Student Employment Specialist

Hood College seeks a collaborative, student-centered, and career-readiness-focused Student Employment Specialist to strengthen the quality, accessibility, and impact of on-campus student employment as part of the College’s U.S. Department of Education Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP) grant, Student Success in the AI Era: Advancing Retention, Completion, and Workforce Readiness at Hood College . This position helps make student employment a meaningful component of student success, retention, and preparation for the workforce. This is a temporary grant funded position. Under the general direction of the Director of Career Development and Experiential Education, the Student Employment Specialist works with campus departments to expand meaningful employment opportunities and help students recognize, develop, and communicate the skills gained through campus jobs. In collaboration with Human Resources, Financial Aid, campus employers and supervisors, and other College offices, the Specialist promotes alignment between student work experiences and the NACE Career Readiness Competencies. The position supports students in meeting financial needs while gaining experience in the workplace, building confidence, and developing skills they can discuss with prospective internship and full-time employers. Essential Duties include the following. Other duties may be assigned. Program Development and Campus Partnerships — 25% Develop and advance an expanded vision for on-campus student employment that emphasizes student learning, career readiness, meaningful work, and the value of student contributions to the College. Build relationships with campus departments and supervisors to identify ongoing employment needs and adapt current positions if appropriate. Collaborate with Human Resources, Financial Aid, and other relevant offices to coordinate program priorities, communicate student and supervisor needs, and refer operational or policy questions to the appropriate office. Partner with Financial Aid team to provide orientation to the student employment process and direct students to the appropriate online forms, documents, information, instructions, and next steps. Represent Student Employment in meetings and College activities as appropriate. Career Readiness — 25% Integrate the NACE Career Readiness Competencies into student employment resources, programming, supervisor guidance, and opportunities for student reflection. Help students identify and describe career readiness competencies and transferable skills developed through campus work, including communication, teamwork, critical thinking, professionalism, leadership, technology, career and self-development, and equity and inclusion. Promote practical strategies for students to document accomplishments, recognize growth, gather examples of their skills, and articulate the value of their campus employment to prospective employers. Explore and develop student employment recognition initiatives, including opportunities to celebrate student employees and supervisors who demonstrate effective mentoring, skill development, and meaningful workplace learning. Explore skills-based certificates, badges, or other recognition pathways that help students document demonstrated career competencies gained through campus employment, in collaboration with relevant campus partners. Collaborate with career development colleagues to connect student employment with career advising, career exploration, experiential learning, and other career-readiness services. Supervisor Engagement and Job Design — 20% Provide guidance and resources to campus supervisors on creating student jobs with clear responsibilities, learning goals, appropriate levels of challenge, and opportunities to build workplace competencies. Partner with Human Resources to develop and facilitate supervisor orientations, workshops, and professional development on topics such as onboarding, communication, feedback, mentoring, student learning, and career competency development. Encourage supervisors to discuss learning goals with student employees, provide constructive feedback, and help students recognize how their work contributes to departmental and College goals. Share effective practices that support consistent, inclusive, and developmentally meaningful student employment experiences across campus. Student Outreach, Engagement, and Program Activities — 15% Promote on-campus employment opportunities and communicate the educational, financial, and career-development value of student work to students and campus partners. Create and maintain student-facing resources that explain how to approach campus employment as a learning experience and how to communicate resulting skills to future employers. Support an inclusive student employment culture that respects diverse backgrounds, experiences, identities, and career goals. Assessment, Records, and Continuous Improvement — 15% Develop and use feedback methods to assess student and supervisor experiences, perceived skill development, program participation, and opportunities for improvement. Use assessment findings, campus feedback, and emerging career-readiness practices to recommend improvements to student employment programming, supervisor resources, job design, and student access to meaningful work. Maintain and update program communications, web content, guides, and educational materials in collaboration with appropriate College partners. Share program outcomes and recommendations with the Director of Career Development and Experiential Education and other stakeholders as appropriate, including how student employment contributes to career readiness and broader student success goals. Weekly Work Hours: 37.5 hours; some program activities may require occasional evening or weekend availability, as applicable. The position is an on-campus role. Qualifications We seek a candidate who values diversity, equity, and inclusion in all that they do. Candidates must have strong organizational skills and a proven ability to collaborate with partners across campus in support of Hood College’s mission as a student-centered, liberal arts institution. To perform this job successfully, the individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Education