Posting Number:
JR108291
Location: Colorado
Engineering a world of possibilities
The transition from student to professional is
integral to the success of Mines graduates and to the mission of Mines as an institution. The Associate Director of Career and Professional
Development Advising fulfills the mission to maximize professional development of students and recent graduates at Mines, to oversee first
destination employment outcomes, and to supervise the delivery of career and professional development advising and programming.
The
Associate Director leads the design, coordination, and continuous improvement of advising services, professional development resources, and
institution wide programming, supervising the delivery of career and professional development advising while guiding curriculum, resource
development, and a cohesive strategy for workshops, events, and engagement initiatives. The role also oversees the production of
comprehensive graduate outcome surveys and the annual first destination report, ensuring data accuracy, accessibility, and strategic use in
institutional planning.
Central to this leadership is the strategic integration and advancement of Professional Advantage, the
Vallejo Irvine Program (VIP) for Professional Development, and Mines’ broader professional development ecosystem, ensuring these initiatives
collectively deliver high impact, inclusive, and scalable professional development experiences that meet the evolving needs of Mines’
diverse student population.
Through data driven decision making, cross campus collaboration, strong professional staff supervision
skills, and a commitment to professional development, the Associate Director strengthens Mines’ capacity to prepare students for graduate
school, industry roles, entrepreneurial ventures, and emerging fields. This leadership position plays a critical role in shaping the
professional readiness of Mines graduates and elevating the visibility and impact of Professional Advantage, VIP, and all Career Center
professional development and career-readiness initiatives across campus.
This is a full-time, 12-month professional exempt position.
NOTE: this Position may be eligible for occasional hybrid work, following a training period and subject to Leadership approval at
that time.
Primary Responsibilities
Strategic and operational leadership with professional development programs
Provides leadership in managing programs, directing initiatives, and setting strategic goals that deliver career guidance,
professional development, and job-search support to all students and recent graduates, ensuring equitable access to high-quality advising
services.
- Oversees the scheduling and delivery of individual and group advising-both appointment-based and drop-in-to support
instruction in career exploration, resume and CV development, cover and thank-you letter writing, interview preparation, offer negotiation,
and other essential job-search competencies. - Leads and advances key professional development initiatives, including Professional
Advantage, the Second-Year Signature Experience, and the Vallejo-Irvine Program (VIP), ensuring alignment with institutional goals and
student needs. - Instructs students and recent graduates on the use of the online recruiting system and communicates Career Center
policies and procedures to support effective engagement with services. - Supports the continued execution and expansion of Career
Center academic courses, including CSM250: Engineering Your Career Path, and CSM550: Navigating Career Success, ensuring courses are high
quality and relevant. - Designs, schedules, and delivers presentations and career-related workshops for current students, prospective
students, and graduates, contributing to a comprehensive professional development ecosystem. - Maintains a small caseload of student
advisees, providing individualized career, job-search, and professional development advising.
Data management and Reporting
Responsibilities
- Leads the strategic design, implementation, and continuous improvement of all first-destination data collection
and analysis efforts, including developing outreach plans, managing data workflows, and establishing staff goals, timelines, and performance
benchmarks. - Partners closely with the Office of Institutional Research and Strategic Analytics to maintain and enhance Tableau-based
outcomes dashboards, and provides training to Career Center staff and campus stakeholders to ensure effective use of data
tools. - Supervises data entry processes and oversees the generation of statistics measuring student engagement and post-graduation
outcomes, including part-time technical roles, summer positions, cooperative education, full-time employment, graduate school enrollment,
and continuing education. - Produces annual and one-year follow-up reports on post-graduation survey results, including detailed
salary analyses and trend summaries. - Serves as the operational lead, in collaboration with the Director, for Career Center software
systems supporting professional development, advising, and data management; evaluates, implements, and maintains vendor solutions to ensure
optimal functionality. - Contributes to the development of the Career Center Annual Report by providing accurate, comprehensive data
and narrative content related to first-destination outcomes and advising engagement. - Responds to internal and external requests for
employment and outcomes information, ensuring accuracy, clarity, and alignment with institutional reporting standards. - Collects and
analyzes program data, preparing periodic and ad hoc reports to support decision-making, accountability, and continuous
improvement. - Maintains program records and statistical information related to graduate employment outcomes and program
effectiveness.
