Executive Director, Career Center

California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB) invites inquiries, nominations and applications for an experienced, innovative, committed, and collaborative professional to serve as the next Executive Director of the Career Center. This position offers an exciting opportunity to lead a talented, student-centered team of career professionals to ensure efficient, timely and effective programs and services to a culturally diverse population of students and alumni on the San Bernardino and Palm Desert campuses.

About California State University, San Bernardino

CSUSB is the foremost center of intellectual and cultural activity in the Inland Empire region of Southern California. Opened in 1965 and established at the foothills of the beautiful San Bernardino Mountains, the University serves more than 20,000 students each year and graduates approximately 4,000 students annually. CSUSB is one of 23 campuses in the California State University System, the largest system of higher education in the country.

The "value added" by a CSUSB education ranks in the top four percent in the nation, according to the Collegiate Learning Assessment, a sequence of tests used by hundreds of colleges and universities nationwide that measure student learning in the freshman and then in the senior year. First-to-second year retention rates are third highest among all CSU campuses.

CSUSB reflects the dynamic diversity of the region and has the most diverse student population of any university in the Inland Empire, and has the second highest African American and Hispanic enrollments of all public universities in California. Seventy percent of those who graduate are the first in their families to do so.

About the Position

The mission of the Career Center is to empower students and alumni to develop a lifelong skill set for an ever-changing labor market through exploration, programming, and experiential learning opportunities to meet their personal and professional goals. The Executive Director is responsible for the advancement of career services to ensure that the most innovative efforts are being implemented to assist students and alumni in their career planning and development.

The role requires strategic planning, goal setting, management, budgetary responsibility, marketing, and all aspects of the center as it continues to evolve into a nationally leading career center. The Executive Director is responsible for expansion efforts and fundraising initiatives as well as program growth and evaluation. The position requires a strong leader who provides long-term direction and is responsible for meeting milestones as approved by the Division of Student Affairs, in which to serve on the senior leadership team of the Assistant Vice President for Student Services. The incumbent will have overall budgetary responsibility of approximately $1.2 M.

The Executive Director will possess a robust approach to engaging first- and second-year students with the goal of an increased early usage of the Career Center. Destinations, outcomes, evaluation, and accountability focused metrics will also be utilized in this position as essential decision making and messaging tools, particularly related to admissions, retention, fundraising, and employer development efforts. The Executive Director will be a dynamic leader who brings out the best in teams and individuals, and will oversee hiring, coaching, training, supervising, and evaluating of 15 staff members as well as develop and promote a team of peer ambassadors (paraprofessionals/student assistants) who assist the professional staff in carrying out career services.

The Executive Director must exhibit collaborative leadership working with both campus and external stakeholders to extend the reach of the Career Center and success of CSUSB students. Partnering with CSUSB faculty and staff is crucial in this role in creating a campus culture that includes career and reaching students through the classroom and campus community. The incumbent will develop partnerships that facilitate the infusion of career principles into curricular and co-curricular planning and identifies and implements strategies that engage students at all levels of undergraduate and graduate work and facilitates student development, learning, retention, success and integrates career and professional goals. The Executive Director will also actively interact with top level executives of corporations and organizations as well as campus recruiters in the area and nationwide. In addition, the incumbent will build targeted partnerships with alumni and parents individually and in groups to mobilize these valuable resources for CSUSB students and to create employment and mentoring opportunities.

Major areas of responsibility include:

  • Oversee the delivery of a broad range of career resources, events, services and job search support;
  • Develop short- mid- and long-range plans, goals and objectives; plans utilization of staff, material resources and space;
  • Forecast service levels; writes program proposals; completes annual reports and year-end summaries; establishes a master calendar for the department;
  • Manages the budget; prioritizes departmental resources and recommends budget allocations and seeks ways to offset expenditures; manages the student success initiative fee and accountable for its results;
  • Responsible for expenditures and revenue; seeks alternative sources of funding as necessary to ensure successful operations including event/program sponsorships, grant writing, fundraising and the development of cross-divisional partnerships and projects;
  • Serve as the spokesperson for the Career Center and works closely with the division marketing and communications and graphic design staff and the university public relations office to coordinate advertising campaigns and press coverage.

Position Qualifications

The successful candidate will have experience leading large organizations that deliver career services, including career development, career counseling, career planning, recruitment, employment, and internships. The following specialized skills are required:

  • Experience in program development, supervision and evaluation, and budgeting;
  • Excellent professional relationship building and networking skills, demonstrate excellent communication (oral and written) skills and possess strong leadership skills;
  • Expert knowledge of national trends and best practices to promote student success and follow the National Association of Colleges and Employers Professional Standards for Career Services: including career advising/counseling, career information, employer services and experiential learning;
  • Understanding and appreciation of the growing role technology plays in delivery of career services;
  • Track record of meeting goals, holding staff accountable and promoting engagement at all levels to achieve optimal performance;
  • Ability to exercise sound judgment, exhibit resiliency under pressure, set priorities, and achieve goals;
  • Demonstrate creativity, excellent judgment, professionalism and dedication, and the sound practice of student development principles; and
  • Experience in developing student learning outcomes and conducting program assessments.

A Master's degree in student affairs, higher education, business, counseling or a related field is required from a regionally accredited university as well as a minimum of three years of career services leadership experience preferably in a centralized program.

Other preferred qualifications include:

  • Knowledge of employment law and human resources management
  • Experience in student assistant employment practices

How to Apply

Please attach a cover letter, resume (or curricula vitae) and diversity statement. The diversity statement may include your interpretation of diversity, inclusion, gender equity and must include specific examples of how your educational/professional experiences, background/philosophy has prepared you for the role you are applying for at California State University, San Bernardino. (Maximum 250 words).

The packet should be sent to edccsusb@wspelman.com.  The email subject line should be EDCCSUSB. Confidential inquiries may be made by contacting Susan Salvador at Susan@wspelman.com at 585-230-4013 or Megan Spelman at Megan@wspelman.com at 585-366-4329.

For full consideration, all materials should be received by September 20, 2019. The process will continue until the position is filled.

California State University, San Bernardino is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.  We consider qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, medical condition, disability, marital status, or protected veteran status.

A background check (including a criminal records check) must be completed satisfactorily before any candidate can be offered a position with the CSU. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may affect the application status of applicants or continued employment of current CSU employees who apply for the position.

The person holding this position is considered a `mandated reporter' under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and is required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment.

This position may be "Designated" under California State University's Conflict of Interest Code. This would require the filing of a Statement of Economic Interest on an annual basis and the completion of training within 6 months of assuming office and every 2 years thereafter.  Visit the Human Resources Conflict of Interest webpage link for additional information:

https://www.csusb.edu/human-resources/current-employees/employee-relations/conflict-interest

This position adheres to CSU policies against Sex Discrimination, Sexual Harassment, and Sexual Violence, including Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, and Stalking. This requires completion of Sexual Violence Prevention Training within 6 months of assuming employment and on a two-year basis thereafter. (Executive Order 1096)