Director of Employer Relations

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Bargaining Unit:
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• End Date if Temporary:
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Standard Work Schedule:
• Building:
• Salary Range: $100,000-$115,000

Position Summary

Reporting to the Executive Director of the Career Advancement Center (CAC), the Director of Employer Relations has responsibility for an assigned employer-relations portfolio covering defined School of International Public Affairs (SIPA) concentrations and degree programs. The Director is accountable for developing, implementing, and continuously improving the portfolio’s annual employer-engagement strategy. The role leads the full arc of employer engagement for the assigned portfolio, including business development, senior external partner relationship management, recruiting strategy, market intelligence, employer programming, employment outcomes, and advanced student and alumni advising.

The Director operates with a high degree of independence and minor supervision, using labor-market, employer, recruiting, and outcomes data to set portfolio priorities, advise the Executive Director and internal partners on employer strategy and student preparation, and make portfolio-level decisions regarding employer targeting, outreach cadence, recruiting-cycle planning, event strategy, and use of approved portfolio resources. The role serves as the dedicated employer-relations counterpart to faculty directors, students, alumni, and student groups within the assigned portfolio and represents SIPA to senior employers and institutional leaders across the portfolio’s sectors.

The Director leads employer-relations operations for the assigned portfolio by establishing and implementing employer-relations procedures, coordinating employer activity across relevant programs and sectors, assigning and prioritizing work for coordinators and student employees, training team members on employer-relations practices and systems, and ensuring consistent execution of recruiting, programming, platform, and outcomes workflows. The Director also manages the assigned portfolio’s operations and approved budget, monitors resource use, recommends budget and resource priorities, and escalates matters involving significant policy, reputational, financial, or institutional risk to the Executive Director.

Responsibilities: 

• Develop and manage the assigned employer portfolio by independently identifying and prioritizing new employer targets, cultivating senior-level employer relationships, deepening and expanding established partnerships, and converting employer engagement into internships, fellowships, and full-time opportunities for students and alumni.
• Use employer feedback, hiring trends, recruiting activity, and outcomes data to assess relationship effectiveness and adjust outreach strategy to meet portfolio goals.
• Develop and apply sector market intelligence to set annual employer-engagement priorities for the portfolio, identify emerging hiring markets, assess evolving skill demands, including the impact of AI on policy and analytical work, and advise the Executive Director, faculty partners, and CAC colleagues on changes to employer strategy, recruiting practices, and student preparation.
• Establish, implement, and continuously improve portfolio employer-relations procedures, including employer tiering, outreach cadence, recruiting-cycle planning, employer vetting, job-posting standards, recruiting-platform workflows, event follow-up protocols, and outcomes-verification practices; train coordinators, student employees, and relevant CAC partners on these procedures to ensure consistent execution.
• Design, prioritize, and oversee the portfolio’s year-round employer programming strategy, including information sessions, site visits, networking events, full-day Boot Camps, and conference panels; determine the appropriate mix of events based on employer demand, student interest, labor-market trends, and outcomes data; assign related work to coordinators and student employees and ensure deadlines, logistics, and follow-up are completed.
• Provide advanced, employer-specific advising to students and alumni, including employer targeting, introduction strategy, positioning for competitive sectors, interview and networking strategy, and individualized job-search escalation for complex cases; use recurring advising themes to recommend portfolio-level programming, employer outreach, and curriculum-adjacent preparation priorities.
• Serve as the primary employer-relations partner to the portfolio’s faculty directors, students, alumni, and student groups; use employer feedback, labor-market trends, recruiting activity, and outcomes data to align employer strategy with curricular strengths and student career goals; advise faculty partners and CAC leadership on portfolio employer priorities, programming opportunities, and student-preparation needs; and translate those priorities into targeted employer outreach, events, and recruiting opportunities.
• Oversee collection, verification, analysis, and use of employment-outcomes data for the portfolio’s cohorts in support of the Graduate Employment Survey and CAC outcomes reporting; identify trends, gaps, and employer-development opportunities and recommend changes to portfolio strategy based on the data.
• Serve as SIPA’s senior employer-relations representative for the assigned portfolio, cultivating and stewarding relationships with senior employers, institutional leaders, alumni, and strategic partners across the portfolio’s domestic and international sectors; develop portfolio-specific messaging that markets SIPA’s talent, academic strengths, and employment outcomes; identify and advance high-value internship, fellowship, full-time recruiting, site-visit, and partnership opportunities; independently prepare for and conduct employer meetings, resolve portfolio-level employer concerns within approved guidelines, and travel domestically and internationally as needed to cultivate and maintain priority relationships.
• Directly supervise assigned staff, train staff on employer-relations procedures and systems, provide regular feedback, contribute to performance evaluations, and participate in hiring or selection processes as appropriate under university and collective bargaining procedures.
• Design and manage the assigned portfolio’s annual operating budget for employer-relations activities, including employer events, travel, recruiting activity, platform-related needs, and student employee support. Prepare budget recommendations for the Executive Director, monitor actuals against plan, authorize routine expenditures within approved thresholds, recommend resource reallocations, and ensure compliance with university financial policies.
• Independently make portfolio-level decisions regarding employer targeting, outreach prioritization, student-employer matching strategy, event format, recruiting-cycle planning, and use of approved portfolio resources; escalate exceptions involving significant policy, reputational, contractual, or financial risk to the Executive Director.
• Lead cross-functional partnerships with Admissions, Alumni Relations, Development, and program staff to align employer-relations strategy with student recruitment, alumni engagement, development priorities, program initiatives, and career outcomes; provide employer-market insights and portfolio data to inform CAC planning; develop and implement shared practices, communications, and workflows that support coordinated employer engagement across the assigned portfolio and represent the portfolio in CAC planning and unit-wide initiatives.
• Perform related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent and a minimum of five years of directly related experience in employer relations, business development, recruiting, industry outreach, or career services, including demonstrated experience leading projects or operations, using data to inform strategy, and assigning or overseeing the work of staff, student employees, vendors, or cross-functional partners.
• Demonstrated experience managing an operating budget, developing budget recommendations, monitoring expenditures, or managing resources for programs, events, recruiting, business development, or employer-relations activities.
• Strong strategic planning, analytical, and communication skills, with demonstrated ability to gather, interpret, and apply labor-market, employer, recruiting, and outcomes data to set portfolio priorities, evaluate employer-engagement effectiveness, and recommend changes to employer-relations strategy, programming, and student preparation.
• Outstanding interpersonal, consultative, and writing skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with senior employers, faculty, students, alumni, and University partners; demonstrated commitment to responsive, high-quality client service and sound professional judgment in managing complex stakeholder relationships.
• Proficiency with MS Office and familiarity with recruiting/CRM systems (e.g., 12twenty) and online job/internship platforms.

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Master’s degree in a related field (e.g., international or public affairs, education, or business).
• Five or more years of progressively responsible experience, including formal or functional supervision, staff training, budget/resource management, employer-relations strategy, recruiting operations, or career-services leadership. Industry experience in one or more of the portfolio’s sectors.
• Professional experience in career services, recruiting, or human resources.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.