Job Description

The Associate Director leads the healthcare career coaching team, a new collaboration between the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) and the University of Tennessee Health Sciences (UTHS) designed to build a clear, well-supported pathway from undergraduate study to admission into graduate and professional healthcare programs. This is a highly visible, campus-wide role at the center of one of the university's signature commitments: preparing more Tennesseans to enter the health professions and strengthening the state's healthcare workforce pipeline. The Associate Director supervises and develops a growing team of professional staff and is accountable for the quality, consistency, and reach of the services team delivers. In this role, the Associate Director leads the design, launch, and continuous improvement of the team, including coaching curricula, cohort programming, pre-health application coaching workflows, and student touchpoints across the undergraduate experience.

The position provides day-to-day leadership for the team by hiring, training, coaching, and evaluating staff; establishing shared standards of practice; and building the team's capacity as the initiative scales. The Associate Director defines success metrics, tracks student progression and professional-program admission outcomes, and uses data to guide resource allocation and program refinement. Results are reported to divisional, campus, and system leadership to demonstrate impact and inform future planning.

Because the program depends on strong relationships across institutions, the Associate Director works directly with UTHS colleagues in admissions, student affairs, and academic programs to align expectations, create early exposure opportunities, and support the student transition from UTK to professional study. The role requires close collaboration with UTK academic colleges, faculty advisors, undergraduate research, experiential learning, and student organizations so pre-health students receive consistent guidance regardless of major or entry point. Throughout this work, the Associate Director ensures program design and service delivery advance divisional, campus, and UT System retention, progression, and graduation goals. This position is designated a Joint Partnership Position and operates under a dual-supervision model shared by UTK and UTHS. Day-to-day operational supervision is coordinated through UTK Student Success, while strategic direction, annual goal setting, work priorities, and performance management are jointly established by designated leaders from UTK and UTHS.

Success in this role requires the judgment and interpersonal skill to operate effectively across two institutions with distinct cultures, calendars, and priorities, building trust and maintaining a seamless student experience.

Responsibilities

PROGRAM OPERATIONS AND ADMINISTRATION

• Contribute to the strategic vision, growth, and evaluation of health professions coaching and service delivery, including the design and phased build-out of the Vol Pre-Health Navigators model
• Manage day-to-day health professions coaching operations and lead annual planning for key student-facing initiatives, including coaching workflows, appointment capacity, and seasonal application-cycle demand
• Lead campus efforts to develop and implement health professions preparation programming on topics such as career exploration, gaining clinical and research experience, entrance exam preparation, application readiness, personal statement development, and practice interviews
• Lead campus efforts to plan and execute networking events, health professions fairs, and admissions engagement opportunities that connect students directly with graduate and professional programs
• Collect, analyze, and report data on student engagement, coaching utilization, academic progression, and admissions and career outcomes; prepare findings for departmental, divisional, campus, and system leadership
• Serve as the day-to-day contact for UT Knoxville and UT Health Science Center collaborators on health professions programming and service delivery, resolving operational questions and keeping partners aligned
• Manage program resources, budget requests, and technology and scheduling platforms that support coaching delivery and outcome tracking

STAFF SUPERVISION AND STRATEGY

• Supervise a growing team of Assistant Directors, Coaches, and a Coordinator delivering health professions coaching and programming; set performance expectations, provide ongoing feedback, and conduct annual performance reviews
• Recruit, onboard, and develop staff as the program scales, building shared standards of practice and a consistent student experience across coaches
• Develop and maintain training materials and professional development plans ensuring coaching staff hold current knowledge of healthcare fields, prerequisite coursework, entrance exams, and graduate and professional program admissions requirements
• Develop and implement outreach strategies to increase student awareness and utilization of health professions coaching across all majors from early exploration through preparation, application, and admission
• Review coaching and programmatic outcomes to inform training, service delivery, caseload and resource management, and continuous improvement

STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT AND PARTNERSHIPS

• Maintain active individual membership in the National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions (NAAHP) and its regional affiliate, the Southeastern Association of Advisors for the Health Professions (SAAHP), as a condition of the position; participate in association programming, professional development, and the national advising community, and represent UTK within it
• Collaborate with UTK and UTHS partners to create and deliver professional development opportunities for staff and faculty across the campus healthcare ecosystem
• Build and sustain working relationships with UTHSC admissions, student affairs, and academic program colleagues to align expectations, create early exposure opportunities, and reduce friction in the transition from UTK to professional study
• Collaborate with academic college and student success colleagues to strengthen referral pathways and coordinate support for students pursuing healthcare careers, regardless of major or point of entry
• Represent the Vol Pre-Health Navigators program to internal and external audiences, including prospective students, families, faculty, and healthcare partners

LEADERSHIP AND DEPARTMENTAL INITIATIVES

• Serve as a member of the departmental leadership team, contributing to strategic planning, effective collaboration, workflow management, and operations
• Participate in departmental, divisional, and university-wide committees and work groups that advance student success and institutional priorities
• Contribute to a departmental culture of assessment, service excellence, and shared accountability for student outcomes

OTHER DUTIES AS ASSIGNED

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

Education:

• Master's Degree

Experience:

• Minimum of five years of experience in undergraduate academic advising or career coaching AND
• Minimum of three years of experience in pre-health advising/coaching or health professions admissions or related position
• Supervision of professional staff

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

• The ability to provide performance feedback and develop professional staff
• Knowledge of coaching best practices, and university career services operations
• Knowledge of healthcare professions and graduate and professional school admissions
• Strong project management, organization, and attention to detail to oversee multiple initiatives
• Ability to build relationships with students, faculty, employers, and campus partners to enhance career services
• Proficiency in analyzing data to inform strategic decisions and improve career programming
• Capacity to work independently and collaboratively to achieve departmental goals

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis without need now or in the future for sponsorship for employment-based visa status.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience:

• Experience at the Assistant Director level or equivalent leadership role
• An active member of National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions (NAAHP)
• Supervision of professional staff

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

• Knowledge of technology platforms such as Handshake, Salesforce, 12Twenty, and Microsoft Office Suite for data tracking and service management
• Ability to develop innovative career programming that addresses emerging workforce trends and student needs
• Experience planning and executing small and large-scale events

Work Location

• Location: Knoxville, TN
• Onsite

Compensation and Benefits

• UT market range: MR12
• Anticipated hiring range: Minimum $78,000
• Find more information on the UT Market Range structure here
• Find more information on UT Benefits here

Application Instructions

To express interest, please submit an application with the noted below attachments. To be assured of full consideration, completed applications with all requested materials should be submitted.

• Resume
• Cover Letter