Career Development Office Director

Department

PSD Financial Mathematics Staff

About the Department

The Financial Mathematics Program (FinMath) is a professional graduate program within the Department of Mathematics at The University of Chicago. As a pioneer in the field of quantitative finance, we have had the honor of shaping some of the brightest minds in the financial industry today. Bringing together top-performing students from around the world and highly accomplished faculty, FinMath prepares students for success in a variety of careers in quantitative finance. The FinMath Career Development Office serves students and alumni of the program by providing essential tools and resources to better prepare and position themselves in pursuing their professional career paths. Learn more about Financial Mathematics at https://finmath.uchicago.edu/ and our career services at https://finmath.uchicago.edu/careers/.

Job Summary

The Director of Career Development leads the robust FinMath Career Development Office (CDO) which provides students and alumni with essential tools and resources to better prepare and position themselves for success in the pursuit of their professional career goals.

This position will leverage expertise in staff management, employer relations, career advising, and professional development to deliver best in class service to students, alumni, and employers. Additionally, the position advises program leadership on a range of strategic decisions and collaborates to implement new initiatives across the program.

The position and its direct reports work closely with other FinMath staff, along with other units including the Department of Mathematics, the Stevanovich Center, the Physical Sciences Division, UChicagoGRAD, Career Advancement, and other campus partners across the University.

Responsibilities

• Manages staff by establishing annual performance goals, allocating resources, assessing annual performance, and determining individual merit, incentive and/or promotional increases.
• Develops and executes the corporate development strategy.Establishes relationships within the quantitative financial communities, both domestically and internationally, to make the FinMath program the go-to resource for corporations' quantitative hiring needs. Keeps current on industry trends and establishes contacts and builds on-going relationships with potential employment partners.
• Manages staff in developing and implementing marketing tools and outreach plans that enhance the University's corporate network.
• Manages staff to organize employer relations activities, including on and off-campus event coordination and promotion, data tracking, and evaluation/follow-up post-events.
• Develops and manages the industry pipeline for the Project Lab program each quarter and secures a variety of project partners to meet student interests and skill sets.
• Manages staff in the delivery of professional development training for students participating in Project Lab and regular evaluations of employer satisfaction with the program.
• Manages staff in delivering career advising services through one-on-one and small group sessions.
• Manages staff in the planning and execution of effective programming designed to prepare students and alumni in reaching their professional goals.
• Serves as instructor for FINM 38500: Career Seminar, including curriculum design and grade administration.
• Manages staff responsible for tracking and evaluating student progress in FINM 38500: Career Seminar.
• Oversees the Industry Professional in-Residence (IPR) program, to ensure diverse industry representation.
• Manages the IPR Teaching Assistants to ensure effective delivery of IPR advising and programming for students.
• Leads data management efforts, including oversight and evaluation of CDO's career service management systems.
• Manages staff responsible for tracking and reporting of student data, including career outcomes.
• Supervises student workers providing a variety of administrative support to the office.
• Supports the FinMath admissions process by reading applications and evaluating them for potential admittance into the Master program. Represents CDO in prospective student information sessions and meetings with prospective students.
• Supports alumni relations, including managing staff responsible for maintaining the alumni database, advising on career transitions, and supporting alumni recruitment needs.
• Leads program relationships with other career-focused offices, including, but not limited to, PSD, UChicagoGRAD, Career Advancement, and the MFE-CDO Directors WorkingGroup.
• Effectively manages relationships with other FinMath staff and campus partners on projects and items of collaboration.
• Manages employees by establishing annual performance goals, allocating resources, assessing annual performance, and determining individual merit, incentive and/or promotional increases.
• Develops new and current programs, such as on-campus recruiting events and career management programs, to support students and alumni in post-graduate planning and career pursuits.
• Expands and enhances the University's corporate network through marketing and outreach strategies and meetings with employers and alumni to increase resources and employment opportunities to students.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:
Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.
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Work Experience:
Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 7+ years of work experience in a related job discipline.
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Certifications:

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Preferred Qualifications

Experience:

• Previous staff management.
• Experience in career management, recruiting, employer relations, or student services.
• Experience with international students.

Technical Skills or Knowledge:

• Experience with learning platforms and technologies (Canvas, Symplicity or Handshake, Zoom, Salesforce, SurveyMonkey, Microsoft Excel, Box, EventBrite).

Preferred Competencies

• Ability to interact successfully with diverse constituencies including the ability to resolve problems with a high degree of discretion, diplomacy, and tact.
• Excellent leadership and relationship management skills.
• Proven ability to interface with and engage senior level clients.
• Maintain optimistic outlook, display confidence, and creatively marshal resources to achieve results.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to clearly communicate to a diverse audience including students, faculty, industry partners and staff.
• Superior organizational skills and constant attention to detail.
• Ability to work independently, with guidance in only the most complex situations.
• Ability to coordinate with many partner offices simultaneously to innovatively problem solve on behalf of students and staff.
• Commitment to excellent customer service and superb interpersonal skills.
• Expertise to collect and maintain a vast array of records to improve organizational knowledge and datapoints.
• Superb interpersonal skills.
• Willingness to back-up partner offices on special projects as assigned.
• Ability to shift responsibilities as needed based on departmental needs.

Working Conditions

• This position is eligible for a partially remote work schedule.
• This position requires occasional work on evenings and weekends.

Application Documents

• Resume (required)
• Cover Letter (required)

When applying, the document(s) MUST be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.

Job Family

Student Affairs & Services

Role Impact

People Manager

FLSA Status

Exempt

Pay Frequency

Monthly

Scheduled Weekly Hours

37.5

Benefits Eligible

Yes

Drug Test Required

No

Health Screen Required

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required

No

Posting Statement

Employees must comply with the University's COVID-19 vaccination requirements. More information about the requirements can be found on the University of Chicago Vaccination GoForward.

The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity/Disabled/Veterans Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

Staff 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.

We seek a diverse pool of applicants who wish to join an academic community that places the highest value on rigorous inquiry and encourages a diversity of perspectives, experiences, groups of individuals, and ideas to inform and stimulate intellectual challenge, engagement, and exchange.

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.

The University of Chicago's Annual Security & Fire Safety Report (Report) provides information about University offices and programs that provide safety support, crime and fire statistics, emergency response and communications plans, and other policies and information. The Report can be accessed online at: http://securityreport.uchicago.edu. Paper copies of the Report are available, upon request, from the University of Chicago Police Department, 850 E. 61st Street, Chicago, IL 60637.