Education ​/ Teaching Instructor

Instructor-Fixed Term

The College of Social Science at Michigan State University invites applications for a fixed term instructor with expertise in career readiness and professional development for students with interest in non-profit and governmental career pathways.

Responsibilities include:

• Drawing on current, active professional practice in a workplace-leadership or people-focused field to ground course content in real, present-day organizational dynamics rather than theory alone.
• Bringing authentic, real-world context to every module, including how organizations actually make decisions, how workplace culture and unspoken norms operate, and how professionals navigate influence, setbacks, and cross-generational communication.
• Continually refreshing content to mirror evolving workplace realities, updating materials each semester based on firsthand exposure to current professional environments and emerging expectations of employers.
• Designing, preparing, and continually updating all course materials, assignments, and assessments so content reflects current workplace practices and employer expectations.
• Administering and debriefing validated self-assessment tools to build student self-awareness.
• Teaching the "post-hire" dimension of career readiness: workplace culture, cues, and norms; situational awareness; professional communication across differences and generations; navigating setbacks; and ethical influence.
• Equipping students with practical, immediately usable tools for real professional situations.
• Communicating regularly with students and coordinating with the Career Development Office and Undergraduate Affairs regarding course progress, student concerns, and logistics.
• Evaluating student performance and submitting final grades by university deadlines.
• Fostering an inclusive, respectful, and supportive learning environment for a diverse undergraduate population.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, age, disability or protected veteran status.

Masters - Business, human resources, organizational development, social science, education, communication, or a related discipline

• Master's degree in a relevant field (e.g., business, human resources, organizational development, social science, education, communication, or a related discipline) by the effective date of hire.

• Significant professional experience (typically five or more years) in a people-focused field such as talent development, organizational development, human resources, leadership, or workplace strategy.

• Demonstrated experience teaching, training, facilitating, or coaching adult learners or students.

• Commitment to inclusive, learner-centered, and ethical professional development.

• Senior- or leadership-level professional experience in talent management, organizational development, human resources, or workforce strategy within a complex organization.
• Experience administering and interpreting strengths-based, emotional-intelligence, or behavioral-style assessments (e.g., Clifton Strengths, DiSC, EI inventories).
• Formal training or certification in change management or a comparable professional credential.
• Experience mentoring, coaching, or sponsoring early-career professionals.
• Experience designing original curricula, training content, or professional-development frameworks.
• Familiarity with career-readiness competencies and the transition from academic settings to professional environments.
• Demonstrated commitment to engaging individuals of differing perspectives and cultural backgrounds with mutual respect in professional or educational settings.

Michigan State University has been advancing the common good with uncommon will for more than 160 years. One of the top research universities in the world, MSU pushes the boundaries of discovery and forges enduring partnerships to solve the most pressing global challenges while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 200 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges.