Posting Details
Position Information
Position Title
Assistant or Associate Director, Employer Engagement
Position Type
Regular
Job Number
SA96224
Full or Part Time
full-time 40 hours weekly
Fair Labor Standard Act Classification
Exempt
Anticipated Pay Range
Assistant Director: $79,000-$84,000; minimum of 3 years of
progressively responsible relevant experience Associate Director:
$85,000-$90,000; minimum of 4-5 years of progressively responsible
relevant experience's
Pay Range Information
Chapman University is required to provide a reasonable estimate of
the compensation range for this position. This range takes into
account a variety of factors that are considered in making
compensation decisions, including experience, skills, knowledge,
abilities, education, licensure and certifications, and other
business and organizational needs. Salary offers are determined
based on the final candidate’s qualifications and experience, as
well as internal equity and other internal factors. The anticipated
pay range is not a promise of a particular wage.
Position Summary Information
Job Description Summary
Under the oversight of the Director of Career and Professional
Development ( CPD ), the Assistant or Associate Director of
Employer Engagement provides strategic leadership for employer
development and recruiting initiatives within Chapman University’s
Office of CPD . The Assistant or Associate Director develops and
executes strategies to expand and deepen relationships with
employers and other external partners to increase high-quality
internship, employment, networking, and career exploration
opportunities for Chapman students and alumni. The Assistant or
Associate Director provides leadership for the CPD’s employer
relationship management strategy, ensuring that employer engagement
is systematically tracked, analyzed, and leveraged to inform
outreach priorities, strengthen institutional relationships, assess
progress toward goals, and demonstrate the impact of employer
engagement across the university.
Working collaboratively with school/college-based career teams
(Career Liaisons), University Advancement, alumni and parent
engagement partners, and other campus stakeholders, the Assistant
or Assistant or Associate Director identifies and cultivates new
employer relationships, strengthens existing partnerships, and
connects Chapman talent with local, regional, national, and global
employment opportunities.
The position leads the university’s central employer engagement and
recruiting strategy, applies data and technology to strengthen
employer relationship management, and oversees signature recruiting
programs and employer-facing services. The Assistant or Associate
Director supervises the Employer Engagement Manager and supports
the development of a coordinated, university-wide approach to
employer engagement to maximize employer outreach and encourage
cross-collaboration within the university.
his position requires a regular on-campus presence to effectively
perform its essential functions.
Chapman University’s mission is centered on serving students and
strengthening the campus community. Chapman believes there is
significant value in an in-person workforce. Being present fosters
collaboration, strengthens relationships across departments,
enhances service to students, employers, alumni, and colleagues,
and contributes to the vibrant campus experience that makes Chapman
a distinctive place to work and learn.
- Assistant Director: $79,000-$84,000; minimum of 3 years
of progressively responsible relevant experience
Associate Director: $85,000-$90,000; minimum of 4-5
years of progressively responsible relevant experience
Responsibilities
Strategic Employer Development & Relationship Management
(40%)
- Assistant Director: Contribute to the development and lead the
implementation of a comprehensive employer engagement strategy
aligned with CPD goals and university priorities.
- Associate Director: Develop, execute, evaluate, and
continuously refine a comprehensive employer engagement strategy
aligned with CPD goals and university priorities.
- Proactively identify, cultivate, and steward relationships with
new and existing employers, industry partners, alumni, parents,
donors, and other external stakeholders to expand employment and
experiential opportunities for Chapman students and alumni.
- Build a diversified employer pipeline across industries,
occupations, geographic markets, and organization types.
- Develop targeted strategies for cultivating aspirational and
preferred employers, with an emphasis on employers offering
high-quality opportunities aligned with the interests and career
goals of Chapman students.
- Conduct strategic employer outreach, meetings, site visits, and
relationship-building activities to establish Chapman as a valued
recruiting partner.
- Develop strategies to convert prospective and newly engaged
employers into sustained recruiting partners.
