THE OPPORTUNITY

Georgia Institute of Technology Career Center invites inquiries, nominations, and applications for the position of director of employer connections. Founded in 1885, Georgia Institute of Technology is one of the nation’s premier research universities. The Institute consistently ranks among U.S. News & World Report‘s top ten public universities. Comprised of six colleges—Design, Engineering, Sciences, Computing, Business, and Liberal Arts, Georgia Tech enrolls over 40,000 academically talented undergraduate and graduate students and is rated among the top universities in the nation for the graduation of underrepresented minorities in engineering, computer science, and mathematics. The Georgia Tech campus occupies 400 acres in the heart of the vibrant city of Atlanta, which is well known for its excellent quality of life. Innovative in its outlook, Georgia Tech is committed to improving the human condition through advanced science and technology.
In 2021, Georgia Tech ranked #1 in The Princeton Review for Career Placement and #2 in The Princeton Review for college internships. They ranked #4 in Co-op & Internship Programs and Innovative Schools in U.S. News & World Report‘s annual ratings. These recognitions highlight the corporate partnerships and employers attracted to the rapidly evolving industry hub that Atlanta and particularly the Georgia Tech campus is becoming.

The Position

HISTORY OF THE POSITION

The position has been vacant since 2020. James Barricelli served as the director before his promotion into the executive director role.

ROLE OF THE DIRECTOR OF EMPLOYER CONNECTIONS

Reporting to the executive director, the director of employer connections leads the work to strategically grow and maintain employer connections, which measurably impact the opportunities for all students and alumni. Their primary goal will be to lead the effort to grow and maintain the elite brand and the diverse set of employers engaging the Georgia Tech campus. Serving as part of the Career Center leadership team, they will craft a robust vision for employer development, acting as a connector within the office, division, and Georgia Tech community to facilitate opportunities for internships & co‐op, employment, and partnerships across the Institute. This position will interact consistently with the Career Center leadership and staff, students, faculty, alumni, and employer representatives. This position will supervise Employer Connections coordinators, tech temps, and student assistants. While the position requires some travel and a flexible schedule, Georgia Tech has developed a policy for staff remote work.

Other specific duties for the director, as outlined in the position description, include:

• Design and implement an integrated employer relations strategy for Georgia Tech students and partners.

• Lead and mentor the employer connections team and other staff engaged with employer
connections efforts; hire, train, and equip new staff as needed.

• Oversee the cultivation and management of employer relationships for the campus, serving
students, alumni, faculty, and other relevant constituents within the Georgia Tech community.

• Maintain and expand relationships with employers in the greater Atlanta community; expand relationships with regional, national, and international organizations. Represent Georgia Tech to the external community, professional associations, and relevant career and workforce development initiatives.

• Lead a campus-wide Employer Relations Network, which will engage key employer partners further into the Georgia Tech campus. Collaborate internally to ensure employer activity on campus is managed and executed effectively; support the administration of internships and co‐op experiences; lead office efforts to create and develop partnerships with the Alumni Association and the Corporate Relationship office; in collaboration with the director of career education, build successful partnerships with academic divisions.

• Develop, implement, and measure the outcomes of Career Center annual goals and objectives related to employer connections; compile and report office‐wide quantitative data related toemployer-related relations programs and activities.

• Manage the Employer Connections team to provide operational and program support for all aspects of on‐campus interviewing, information sessions, career fairs, and related
functions.

• Collaborate with unit and division leadership to develop and execute strategic plans, goals,
and objectives relevant to multiple functional areas within the Career Center and across the
Institute.

OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES OF THE ROLE

Campus stakeholders articulated many opportunities and challenges for the new director, and the following are common themes that were highlighted.

Support for all Academic Areas. The new director must support students in all six colleges at Georgia Tech. There is concern that some colleges receive more employer and job assistance than others, and the new director will work to give equal support to all academic disciplines.

Connected to Best Practices. Through experience and professional networks, the new director should understand career services and current trends in higher education.

Business Development. The new director will work to expand relationships with all types of businesses and organizations. This outreach will span from local to international entities, and the director will develop the networks and opportunities for partnerships.

Collaboration with Internal and External Partners. The new director will forge significant partnerships with internal partners across campus and be a bridge to employers throughout the region and country that seek Georgia Tech graduates.

Growth Mindset. The new director will bring an entrepreneurial, solution-based attitude to the work and cultivate the same in others.

Staff Development. The new director will develop the professional staff in employer connections
with training, professional development, and coaching. They will assess current practices and build upon the area’s strengths to have a cohesive, highly functioning team.

