Director of Career Services and Partnerships (5258) Job #89106 - The Blum Center for Developing Economies

Education, Government & Non-Profit
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in a related area or equivalent experience/training.
  • Advanced knowledge of outreach and advancement methods.
  • Strong verbal and written communication skills for effective influence.
  • Advanced understanding of career development theories and counseling processes.
  • Knowledge of careers and partnership building across sectors.
  • Ability to handle multiple tasks under demanding timeframes.
  • Advanced analytical and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

  • Provide coaching on resumes, interviews, and job search strategies for students.
  • Build and maintain a network of hiring contacts across various sectors.
  • Research and develop partnerships aligning with development engineering initiatives.
  • Draft and distribute outreach materials highlighting the field's impact.
  • Monitor and highlight alumni career developments and success stories.
  • Integrate academic and innovation programs for enhanced student opportunities.
  • Serve as a liaison for international student internship support.

Benefits

  • Comprehensive benefits package offered by the University of California.
  • Professional development opportunities and resources.
Full Job Description
Departmental Overview

The Blum Center leverages the talent, energy, and innovations of the University of California, Berkeley to address difficult challenges in low-resource communities in California and across the world. Our interdisciplinary problem-solving approach draws on students and faculty from over 70 disciplines, including engineering, social sciences, and business, to develop, test, and scale technologies and scalable solutions for economic development and to improve lives. The Center leads an undergraduate minor in Global Poverty & Practice, one of the most popular on campus; a graduate PhD minor in Development Engineering, the first in the nation; a Master of Development Engineering, UC Berkeley's first professional degree committed to solving complex global challenges across the corporate, nonprofit, and government sectors; and the Big Ideas@Berkeley program, Cal's flagship social entrepreneurship catalyst serving all students on campus.

This position leads career development for Master of Development Engineering students, and also leads partnership development and outreach for the Blum Center. They provide direct coaching to MDevEng students on resumes, interviewing, networking, and job and internship search strategy to help students build the skills and opportunities to launch their careers in development engineering. They serve as the lead for building and maintaining relationships with employers and donors across the corporate, non-profit, philanthropic, and government sectors. They develop and execute programs including career panels, speaker series, and networking events to inform, educate, and connect students, alumni, employers, and donors. They cultivate deep alumni relationships and initiate partnerships with organizations and individuals to support students and Center programs.

Application Review Date

The First Review Date for this job is: 10/9/26 - Open until filled

Responsibilities

20% Student career support: Provide individual and group coaching to students on resume and cover letter development, interview preparation, and LinkedIn/professional branding to support internship and job search strategy. Coordinate mock interviews and resume-review workshops. Participate in campus committees to build connections with other campus career advising services and beyond. Collaborate with other departments and programs to coordinate participation in career and recruiting events and to support the distribution of outreach material.

20% Network building: Develop and maintain an active network of hiring, resource, and funding contacts across corporate, non-profit, and government sectors; match student and alumni profiles to open roles; negotiate and formalize internship, fellowship, and employment pipelines. Organize and participate in recruiting fairs, industry gatherings, donor events, etc. Work proactively to strengthen relationships in a wide variety of industries and organizations to develop relationships and pathways for development engineering, including E4C, EWB, Devex. Organize career and internship events with employers. Identifies, invites, and hosts practitioners to speak on career paths and industry trends; designs panels and fireside-chat formats that connect students directly to working professionals.

20% Partnerships and Resources: Researches and develops partnerships with industry, non-profit, government organizations, and individual donors aligned with development engineering, social impact, and entrepreneurship. Identifies and cultivates opportunities for fellowships, internships, research, and funding to support Center initiatives and broader resource development.

15% Outreach: Drafts and distributes outreach materials, including brochures, social media, and other collateral as needed to showcase the field of development engineering, the impact of development engineers, and the Blum Center. Uses social media to share career stories of students and alumni to highlight their achievements. Maintains active engagement with the student and alumni community. Occasional travel to meet program goals, including to events for employers, incoming students, current students, donors, and alumni.

5% Alumni Relations: Monitors alumni career developments, highlights success stories, and adapts best practices for building and nurturing long-term relationships with Center alumni. Facilitates networking opportunities for students and alumni of MDevEng, Big Ideas, and other Center programs to build a greater, joint network of Blum Center alumni. Establishes outreach channels and programs for serving alumni locally and across the world.

5% Program integration: Participates in Center leadership efforts to integrate academic programs (e.g., development engineering) and innovation programs (e.g., Big Ideas) to maximize student opportunities and resource sharing.

5% International Student Support & BIO Liaison: Serves as the department's primary liaison to the Berkeley International Office (BIO) on internship/work authorization for international students. Stays up to date on regulations and policies (e.g., CPT, OPT, and STEM OPT), helping students navigate resources and requirements during their internship and transition to the job market.

5% Selects and supervises student associates working in this position.

5% Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications
  • Advanced knowledge of outreach and advancement methods.
  • Strong communication and interpersonal skills to communicate effectively with everyone and influence, both verbally and in writing.
  • Advanced knowledge of career development and recruiting.
  • Advanced knowledge of career development theories, counseling processes, career coaching techniques, decision-making, learning styles, and job search
  • techniques.
  • Ability to multi-task with demanding timeframes.
  • Knowledge of careers, fellowships, and partnership building across the corporate, nonprofit, and government

    sectors.
  • Advanced analytical / problem-solving skills.
  • Bachelor's degree in a related area and/or equivalent experience/training.
Preferred Qualifications
  • Advanced knowledge of communication and social media best practices.
Salary & Benefits

For information on the comprehensive benefits package offered by the University, please visit the University of California's Compensation & Benefits website.

Under California law, the University of California, Berkeley is required to provide a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role and should not offer a salary outside of the range posted in this job announcement. This range takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, analysis of internal equity, and other business and organizational needs. It is not typical for an individual to be offered a salary at or near the top of the range for a position. Salary offers are determined based on final candidate qualifications and experience.

Classification: PROJECT POLICY ANL 4 RP
Anticipated hiring range: $96,075 - $134,000
UCB salary range: $96,075 - $177,345
The salary offer to the final candidate will take into consideration their experience and salary equity with current UC Berkeley employees working in similar roles.

Other Information

This position is covered by the collective bargaining agreement between UAW (United Auto Workers) and the University of California Regents for RP or SV.

About Berkeley University of California

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