- Strengthen relationships with existing employers by identifying
additional opportunities for recruitment, internships, career
education, industry engagement, and student networking.
- Monitor employment, recruiting, workforce, and technology
trends and translate relevant developments into employer engagement
strategies and recommendations for the CPD leadership.
- Represent the CPD and Chapman University with employers,
professional associations, chambers, industry groups, and other
external organizations as appropriate.
Campus Partnerships, Employer Outreach & Relationship
Management (30%)
- Assistant Director: Collaborate with Career Liaisons and campus
stakeholders to develop coordinated approaches to employer outreach
and relationship management to identify and cultivate relationships
that generate internships, employment opportunities, recruiting
partnerships, mentorship, and industry connections for students and
alumni.
- Associate Director: Lead cross-campus coordination with Career
Liaisons and university stakeholders to establish strategic
priorities and coordinated approaches to employer outreach and
relationship management to identify and cultivate relationships
that generate internships, employment opportunities, recruiting
partnerships, mentorship, and industry connections for students and
alumni.
- Partner closely with Career Liaisons to identify employer needs
and priority industries for each school and college and develop
targeted employer prospecting and outreach strategies.
- Collaborate with University Advancement and alumni, parent,
donor, volunteer, and other campus partners
- Develop coordinated approaches to employer outreach that
promote information sharing, reduce duplication, and leverage
Chapman’s existing institutional relationships to strengthen and
expand employer engagement.
- Serve as a central resource and strategic partner for campus
units seeking to engage employers for career and recruiting
purposes and identify opportunities to deepen relationships with
organizations already connected to Chapman.
- Lead the strategy, continued development, and optimization of
CPD’s CRM and Employer Relationship Management ( ERM ) systems and
use employer engagement data to identify trends, establish
priorities, assess effectiveness, and inform CPD strategy.
- Establish and maintain consistent procedures for tracking
employer relationships and meaningful touchpoints, including
meetings, site visits, communications, referrals, and recruiting
activities.
- Partner with Career Liaisons and campus stakeholders to
strengthen ERM adoption, data quality, and information sharing,
creating greater visibility into employer engagement across the
university.
- Analyze employer engagement data to identify trends, gaps,
priority industries, and opportunities for new or deeper
relationships; track progress toward CPD goals; and leverage data,
technology, automation, and AI to inform employer outreach strategy
and recommendations to CPD leadership.
Recruiting Programs & Employer Experience (30%)
- Assistant Director: Manage and enhance central recruiting
programs and recommend new approaches based on employer and student
needs.
- Associate Director: Provide strategic leadership for Chapman’s
central recruiting programs, including career fairs, Career
Networking Nights, information sessions, on-campus interviews,
employer tabling, resume books, employer site visits, and other
recruiting initiatives.
- Develop and implement new recruiting and networking programs
that connect Chapman students and alumni with employers and
emerging employment opportunities.
- Increase the number, quality, and diversity of employers
participating in Chapman’s recruiting programs, with particular
attention to new, re-engaged, aspirational, and preferred
employers.
- Develop employer engagement strategies appropriate to changing
labor-market conditions and industry hiring trends.
- Ensure employers receive a high-quality, responsive, and
professional experience throughout their interactions with CPD and
Chapman University.
- Identify opportunities to move employer relationships beyond
individual events toward sustained partnerships involving multiple
forms of engagement with Chapman students and alumni.
- Partner with Career Education and school/college career teams
to communicate employer feedback, recruiting trends, hiring
expectations, and workforce developments that can inform student
career preparation.
- Develop and maintain recruiting policies, procedures, and
guidelines for employers, students, and alumni participating in
university recruiting programs.
- Advise employers regarding appropriate recruiting practices and
applicable university policies.
- Investigate employer complaints, flag fraudulent activity, and
coordinate with campus partners to enforce university recruiting
standards.
- Manage employer-side Handshake administration and support,
encouraging role postings to maximize student visibility,
coordinating event registrations, and resolving technical
issues.