 

 

Strategic Planning. The new director must demonstrate a leadership style that is credible and collegial while being highly effective. It is expected that the director will develop strategic outcomes that focus on employer relationships as they relate to students’ career success.

Change Management. The new director will be courageous in building new relationships, advancing innovation, thinking outside the box, and pushing the career center staff to address challenges with creativity and ambition.

Improved Communications. Model high-quality information sharing within the organization and to external stakeholders.

Nimble and Adaptive. The new director should adapt quickly to changes in external work environments and industry needs.

Organization and Management Skills. The new director should possess exceptional organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple projects & priorities simultaneously.

MEASURES OF SUCCESS

At an appropriate interval after joining the Georgia Institute of Technology, the following will initially define success for the director of employer connections.

  • The director has demonstrated that they are a valuable thought leader, joining the executive director in advancing strategic priorities for the career center and students.
  • The director has established significant partnerships with leaders on campus and in the community to enhance opportunities for students with employers. They have been identified as a connector for all constituency groups internal and external to campus.
  • The department has an increased focus on business development and enhanced collaborations across campus. This focus recognizes trends, partnerships, and a general emphasis on increased student opportunities.
  • The director is known as an exceptional advocate. Student leaders and university colleagues seek their knowledge and support for initiatives positively affecting student employment and experience.
  • The director has worked to build improved communications with all campus partners.
  • The director has cultivated an atmosphere conducive to rethinking and innovation throughout the department, viewing all work as increased student opportunities.

Qualifications

QUALIFICATIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS

The successful candidate will possess a master’s degree in higher education, business, social sciences, STEM field, or a related field and have a minimum of five years of related professional experience. Preferred experience for this position includes college recruiting, university relations, or university career services; demonstrated leadership in building relationships and networks; experience leading change and innovation, resulting in a high level of performance outcomes; expertise and understanding of emerging trends and innovations within the field of higher education, recruitment, and employment; strong ability to collaborate with multiple and diverse constituents to accomplish goals; analytical mind and problem solver with the ability to think systemically; and demonstrated experience in generating revenue opportunities through external partnerships with corporations and donors. This job requires a working knowledge of office-related computer applications; advanced skills in program management and administration; and advanced skills in leadership, organization, communication, strategic planning, marketing/promotion, public speaking, and administration.

Additionally, the following characteristics and attributes were identified by various stakeholders when considering the position of director of employer connections.

  • Advance forward-thinking and innovative ideas to keep the center at the forefront of trends and best practices
  • Possess a high degree of positive energy and enthusiasm to inspire, motivate, empower, and stimulate students and staff to achieve their full potential
  • Understand the challenges, needs, and unique capabilities of Georgia Tech students
  • Be adaptable to changing conditions and demonstrate the ability to implement effective change management strategies
  • Exhibit strategic thinking and an ability to lead discussions regarding career services
  • Serve as an astute relationship-builder forging collaborative partnerships with academic colleges, alumni, student and academic services, the campus community, and employers
  • Create a culture that values measurable outcomes, assessment, and accountability
  • Exhibit the ability to succeed in business development and understand the importance of partnerships with various industries and organizations for students
  • Be a hands-on leader and when necessary, delegate appropriate responsibilities to staff members, and ensure accountability for outcomes
  • Empower staff to reach personal and professional goals through a supportive work environment, positive staff development, and strategic planning

Institution & Location

OVERVIEW OF THE CAREER CENTER

The Georgia Tech Career Center reports jointly to the Office of Undergraduate Education and Graduate & Postdoctoral Education. The Career Center is divided into groups that handle different roles and responsibilities in the office:
Career Education
Employer Connections
Co-op & Experiential Education
Graduate Career Development
Pre-Graduate & Pre-Professional Programs (housed in the Career Center)

https://career.gatech.edu/

Career Center Leadership

James Barricelli – Executive Director of the Career Center

James Barricelli has been with Georgia Tech since November 2018 and the executive director since June 2020. With more than 15 years of experience in career services, he has successfully led teams at several institutions such as Wake Forest University, UNC-Chapel Hill, George Washington University, George Mason University, and Florida State University.

Barricelli reports directly to the Associate Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, Dr. Steven Girardot and the Vice Provost for Graduate & Postdoctoral Education, Dr. Bonnie Ferri. He oversees and implements the transformation of career services, undergraduate cooperative and work-based experiential education, and professional development activities. He collaborates with leadership in graduate career services and pre-professional advising to ensure seamless integration of these services and programs, providing students across all colleges are well-served by the center.

