Associate Director for Career Development

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The UW‑Madison Graduate School’s Office of Postdoctoral Affairs is seeking an Associate Director for Career Development. The Associate Director for Career Development is a critical member of a team dedicated to enhancing the postdoctoral training experience at UW‑Madison. You will lead the design and implementation of the office’s career development programming and advising portfolio. Your work will help ensure that postdocs maximize their time as trainees and go on to successfully achieve their professional and personal goals.

This is a great opportunity to have a transformative impact on both individual lives and the university’s world‑leading research enterprise.

The mission of the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs is to enhance the postdoctoral training experience at UW‑Madison by providing a suite of high quality and responsive engagement, advocacy, and professional development services for the 800 postdocs who train at the university. The office serves all UW‑Madison postdocs including trainees in 13 different schools and colleges, and across the full breadth of research and scholarly disciplines from the arts and humanities to the biological, physical and social sciences.

• May identify and maintain a professional network of employers or other stakeholders to facilitate career exploration and employment opportunities for students (20%)
• Supervises unit staff and/or plans, organizes, allocates resources, assesses performance, and leads the operational activities for a significant portion of the unit’s career services portfolio (25%)
• Educates or advises students and recent alumni individually, or in groups through various mediums about career exploration, self‑assessment, skills, materials development, and career decisions (25%)
• Develops and delivers career development programming and resource materials across various mediums to provide education to students (25%)
• Responds to questions and provides information regarding student services, policies, procedures, and employment preparation (5%)

The Graduate School

The minimum annual salary for this position is $70,000. Actual starting salary is negotiable based on experience and qualifications.

This position offers a comprehensive benefits package, including generous paid time off, competitively priced health/dental/vision/life insurance, tax‑advantaged savings accounts, and participation in the nationally recognized Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) pension fund. Learn more here.

Demonstrated experience and/or knowledge of:

• PhD and/or postdoctoral training
• Career development theory and practice
• Designing, planning, delivering, and evaluating training programs
• Advising or mentoring students and/or postdocs

Demonstrated experience and/or knowledge of:

• PhD‑level career options
• Assessing and addressing diverse audience needs

• Excellent public speaking and written communication skills
• Strong organizational skills, ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously
• Relationship building and collaborative skills
• Analytic, critical thinking, and problem‑solving skills
• Empathetic and active listening skills
• Positive attitude and enthusiasm

Bachelor’s degree preferred

To apply for this position, click on the “I am a current employee” button or “I am not a current employee” button under Apply Now. Please upload a cover letter, resume, and a list of three (3) professional references. If possible, your references should include a current/previous supervisor. References will not be contacted without prior notice.

University sponsorship is not available for this position, including transfers of sponsorship and TN visas. The selected applicant will be responsible for ensuring their continuous eligibility to work in the United States (i.e. a citizen or national of the United States, a lawful permanent resident, a foreign national authorized to…