Rhodes College seeks a strategic, student-centered, outcomes-driven leader to serve as the Assistant Vice President for Career Integration and Executive Director of the Center for Career & Professional Development (CCPD). The AVP leads a campus-wide curriculum-to-career ecosystem that embeds career readiness across the academic and co-curricular experience so every student can identify, build, and communicate the skills they develop through a Rhodes education.
Grounded in the NACE Career Readiness Competencies and responsive to a hiring landscape increasingly shaped by skills-based evaluation, digital portfolios, and rapidly evolving workplace expectations, the AVP In collaboration with the faculty and other campus partners, aligns curriculum, advising, experiential learning, employer/alumni engagement, and career technology to strengthen student outcomes and post-graduate success.
This position requires occasional evening and weekend commitments and periodic travel for employer relations, conferences, and alumni engagement.
Serve as the institution’s chief strategist for career integration, setting a measurable, multi-year plan that links academic learning to career outcomes and post-graduate success.
Build and chair a Career Integration Council (faculty/staff/students/employers/alumni) to align priorities, scale effective practices, and remove barriers to participation.
Establish shared outcomes and transparent reporting for career integration and student success, including regular updates to senior leadership and relevant governance groups.
Lead change management and adoption across divisions, ensuring strategy translates into consistent practice, resourcing, and accountability.
Provide executive direction for CCPD operations, staffing, budget, policies, and service delivery.
Lead and develop a high-performing team of career professionals and student staff; establish expectations, coach performance, and invest in professional development tied to outcomes.
Ensure CCPD delivers high-impact career coaching and programs with equitable access across student identities, majors, and class years.
Maintain professional and ethical standards consistent with the field of career services.
Partner with faculty and academic leaders to make career readiness visible in the curriculum, helping students connect course learning to career competencies and employer expectations.
Support curriculum and assignment design that strengthens competencies aligned with NACE (e.g., communication, critical thinking, teamwork, professionalism, leadership, technology, career & self-development, equity/inclusion).
Develop faculty-friendly tools (templates, sample syllabus language, assignment and rubric templates) and deliver workshops that build faculty capacity to integrate career outcomes into teaching and advising.
Expand Rhodes’ signature career-integrated learning experiences (e.g., industry projects, client-based courses, Gen Ed modules, capstones with professional deliverables).
Lead strategy for experiential learning that connects classroom learning to professional practice (internships, micro-internships, practicums, research-to-work pathways, project-based learning).
Strengthen systems that increase access to opportunity (including paid experiences), with special attention to first-generation students and those with financial barriers.
Align student employment and campus work experiences with competencies and career readiness outcomes.
Create scalable pathways that support exploration early and targeted preparation later (career communities by industry/function, alumni mentoring, and milestone planning by class year).
Expand employer partnerships to grow internships, jobs, mentorship, and project-based collaborations, prioritizing industries and geographies aligned with student interest and alumni strength.
Partner with Development/Alumni Relations to activate alumni as mentors, hosts, recruiters, and donors, strengthening the career ecosystem around Rhodes students.
Elevate employer and alumni engagement through fairs, recruiting, networking, and targeted experiences that build social capital for all students.
Represent Rhodes externally through professional associations and regional and national partnerships, enhancing institutional visibility and outcomes.
Lead a comprehensive outcomes and assessment strategy, including First Destination outcomes, engagement metrics, learning outcomes, and program ROI; use findings to continuously improve services.
Strengthen the institution’s ability to translate learning into market language, leveraging career platforms, skills/portfolio documentation, resume analytics, and labor-market insights.
Prepare annual reports and contribute to institutional planning, accreditation narratives, and board-level updates as needed.
Master’s degree in higher education, counseling, business, organizational leadership, or related field required.
Eight (8) years of progressive leadership experience in career services, experiential learning, student success, employer relations, or related fields required; demonstrated success leading teams and complex initiatives required.
Demonstrated expertise in career readiness frameworks and outcomes-based program design, including NACE competencies required.
Proven ability to build strong partnerships with faculty, academic leadership, employers, alumni, and external stakeholders required.
Strong analytical skills, communication, and executive presence required; able to influence, align, and deliver results across competing priorities required.
Terminal degree (EdD/PhD) or equivalent senior leadership experience preferred.
Experience in a liberal arts college environment and/or integrating career readiness into curriculum at scale preferred.
Demonstrated success leveraging career technologies (e.g., Handshake, assessments, e-portfolios/resume analytics tools, LMS integrations) preferred.
Fundraising partnership experience or experience building donor-supported career initiatives preferred.
Benefits Highlights:
403 (b) Retirement
Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
Vacation Time (23 days)
Sick Time (12 days)
Paid Holidays (21 days)
Employee Assistance Program
Long-Term & Short-Term Disability
Life and AD&D Insurance
Tuition Remission
For a full list of our benefits and additional information, please navigate to our benefits site.
Rhodes is an equal opportunity employer that offers an excellent benefits package and a great working environment.
A complete application includes a cover letter and a resume.