and/or Experience Minimum Requirements/Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in education, human services, social sciences, or related fields, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience. Minimum of 2 years of experience in higher education, program management, career development, financial aid, student success, human resources, or a related area. Strong organizational and project management skills, including the ability to coordinate multiple activities, manage priorities, and meet deadlines. Experience building relationships with students, faculty, staff, supervisors, and other campus partners. Ability to exercise sound judgment, handle sensitive information appropriately, and refer policy, compliance, payroll, or financial aid determinations to the appropriate College office. Proficient with data analysis and reporting to various audiences. Preferred Skills and Characteristics Master’s degree in higher education administration, counseling, human resources, organizational development, or a related Experience building or improving student employment, career readiness, workforce development, or experiential learning programs. Familiarity with the NACE Career Readiness Competencies and approaches to translating experiential learning into employer-facing skills language. Experience designing and facilitating workshops, training sessions, orientations, or professional development activities. Knowledge of higher education student employment practices and familiarity with the roles of Human Resources, Financial Aid, and campus hiring supervisors. Technology Skills Proficient in MS Office tools (Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint), e-mail, and Internet. Ability to learn new applications quickly, including organization-wide information systems and department-specific software applications. Familiarity with career services platforms, HR systems, or data-reporting applications is preferred. Language Skills Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare professional correspondence, program materials, instructions, presentations, and reports. Ability to communicate clearly and professionally with internal and external individuals from varied backgrounds and levels of professional experience. Mathematical Skills Ability to perform basic mathematical calculations and maintain accurate program records, including participation data, attendance, and assessment results. Ability to organize and interpret quantitative information to support program evaluation and reporting. Reasoning Ability Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a number of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form. Ability to work independently and as a member of a group in developing and executing project plans. Ability to work in the theoretical arena and apply logic as appropriate. Physical Demands The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand; walk; use fingers, hands, reach with hands and arms; and talk and hear. The employee is required to sit. The employee may occasionally be required to stand and lift and move up to twenty-five pounds. Specific vision abilities required include close vision. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. Work Environment The work environment described here is representative of what an employee will encounter while performing the essential functions of this job. The noise level is usually moderate and could include interaction with other employees, students, the public, telephones, and other office equipment. Compensation This is a position with an annual starting salary range of $49,500 to $55,000 depending on circumstances including an applicant’s skills and qualifications, certain degrees and certifications, prior job experience, training, and other relevant factors. Hood College has provided a compensation range representing its good faith estimate of what the College may pay for the position at the time of posting. The College may ultimately pay more or less than the posted compensation range. Hood College offers excellent benefits , including medical, dental, vision, retirement, paid time off, and tuition benefits. Learn more about Hood College . This benefits-eligible position is funded through the U.S. Department of Education Strengthening Institutions Program (Title III) grant and is contingent upon continued grant funding and satisfactory performance. The position is anticipated to be funded for the duration of the five-year grant period. The Strengthening Institutions Program is supported by the Departments of Labor and Education. A total of $2.7 million for this five-year grant will be financed with federal funds. To Apply We invite qualified candidates to apply online via our electronic application which requires submission of a cover letter, resumé and three professional references. If you need assistance with the online application process, please email humanresources@hood.edu or call (301) 696-3592. Hood College does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, marital status, pregnancy, disability, religion, or age in recruitment, admission and access to, or treatment, or employment in its programs, services, benefits, or activities as required by applicable laws including Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and complies with the law regarding reasonable accommodation for disabled applicants and students. Inquiries about discrimination or reasonable accommodation should be referred to the Title IX and Section 504 Coordinator at Alumnae Hall, 401 Rosemont Avenue, Frederick, MD. 21701 (AD 308), (301) 696-3123. For complete information on Hood College’s nondiscrimination policy, please visit http://www.hood.edu/non-discrimination/ Grant Funding Statement This benefits-eligible position is funded through the U.S. Department of Education Strengthening Institutions Program (Title III) grant and is contingent upon continued grant funding and satisfactory performance. The position is anticipated to be funded for the duration of the five-year grant period. The Strengthening Institutions Program is supported by the Departments of Labor and Education. A total of $2.7 million for this five-year grant will be financed with federal funds.