MBA Career Services Manager

Western Washington University, with over 15,000 students in seven colleges and the graduate school, is nationally recognized for its educational programs, students and faculty. The campus is located in Bellingham, Washington, a coastal community of 90,000 overlooking Bellingham Bay, the San Juan Islands and the North Cascades Mountain range. The city lies 90 miles north of Seattle and 60 miles south of Vancouver, British Columbia. Western has additional sites in Anacortes, Bremerton, Everett, Port Angeles, and Poulsbo. Western is recognized nationally for its successes, such as being named one of the top public master's-granting institutions in the Pacific Northwest for 25 years in a row by U.S. News & World Report.

Western Washington University is committed to achieving excellence through advancing inclusive success, increasing our Washington impact, and focusing on transformational education grounded in the liberal arts and sciences and based on innovative scholarship, research, and creative activity. Western's greatest strength is the outstanding students, faculty, staff, and alumni/ae who make up its community. Western supports an inclusive governance structure for all and provides a learning and working environment in which everyone can thrive. In pursuit of this excellence, individual employees are expected to establish and maintain productive and effective inclusive working relationships amongst diverse populations including staff, faculty, administration, student, and external constituents. Further, individual employees are expected to have the ability to operationalize sustainability concepts (economic, societal, environmental) into all aspects of performing their job duties.

The College of Business and Economics at WWU is a student-centered community of scholars and professionals dedicated to providing students with the foundation necessary to have a lifelong positive impact on business and society. 

The primary purpose of this position is to provide career development opportunities for students enrolled in Graduate Programs in the College of Business and Economics (CBE), specifically those enrolled in the Masters of Business Administration (MBA) program and to a lesser degree Masters of Professional Accounting (MPACC) program. By designing career related programming, offering one-on-one counseling and advising services, and hosting events for students, the role supports graduate students in fulfilling career related requirements of their program, and meeting their individual employment goals as they near graduation. When not working with students directly, the person in this position will work closely with relevant employers in the Northwest region to foster employment and internship opportunities for students, as well as engage regularly with the MBA Operations team, the campus-wide Career Services office, and their CBE Career Services colleagues. Career placement at graduation is essential to the mission of the programs, and the career services office provides an integral support role in helping our students reach their goals, and ultimately has a great deal of influence on their overall satisfaction when they graduate.

This is a permanent, part-time (.5FTE) position.

Position Duties and Responsibilities

35% - Designing, directing, and delivering programs, services, and events specific to graduate student career services in CBE.

Planning special events for students and employers related to MBA career services. Determine, assign, and review work of Graduate Assistant working on behalf of MBA Program Career Services. Maintain documentation regarding student placements and report data to MBA Operations team and campus-wide Career Services office. Manage MBA Mentorship Program which helps to connect current students with MBA alumni, relevant faculty, and other targeted working professionals in the student's area of interest.

35% - Tailored career and internship planning with graduate students in CBE.

Hosting group and one-on-one career counseling sessions with current students to help them plan strategic internship choices, and act as point person for all internship related requirements and paperwork (proper submittal of online proposal, employer evaluations, and final paper). Help students develop a plan for successful job placement upon graduation from the MBA Program. Role also includes developing and fostering internship pipelines that mesh with the MBA student schedules, which involves regular connections with hiring stakeholders (HR professionals, alumni, Foundation, etc.).

10% - Integrated work with the MBA Operations team, campus-wide Career Services Offices and CBE Career Support Team.

Attend regularly scheduled MBA Operations team meetings, quarterly MBA Advisory Board Meetings, and report monthly to Faculty Curriculum Committee on matters related to MBA Career Services. Attend regularly scheduled meetings with campus and college-wide Career Services to help maintain connection to campus-wide resources and events.

10% - Meet with and foster relationships with external stakeholders.

Building and maintaining relationships with MBA alumni, faculty members, advisory board members, University partners (Outreach and Continuing Education, departments offering internships, etc.), regional employers, outside partners (SHRM for example), and other local organizations for the benefit of our current students and their career aspirations. Hosting or co-hosting events as the career services representative.

10% - Additional duties/responsibilities

Lead Advisor for MBA Association (MBA student club); Help reviewing MBA applicants as needed (specifically their work experience and work prospects); Assisting MPACC students in fall quarter under guidance from the Accounting Department; Leading Career Development subcommittee for the MBA Program Advisory Board (1-2 times per year); engagement in all MBA orientation sessions when new cohorts are launched; Support for MBA Lunch and Learn and Speaker Series

• Minimum of five years of professional experience in Career Services, Human Resources, Recruiting, Student Advising or other relevant field
• Bachelor’s degree (additional work experience beyond the minimum 5 years may substitute for the Bachelor’s degree requirement)
• Strong advising and coaching skills
• Ability to conduct presentations - both internally and externally and using relevant technology
• Ability to professionally represent WWU to external and internal stakeholders
• Excellent organization and time-management skills
• Technological proficiency online and with common software (such as Zoom, MS Teams, Powerpoint, Excel or other data visualization tools)
• Understanding of AI and how it impacts students in their job search
• Ability to work with and advise students that have varying levels of professional work experience

• MBA or other Masters degree
• Prior experience in advising/coaching professionals or Masters level students

Benefits Overview for Administrative Professional Position.

A cover letter and resume are required and should address your experience related to the position responsibilities and the required and preferred qualifications. Please include the names and contact information of three professional references. References will only be contacted if necessary, with notice provided beforehand.

Western Washington University (WWU) is an equal opportunity employer. In compliance with applicable laws, WWU does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, age, citizenship or immigration status, pregnancy, use of protective leave, genetic status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, creed, religion, veteran or military status, disability or the use of a trained guide dog or service animal (including a service animal in training) by a person with a disability, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law, in its programs or activities, including employment, admissions, and educational programs. See WWU’s Policies on Prohibiting Discrimination Based on A Protected Class and Prohibiting Discrimination Based on Sex. Inquiries may be directed to the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance, Title IX and ADA Coordinator, Western Washington University, Old Main 126 (MS 9021), 516 High Street, Bellingham, WA 98225; 360.650.3307 (voice) or 711 (Washington Relay); [email protected]

WWU is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. To request this document in an alternate format or to request an accommodation, please contact Human Resources Disability Services, 360.650.3751 or 711 (Washington Relay).

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All new employees must comply with the immunization policy and show employment eligibility verification as required by the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Service before beginning work at WWU. A thorough background check will be conducted on all new hires which includes a sexual misconduct background check.