Dir. Employer Relations Experiential Learning

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Director of Employer Relations and Experiential Learning leads strategic initiatives to expand employer partnerships, enhance experiential learning opportunities, and align external engagement with institutional goals. This role oversees the development and execution of employer-facing programs, manages key relationships across industries and academic departments, and supervises the Manager of Employer Relations and Experiential Learning. The Director plays a critical role in integrating employer engagement into student experience through events, classroom visits, and high-impact practices, while promoting inclusive strategies and data-informed decision-making.

This position is an in-person position at Post’s main campus or downtown Waterbury location.

Essential Accountabilities:

Leadership and Strategic Oversight

• Lead the hiring, training, and supervision of the Manager of Employer Relations and Experiential Learning
• Develop and execute strategic initiatives aligned with institutional goals and departmental priorities.
• Partner with the Director of Alumni Career Engagement on shared outreach, events, and marketing to engage employers and alumni.
• Oversee employer engagement and event budget, ensuring alignment with strategic goals and resource allocation plans.
• Represent the department at professional conferences and events; share key insights with staff and strengthen the office’s visibility in the field.
• Collaborate with departments and contribute to campus-wide initiatives and committees as appropriate.

Employer Engagement and Experiential Learning

• Build and sustain employer, faculty, alumni, and industry relationships.
• Collaborate with partners to expand experiential learning, hiring pipelines, and partnerships.
• Oversee strategy for expanding internship and experiential learning pipelines across academic programs.
• Coordinate employer involvement in classroom visits, panels, and student-facing programming.
• Collaborate with Career Coaches to match students with experiential opportunities and ensure successful experiences through employer feedback.
• Support faculty in embedding employer-led content into curriculum and classroom activities.

Marketing and Inclusive Outreach

• Lead the development of employer-facing marketing strategies and oversee outreach campaigns in collaboration with the Manager.
• Promote inclusive employer engagement strategies that reflect the diversity of the student body and institutional values.

Data, Systems, and Reporting

• Report on employer engagement, event outcomes, internship pipelines, and partnership trends
• Develop dashboards to visualize internship growth, employer engagement, and event impact.
• Oversee use of Handshake as the centralized system for employer engagement, event coordination, and experiential learning tracking.

ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES:
There will be other duties as assigned for the position. This position requires a flexible schedule with some evening and weekend hours to meet the operational needs of the Career Development Center.

Minimum Qualifications & Competencies:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below represent the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential function (list below).

Qualifications:

Education

• Master’s degree required.

Experience

• Minimum of 5 years of progressive experience in employer relations, career services, or a related field
• Demonstrated success in building strategic partnerships and managing experiential learning programs.
• Supervisory experience required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Proven ability to cultivate and sustain employer relationships across diverse industries.
• Skilled in organizing employer events, classroom visits, and networking programs that connect students with professionals.
• Experience in developing marketing strategies and outreach campaigns for employer engagement.
• Strong understanding of inclusive engagement practices and workforce development trends
• Ability to manage budgets, assess program effectiveness, and use data to inform strategy.
• Demonstrated success in leading cross-functional initiatives and contributing to institutional planning.
• Proficiency with Handshake, Big Interview, and UConnect for employer engagement and career services delivery
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint) for documentation, reporting, and communication