"Professional Development and Leadership Officer"

Position Summary

The Professional Development and Leadership Officer executes the Professional Development and Leadership Program (PDL) of Columbia Engineering. This includes: (1) execute over 250 professional development sessions annually; (2) reconcile student attendance and grading (2500+ student enrollment); (3) triage student concerns in the PDL inbox and via one-on-one office hours. The position will also partner with other units within Engineering Student Affairs (ESA) to support signature Columbia Engineering programs, execute the Countdown to Columbia yield initiative, and assist with ESA branding and social media promotion.

Responsibilities

• Professional Development & Leadership (75%): With the PDL team, execute 250+ professional development workshops per year, including facilitating and staffing in-person, virtual, and hybrid workshop delivery. Partner with the Graduate Career Placement Team to bring in alumni and industry partner subject matter expert instructors in PDL. Collaborate with GCP, EDAR, and other partner offices to offer exclusive Professional Development opportunities in conjunction with signature SEAS programming (e.g. Executive in Residence, Tech CEO Lectures). Manage the PDL team inbox and triage all student questions and concerns. Host open office hours for all student inquiries, including addressing and advising student inquiries in a timely manner, and escalating urgent issues to the PDL Manager. Advertise, market, and communicate the offerings of PDL to students, prospective students, and other constituents, including marketing office and student group events. Grade required student assignments as part of the PDL core curriculum. Capture and analyze the attendance and evaluation data collected from PDL sessions. Obtain and manage resources (rooms, materials) needed for PDL purposes; collaborate with GCP team to optimize scheduling across teams. Maintain and develop PDL websites in accordance with the School’s best practices.
• Engineering Student Affairs (20%): Support signature Columbia Engineering student affairs activities, including Welcome Day, Graduate Engineers Connect, graduation ceremonies, and other school-wide initiatives for engineering students. Execute the Countdown to Columbia summer lecture series for each incoming class. Support student onboarding activities, including admissions yield, orientation, and advising. Assist in responding to messages to various ESA aliases during peak times. Proofread and edit communications, including correspondence and social media marketing.
• (5%) Performs other and related duties and responsibilities as assigned/requested

Minimum Qualifications

A bachelor's degree is required; graduate-level work is preferred. Minimum of 1-3 years of related student/academic affairs or professional development (including campus recruiting, career placement/coaching, or human resources) experience required. Must be able to communicate effectively and tactfully with staff, faculty, students, employers, and alumni in small and large group settings. Excellent command of English (verbal and written). Experience with large-group facilitation preferred. Able to analyze and work with large volumes of student data. Strong computer literacy/proficiency (Google Suite of products, MS Office, social media, etc.) required. Familiarity and appreciation in working with international and domestic students in higher education. Possess excellent interpersonal and administrative skills. Ability to work independently and under pressure, with high level of attention to detail. Candidate must exercise good judgment and flexibility. Must be able to prioritize multiple tasks with minimal supervision. Must be willing to work on occasional evenings and weekends, on a need basis. Positive, mission-oriented, forward-thinking attitude and sense of humor a must.