Career Development Associate - College of Architecture, Art & Planning

Career Development Associate

Join the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning (AAP) at Cornell University as a Career Development Associate, where you will play a critical role in helping students translate their academic experiences into meaningful career opportunities. In this highly visible and student-centered position, you will serve as a trusted advisor, coach, educator, and connector, working directly with undergraduate and graduate students as they explore career pathways, prepare for internships and employment, and build the professional skills needed to succeed in competitive and evolving industries.

As a member of the Career Development team, you will create and deliver innovative career education programs, workshops, employer engagement activities, networking opportunities, and individualized coaching services that support students throughout their career journeys. You will assist students with career exploration, resumes and cover letters, interview preparation, portfolio reviews, networking strategies, internships, job searches, and graduate school planning.

This role offers the opportunity to collaborate with academic departments, faculty, alumni, employers, and campus partners to develop meaningful experiential learning and career connections for students. You will help manage internship and co-op programs, contribute to career fairs and industry events, leverage alumni networks, and identify new opportunities that strengthen career outcomes across the college.

The Career Development Associate will also supervise Peer Career Advisors, assess program effectiveness through data and student feedback, and partner with leadership to continuously improve services and programming. Success in this role requires a combination of relationship building, strategic thinking, program management, and a genuine commitment to student success.

Most importantly, this position provides the opportunity to make a lasting impact on students as they navigate some of the most important decisions of their academic and professional lives. Whether coaching a student through a first internship application, connecting them with alumni mentors, or developing programs that expand access and opportunity, your work will directly contribute to the success and future careers of AAP students.

The College of Architecture, Art, and Planning at Cornell University (Cornell AAP) includes the departments of Architecture, Art, City and Regional Planning, the Paul Rubacha Department of Real Estate, jointly led by AAP and the SC Johnson College of Business, the multicollege Department of Design Tech, and the Cornell Mui Ho Center for Cities. The college spans three locations in Ithaca, New York City, and Rome, Italy, each with world-class facilities and cutting-edge technologies.

Cornell AAP is about acts of transformation. We are committed to reimagining and reshaping the world in new ways, every day. A vital college at one of the nation's foremost research universities, Cornell AAP brings faculty, staff, and students together from around the world to take up some of today's most urgent challenges and advance research, inquiry, and collaborative approaches to designing, making, and doing that make a more just and resilient future.

What We Need

• Bachelor's degree and 2–4 years of related experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Strong communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills with the ability to engage effectively with students, faculty, staff, alumni, and employers.
• Excellent organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously.
• Ability to work independently, take initiative, and thrive in a fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrated leadership skills and an ability to build collaborative relationships across diverse groups and stakeholders.
• Experience supporting, advising, mentoring, or coaching students, clients, or emerging professionals.
• A demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and wellbeing.
• Experience working directly with individuals from a variety of socioeconomic, cultural, and educational backgrounds.
• Ability to…