Job Description / Duties

JOB SUMMARY

The Career Strategist (Arts) supports UBC students in the Faculty of Arts to become career-ready graduates - able to connect their talents, interests and education to the changing world of work. Working strategically with the Faculty of Arts and campus partners to leverage disciplinary learning, high impact experiences, and to broaden the approach to career development, the Career Strategist is responsible for supporting student learning and promoting student engagement in career building experiences within and beyond the university. The Career Strategist designs, develops, delivers, and evaluates in-person and online career learning across the undergraduate student experience.
In collaboration with the Centre for Student Involvement and Careers (CSIC), Faculties and Academic departments, and Student Development and Services, the Career Strategist will achieve results in four key areas of responsibility:
1. Design and deliver career building experiences that support students’ career education and professional development.
2. Expand students' opportunities to engage with employers, alumni and community.
3. Develop online career content and support the curation of other career related resources.
4. Embed career learning in other forms of experiential learning and in high impact co-curricular and extra-curricular experiences.
Across all four areas of responsibility, the incumbent will establish career learning principles, explore relevant labor market trends, and employ advising and coaching practices to deliver, assess and evaluate programs and services to students.

Work Performed
This position has four key responsibilities, with the following related duties, deliverables, and results:

1. Develop and deliver customized career education through discipline and population specific expertise and faculty specific career initiatives.
- Support student learning and promote student engagement in career building experiences, across the student experience, within and beyond the university.
- Design, deliver, and evaluate in person and online career programs, services, and resources based on industry knowledge, innovative theory, and evidence-based practices within the fields of career development and student affairs, and always in full consideration of students' career development needs and Faculty-specific priorities.
- Provide onsite career coaching and advising for students on a variety of career and professional development topics and work search (for example: career exploration, researching the labour market, choosing a major of study, making meaning of one's disciplinary learning, facilitating experiential learning and reflection, gaining work/volunteer/leadership experience, resumes, CV's, job and professional school interviews, networking and connecting to the workplace community).
- Collaborate with Faculties and Academic Departments to develop, deliver, and evaluate customized events and programs for particular populations of students. This includes planning and designing the program(s), promotion, coordinating faculty or industry participation, and coordinating the involvement of other members of the Centre for Student Involvement and Careers and/or other partners. These events may include job search fairs, Career Expos, Speaker Series, departmental career/majors-specific events, majors exploration events, student leadership development training/programs, web resources, peer mentoring programming, workshops, etc.
- Work strategically with campus partners and within the Faculty of Arts to bring career expertise and broaden the approach to career development across multiple career building experiences in order to cultivate identity development, foster leadership capacities, and grow mentorship and networking opportunities for students.
- Identify when students are in crisis or in need of health support and refer to appropriate level of support or intervention (i.e. Emergency Services, Counseling Services, Early Alert).

2. Expand students' opportunities to engage with employers, alumni and community.
- In collaboration with Employer Engagement and UBC Alumni, build and maintain relationships with alumni, employers and other members of the workplace community to strategically develop resources and programming that initiate connections and provide networking opportunities for students within and beyond UBC.
- Develop and create opportunities for students to connect with and learn from alumni, employers, and other members of workplace community. For example, invite and prepare alumni, employers and industry partners, as subject matter experts, to participate in career development programs.
- Contributes to the success and sustainability of student-led initiatives.

3. Improve the quantity and quality of digital, online content and support the development and curation of other career related resources.
- Plan, implement, and evaluate initiatives to engage students in the career development process in appropriate and accessible online spaces to increase access, autonomy/agency, and customization for students - newsletters, social networking channels, websites, etc. (This work could include both the development of career content and the curation of relevant external content - podcasts, blogs, articles, videos, interactive learning tools and resources).
- Utilize digital tools to help students explore questions, reflect and integrate across their experiences, and facilitate interactive learning for students, to increase access to experiences that would be typically limited to career coaching, advising and workshops. Propose and implement new ideas.

4. Embed career learning in other forms of experiential learning, Work Integrated Learning, and in high impact learning experiences.
- Promote student participation and engagement in experiential learning opportunities and create opportunities for students to critically reflect on their learning from these experiences, to connect it with and across other learning in their student experience (academic and co-curricular) and to translate it into career learning as they plan for the world of work and future life.
- Lead and contribute to programs and initiatives to develop and implement a variety of career and professional development initiatives. Work in collaboration with multiple stakeholders to set project goals, timelines, scope, processes, manage communication among project participants, identify obstacles, plan and chair meetings, track timelines, evaluate outcomes, etc.
- Foster student leadership and career learning through coaching, advising, training, and professional development support for student clubs, organizations, volunteers, and teams.
- Foster an inclusive and respectful learning environment where all students have the opportunity to thrive professionally, academically, and personally. This includes work with faculty, staff, and students to support distinct populations within the Faculty and to prepare students for success after graduation.

