Job Description / Duties

This position furthers the University's vision to support students to become career-ready graduates that are able to connect their skills, interests, and education to the world of work. This position leads on-campus recruitment programs, industry and labour market awareness strategies, and degree outcome reporting. This position creates collaborative educational partnerships with faculty, alumni, employers, and organizations, and tests new models that position UBC Okanagan alumni and employers more deeply as co-educators and mentors. This position contributes directly to the University's transformative learning goals by advancing students' career learning and readiness, mentorship, and professional development through work and volunteer experiences, and increases exposure to industry and labour market trends, while facilitating meaningful engagement with experiential learning opportunities. 

Organizational Status

Industry and Employer Engagement Specialists work as members of the Career Development Team. Reporting to the Manager of Career Development. This role also has dual reporting into the Director of Academic and Career Development and the Director, Global Engagement. This role works closely with other colleagues across the AVP Students portfolio and within the faculties to effectively deliver services that meet the academic, career and professional development needs of students and alumni. This position initiates, develops, and maintains excellent working relationships with colleagues across campus supporting workplace and experiential learning programming. This position implements their work in full consideration of the needs of students and employers.

Work Performed

Stakeholder Engagement

• Provides campus-wide engagement to increase student connections with employers and alumni, both within British Columbia and globally.
• Works with local employers to provide resources and training of hiring International students and graduates.
• Acts as one of the main points of contact for on and off campus employers who wish to connect with University of British Columbia Okanagan students.
• Oversees and participates in the development of relationships with potential employers through company site visits and needs assessments.
• Develops campus-wide programs and events, linking employers to campus programs, services, people, and partners, providing strategic targeted recruitment planning and acting as a resource for all on-campus recruitment activity.
• Strategically develops the University's ability to support students and alumni to access the student talent pipeline, to support alumni in their roles as employers, entrepreneurs and community leaders.
• Works in collaboration to develop programming to address the needs of diverse audiences, ensuring comprehensive reflective practices are embedded into programs, services and student roles to maximize student learning and career development outcomes across the unit's work.
• Plans and designs events and program(s), promotes, and coordinates faculty or industry participation, Events may include career fairs, speaker series, departmental career/majors events, web resources, and workshops. Some examples include: Career Connections, EMERGE, and IGNITE.  

CRM Administration and Strategy

• Provides leadership on the customer relationship management (CRM) strategy and software platform(s) to manage campus job postings, mentorship programs, and steward employer relationships.
• Collects, researches, prioritizes and implements ideas, best practices, and recommendations for upgrades and enhancements to technology.
• Leverages technology to establish and sustain partnerships.
• Represents the Academic and Career Development Team on various committees convening around CRM technologies and systems.
• Acts as the liaison between UBCO and the CRM provider to ensure system is serving the business and operational needs of the unit and the University.
• Liaises with other campus colleagues in career centres and cooperative education offices utilizing Symplicity software and/or other CRM platforms to initiate dialogue in best practices for employer and alumni engagement and technological platforms.

Student Staff supervision

• May provide supervision to a team of student staff, co-op students, work study students and or volunteers.
• Directs, guides, and mentors student staff to achieve departmental goals and outcomes.
• Develops, facilitates, and evaluates training programs for student staff.
• Recruits, hires, evaluates performance and terminates, if required.
• Carries out any other related duties as necessary in keeping with the requirements and qualifications of the job.

Consequence of Error/Judgement

This position represents students and the University in a variety of internal and external venues. Incorrect decisions and judgment will directly affect UBC's reputation with the employer community and future UBC alumni. Incorrect decisions will have impact on the employment of students, the operations of the programs, and the reputation of the Faculties and the University.

Supervision Received

Working under the direction of the Manager Career Development and in close collaboration with ACD and GEO Leadership the incumbent acts independently and exercises considerable judgment and innovation in working with students, faculty and staff.

Supervision Given

May supervise professional and student staff directly and manage numerous volunteers on various projects. Responsible for developmental evaluation of professional and student staff. Responsible for on-going mentoring and professional development of student leaders and staff.

Qualifications / Required Skills

Minimum Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline. Minimum of three to four years of related experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own
• Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Preferred Qualifications

• Masters degree in a relevant discipline.
• Prior higher education experience is an asset.
• Knowledge of employer and alumni engagement practices and on campus recruitment programs.
• Experience designing and delivering complex programs including evaluating and measuring program effectiveness and outcomes required.
• Knowledge of University systems, structures, processes, and decision making structures is an asset. Valid BC Drivers License and own transportation required.
• Knowledge of CRM and career management platforms an asset.
• Knowledge of career, employment and job search strategies used by students and alumni.
• Knowledge of Canadian Association of Career Educators (CACEE) standards and guidelines for ethical recruitment.
• Familiarity with human rights, labour legislation and current human resources practices. Knowledge of current trends in higher education, career development, graduate employability, and local, national, and international labour markets.
• Ability to work effectively in teams and to develop and sustain effective working relationships with students, faculty, staff, employers, volunteers, and community members.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with diverse communities and promote inclusion.
• Demonstrated oral and written communication skills.
• Further language abilities an asset.
• Demonstrated computer skills and willingness to learn new systems.
• Ability to work under pressure of critical deadlines.
• Ability to incorporate a varied workday (i.e. attend a variety of evening and weekend events year round).

Salary: $70,875 - 102,101

Contact Information

For more details and to apply directly to this position, visit: https://ubc.wd10.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/ubcstaffjobs/details/Industry-and-Employer-Engagement-Specialist_JR11839

Employer Profile

At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.

This position is part of new and unique opportunity and collaboration between Academic and Career Development and the Global Engagement Office that will deliver International Student Support and Career Programming on the UBCO campus.