Senior Career Counselor, Discovery

Position Summary:

Seeking a Senior Career Counselor, Discovery position for VCU’s new Career Bridge Program, a State Council for Higher Education in Virginia (SCHEV) grant-funded program, designed to engage first-year Pell-eligible students in the foundational pillars of our career planning major maps while also providing financial resources to ensure students can dress for success, build social and professional networks, and access paid work-based learning opportunities. This role will focus on working with undeclared students and students exploring or changing career pathways. Experience working with and/or advising on this specialty area is highly desirable.

Senior Career Counselors provide career counseling and advising services to undergraduate, certificate, graduate, and professional students, as well as alumni up to one year after graduation in designated departments, schools, and industries/professions. The primary components of this role include direct advising, program development and delivery, and collaborating with faculty, staff, community organizations, and employers, along with administrative duties. Senior Career Counselors educate students on the career development process and opportunities that exist (internships and experiential learning, jobs, graduate school) and serve as a resource within the team, proactively increasing advising team knowledge on their assigned industries and areas of specialization for effective cross-training.

They are responsible for being both resourceful specialists and generalists in the field of career development, understanding and building relationships with a variety of student services and academic departments across campus, addressing any issues or service gaps through innovation and relationship development, and providing mentorship and training to student staff at the graduate and undergraduate level within the VCU Career Services team.

Please note that this position is grant-funded. Continued employment is contingent upon successful performance and the continued availability of funding.

VCU and Team Benefits:

Members of the VCU Career Services team regularly engage in professional development, including in-house and external training and conference opportunities, to make sure we are able to best serve students and alumni, to stay current with industry standards and changes, to revise program and services to reflect trends, and to increase our office’s visibility, both at VCU and on a broader scale. In addition to professional development, VCU also offers access to pursuing or continuing your own education. The Tuition Benefit may be used for academic credit in a VCU undergraduate, graduate, or first-professional degree course. Other benefits at VCU include a generous leave plan as well as a multitude of health and retirement plans. Please visit our comprehensive Benefits webpage for more details: https://hr.vcu.edu/benefits/.

Core Responsibilities:

Career Counseling/Advising (40%):

• Advise undergraduate students, graduate/professional students, and recent graduates in individual and small-group settings about exploring career and education options and developing effective experiential learning, job search, and graduate and professional school search strategies.
• Assist students in exploring career options and identifying sources of experiential education to learn more about their careers and industries of interest and develop necessary skills/knowledge.
• Educate students on how to research employers, network, and engage in the internship/job search process using current technology.
• Maintain awareness of industry/market trends and engage students in employer/alumni programming.
• Administer and interpret assessment instruments to assist students and alumni with self-appraisal. Conduct periodic evaluations of career development tools as necessary.
• Develop, contribute, and update career exploration and development information on the website; utilize technology and resources in the delivery of service to students.

Teaching and Program Development/Delivery (25%):

• Teach and/or help facilitate for-credit career development-related courses (live or online) annually.
• Create and present workshops, programs, and outreach sessions on a variety of career topics to educate and prepare students for the world of work.
• Work with key stakeholders (e.g., faculty, staff, students, campus partners) to design, prepare, and deliver career/industry and employment-specific events and workshops that facilitate student learning and skill development.
• Represent VCU and Career Services in local and national professional associations and conferences in order to stay current with industry standards and changes, revise programs to reflect trends, and increase the center’s visibility among professionals in the field.

Leadership and Strategic Initiatives (20%):

• Supervise undergraduate and/or graduate student staff to support overall programming and service delivery as needed
• Oversee key programs and initiatives in support of VCU Career Services operations and strategic projects.
• Play an active role in the collection and reporting of assessment data that serves as a driver for strategic decisions within VCU Career Services.
• Contribute actively to the development, adaptation, and implementation of the VCU Career Services Strategic Plan through collaboration and project work.
• Respond to and/or refer appropriately based on direct outreach from prospective and current students, families, employers, faculty, and staff
• Perform other duties to support team operations and strategic plan, as assigned.

Relationship Management and Campus Collaboration (15%):

• Build and strengthen relationships with external and internal stakeholders, including faculty/staff, employers, and other campus units.
• Serve as VCU Career Services liaison to designated academic departments and university departments to assess and meet the needs of our academic stakeholders and to promote collaboration across departments and majors by focusing on industry-specific programming.
• Serve as VCU Career Services internal expert on assigned industries. Devise and implement a strategy in conjunction with the employer & experiential development team for assigned areas with the goal of preparing students to enter those fields.
• Engage and involve alumni and industry professionals to participate in programs/events, as well as to learn industry content information relevant to student preparation, in partnership with employer & experiential development team
• Participate in various campus events involving prospective students, alumni, and families to engage those stakeholders in our services and programs. Participate in departmental, division, and/or university committees to represent VCS as assigned.