Associate Vice Provost, Career Services

University of Southern California
Associate Vice Provost, Career Services

Position: Associate Vice Provost, Career Services
Company: University of Southern California
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Reporting Relationship: Monique Allard, Vice President of Student Life
Website: USC Student Life / USC Career Services

The Opportunity
Reporting to the Vice President of Student Life, the Associate Vice Provost, Career Services provides visionary and strategic leadership while overseeing the development and delivery of programs and resources. This is a tremendous time at the university for this leader to leverage the great work, brand, relationships, and impact Career Services has had, while creating and expanding new opportunities and positioning for wider exposure and engagement.

The AVP is Career Services’ chief ambassador and collaborates with a variety of internal and external stakeholders, including academic affairs, student life, enrollment services, alumni relations, corporate relations, faculty, alumni, trustees, parents, and employers in order to foster effective relationships and partnerships. The AVP must be aspirational and inspirational and maintain a student-centered, forward-thinking, engaged operation, overseeing assessment functions and the articulation of outcomes to internal and external stakeholders.

The Associate Vice Provost will have the immediate opportunity to broaden the impact of Career Services at USC, specifically focusing on student access and awareness, thoughtfully and strategically connecting more deeply and meaningfully with each of the academic units and leaders across the University. The AVP will be coming in during a time when the University is focused on clearly defining student success, wellbeing, and the targeted outcomes. The Career Services Office will serve as the leader for the first destination survey and a first-time university wide-internship survey launching this fall.

Leading a talented team of career professionals in a collaborative and action-oriented style will be a priority for the continued delivery of high-quality career services in support of the USC mission. This position calls for a charismatic, energetic, and communicative leader who thrives on connection, collaboration, and authentic engagement with others.

University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is one of the world’s leading private research universities. An anchor institution in Los Angeles, a global center for the arts, technology and international business, USC’s diverse curricular offerings provide extensive opportunities for interdisciplinary study and collaboration with leading researchers in highly advanced learning environments. USC is home to more than 48,000 students and over 4,400 full-time faculty within its 23 schools and academic units. The faculty come from a vibrant network of individuals, each with unique knowledge and invaluable wisdom. Many are Nobel laureates, MacArthur Fellows and National Academy winners — all who contribute invaluable research discoveries to the world’s body of knowledge.

In its comprehensive 2022 ranking, The Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education ranked USC 19th among more than 1,000 public and private universities. Among all California institutions — public and private — only USC, Caltech and Stanford University ranked within the top 20. Of the 150 universities surveyed in the western U.S., USC ranks No. 3 overall. Among the top 25 schools, USC ranked No. 4 in engagement, which measures student sentiment on how their education prepares them for the real world.

With an unwavering spirit to build upon USC’s legacy of excellence, President Carol L. Folt spearheads the leadership for the university with its devoted Board of Trustees and esteemed deans form its 23 schools and academic units, alongside a dynamic senior administration invested in forging a bright future for our revered educational institution. USC is a constellation of schools, centers, and institutes where some of the brightest minds, working together in a dynamic and collaborative environment, are leading the way to the future of education and a healthier, more joyful and more sustainable Los Angeles and world.

USC Career Center
With a commitment to the career plans and professional development of all students, career development at USC is robust and delivered through the collective impact and cutting-edge technologies led by the central USC Career Center and supported by school-based career services. The USC Career Center supports the diverse aspirations, identities, and experiences of Trojans as they seek professional opportunities.

The USC Career Center plays a strategic role in initiating and implementing career-related centralized technologies by imparting best practices in career services university-wide. The Center offers a certificate in career planning and resources to all academic advisors, working closely with faculty as they guide student career choices.

The Career Center provides specialized programming and resources for diverse and defined student populations often in coordination with other programs and offices, including Student Equity and Inclusion Programs (SEIP), first-generation programs, and international students.

The entire USC community of central and school-based career services, together with academic advisors, faculty members, and alumni become the purveyors of career development at USC. Students can connect with alumni, and alumni can connect with alumni for professional networking through our enhanced, online Trojan Network.

Key Responsibilities
The Associate Vice Provost, Career Services provides strategic direction and supervision of approximately twenty professional staff to create and oversee the implementation of a strategic plan for the Career Center and generates national and international visibility on behalf of the university.

Responsibilities include building partnerships with university stakeholders for a common strategy, including the identification of career-related business enterprise systems, the expansion of employer outreach programs, developing creative ways to engage an active and dedicated alumni body. The AVP will also have oversight of relevant assessment measures to ensure continuous improvement, and change leadership to remain responsive to the student career development needs and evolving market trends.

The Associate Vice Provost, Career Services serves in a leadership role within Student Life and provides university-wide strategic vision, leadership, innovation, and implementation for undergraduate and graduate student career development in the following capacities:

• Provide university-wide expert leadership on undergraduate, graduate, Ph.D., postdoctoral and alumni career development, career services, and career-related business enterprise systems. In all cases this is accomplished through incumbent's central leadership and then collectively through multi-school collaborations.
• Contribute as a member of the Student Life Senior Leadership Team.
• Oversee the coordination and concierge for globally recognized employers to engage with USC and hire USC students and alumni.
• Oversee and execute operations which are efficient, generate sustainable revenue, and are coordinated among multiple independent schools on the UPC and HSC campuses.
• Active involvement on regional and national career services professional associations. Represent USC on national career services benchmarking leadership group; serve as external career development content expert.

