Associate Director of Employer Relations - Center for Career Development and Academic Exploration - UTK

The Associate Director of Employer Relations provides strategic and operational leadership for the Center for Career Development & Academic Exploration's employer relations, external partnerships, and career outcomes efforts. The position supervises the Assistant Director of Employer Development and the Assistant Director of Employer Engagement and ensures alignment across employer development, engagement, and strategic partnership activities.

The Associate Director manages the Center's highest-level employer relationships, including Elite Partners and the Employer Advisory Council; develops opportunities for alumni to contribute their time, talent, and expertise to student success and career readiness initiatives; coordinates strategic employer and executive engagement with the University; and leads the Center's career outcomes strategy. The position works collaboratively across the Center, Division of Student Success, academic colleges, Advancement, alumni engagement, and other university partners to strengthen connections among students, employers, alumni, and the University.

LEADERSHIP & EMPLOYER RELATIONS OPERATIONS (25%)

• Provide direct supervision, coaching, professional development, and performance management for the Assistant Director of Employer Development and Assistant Director of Employer Engagement

• Provide operational leadership for the Employer Relations unit, ensuring employer development and engagement activities align with Center and University priorities

• Establish goals, priorities, expectations, and workflows across Employer Relations functions in partnership with the Director

• Promote collaboration and coordination across the Employer Relations team and other Center functions, including Career Coaching & Education and Academic & Career Exploration

• Identify opportunities to improve processes, employer experience, team effectiveness, and resource utilization through assessment, stakeholder feedback, and emerging best practices

• Serve as a member of the Center's leadership team and represent Employer Relations in the absence of the Director, as appropriate.

STRATEGIC EMPLOYER PARTNERSHIPS (25%)

• Provide strategic leadership for the Elite Partners Program, serving as the primary relationship manager for the Center's highest-level employer partners
• Develop individualized engagement strategies that connect partner organizations with recruiting, career readiness, experiential learning, student success, and other University priorities
• Lead partnership stewardship, assessment, renewal, and expansion efforts, using engagement data and stakeholder feedback to evaluate impact and identify opportunities for growth
• Lead the Employer Advisory Council, including membership strategy, meeting planning and facilitation, member engagement, and translating employer insights into actionable recommendations
• Provide strategic direction and host high-level employer engagement and campus visits, partnering with Employer Development and Employer Engagement staff on planning and execution
• Collaborate with University partners to identify innovative opportunities to deepen employer relationships and advance institutional priorities.

CAREER OUTCOMES STRATEGY & REPORTING (25%)

• Lead and streamline the Center's career outcomes strategy, including the collection, validation, analysis, and reporting of first-destination and career outcomes data, to better understand and communicate student outcomes and inform Center and University strategy
• Ensure career outcomes practices align with NACE standards and University reporting expectations while identifying opportunities to improve data quality, consistency, efficiency, and knowledge rates
• Coordinate outcomes data from students, employers, institutional systems, and other sources, collaborating with the Career Systems Manager on the effective use of 12Twenty and related technologies
• Analyze and translate career outcomes data into meaningful insights that inform strategy, demonstrate student success, and communicate impact to internal and external stakeholders
• Lead and support annual and institutional reporting related to student career outcomes and employer engagement.

ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT & STRATEGIC CAMPUS PARTNERSHIPS (20%)

• Develop and lead a coordinated strategy for engaging alumni in career development and student success through contributions of time, talent, expertise, and professional networks
• Cultivate meaningful opportunities for alumni participation in mentoring, career education, experiential learning, networking, employer engagement, and other student-facing initiatives
• Partner with Advancement, alumni engagement, academic colleges, Student Success, and other University stakeholders to align and steward alumni and external partnerships
• Identify and develop emerging and innovative collaborative opportunities among alumni, employers, and campus partners that advance career readiness and post-graduation success.

OTHER TEAM, DEPARTMENTAL, DIVISION & PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES (5%)

• Team: Support other Employer Relations Team efforts including orienting employers to UTK recruiting, researching and staying informed of employer engagement and employer industry trends, and looks for areas for growth and new opportunities

• Departmental: Serve on leadership team for department to ensure most effective operations of the department, analyze long-term impact of decisions and plans, and establish and evaluate standards of performance. Assist in other departmental activities, events, and programs that are in line with the center's mission, including career fairs and major events, departmental marketing and community outreach.

• Divisional: Participate in division activities that are in line with the overall mission of the Division of Student Success.

• Professional: Participate in professional development activities to ensure professional growth and knowledge needed to provide effective leadership. Investigate employment trends and hiring practices and train center staff on such information; Participate in various local, state, regional, and national organizations such as, chambers of commerce, SoACE and NACE to increase employment opportunities for students and alumni.

Required Qualifications

• Education:

  • Master’s Degree

    • in higher education, student affairs, business, communications, public administration, human resources, or a related field

• Experience:

  • Minimum of five years of professional experience in career services, employer relations, corporate partnerships, alumni engagement, advancement, workforce development, or a related area

  • Demonstrated experience supervising professional staff or leading teams

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis without need now or in the future for sponsorship for employment-based visa status.

• Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

  • Knowledge of...

    • employer relations, strategic partnerships, career development, career outcomes, and workforce trends

    • career outcomes data collection and reporting practices, including NACE standards and data quality principles

  • Skills in...

    • building, stewarding, and expanding relationships

    • supervision, team leadership, strategic planning, project management, and cross-functional collaboration

    • analyzing, interpreting, and communicating data to a variety of audiences

  • Ability to...

    • navigate complex organizations, build consensus, and lead initiatives across multiple stakeholder groups

    • think strategically, exercise sound judgment, and manage multiple priorities with a high degree of independence

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience:

  • Higher education career services/employer relations experience

  • Strategic partnership program experience

  • First-destination/career outcomes experience and knowledge of NACE standards

  • Experience with 12Twenty, Handshake, or comparable career technologies

  • Experience collaborating with advancement, alumni relations, academic units, and senior leadership

Work Location

• Location: Knoxville, TN

• Onsite

Compensation and Benefits

• UT market range: MR12
• Anticipated hiring range: $73,000 - $78,630
• Find more information on the UT Market Range structure here
• Find more information on UT Benefits here

Application Instructions

To express interest, please submit an application with the noted below attachments. To be assured of full consideration, completed applications with all requested materials should be submitted.

• Resume

• Cover Letter

About The College/Department/Division

The Division of Student Success (DSS) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is a nationally recognized unit that is redefining what student support looks like at a flagship university.

DSS serves the entire campus, with a particular focus on the undergraduate student experience. The division provides academic and career support to every undergraduate, while also leading cohort-specific initiatives such as University Honors, Rocky Top Scholars, and Veterans Success that meet the distinct needs of students across the university.

Led by Senior Vice Provost for Student Success and Chief Honors Officer Dr. Amber Williams, DSS has engineered a strategic, cultural shift from a deficit-based model to a strengths-based framework centered on student potential and well-being. Grounded in the PERMA Model of Well-Being and powered by CliftonStrengths, the division has driven historic gains since its inception in 2020: a record retention rate of 93.1%, a 71.4% four year graduation rate (an increase of 17.6 percentage points since 2019), four consecutive years of rising six-year graduation rates, and national recognition that has drawn more than 200 institutions to campus to learn from our approach.