Career Engagement Specialist

HOW TO APPLY

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INITIAL REVIEW DATE (IRD)

Application materials submitted by 11:59 pm on the IRD will be routed to the hiring unit for consideration. Materials submitted after the IRD will ONLY be forwarded at the request of the hiring unit. To ensure your application is routed for consideration, submit your materials before 11:59 p.m. on the IRD.  Talent Acquisition cannot accept application materials outside of the jobs portal, and is unable to update submitted applications on an applicant’s behalf, or forward communications to the hiring units. For more information about the IRD and the applicant review process, view this link .

The IRD for this job is: 03-13-2024

ABOUT UC SANTA CRUZ

UC Santa Cruz is a public university like no other in California, combining the experience of a small, liberal arts college with the depth and rigor of a major research university. It’s known as an unconventional place where innovation and experimentation is part of the campus’s DNA. That playful, bold spirit still thrives today, all on a campus renowned as among the most beautiful in the world.

DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW

UC Santa Cruz has an extraordinary history of excellence in the humanities and a promising future. In the Humanities Division, we are dedicated to producing interdisciplinary research, student learning, and public programming in ways that break new ground, address urgent questions, and speak to a diverse array of communities and concerns. Our division’s nine departments and programs, with outstanding scholars and teachers who care deeply about our students, foster courses of study dedicated to global cultures, histories, languages, and literatures.

Our goals include:

■ Fostering research excellence 
■ Creating career-ready humanities majors and providing meaningful humanities training for all UCSC students
■ Bringing the humanities to a broad range of public audiences
 

More information can be found at: https://humanities.ucsc.edu/employing-humanities/index.html

JOB SUMMARY

The Career Engagement Specialist is a member of the Humanities Student Achievement Team and will work collaboratively to execute the broader team and divisional goals geared specifically toward humanities-oriented career readiness programming. The Specialist will have the ability to leverage their creativity and project management skills in the successful development and implementation of a career readiness strategy for the Humanities Division and its undergraduate majors and minors. The Specialist should have a theoretical understanding of undergraduate career readiness advising and programming, experiential learning, and current issues in higher education and student success.

Under the general supervision of the Director of Student Achievement and in close collaboration with the Experiential Learning Coordinator and Assistant Director of Student Achievement, this individual is responsible for the development and administration of professional development programming for undergraduate students in Humanities programs; cultivating their readiness for the job market and job search assistance. In this capacity, the specialist is responsible for conducting outreach to employers and community partners, the development and administration of career readiness and experiential learning programming (including co-curricular and extracurricular), program communications, and alumni outreach. The incumbent will be uniquely positioned to enhance the undergraduate experience for our majors/minors beyond the classroom and make an impact on the lives of students after graduation. As a member of the Humanities Student Achievement team, the incumbent will also collaborate to enact a vision, strategic direction, and accountability for related programming in support of campus initiatives (e.g. sense of belonging, student retention and time to degree, development of professional and personal competencies, students’ academic success within the university, closing equity gaps for historically marginalized students, and students’ readiness for post-university trajectories).

The Career Engagement Specialist is responsible for advancing and activating a career-engaged campus ecosystem by developing and implementing major programs, systems, and initiatives designed to teach students the life-long continuous process of personal and career development and foster meaningful connections with industry and alumni. This professional serves as a direct liaison to students, administrators, faculty, and staff and collaboratively cultivates relationships with companies, organizations, alumni, and those related to diversity and inclusion initiatives. The Career Engagement Specialist provides career coaching to help students from Humanities majors discover and prepare for career pathways, articulate their career-ready and transferable skills, and build a community that propels their career aspirations.

This role empowers students to use their agency to make educated decisions as they reflect on their talents and explore the ever-changing landscape of careers through innovative and strategic connections.
 

APPOINTMENT INFORMATION

Budgeted Salary: $73,300 – $90,000/Annually. Salary commensurate with skills, qualifications and experience.
Under California law, the University of California, Santa Cruz is required to post a reasonable estimate of the compensation for this role. The salary shown above is the budgeted amount the University reasonably expects to pay and the salary extended should not exceed this posted amount.

Benefits Level Eligibility: Full benefits

Schedule Information:

• Full-time, Fixed
• Percentage of Time: 100%, 40 Hours per Week
• Days of the Week: Mon-Fri
• Shift Includes: Day

Employee Classification: Contract appointment 

Job End Date: 2 years from date of hire; possibility of extension

Work Location: UC Santa Cruz Main Campus / Hybrid

Union Representation: Non-Represented

Job Code Classification: CAREER SVC SPEC 3 (004516)

Travel: Never or Rarely

JOB DUTIES

35% – Career Readiness Programming and Industry Engagement
 

• Monitor student interests and engagement patterns, as well as workplace and industry trends across a range of industries to guide strategic planning and programmatic initiatives with a lens for social justice, equity, and inclusion.
• Develop and deliver a portfolio of programs and initiatives designed to help students discover and prepare for career pathways, articulate their career-ready and transferable skills, and build a community that supports and propels their career aspirations.
• In collaboration with the Humanities Student Achievement team, academic advisors, and faculty, facilitate the process of establishing meaningful connections between students, industry, and alumni by implementing educational opportunities, networking events, industry panels, career fairs, boutique recruiting forums, industry treks, and other programming initiatives.
• Design and create e-learning content (tutorials, asynchronous Canvas modules, worksheets/guides, blended learning toolkits, audio and video content, website/blog text, case studies, etc.) that transform career success topics into engaging instruction.
• Collect and analyze participation and engagement data of programs to assure quality and improve student engagement, preparing quarterly and annual reports as requested and as helpful for the Division of Humanities.
• Recommend initiatives and implement changes to improve quality and achieve learning outcomes.

