Industry and Employer Engagement Specialist

Job Summary

This position furthers the University's vision to support students to become career‑ready graduates that are able to connect their talents, interests, and education to the world of work. It leads on‑campus recruitment programs, industry and labour market awareness strategies, and degree outcomes reporting. It creates collaborative educational partnerships with faculty, alumni, employers, and organizations, and tests new models that position UBC Okanagan alumni and employers more deeply as co‑educators and mentors. It contributes directly to the University's transformative learning goals by advancing students' career learning and readiness, mentorship, and professional development through work and volunteer experiences, and increasing exposure to industry and labour market trends while facilitating meaningful engagement with experiential learning opportunities.

Organizational Status

This position is a member of the Academic and Career Development Team, a student service area that facilitates and enhances student learning through academic and career‑building enriched educational experiences. It is a central point for all graduate and undergraduate students and employers on the UBC Okanagan campus to meet, connect, network, and build relationships, and to research and explore academic and career opportunities. The team connects students to workplace learning, mentoring, volunteer and leadership opportunities, and offers academic and career related services to students, academic departments, employers, and alumni.

This position builds and sustains crucial external and internal relationships to advance the University's goals of supporting student learning and preparing career‑ready graduates, and engaging with alumni to deepen connections to UBC. Externally, it is responsible for building relationships with local, national, and international employers and alumni, organizations, and industry association representatives ranging from senior level executives to human resources staff. Internally, it works in close collaboration with faculties and units both within the AVP Students portfolio and across the university, alumni UBC, the Student Union Okanagan, and other student groups.

Work Performed

Stakeholder Engagement

• Provides campus‑wide engagement to increase student connections with employers, alumni, and organizations within British Columbia, Canada, and internationally.
• Works in close partnership with the Manager, Career Development, to develop a comprehensive employer and student‑alumni engagement strategy, which includes curricular and co‑curricular programs and services.
• Acts as one of the main points of contact for on‑ and off‑campus employers who wish to connect with UBC Okanagan students.
• Oversees and participates in the development of relationships with potential employers through company site visits, needs assessments, and development of campus‑wide programs and events; links employers to campus programs, services, people, and partners; provides strategic targeted recruitment planning and serves as a resource for all on‑campus recruitment activity.
• Strategically develops the University's ability to support students and alumni to access the student talent pipeline, to support alumni in their roles as employers, entrepreneurs, and community leaders.
• Works in collaboration to develop programming to address the needs of diverse audiences, ensuring comprehensive reflective practices are embedded into programs, services, and student roles to maximize student learning and career development outcomes across the unit's work.
• Plans and designs programs, promotions using social media tools such as LinkedIn and Instagram, and coordinates faculty or industry participation, as well as the involvement of other Career and Student Services staff. Events may include career fairs, speaker series, departmental career/major events, web resources, and workshops.

CRM Administration and Strategy

• Oversees the customer relationship management (CRM) strategy and software platforms to manage campus job postings, mentorship programs, and steward employer relationships.
• Collects, researches, prioritizes, and implements ideas, best practices, and recommendations for upgrades and enhancements to web‑based point of contact systems.
• Leverages technology to establish and sustain partnerships.
• Represents the Academic and Career Development Team on various committees and/or tables convening around CRM technologies and systems coordinated through UBC IT.
• Acts as the liaison between UBCO and the CRM provider to ensure the system serves the business and operational needs of the unit and the university.
• Liaises with other campus colleagues in career centres and cooperative education offices utilizing Symplicity software and/or other CRM platforms to initi