Cornell University logo

Cornell University

Associate Director, Berry Career Institute

🇺🇸 Mt Vernon, Iowa 🕑 Full-Time 💰 $42K - $48K 💻 Career Services 🗓️ September 29th, 2026

Edtech.com's Summary

Cornell College is hiring an Associate Director for the Berry Career Institute. This role involves providing direct career coaching to students and alumni, facilitating career programs, and enhancing experiential learning opportunities to support students' professional development and career readiness at the college.

Highlights
  • Provide career coaching and professional development support to current students and alumni.
  • Design and facilitate career-related programs and events in partnership with faculty and external partners.
  • Develop and implement internship and experiential learning opportunities with employer partners.
  • Manage data systems like Handshake to track engagement and assess career outcomes.
  • Collaborate with campus partners to advance career readiness and experiential learning initiatives.
  • Required bachelor's degree; master’s or related advanced training preferred.
  • Preferred experience in career development within higher education environments.
  • Strong skills in communication, facilitation, organization, and data management.
  • Valid Iowa driver's license and insurability required.
  • Compensation range from $42,000 to $48,000 with comprehensive benefits including health, retirement, and tuition remission.

Associate Director, Berry Career Institute Full Description

Associate Director, Berry Career Institute

Job Category: Program Support
Requisition Number: ASSOC001424
  • Full-Time
  • On-site
  • Mt Vernon, IA 52314, USA

Job Details

Description

Cornell College invites applications for an Associate Director, Berry Career Institute. The Associate Director directly serves students and plays an important role in the day-to-day operations of the Berry Career Institute. The Berry Career Institute (BCI) is part of the division of Alumni and College Advancement, positioning career outcomes as a central strategic priority that connects the student experience to graduate careers, alumni engagement, and the long-term reputation of a Cornell College education. The Associate Director coaches students, facilitates programs, and contributes to the broader career-learning initiatives of the college to ensure that all students are given opportunities to develop the skills and perspective needed to navigate the world of work and apply their liberal arts education beyond the classroom.

Duties and Responsibilities

  • Student & Alumni Career Coaching: Primarily serves as the point of contact for a portfolio of current students and alumni to provide career coaching and professional development support in individual and group settings. Develops relationships with students and alumni to connect them to resources and opportunities to achieve employment or other post-graduation success such as continuing education, fellowships, or service. Creates and maintains career coaching resources and materials. Develops opportunities to connect alumni to current students through networking and mentoring. Stays up-to-date on industry and employer trends to help students navigate a changing employment landscape and best apply their liberal arts education to their life beyond Cornell College.
  • Program Facilitation: Designs, facilitates, and promotes a variety of programs with internal and external partners to increase career-readiness, vocational discernment, professional development, and related skills among students across the College. Programs may include workshops and trainings inside the classroom in partnership with faculty, or programs may include events outside of the classroom such as tablings, large-scale expos or fairs, panels, guest speakers, webinars, or off campus trips such as employer tours.
  • Experiential Learning Development: Contributes to the development and implementation of an internship program for students by identifying and cultivating relationships with potential employer partners. Develops experiential learning opportunities for students with employers. Directs students in how to find and secure internships. Helps students fund and document their experiential learning through Cornell College’s Ingenuity in Action program.
  • Data Management and Reporting: Helps maintain information systems (i.e. Handshake) to ensure the BCI accurately tracks student and employer engagement as well as career-related learning outcomes. Contributes to the development and assessment of career learning outcomes. Sources student outcomes for priority reports such as the First Destination Survey. Identifies stories and qualitative data to be shared in BCI and College reporting and marketing.
  • Campus-Wide Support: Serves on workgroups and supports campus-wide initiatives by collaborating with faculty and campus partners to advance career-readiness and experiential learning throughout the curriculum and College culture.
  • Other Duties as Assigned

Qualification and Education Requirements

Bachelor's degree is required. Master’s degree or other training related to higher education administration, student development, counseling, or another area relevant to student engagement is preferred. Previous experience with career development and work in a college setting is preferred. Must possess a valid Iowa driver’s license and be insurable to drive.

Preferred Skills

  • Evidence of strong interpersonal and written and verbal communication skills, including facilitation skills such as designing and leading content for a variety of audiences and learning styles
  • Knowledge of student development practices (prior student advising or coaching and mentoring experience a plus)
  • Organization and planning skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and constituents, including event planning and program development and assessment
  • Strong team player with the ability to collaborate effectively across departments
  • Understanding of data management best practices and attention to detail
  • Dedication to liberal arts education
  • Awareness of human resources, recruitment, and hiring practices

Work Location & Conditions

Work is performed primarily while seated in an office environment. Some walking from building to building on campus is needed to attend various meetings. Employees may be required to perform other job-related duties as assigned. All requirements are subject to change over time, with possible modifications made to reasonably accommodate individuals with a disability.

Cornell College offers a fantastic benefits package that includes health, dental, vision, HSA & FSA accounts, a TIAA 403(b) retirement account, and tuition remission and exchange for employees and dependents. We also offer life insurance, disability insurance, travel insurance, and accident insurance. And, all full-time staff begin with a 4-week vacation accrual along with 14.5 paid holidays per year. The hiring pay range for this position is $42,000 - $48,000. 

Application Process

To apply, submit a resume, cover letter, and list of at least three professional references through Cornell College's online application system.

Cornell is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from underrepresented groups. Cornell complies with Iowa's Smoke-free Air Act. Cornell utilizes E-Verify and requires the satisfactory completion of a background check.

Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.