the client invites nominations and applications for the position of Associate Vice President and Freeman Family Director of the Center for Career Advancement (AVP, CCA). The AVP will report to the Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students and will provide visionary leadership to ensure students are deliberately and strategically connected to career development opportunities from their transition to campus through graduation and beyond. This role advances institutional priorities by building partnerships across academic and administrative units, cultivating a strong employer and alumni network, and serving as an innovative, trusted institutional partner.
The client’s career advancement center aspires to empower and inspire students and graduates to pursue meaningful careers throughout their lifetime. The CCA serves students, employers, alumni, and faculty and staff. The AVP will partner with campus stakeholders and University Advancement to leverage the broader university network, including alumni, families, and external stakeholders, and will serve as the chief architect of the university’s integrated career strategy. Key responsibilities include aligning the university’s colleges around a unified approach to student career readiness, experiential learning, alumni engagement, and employer partnership development, and positioning the center as a national model of excellence in career readiness, employability, and post-graduate success across diverse pathways.
Success requires a forward-thinking, collaborative leader with deep expertise in career operations and the ability to think broadly, creatively, and strategically. The AVP is expected to lead the development of innovative, data-informed, scalable programs that anticipate workforce trends, emerging technologies, and evolving individual needs for a diverse student population. Responsibilities include creating and implementing a collaborative strategic vision; modernizing the center to fit a highly residential, innovative, forward-looking campus; integrating career readiness across the student lifecycle; developing and expanding employer and alumni engagement; growing revenue-generating initiatives that strengthen partnerships with employers and external organizations while advancing the center’s mission; and supporting, developing, and augmenting the center’s staff. A bachelor’s degree is required, and a master’s degree in a related area is preferred, along with eight or more years of progressively responsible experience in career development.