Barricelli has served in leadership roles for several professional associations, including the American College Personnel Association and the Virginia Association of College and Employers. Barricelli earned his Bachelor of Arts in History at Utica College of Syracuse University and a Master of Arts in Higher Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

CAREER CENTER MISSION, VISION, AND  CORE VALUES

Mission Statement

To transform career education and college hiring to be more equitable and socially-conscious.

Vision Statement

To unleash potential.

Core Values

Our Strategy Guided by Values, Reinforced Through Culture
Our values are foundational in everything we do. They are our lodestar. Values define who we are and who we aspire to be as a community. They help us make decisions. They refer to an inclusive “we” and apply to every member of the Georgia Tech community—student, faculty, staff, alumni, and affiliate. No matter the role, the values are meant to guide our priorities every day, to help us focus on our essential, shared mission.
https://strategicplan.gatech.edu/values

INSTITUTIONAL LEADERSHIP OVERVIEW

Leadership

Ángel Cabrera – President, Georgia Tech

Ángel Cabrera is the 12th president of the Georgia Institute of Technology. Dr. Cabrera came to Georgia Tech on September 1, 2019, after serving for seven years as president of George Mason University (GMU) in Virginia. During his presidency, GMU joined the top tier of research universities in the Carnegie Classification and was the fastest-growing institution in the state. Before leading GMU, Dr. Cabrera was president of the Thunderbird School of Global Management, now part of Arizona State University, and dean of I.E. Business School in Madrid.
Under Dr. Cabrera’s leadership, more than 5,700 members of the Georgia Tech community contributed to a new 10-year strategic plan launched in November 2020. The program is grounded on a new mission statement that reaffirms Tech’s commitment to “developing leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition.”
As president during the Covid-19 pandemic, Dr. Cabrera has led the Institute through one of the most critical times in its history to break records in student applications and enrollment, graduation rates, and research awards. Today, Georgia Tech is one of the fastest growing and most research-intensive universities in the nation.

Bonnie Ferri – Vice Provost for Graduate and Postdoctoral Education

Dr. Bonnie Ferri is the vice provost for Graduate and Postdoctoral Education at Georgia Tech, and she is a professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE). Dr. Ferri previously was the associate chair for Undergraduate Affairs in ECE and the associate chair for Graduate Affairs in ECE. She does research in embedded control systems and in engineering education.

Dr. Ferri has received many honors and awards including the 2017 IEEE Undergraduate Teaching Award and the 2016 Regent’s Award for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. She is the co-chair of a campuswide commission at Georgia Tech on the future of higher education and she was an invited speaker at a National Academy of Engineering workshop on education. Dr. Ferri has been active with the IEEE Control Systems Society and served two terms on its Board of Governors. She was the program chair for the 1998 American Control Conference and will be the general chair for that conference in 2022.

Dr. Ferri received the BS degree in Electrical Engineering from Notre Dame and the MS degree in Mechanical Engineering and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton. She then worked for Honeywell for two years before returning to school to earn her PhD in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Tech. Her research interests include embedded control systems, engineering education, and real-time computing.

Steven Girardot – Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education

Dr. Steven P. Girardot, vice provost for undergraduate education, has over twenty years of higher education experience and is a proud Tech alumnus, having earned both a BS in Chemical Engineering and an MS in Chemistry from Georgia Tech. He completed his doctorate in Chemistry at Emory University and a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree in Epidemiology from Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health. His research was at the interface of chemistry and environmental health.
As vice provost, Dr. Girardot manages the operations and administration of the Office of Undergraduate Education (OUE), including budget oversight, human resources, communication, strategic planning, assessment, accreditation, and related administrative policies and procedures. Dr. Girardot oversees the co-curricular and academic success programs and units within OUE, including Tutoring and Academic Support Programs, Undergraduate Advising and Transition, Pre-Professional and Pre-Graduate Advising, the Career Center, and Academic Engagement Programs (which includes undergraduate research, student innovation, and living-learning communities). He also oversees campuswide undergraduate initiatives such as Complete College Georgia (CCG)/Momentum Year (MY) and serves on the USG General Education Council. Finally, Dr. Girardot chairs or co-chairs special task forces and committees. In addition to his administrative responsibilities, he finds time to teach First-Year Seminar (GT1000) and General Chemistry, and he has developed and taught an Honors Program seminar in Public Health and Epidemiology.
Prior to his current position, Dr. Girardot was the founding director of the Center for Academic Success (CAS) and worked to develop and implement many of Tech’s tutoring and academic support programs. He also served as the director of the office of success programs (which included FASET Orientation, GT1000 First-Year Seminar, Sophomore Programs, and Tutoring and Academic Support programs). In this role, he also successfully re-launched the first-year common reading program and oversaw significant enhancements to and expansion of GT1000. In addition, he served as the assistant director for T.A. and graduate student programs at Tech’s Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (CETL) and a program coordinator at Tech’s Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics and Computing (CEISMC), where he managed tutoring programs that linked Tech students to local elementary schools. He regularly presents on topics related to first-year programs and student success and participates on several advisory boards and national organizations. These have included serving as the 2019 President of the North American Association of Summer Sessions (NAASS) and as an advisory board member for the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition.
Office of the President Organizational Chart
https://president.gatech.edu/about/org-chart

GEORGIA TECH MISSION, VALUES, VISION, AND STRATEGIC PLAN

Mission
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university established by the state of Georgia in Atlanta in 1885 and committed to developing leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition.