Additional responsibilities of the Associate Vice Provost, Career Services will include:

Strategy & Leadership

• Drive strategic vision, innovation, and leadership on best, current, and most efficient practices in career services.
• Consistently review, evaluate, implement, and contribute to the body of best practices and innovations in career development.
• Provide university-wide leadership in the design, development, implementation, marketing, assessment, and direction of career services.
• Oversee University's central career services operations consisting of four teams:
  • Career Engagement Team educates students and alumni about career options and the job search process through in-person and virtual drop-in hours, appointments, workshops, and signature events.
  • Employer Engagement Team cultivates and promotes employers through in-person and virtual employer presentations (Trojan Talks), recruiting initiatives, career fairs (on campus as well as virtual), and signature events.
  • Internship Engagement Team educates and supports students through networking, mentorship, and internship initiatives as well as leading the Center’s DEI collaborations with university stakeholders and employers.
  • Operations Team promotes the Center’s programs and services through innovative marketing and communication solutions; demonstrates the Center’s effectiveness through data-driven stories; and responsibly stewards the Center’s financial, staff, technical, and space resources.
• Contribute to overall Student Life strategy, vision, and policy.
• Oversee USC's global career services - China Career Services in Shanghai.
• Enhance the career development experience, opportunities, and understanding that diverse student populations approach the process differently.
• Liaise directly and through direct reports to engage first-generation students, school diversity officers, Trojan Scholars, Cultural Centers, Veterans, Transfer Students, and other defined populations through tailored resources and services across all schools.

Team Management

• Develop, motivate, and supervise staff members who have highly specialized knowledge of their areas of
• Direct managers in departmental strategic planning, policies, procedures, budget forecasting, staffing, assessment, and professional development.
• Directly or indirectly manages staff, usually through subordinate managers or
• Determine organizational structures, reporting relationships and short­ and long-range staffing needs based on
• Reviews and approves hiring and salary actions to ensure compliance with
• Oversee performance appraisal process for staff and remains informed of any disciplinary actions

Operations & Services

• Lead, coordinate, and inspire the university-wide school-based career services network to collaboratively provide career resources and services. All school career services fall under the strategic direction of this office.
• Present technologies, tools, and practices to school-based career offices for a more seamless student experience and for efficient service delivery modalities, including the use of artificial intelligence and machine-learning.
• Develop and administer departmental budgets and multiple agreements for ID income from schools on shared programs, technology licenses, and other contracts.
• Coordinate with Office of Contracts & Grants and central purchasing on complex platforms, mainly technology, licenses and contracts that affect multiple schools’ campus-wide.
• Carry out special projects as may be directed by the Vice President.
• Performs other related duties as assigned or requested. The university reserves the right to add or change duties at any time.

Role Requirements
The Associate Vice Provost will be inspiring to the Career Services staff and the Student Life function as a whole. They will have extensive experience working with stakeholders across a complex university enterprise and leveraging the potential for positioning Career Services to reach wider audiences. The successful candidate will have a track record that includes:

• Fifteen years of experience in progressively responsible positions within career development services and/or student life, or comparable business experience.
• Demonstrated knowledge of career development theory and practice, student employment, and applicable federal regulations.
• Demonstrated capacity to communicate broadly across an institution coupled with the ability to distill complex organizational information and concepts to a broad array of stakeholders.
• Outstanding interpersonal, oral, and written communication, negotiation, conflict resolution, and team-building skills.
• Demonstrated skill in staff supervision, budget management, strategic planning, assessment and learning outcomes, and career services-related technologies.
• Experience creating and evaluating university wide programs and services from beginning to end.
• Knowledge of assessment and program evaluation strategies.
• In-depth understanding of higher education administration with relevant experience in management of university programs and services that support students.
• Supervisory and management skills with a successful track record of management responsibilities.
• Involvement and leadership in professional associations (e.g., NACE, MPACE, NCDA).
• An advocate for students' success and wellbeing -- academic, personal, and professional.
• Ability to prioritize multiple demands and possess the ability to operate in a fast-paced, sometimes crisis, mode.
• Experience developing and administering operating budgets.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and implement a comprehensive and strategic vision, including planning, resource allocation, creative problem-solving, and commitment to continuous improvement.
• Strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion as a critical value for the Career Center and the University.
• A high level of professionalism with a demonstrated ability to gain confidence at all levels.

Education

• Master’s degree, preferably in higher education administration, college student personnel, counseling, or related field; doctoral degree preferred.

Compensation

• A competitive compensation package will be made available to the selected candidate.

Application Process

• Interested and qualified candidates are welcome to submit a cover letter and resume to: USC_AVPCareer@KornFerry.com

The University of Southern California is an Equal Opportunity Employer