Associate Dean and Senior Director of the Career Development Office

Pomona College is seeking an experienced, passionate, and student-focused leader to revolutionize the College’s Career Development Office (CDO) as its new Associate Dean and Senior Director (SDCDO).  Reporting to Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students Avis Hinkson, the SDCDO will facilitate opportunities for Pomona’s unique, highly-motivated student body to explore diverse career pathways, develop critical, 21st century career skills, and translate their liberal arts education across a range of industries. 

 

Established in 1887, Pomona College is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California, about 35 miles east of Los Angeles in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. The founding member of The Claremont Colleges, Pomona is one of five undergraduate colleges (known as the 5Cs) and two graduate institutions that make up this unique consortium, modeled after Oxford and Cambridge. Pomona is continually ranked among the best colleges in the nation on Kiplinger's Personal Finance, The Princeton Review, and the Fiske Guide to Colleges. In February 2019, Pomona College was named one of the top producers of U.S. Fulbright students and scholars for 2018-2019 among bachelor’s institutions, as reported in The Chronicle of Higher Education. At No. 6 on the list, Pomona is the only California institution in the Top 10. 

Reporting directly to the  Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students, the successful candidate will demonstrate a track record of leadership, vision and initiative in the field of career services, career counseling, programming, marketing, employer relations, technology, and budget management.   The SDCDO will provide effective, differentiated career support by leading the career advising process; providing  and redesigning high-quality career advisory resources; revitalizing job and internship search support; and will further enhance alternative post-graduation pathways, including fellowships and graduate school opportunities. This position will work collaboratively with key stakeholders with a high level of touch, driving best practices and current trends in career development while responding to the needs of a consistently evolving 21st century workforce. Additionally, the SDCDO will perform the following essential duties and responsibilities:

  • Develop short- and long-range vision, strategy, and policy including operating plans, budgets, programs and services, personnel, technology, and space;
  • Through effective use of data, lead all operational, budget, and personnel functions of the CDO;
  • Strategically map CDO program and activities, including career fairs, external employers/sponsors activity, and alumni and advancement opportunities;
  • Cultivate a customer service-oriented career services operation to ensure efficient, timely and effective programs and services to all constituent users – students, alumni, employers, faculty, Parent Associations, and Pomona staff;
  • Oversee all areas of formally measuring usage, satisfaction, and assessment of CDO services, including benchmarking with peer institutions;
  • As a member of the Student Affairs Division management team, engender trust by representing the services, mission, and strategy of the CDO to all stakeholders with confidence, conviction, and sense of purpose;
  • Leverage parent and alumni networks to build internship opportunities, professional mentorship, and career pathways across a range of industries;
  • Solicit feedback from partners in the field to students are effectively engaged in their career-planning trajectories;
  • Foster collaborative relationships with colleagues across all Consortium career centers, including active participating in meetings and/or joint projects;
  • Foster close, productive relationships with Advancement staff with regard to the College’s strategic fundraising goals and plans and steward gifts and relationships with benefactors as advised; 
  • Represent the College through leadership in professional career services associations (e.g., National Association of Colleges and Employers, Mountain Pacific Association of Colleges and Employers, Career Resources Managers Association);
  • Maintain and build relations with the College’s Board of Trustees;
  • Meet with students individually and formulate a career plan of action through counseling, and decision-making processes;
  • Communicate clearly, articulately, and effectively to a civic-minded community of student activists;
  • With student and alumni input, increase experiential learning opportunities for student pursuing a wide breadth of career pathways; and
  • Respect the depth and breadth of diversity with the Pomona College community of students, alumni, faculty, and staff.

 

The new SDCDO will be a visionary leader who can revitalize the CDO and work with a motivated and talented staff to identify emerging trends in career services and workforce development.  The next SDCDO will have a minimum of seven years of experience with increasing responsibility in the areas of career services and technologies in an educational and/or recruiting setting, with three years of direct supervision of professional staff in career services at an academic institution preferred. A master’s degree is preferred.

Pomona College has engaged Amy Sugin, Michelle Bonoan, and Malissa Brennan of Koya Leadership Partners to lead this search. Please see the full position profile here.

Pomona College prides itself in being an open, competitive, and equal opportunity employer. The College is committed to a policy of equal employment opportunities for all applicants and employees and complies with all applicable state and federal laws on the matter. The College does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, marital status, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, medical condition, family care leave status, veteran's status, or any other category described in Pomona College’s Nondiscrimination Policy or protected by law.