Associate Director, Employer Partnerships

Position Summary

Applications are welcome from all qualified candidates. In line with UAE regulations, Emirati candidates are encouraged to apply.

New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) seeks to appoint an Associate Director, Employer Partnerships of the Career Development Center (CDC), reporting to the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs and Director, Career Development Center.

The Associate Director, Employer Partnerships of the Career Development Center (CDC) at New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) leads the development and direction of an innovative array of programs and services for employers and industry contacts. The focus of these programs and services is to cultivate, sustain and continuously improve external relationships with the Career Development Center, and the University for the purpose of hiring students for internships and full-time jobs. This is done while leading a team of four full-time staff, three of which are dedicated to employer relations.

The Associate Director will provide career coaching and deliver programming regarding career decision-making, goal setting, career research, and the job search process in individual and group settings; delivering customized workshops and programs on a variety of career-related topics to students and alumni.

Additionally, the Associate Director will oversee a portfolio of professional development programs and grants, embedding this into the broader job development strategy for students.

Key Responsibilities:

Employer Outreach:

• Design and develop an employer outreach strategy that creates a pipeline of jobs and internships for NYUAD undergraduate and graduate students
• Lead the employer relations team in executing employer outreach strategy, with a focus on UAE and regional market
• Oversee all employer events on campus inclusive of career fairs and larger scale networking events, as well as more boutique programming
• Manage the employer interface for Handshake, a shared career management software between New York, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai campuses
• Ensure strong reporting of employer contacts and relationship management, to ensure continuity of relationships over time
• Build talent pipelines and expand awareness of NYUAD student talent in the UAE and globally
• Adapt employer outreach strategy based on research about industry trends, student interests and feedback, ensuring a broad range of recruitment options for undergraduate and graduate students
• Conduct introductory, follow up, and other meetings with employers at all stages of recruitment
• Oversee on-campus recruitment for jobs and internships, including on-campus interviews, employer information sessions, and other related content
• Ensure employers align with NYUAD CDC recruitment guidelines, in alignment with UAE Labor Law and other government regulations; Collaborate with the Office of Equal Opportunity, Office of the General Counsel, and Compliance as appropriate
• Support broader university partnerships by collaborating with internal stakeholders focused on external relations; Make referrals as appropriate
• Oversee the assessment of internship quality and satisfaction via a survey, incorporating this data into decision making across the CDC team
• Develop a micro experiences portfolio to support a wide range of employer connecting points for students

Career Coahing and Advising:

• Conduct 1:1 appointments and walk-in coaching meetings with students from over 120 countries about career related topics including job and internship search strategy, visa and employment regulations, negotiation, CV and cover letter development, networking
• Support with two career communities focused on industry-specific career education, in collaboration with other advisors, curating programming, alumni connections, and other upskilling opportunities
• Oversee the enforcement of the student professional conduct policy, in collaboration with the student conduct team of Student Affairs
• Deliver programming for undergraduate or graduate students about job markets and trends, negotiations, recruitment strategy and other career education topics as needed

Professional Development & Grants:

• Oversee the employer/external facing aspects of CDC grant programs, including employer user experience, student/employer contracts, work permits, and work status, ensuring alignment with institutional goals and mission
• Oversee integration of professional development programs like mentorship and advancement opportunities into the student employability journey

Staff Management:

• Hire, train, and supervise three full-time staff
• Conduct regular check-ins to manage performance
• Ensure staff understanding of and alignment with CDC goals, vision, and values

Other Duties as Assigned:

• Engage in divisional projects as needed
• Support students and the university’s mission in student-facing initiatives as required, inclusive of serving as an essential staff member in the event of an emergency

Qualifications

Required Education:

• Masters degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs, Human Resources, Counseling, or related

Required Experience:

• Minimum of five years of progressive leadership experience in career development, employer relations, coaching, student affairs, business development, recruitment, or an equivalent combination of education and experience required
• Experience establishing and strengthening relationships with local and global employers in a variety of industries to promote student talent, identify opportunities for internships, full-time work, and mentorship
• Experience working across an organization with multiple stakeholders
• Experience counseling and advising students individually and in groups on issues related to recruitment/job search strategies
• Identifying and addressing students’ needs and skills, and formulating individualized plan of action for job seekers
• Advanced experience managing contact management software, ideally Handshake specifically
• Experience developing and supervising full-time administrative and professional staff, including experience with making effective recommendations for hiring, promotions/salary adjustments, evaluations, etc
• Knowledge of career and internship, job search and administering self-assessment resources and tools; including those available online
• Ability to quickly assess students’ career-related needs and provide useful responses and advising within brief time frames
• Ability to effectively critique CVs/Resumes and cover letters in a timely manner
• Ability to stay current on national and international trends, and ensure that national and international opportunities for professional and/or graduate education are promoted, educating students, faculty and staff on emerging issues and trends as necessary
• Strong oral and written communication and interpersonal skills to effectively interact with diverse groups and individual faculty, staff, students, university administrators and constituent organizations
• Ability to work collaboratively with faculty and staff from other University departments to create positive experiences for students

Preferred Experience:

• Experience leading and training a team
• Experience creating student employment policy
• Served on a university wide committee before
• Knowledge of the UAE employment landscape
• Established presence on LinkedIn
• Network of industry contacts in the UAE
• Regularly thinks outside the box
• Ability to pivot quickly to reflect market conditions/student sentiments

Additional Information

The University is an equal opportunity employer committed to equity, diversity and social inclusion.