5. Overall Strategic Planning, Administration, Assessment & Evaluation.
- Increase capacity in the Faculty of Arts and across the University for career learning and career conversations, through multiple points of intersection in the student experience.
- Participate in the assessment and evaluation of career learning for students. Collect and record statistical information and feedback, analyze, document and report results, integrate suggestions and improvements into programs and services.
- Contribute to strategic planning processes and the setting of goals and priorities for the work.
- Influence multiple stakeholders to create and set direction, persuade action, and achieve consensus toward collective aspirations and goals as related to career building experiences.
- Assist in marketing and promotion of programs and events to students, alumni, faculty, academic departments, and the workplace community.
- Assist in training of professional staff, student staff and volunteers, including peer leaders and coaches.
- Consider CERIC Career Development Principles as a way to inform practices and approaches.
- Consider Council for Advancement of Standards (CAS) in Higher Education as a way to inform programming processes and strategies.
- Must accommodate flexible hours - for example: may attend events, deliver workshops or provide training some evenings and weekends.
- Undertake other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications / Required Skills

Qualifications
Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline. Graduate degree an asset.
Certified Coach (from verified credentialing body) preferred.
Certification in StrengthsFinder, or other human capital assessment tools is an asset. Minimum of three to four years of related experience or the equivalent combination of education and experience. Four or more years' experience working with faculty, students and staff in a post secondary institution preferred.
Experience in career education, university/college student affairs, human resources, business or related field preferred.
Knowledge and understanding of career learning theories, trends and principles, and student engagement best practices strongly preferred.
Coaching or advising experience - ideally in a career development context; experience in a post secondary environment preferred.
Facilitation or teaching experience an asset.
Experience in designing, developing, delivering, and evaluating career related content in workshop or group settings an asset.
Experience using design thinking methodology and facilitation preferred.
Knowledgeable of career trends in the changing world of work preferred.
Industry knowledge and expertise; awareness of labor market trends preferred.
Experience in creating content for online spaces preferred.
Experience using web-based platforms and instructional technology to teach and engage students in career development.
The incumbent's portfolio includes includes direct support for students in the Faculty of Arts across the Humanities, Social Sciences, and Creative and Performing Arts.
The incumbent's portfolio could include direct support for: racialized students, students with disabilities, students who identify as queer or transgender.
Demonstrated commitment to the principles and values of a diverse and inclusive campus community.
Demonstrated process design facilitation skills, and familiarity with a wide variety of facilitation approaches and techniques.
Demonstrated project management skills, with strong ability to work with multiple stakeholders and ability to prioritize work effectively under competing deadlines.
Demonstrated competence in planning, implementing, and evaluating programs or events.
Demonstrated ability to conduct respectful consultation and collaboration with stakeholders. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
Proven ability to coach and advise students one-to-one and in group settings. Exceptional presentation and public speaking skills. Ability to communicate effectively in an intercultural environment. Ability to find, synthesize, and translate literature, research material, trends, and best practices for capacity building amongst colleagues and stakeholders. Ability to work both independently and within multiple team environments. Ability to think strategically and exercise diplomacy, tact, and discretion.

Additional Information

Apply via UBC HR: https://www.hr.ubc.ca/careers-postings/staff-s.php

Contact Information

Karla Gouthro
Manager, Career & Professional Development
Centre for Student Involvement & Careers | The University of British Columbia

Employer Profile

This is a dual-report position. The incumbent reports to the Manager, Career and Professional Development in the Centre for Student Involvement & Careers (CSI&C) and the Executive Director, Work Integrated Education and Career Initiatives, in the Faculty of Arts. The CSI&C and Faculty of Arts work in partnership to support students in the Faculty of Arts to become career-ready graduates and develop their ability to articulate the association between their curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular activities with their emerging personal and professional identities.

The Centre for Student Involvement & Careers (CSIC) facilitates and enhances student learning through career building enriched educational experiences. Through orientation and peer mentoring, the Centre supports new students to become successful university learners, prepared to achieve their academic, personal, and career goals. The Centre is a central point for all graduate and undergraduate students and employers on the UBC Vancouver campus to meet, connect, network and build relationships; as well as
to research and explore career options. CSIC provides all UBC students access and connection to workplace learning, mentoring, volunteer and leadership opportunities; and offers career and employment-related services to students, academic departments, employers, and alumni.

WORKING RELATIONSHIPS
Reports to the Manager, Career and Professional Development with the Centre for Student Involvement & Careers (CSIC) and the Executive Director, Work Integrated Education and Career Initiatives in the Faculty of Arts. Works in close collaboration with CSIC colleagues (career education, student engagement, first year experience, workplace learning, employer engagement) and in direct partnership with academic and student service departments and programs inArts. Maintains partnerships with student organizations Student Development and Services, Enrolment Services and the Vice President Students portfolio. Externally, develops and maintains relationships with employers and industry partners in order to build resources and programs to support undergraduate and graduate career development and learning. Coaches and trains student leaders, student staff and volunteers. Assists with training and supervision of support staff and training of new career coaches and advisors within the CSIC.