Department

ESA Deputy Director Pre Professional Programs & Career Preparation

About the Department

Career Advancement serves a student population of approximately 6,000 arts and sciences undergraduate students, in addition to alumni who have graduated within the last five years. Career Advancement plays a vital role in ensuring our students’ success after graduation. Career Advancement offers innovative and comprehensive career development services focusing on pre-professional preparation, experiential education, and access to internship and full-time opportunities. Through career advising, programs, and comprehensive resources, Career Advancement supports undergraduate students and alumni as they develop the skills necessary to manage their career development while working with alumni and employers to provide students with meaningful opportunities. For more information, please visit the Career Advancement website at careeradvancement.uchicago.edu.

Job Summary

UChicago Career Advancement’s Careers In Law programs builds on the world-class UChicago liberal arts foundation to give students a competitive edge in their professional development. Careers in Law (CIL) is a non-selective program open to all students and alumni of the College who are interested in careers in law. Through workshops, presentations, internships, and one-on-one advising, CIL seeks to support students as they decide whether a career in law is a good fit for them. UChicago Careers in Law also helps students prepare strong, successful applications to law school.

Reporting to CIL’s Program Director, the Assistant Director will utilize in-depth knowledge and industry expertise to prepare students for a career in law and/or at the intersection of law and public policy. This individual will use best practices and professional experience to provide one-on-one advising, coaching, and resume/cover letter/law school application reviews for students, assist with planning and developing content for student workshops and programming, organize and lead career exploration treks, and support the management of outcomes reporting and analytics. The Assistant Director will also develop, and manage relationships with our employer partners to create internship and full-time opportunities for our students, support the administration of the Law and Politics and Rising Attorneys Program selective cohorts, and teach a Legal Research and Writing Seminar to students twice a year.

Responsibilities

• Utilizes first-hand knowledge and skills gained from recent industry experience to successfully counsel and advise CIL students interested in law school, as well as those pursuing a career in various fields, including law and related policy careers.
• Collaborates with Law School librarians to design and teach a legal writing and research seminar twice yearly.
• Offers one-on-one advising meetings with students to advise on professional resumes/cover letters, general career guidance, and industry exploration discussions.
• Plans, designs, and leads the execution of student workshops and programming.
• Organizes and leads career exploration treks. This includes, but is not limited to, connecting with firms/government offices and legal nonprofits, and alumni, developing the trek schedule and logistics, and accompanying students during the trek.
• Maintains efficient methods to track student data, quantify student engagement, and report on student outcomes.
• Identifies and conducts outreach with employers for internships and full-time opportunities and manages relationships with existing employer partners.
• Develops and maintains relationships with campus partners and various Registered Student Organizations (RSOs).
• Leads the Law and Politics and Rising Attorneys Program selective cohorts.
• Conducts job search and career management related large lectures, hands-on workshops, special events, training programs, and one-on-one career coaching sessions. Acts as a resource for and directs students to other career resources as needed.
• Analyzes markets and trends as they relate to job searches. Assesses student feedback and evaluations and collaborates with other career services staff members, student organizations, or other staff to determine program offerings and innovations.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 5-7 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Certifications:

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Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree.
• Advanced degree or JD.

Experience:

• Minimum of five years of professional experience working in a law firm, a legal advocacy organization, public policy, political or other related organization.
• Developing and delivering presentations.
• Working with college-aged students and/or recent college graduates strongly preferred; experience developing and managing an internship program a plus.

Technical Skills or Knowledge:

• Proficient in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint.
• Expertise in counseling, program development, or a related area.
• Knowledge of career development theory and strong coaching or counseling skills.
• Knowledge of and experience in legal writing.
• Basic skills with Handshake and Salesforce is a plus.

Preferred Competencies

• Deep commitment to customer service and multitask, meet deadlines, and work successfully in a fast-paced environment.
• Expertise in program development or a related area.
• Demonstrated success in maintaining collaborative relationships with diverse constituencies.
• Strong coaching or counseling skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Strong interpersonal, quantitative, and networking skills.
• Communicate with large groups and one-on-one with students, senior management, faculty, and alumni.

Working Conditions

• Work evening hours and weekends on occasion, generally 1-2 days per month.
• Travel two to three times per year.

Application Documents

• Resume/CV (required)
• Cover Letter/Statement of Interest (required)
• Professional References Contact Information (3)(required)

Job Family

Student Affairs & Services

Role Impact

Individual Contributor

Scheduled Weekly Hours

37.5

Drug Test Required

No

Health Screen Required

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required

No

Pay Rate Type

Salary

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FLSA Status

Exempt

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Pay Range

$88,000.00 - $115,000.00

The included pay rate or range represents the University’s good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.

Benefits Eligible

Yes

The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook.

Posting Statement

The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history. A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment. Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

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