Supervision and Administrative Oversight
- Provides thoughtful, intentional supervision of the Assistant
Director for Career and Professional Development and the Career and Professional Development Advisors, ensuring high-quality delivery of
Mines Career Center programs and services to students, graduates, and campus stakeholders. - Oversees all aspects of staff supervision
including hiring, evaluation, professional development, and, when necessary and with appropriate approvals, termination, while offering
guidance, coaching, and support that fosters staff growth and long-term professional success. - Exercises administrative oversight of
transactional and fiscal responsibilities associated with the Associate Director role and supervised positions, including management of the
area budget, personal P-Card, budget projections, and reconciliation in collaboration with the Career Center Administrative
Assistant.
Support of Career Center Efforts and Other Duties as assigned
- Serves as a key member of the Career Center
leadership team, contributing to the strategic development, growth, and execution of Career Center priorities and initiatives, including
providing meaningful support for major efforts such as Career Days. - Assumes Director-level responsibilities when needed,
representing the Career Center at meetings, stewarding delegated projects, and ensuring continuity of leadership; such delegation is based
on capacity and is not intended to be indefinite. - Actively participates in Student Life and broader Mines community, attending
relevant meetings, engaging in cross-campus initiatives, volunteering when appropriate, and ensures involvement in campus-wide programming
and service from direct supervisees.
Minimum Qualifications
- Master’s degree in student affairs, career development or
counseling, college student personnel, higher education administration, or related field from an accredited institution of higher
education. - Five to seven years’ experience advising students and graduates on career development and job searching
techniques. - Two to five years’ experience developing, supervising, and evaluating professional staff.
- Experience with
coordinating and organizing workshops, meetings and events. - Significant experience in using university data systems and database
applications for data collection, analysis, and reporting. - Experience using Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
- Proven
skills in organizing resources and establishing priorities; ability to analyze and solve problems. - Demonstrated presentation
skills. - Strong interpersonal and communications skills, works effectively with postsecondary staff and faculty.
- Knowledge of
laws and regulations as applicable to the employment recruitment of interns, co-ops and new graduates.
Preferred
Qualifications
- Experience in gathering data, compiling and analyzing information, and preparing reports from systems such as
Symplicity, Banner, Cognos, or another comparable systems. - Significant experience in the supervision and training of student
employees, including organizing, prioritizing, and scheduling work assignments. - Experience in coordinating and organizing classroom
instruction and staffing. - Experience working directly with undergraduate and graduate level engineering, business, and/or technology
students. - Knowledge of NACE university recruiting principles and procedures.
Salary and Benefits
72,000 -
80,000 annual salary
Mines takes into consideration a combination of candidate’s education, training and experience as well as
the position’s scope and complexity, the discretion and latitude required in the role, work location, and external market and internal value
when determining a salary level for potential new employees.
Colorado School of Mines offers a robust portfolio of benefits for all
employees. For this role, that includes:
- Flexible health and dental care options
- Generous sick/vacation time: 13 paid
holidays per year – including a week-long winter break for entire campus. - Fully vested retirement plan on first day of employment,
with generous employer contribution - Tuition benefits (6 credits per year for employees, 50 percent discount for
dependents) - Free RTD Ecopass
All Mines employees also have access to discount programs through the State of Colorado and free tickets for Mines Athletics home games, as well as access to the state of the art Recreation Center (fitness classes and training, swimming pool and more) and equipment rentals
through the Outdoor Rec Center. We are proud to have recently opened an on campus daycare center. For
more details about benefits at Mines, visit mines.edu/human-resources/benefits.
How to Apply
Complete an online application (personal
information, demographic information, veteran status)
- Upload a resume or CV
- Upload a cover letter
Candidates must be
currently authorized to work in the United States. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.