Required Qualifications
- Assistant Director : Minimum of 3 years of progressively
responsible experience in employer engagement, recruiting, business
development, corporate relations, career services, alumni
relations, or a related field. Demonstrated experience cultivating
professional relationships, managing projects and recruiting
programs, utilizing CRM / ERM systems and data, and collaborating
effectively with internal and external stakeholders. Experience
supervising staff, student employees, or leading projects/teams
preferred.
- Associate Director : Minimum of 4-5 years of
progressively responsible experience in employer engagement,
recruiting, business development, corporate relations, career
services, alumni relations, or a related field, including
demonstrated responsibility for strategic initiatives and
relationship development. Proven success developing and expanding
employer or external partnerships; leading complex,
cross-functional initiatives; supervising and developing
professional staff; utilizing CRM / ERM data to inform strategy and
assess results; and independently representing an organization with
senior internal and external stakeholders. Bachelor’s degree
required. Master’s degree preferred. Valid Driver’s License
- Current knowledge of and the ability to stay abreast of
employment trends in general and in particular geographical areas,
industries, and fields to inform CPD’s work with employers and
students.
- Proven ability to manage staff and motivate teams.
- History of building partnerships with corporate leaders, hiring
managers, and human resource professionals and maintaining strong
client relationships to develop and expand employment opportunities
for students.
- Strong oral, written, and quantitative and culturally competent
communication skills, including excellent use of grammar and proven
ability to prepare, edit, and proofread documents.
- Superior presentation and written/verbal communication skills
and the ability to represent the university with national and
international constituencies.
- Strong ability to manage several different projects
simultaneously and delegate tasks as appropriate.
- Ability to learn new technology.
- Strong organizational skills, detail-oriented, and ability to
remain flexible to changing business needs and priorities.
- A high level of professionalism and excellent customer service
skills, including responsiveness to any inquiries from employers,
students, alumni, campus partners, etc.
- Ability to work in a team environment and serve internal and
external clients.
- High proficiency in CRM systems (Salesforce preferred), SaaS
platforms, and Microsoft Suite.
- Aptitude to understand and consistently ensure compliance with
university policies, state and federal rules and regulations,
including FERPA and data privacy and security regulations.
- Ability to work early mornings, evenings, and weekends and
travel, as needed, to support the work of Chapman and the CPD
.
- Ability to use sound judgment, tact, and diplomacy and to
maintain confidentiality at all times.
- Expected to travel locally to employer meetings, networking
events and employer site visits as needed to support the work of
the employer engagement team (including some evening or weekend
events).
Desired Qualifications
- Technical skills to learn and use enterprise systems and career
services technology, such as Handshake, PeopleGrove, CareerShift,
or other online mentorship, career portal, CRM, or AI-based
technology platforms.
- Experience partnering with alumni, faculty, and academic units
to create career development, networking, and recruiting
opportunities for students and alumni.
Special Instructions to Applicants
At Chapman University, we believe collaboration thrives through
in-person engagement. This position is fully on campus, and
employees work alongside colleagues, faculty, students, and staff
each day to support our vibrant university community.
Chapman University is an equal opportunity employer that provides
equal employment opportunities to all individuals, regardless of
their protected characteristics. All qualified applicants and
employees are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration
for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex,
sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national
origin, ancestry, citizenship status, physical disability, mental
disability, medical condition, military and veteran status, marital
status, pregnancy, genetic information or any other characteristic
protected by state or federal law.
Applicants for Staff and Administrator positions must be currently
authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis.
The offer of employment is contingent upon satisfactory completion
and outcomes of a criminal background screening and returning to
the Office of Human Resources a signed original acceptance of the
Chapman University Agreement to Arbitrate.
Minimum Number of References
3
Maximum Number of References
5
Pre-screening Questions
Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).
Applicant Documents
Required Documents
- Resume
- Cover Letter
Optional Documents
