works as part of the Career Services & Internships team and collaborates with campus partners, including New Student Orientation and the Academic Achievement Center, to support early engagement initiatives. Using Navigate and other student engagement platforms, the Advisor assists with program creation, student outreach, and engagement tracking.
Using a counseling and life design approach, the Advisor builds rapport with students and provides individualized career guidance and resources that support early exploration, skill development, and career goal formation. The Advisor helps students design their career plans, clarify their career goals, and encourage them to pursue career-connected experiences such as campus employment, internships, job shadowing, micro-internships, service learning, and volunteering during their time at BSU.
SUPERVISION RECEIVED: Reports to the Associate Director, Internship and Career Development.
SUPERVISION EXERCISED: May assist in the oversight of Student Workers, Graduate Assistants, Clerical and Support Staff.
Standard Schedule: Monday through Friday; (Saturday and Sunday as days off, with flexibility for some evening and weekend work events)
This is a Full-time, 12 month, APA position and is subject to the terms of that union agreement.
This position is located on campus in Bridgewater, MA and may be eligible for a hybrid schedule in accordance with BSUs remote work policy.
Position Type: APA Professional

Essential Duties:

Career Advising, Experiential Learning & Student Engagement

• Provide career and life design advising to first-year and sophomore students focused on academic/major exploration, career exploration, and access to career-connected and experiential learning opportunities.
• Using principles of Life Design, support students in imagining and designing meaningful lives and careers through early discovery, exploration, skill development, and goal setting.
• Assist students with introductory career readiness skills, including self-assessment, resume and cover letter development, understanding career pathways, and identifying appropriate experiential learning options.
• Help students understand how career-connected experiences (e.g., campus jobs, internships, micro-internships, job shadowing, volunteering, service learning) contribute to long-term career readiness and academic engagement.

Orientation & Early Engagement Support

• Support career exploration and experiential learning activities connected to New Student Orientation, including presentations, workshops, and resource sharing.
• Assist with pre- and post-orientation outreach and activities to introduce students to Career Services & Internships and promote early engagement in career exploration and experiential learning.
• Collaborate with campus partners to identify, coordinate, and promote career-connected and experiential learning opportunities that are appropriate for first-year and sophomore students.

Programming & Office Administration

• Develop and facilitate career exploration workshops, career panels, and industry exposure events.
• Assist with the planning and coordination of experiential learning programs targeting first-year and sophomore students, including but not limited to micro-internships, job shadows, employer site visits, and short-term, skill-building opportunities.
• Track and promote the use of career exploration resources and experiential learning opportunities throughout the year.
• Maintain and create student-facing content for department webpages focused on career exploration and experiential learning.
• Assist with data collection and documentation related to career outcomes, engagement metrics, and reporting requirements.
• Support day-to-day operations of the Career Services & Internships Office.
• Participate in campus-wide events and serve on committees as assigned.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelors degree.
• Demonstrated experience working in higher education in a campus setting with college students in an advising, career services, orientation, peer mentoring, or student support role.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work effectively with diverse student populations.
• Proven ability to work effectively as part of a team with professional, clerical, administrative, and student staff.
• Basic proficiency with Microsoft Office and digital communication tools.
• Ability and willingness to learn student engagement platforms such as Navigate and Handshake.
• Strong organizational skills, time management, and ability to manage multiple tasks.
• Commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and access in higher education.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 1+ years of experience in career services, experiential learning, talent management, employer relations, student programming, or a related area.
• Experience working with first-year, sophomore, undecided, or exploratory student populations.
• Prior experience using career assessment tools ( i.e. MBTI, Focus2, SkillScan, Skills & Values Inventory).
• Knowledge of career readiness frameworks (e.g., NACE competencies).
• Knowledge of best practices in experiential learning and career readiness programming.

Salary Range:

$57,000-$60,000

Posting Number:

S01313P

Open Date:

03/20/2026

Close Date:

04/19/2026

Open Until Filled:

No

Special Instructions to Applicants:

Please note the following information is required to complete your application for this position:
* A minimum of three (3) professional reference entries in space provided on the application form.
* Resume/CV
* Cover Letter