Director, Career Development

The Director of Career Development reports directly to the Executive Director for the Career Success Center and serves as a key leader in advancing a comprehensive, student-centered, and outcomes-focused career development strategy at Austin Peay State University. This position provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for career coaching services, career education initiatives, and student career readiness programming designed to support positive career outcomes for APSU students. The Director exercises independent judgment in leading the career coaching team and collaborates across academic and administrative units to embed career readiness throughout the academic and student life experience at APSU. This role supervises four Career Success Coaches and oversees the Career Ambassador Program to support peer-to-peer engagement, outreach, and career readiness initiatives. The Director plays an essential role in advancing APSU’s commitment to student success, retention, experiential learning, and career readiness through innovative programming, strategic partnerships, and data-informed practices. In serving as Director of Career Development, the incumbent serves as a key division provides leadership for the following areas: - Career Development & Coaching - Career Readiness Education & Programming - Career Integration & Campus Partnerships - Career Ambassador Program **Characteristics of a Successful Candidate** - Integrity, collaboration, creativity, and initiative. - Passion for student success and career development. - Ability to lead and motivate a high-performing team. - Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills. - Ability to communicate effectively with students, faculty, staff, employers, and community stakeholders. - An innovative and solutions-oriented mindset with strong organizational skills. - Demonstrated enjoyment in mentoring and developing students and team members. **Responsibilities include:** *Supervisory Leadership* - Provide direct supervision, mentorship, training, and professional development for four Career Success Coaches and students within the Career Ambassador Program. - Foster a collaborative, student-centered, and high-performing team culture aligned with divisional and institutional values. - Conduct annual performance evaluations and provide ongoing developmental coaching and feedback. - Lead regular team check-ins and coordinate team initiatives to support departmental priorities. - Assist with hiring, onboarding, and training of professional and student staff and leaders. *Career Development, Education, and Programming* - Lead the implementation and continuous improvement of a comprehensive career coaching model for undergraduate and graduate students. - Provide oversight for career coaching services and resources including career exploration, resume and cover letter reviews, interview preparation, internship/job search strategies, graduate school preparation, and career readiness development. - Ensure coaching practices align with NACE Career Readiness Competencies and current career development best practices. - Provide leadership oversight for scalable and innovative career readiness programs and initiatives, including workshops, classroom presentations, networking events, digital resources, online engagement, and signature student engagement experiences. - Develop strategies to increase student engagement with career development services and resources. - Collaborate with the Executive Director, career success coaches, and campus partners to integrate career readiness into curricular and co-curricular experiences. - Oversee the Career Ambassador Program, including recruitment, training, programming, outreach initiatives, and peer engagement efforts. - Assist in the planning and execution of career fairs, employer events, and experiential learning initiatives. *Campus Partnerships & Collaboration* - Build and maintain strong collaborative relationships with academic c…