Values

Students are our top priority.
We strive for excellence.
We thrive on diversity.
We celebrate the collaboration.
We champion innovation.
We safeguard freedom of inquiry and expression.
We nurture the well-being of our community.
We act ethically.
We are responsible stewards.

Vision

Over the next decade, Georgia Tech will be an example of inclusive innovation, a leading technological research university relentlessly committed to serving the public good; breaking new ground in addressing the most significant local, national, and global challenges of our time; making technology broadly accessible; and developing exceptional leaders from all backgrounds ready to produce novel ideas and create solutions with real human impact.

Strategic Plan

https://strategicplan.gatech.edu/strategic-plan-2020-2030

STATEMENT ON DIVERSITY

We define diversity as the presence or representation of the multiple and intersectional identities of all members of our community. Diversity represents the ways we identify personally, culturally, and socially. It is the spectrum and intersections of humankind—our different perspectives, ways of thinking and being, and the families, communities, groups, and cultures from which we have come. When our differences are valued, appreciated, cared for, and leveraged, our unique talents, gifts, abilities, and perspectives enrich our learning and understanding of each other and the world. This richness of diversity offers a competitive advantage by fostering a community of sophisticated, creative thinkers and problem solvers. We thrive because we are diverse.

Benefits Overview

BENEFITS OVERVIEW

Georgia Tech offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to meet the diverse needs of our employees. In addition to health and welfare resources, Georgia Tech provides tuition assistance, flexible work arrangements, seasonal classes, summer camps, and more.
https://hr.gatech.edu/benefits

Application & Nomination

APPLICATION AND NOMINATION

Review of applications will begin May 25, 2022, and continue until the position is filled. A resume with an accompanying cover letter may be submitted via the Spelman Johnson website at
www.spelmanjohnson.com/open-positions. Nominations for this position may be emailed to Laura Puckett-Boler at lpb@spelmanjohnson.com. Applicants needing reasonable accommodation to participate in the application process should contact Spelman Johnson at 413-529-2895 or email info@spelmanjohnson.com.

Visit the Georgia Tech website at https://www.gatech.edu.
Georgia Tech provides equal opportunity to all faculty, staff, students, and all other members of the Georgia Tech community, including applicants for admission and/or employment, contractors, volunteers, and participants in institutional programs, activities, or services. Georgia Tech complies with all applicable laws and regulations governing equal opportunity in the workplace and in educational activities. Georgia Tech prohibits discrimination, including discriminatory harassment, on the basis of race, ethnicity, ancestry, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetics, or veteran status in its programs, activities, employment, and admissions. This prohibition applies to faculty, staff, students, and all other members of the Georgia Tech community, including affiliates, invitees, and guests.
Understanding Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging. At Georgia Tech, we see diversity, equity, and inclusion as essential to learning, discovery, and creation. Fostering an environment that reflects our values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging for every campus member requires first and foremost operationalizing these values. When applied, these principles create the behavioral expectations for a community and culture where we lead with our common humanity, embrace our differences and our multiple perspectives, care for each other’s psychological integrity, regularly practice behaviors that connect us with one another, act as trustworthy stewards in our actions, and show up as forward-thinking students, faculty, and staff. We have the courage to make decisions for the greater good of all, and when we fall short of who we want to be, we own our mistakes. We take responsibility to right our wrongs, restore, and renew our commitment to strive for excellence in this beloved community.
Covid-19 health information, operational status updates, and campus guidelines: https://health.gatech.edu/tech-moving-forward

Related Links

About Georgia Tech
Founded on Oct. 13, 1885, the Georgia School of Technology opened its doors in October 1888 to 84 students. The school’s creation signaled the beginning of the transformation of the rural South into an industrial economy. For more information, visit:
https://www.gatech.edu/
https://ramblinwreck.com/
https://www.gatech.edu/about/history-traditions
About Atlanta
https://www.atlantaga.gov/
https://discoveratlanta.com/
About the Career Center
https://career.gatech.edu/

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