Description

Position Overview

Manager of Employer Engagement - University Career Center

The Manager of Employer Engagement supports the University Career Center (UCC) by leading employer engagement initiatives, managing strategic outreach programs, and coordinating programs that connect students with employer partners. This position ensures the equitable, scalable, and consistent delivery of career services to all students by cultivating strong partnerships with employers, playing a critical role in ensuring access to meaningful career opportunities for all KU students. The role requires a professional, forward-facing presence, strong leadership capabilities, and advanced program development skills. The incumbent must demonstrate sound judgment, exceptional organizational ability, and the capacity to manage a suite of complex projects independently while fostering collaborative relationships across a wide range of stakeholders. This is a full-time, twelve-month, regular staff appointment that reports to the Program Director of the University Career Center.

Unit Overview: The University Career Center (UCC) offers a wide range of quality services designed to support and challenge students at all points of their career development path. The University Career Center serves all KU students with a primary focus on students studying liberal arts and sciences, education, social welfare, music, architecture, and design.

Job Description

60% Employer Outreach, Engagement and Relationship Management

• Envisions, designs and develops services, programs and resources that foster engagement with employer partners that lead to employment of KU students in career and experiential learning opportunities.
• Seek out and develop employer engagement to ensure that partner participation is consistent with the range of career interests expressed by KU students, with a focus on students in the Student Pathways program.
• Develop a pathway of participation for employers who have little to no recruiting budget, such as those from non-profits and government, to increase engagement in career fairs and/or other recruitment events.
• Meet routinely with employers and industry groups to understand workforce needs and benchmark recruitment best practices. Maintain annual meetings with an Employer Advisory Board in collaboration with other career services units on campus.
• Collaborate with Academic Engagement Manager to educate and engage campus community ab out using career service resources that connect students with career and experiential learning opportunities.
• Ensure timely and professional responses to incoming inquiries from employers (email, drop-ins, and phone)
• Develop a range of employer recruitment guides and tools based on their needs. Promote and leverage resources for employers such as KS Work Study, Parker-Dewey, and other resources to assist employers with hiring KU students.
• Design and develop outreach for employers through the KU Career account on LinkedIn, email campaigns, and newsletters.

30% Program Management and Assessment

• Design and conduct program assessment of employer engagement to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the recruiting services provided by the UCC and provide recommendations for changes when needed.
• Develop and maintain processes and reports that track employer engagement activity
• Ensure adequate and timely coverage for approving new employers and job postings in Handshake to approve new employers and job postings, as needed. Provide back-up assistance to UCC email accounts, as needed.
• Oversee successful outreach and execution of Career Fairs and other employer-engaged events that are managed by the University Career Center. Monitor and track revenue and expenses related to UCC Career Fairs.
• Manage UCC sponsorships program, including setting funding levels and opportunities, monitoring employer sponsorships for career events, coordinating solicitations, and monitoring revenue.
• Direct the Kansas Work Study program, Youth Educational Services (YES) tutoring program, Academic Tutor program at Lawrence Public Library, including monitor work activities and budgets, act as a liaison with the Board of Regent's contact and writing annual reports.
• Train, supervise and coordinate activities of assigned staff including: Events Manager, Kansas Career Work Study Coordinator, and Youth Educational Services (YES) Coordinator.
• Collaborate closely with UCC colleagues from the other three key functions of the center - career advising, academic engagement, and operations - to leverage resources and ensure smooth outreach and execution of employer engaged initiatives.

10% Other Duties

• Serve as an agile and active member of the University Career Center's leadership team, contributing to strategic planning and goal setting.
• Collaborate with campus career services units to align campus events and employer services
• Attend relevant unit meetings.
• Participate in department and campus meetings and trainings.
• Participate in relevant professional development annually.
• Understand and adhere to FERPA guidelines, KU policies, and other institutional compliance expectations.

Position Requirements

1. The position is an on-campus position with an office located in Summerfield Hall on the Lawrence campus. Alternative or flexible work schedules will be evaluated as per KU policy.
2. Work schedule is 8 am - 5 pm Monday - Friday with some evening or weekend work required for student events or outreach efforts. Advance notice will be given.

Required Qualifications

1. Master's degree or bachelor's degree plus five years of related experience.
2. Minimum of three (3) years' experience in career services, human resources, or higher education.
3. Excellent communication skills as demonstrated by application materials.

This position requires a formal degree in the cited discipline area(s) to ensure that candidates have advanced knowledge, analytical skills and professional competencies necessary to perform the duties of the position. The level of degree is commonly recognized as the standard qualification for similar roles in the public and private sector, ensuring that the university remains competitive with industry aligned practices, enhances collaboration with external partners, and supports the delivery of services and programs that meet professional and market-driven expectations.

Additional Candidate Instruction

In addition to the online application, the following documents are required to be considered for this position:

• Cover letter describing how you meet the required and preferred qualifications.
• Resume
• List of three (3) professional references

Only complete applications will be considered.

Application review begins May 25th 2026. and will continue until a qualified pool of applicants are identified.

Disclaimer

The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression, and genetic information in the university's programs and activities. Retaliation is also prohibited by university policy. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies and procedures and is the Title IX Coordinator for all KU and KUMC campuses: Associate Vice Chancellor for the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX, civilrights@ku.edu, Room 1082, Dole Human Development Center, 1000 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66045, 785-864-6414, 711 TTY. Reports can be submitted by contacting the Title IX Coordinator as provided herein or using the Title IX online report form and complaints can be submitted with the Title IX Coordinator or using the Title IX online complaint form.