This posting may be used to
fill more than one vacancy based on business needs.
References will not be contacted until later in the selection process and you
will be informed before that contact is made.
Application review will begin April 20, 2026. This posting will remain open until
filled and may close without notice. For best consideration, apply by April 19 at 11:59 p.m. as applications received after that date may
not be reviewed.
Successful completion of a background investigation is required for this position.
About Mines & Golden,
CO
When the world looks for answers, the world looks to Mines.
Colorado School of Mines is a top-ranked public university
solving the grand challenges facing our society, particularly those related to the Earth, energy and the environment. Founded in 1874 with
specialties in mining and metallurgy, Mines’ scope and mission have continually expanded to meet the needs of industry and society. Today,
we are the No. 36 public university in the nation, recognized for our innovation and undergraduate teaching in science, technology
engineering and math (U.S. News and World Report, 2025).
Mines graduates are change makers, boundary breakers and problem solvers.
Since our earliest days, a Mines education has been and continues to be a transformational opportunity, with one of the strongest returns on
investment out there for talented STEM students of all backgrounds.
At the same time, Mines faculty members are pushing their fields
in new directions, whether that’s manufacturing, space resources, quantum engineering, carbon capture or more. Mines was recently classified
as a R1 “Very High Activity” research institution by Carnegie, a notable feat for any university but particularly one of our
size.
That size – roughly 8,200 undergraduate and graduate students – also translates to a close-knit campus community, where
employees have opportunities to get involved in multiple ways, continued professional learning is valued and everyone can make an
impact.
Community Alliance groups bring together employees for professional development, networking, and community involvement, and
all Mines employees also have access to the wealth of activities happening every day on campus – nationally-renowned speakers, special
events and Mines traditions like Engineering Days, just to name a few.
And don’t get us started on our hometown. We are located in
the heart of Golden, Colorado –with its charming historic downtown and nearby hiking trails – and in close proximity to all that Denver and
the Rocky Mountains have to offer. That includes the sunny, high-altitude climate and outstanding outdoor recreation opportunities that make
the Denver area an ideal place to live, work and play.
Are you looking for an inspiring, mission-driven workplace where you can
contribute to solving the world’s problems and educating the next generation of change makers? Are you an individual who values a community
where our individual perspectives and experiences enrich the educational and work experience?
Look to Mines.
Additional
Information and Reasonable Accommodation Requests
It is the intent of Mines to comply with the applicable requirements of the
Americans with Disabilities Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008, and their implementation rules and
regulations, in support of equal opportunities for qualified applicants with disabilities. To meet this goal, Mines will make reasonable
accommodations during the employment selection process and within our working environment.
If you are a qualified individual with a
disability or a disabled veteran, you may request a reasonable accommodation if you are unable or limited in your ability to access job
openings or apply for a job on our site as a result of your disability. You can request a reasonable accommodation by contacting our Human
Resources team at hr@mines.edu or 303.273.3250
for assistance.
Successful completion of a background investigation is required for this position.
Equal
Opportunity
Colorado School of Mines is committed to equal opportunity for all persons. Mines does not discriminate on the basis
of age, sex, gender (including gender identity and gender expression), ancestry, creed, marital status, race, ethnicity, religion, national
origin, disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, veteran status or current military service. Further, Mines does not retaliate
against community members for filing complaints regarding or implicating any of these protected statuses.
Mines’ commitment to
nondiscrimination, equal opportunity and equal access is reflected in the administration of its policies, procedures, programs and
activities and in its efforts to achieve a talented student body and workforce.
Through its policies, procedures and resources, Mines
complies with federal law, Colorado state law, administrative regulations, executive orders and other legal requirements to prevent
discrimination (including harassment or retaliation) within the Mines campus community and to address potential allegations of inequality or
concerns for safety.
Colorado’s premier engineering and applied science university for 150 years and counting
Apply
online at https://mines.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Mines_Careers/job/Colorado/Associate-Director–Career-and-Profe
ssional-Development-Advising_JR108291
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