Assistant Director or Associate Director, VSB Experiential Education & Employer Outreach

Position Summary

Join a mission-driven organization. Since Villanova University’s founding in 1842, we have been inspired by the values of truth, unity, and love, and are a community dedicated to service to others. Villanova has been included among the nation's best colleges and universities. VU's inclusion again in U.S. News & World Report's 2025 "Best Colleges" rankings is another indication of the University's continued prominence and forward momentum. Villanova's most precious asset is our people. As an employee, you will receive a holistic benefits package, generous paid time off, a competitive retirement savings plan, flexible work options, wellness programs including gym membership, professional development, tuition assistance, and more.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Career Coaching: Provide individualized, one-on-one support to students through professional development coaching appointments and offer small group developmental workshops. Maintain meetings notes and track student progress on defined professional development performance indicators. Provide appropriate resources to aid students in exploring various career paths, growing career readiness skills, and developing internship search plans. Assist students in identifying their strengths, interests, and values to help them make informed career decisions on internship search and preparation processes.
• Academic Programs Management: Manage assigned academic internship and CoOp programs, including marketing of opportunities, recruiting and preparation of program participants, and faculty approval process. Provide curriculum planning guidance in collaboration with Clay Center academic advisors to students who participate in an internship or CoOp course. Coach students individually and in groups in regard to meeting the requirements for academic internships/CoOps and fulfilling employer and faculty expectations. Advise students on their engagement in CoOps and special initiatives such as the Spring Accounting Internship Program, Global Citizens Program internships, etc.
• Experiential Education Initiatives: Serve as an ambassador for experiential education among undergraduate business students. Collaborate with ODC colleagues to implement strategies that advance the college’s emphasis on externship/internship/CoOp participation as a critical component of the overall academic experience and process of bridging theory to practice. Assist with activities that serve the needs of students with diverse backgrounds. Educate the VSB community on the significance of these experiences in increasing students' opportunities for professional success upon graduation; communicate the importance of employers utilizing externship, internship, and CoOp programs as the primary source for full-time hiring. Support a wide-array of student outreach efforts, development of collateral materials, delivery of an internship/CoOp education series, classroom presentations, implementation of promotional campaigns, and collection of experiential education outcomes data. Assist with VSB’s engagement with Handshake, Villanova's campus career management portal.
• University Partnerships and Employer Relations: Collaborate with the O’Donnell Center team, VSB faculty and academic center directors, VSB Deans, University Advancement, Alumni Office, and University Career Center (UCC) to develop employer partnerships that produce positive outcomes, including internship opportunities, CoOp programs, full-time recruiting, career programs, curriculum enhancements, financial sponsorships, research projects, involvement with business societies, etc. Assist VSB centers of excellence with corporate relations efforts. Pursue employer referrals/inquiries with the mindset of identifying VSB and University-wide opportunities; facilitate connections between employers and VSB/VU parties, as appropriate. Help to engage employers in VSB’s high-profile initiatives, including the Spring Accounting Internship (SAI), CoOp Programs, market u activities, and Summer Business Institute career events.
• Knowledge and Professional Development: Collaborate with colleagues to stay abreast of curriculum developments that may impact employer interest in VSB students' and students' eligibility for internship/job opportunities. Maintain an understanding of the knowledge gained by students in their disciplines and resulting skills/qualifications. Engage in internal and external opportunities to stay current with career/industry trends impacting opportunities available to our students and their career readiness, enhance understanding of employer needs and relationship development, strengthen career coaching skills, etc. Regularly gather information about students' internship/CoOp interests in regard to career paths, geographic, industry and/or company preferences.

Minimum Qualifications

• Formal Education: Bachelor’s degree
• Minimum Work Experience: Assistant Director: Minimum of 2 years of professional experience
  Associate Director: Minimum of 4 years of professional experience
• Background: Involvement in student development, coaching/counseling, experiential education, employer relationship building, and commitment to developing opportunities that serve as a critical component for bridging academic theory to practice. Understanding of the interplay between academic curriculum and experiential education. Familiarity with broad range of internship/job market trends.
• Preferred Qualifications: Master’s degree in Higher Education, Human Resources, Business, or related discipline strongly preferred

Special Message to Applicants

Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until position is filled. Because of the value we place on the servicing our students, final interviews will be held in-person, on-campus at Villanova University. We invite local and non-local applicants to apply; any candidate travel expenses incurred during the interview process will be the responsibility of the applicant. We thank you for your understanding and look forward to receiving your application materials.