30% – Campus and Community Relationship Development and Management
 

• Fully engage the university network in support of undergraduate career readiness by developing new and deepening existing collaborative relationships with administrators, faculty, and staff as a consultant to the Division of Humanities, and other identified university partners such as the UCSC Career Center.
• Actively seek approaches to expand and meaningfully scale the Employing Humanities initiative across the Humanities Division to activate a career-engaged divisional culture integrated throughout the entire student lifecycle for all Humanities undergraduates.
• Facilitate strategic planning within the Division of Humanities to identify opportunities for programming and career resources.
• Consult within the Division of Humanities on best practices to have career success conversations and industry engagement with students.
• Track and maintain records on career engagement activity among the Division of Humanities.
• In collaboration with the Humanities Student Achievement team, develop and implement an annual strategic plan to support industry engagement, increasing alumni and employer participation within programs and recruiting efforts.
• Cultivate and coordinate strategic partnerships with new employers, alumni, key organizations, and other external entities in assigned industry areas; in collaboration with colleagues internally and across UCSC.
• Initiate, promote, and steward these relationships to expand engagement opportunities, professional networks, mentoring, and recruitment of students.

30% – Student Engagement And Career Advising
 

• Advance the quality, inclusive, and equitable practice of career advising through annual professional development, and engagement with current research and best practices for career engagement and student success in Higher Education.
• Conduct career advising for humanities students through individual advising, workshops, and other experiences in ways that are engaging, culturally conscious, and effective.
• Leverage industry insights to provide relevant experiences, training, and guidance to students.
• Connect students to resources, industry, alumni, and experiential learning opportunities.
• Design and deliver experiences, training, workshops, and events for students on foundational and advanced career success topics.
• Collect and analyze outcomes data to assure quality and improve student engagement, preparing quarterly and annual reports as requested and as helpful for the Division of Humanities.
• May partner with Humanities faculty to support the development and offering of co-curricular programming that promotes the career success of students through specialized, major-specific career pathways.

5% – Continuous Benchmarking and University Representation
 

• Ensure continuous enhancements through local, regional, and national benchmarking
• Update position-related skills by participating in appropriate professional development offerings throughout the year.
• Represent the Humanities Division and the Employing Humanities Initiative through active involvement and leadership in regional and national associations.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in related area and / or equivalent experience / training.
• Advanced knowledge in theoretical concepts of adult learning and career development. Knowledge on methodologies to enhance undergraduate career readiness and student success.
• Knowledge of a broad academic discipline or learning needs of a broad student category.
• Knowledge of various software applications to include career engagement and student information systems, word processing, presentations, and spreadsheets and databases.
• Multicultural competencies, knowledge and experience working and interacting effectively with diverse groups of staff, faculty, and student populations.
• Solid interpersonal skills for effective collaboration and problem solving with all levels of academia and staff.
• Problem solving and organizational skills.
• Ability to implement best practices in academic development and support, as well as cultivation and maintenance of faculty partnerships.
• Ability to understand, interpret, and apply policies and regulations in specific situations to analyze and solve organizational and operating problems related to student success.
• Ability to perform moderately complex tasks involving independent judgment, and ability to plan, coordinate and initiate actions necessary to implement administrative or group decisions or recommendations.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and appropriately handle sensitive communications for students, staff, and external agencies.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Advanced degree in related area and / or equivalent experience / training.
• Experience coordinating and facilitating career readiness and student success programming.
• Knowledge of research and theoretical models that influence the application and delivery of career advising and academic services (e.g., discipline specific, student-population specific).

SPECIAL CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

• Selected candidate will be required to pass a pre-employment criminal history background check.
• Ability to work long periods of time at a computer with or without accommodation.
• The selected candidate will be required to work primarily on campus, with periods of remote work possible based on operational needs. If a hybrid work schedule is confirmed, the selected candidate must be able to work successfully from a home/remote office and be able to fulfill the requirements of the UCSC telecommuting agreement.
• Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends as directed.
• Selected candidate will be required to complete training within established time frames as directed including UC compliance training.
• Ability to maintain appearance and conduct suitable for working in a professional setting.
• The University of California has implemented a Vaccination Policy covering all employees. Employees, including new hires, are required to comply with any applicable policies relating to the University of California vaccine program.
• Per the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act (CANRA), this position has been identified as a Mandated Reporter. The selected candidate will be required to report known or suspected child abuse or neglect as defined by CANRA and will be required to sign a Statement Acknowledging Requirement to Report Child Abuse prior to commencing employment. CANRA Penal Codes, and related definitions, requirements, and responsibilities may be obtained here .

SAFETY STATEMENT

All UCSC employees must understand and follow job safety procedures, attend required health and safety training, proactively promote safety at work, and promptly report actual and potential accidents and injuries.

EEO/AA

The University of California is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or protected veteran status. UC Santa Cruz is committed to excellence through diversity and strives to establish a climate that welcomes, celebrates, and promotes respect for the contributions of all students and employees.