Manager, Career Placement

Job Description

The Manager, Career Placement is responsible for preparing, coaching, and placing graduating college students into meaningful career opportunities through strategic employer partnerships, workforce readiness programming, and targeted recruiting efforts. This role serves as a trusted career coach and talent connector, working directly with students in their final year of college to develop individualized career plans, secure internships and full-time employment opportunities, and successfully transition into the workforce.

The position partners closely with hiring managers, employer partners, universities, workforce development organizations, and industry leaders to create employment pathways for students. Success in this role is measured by graduate employment outcomes, internship-to-full-time conversion rates, employer engagement, and achievement of placement goals.

Essential Job Duties:

Career Coaching & Graduate Success (40%)

• Manage a portfolio of graduating college students and provide personalized career coaching throughout their senior year
• Develop individualized career action plans focused on employment goals, professional development, and job search strategies
• Conduct one-on-one coaching sessions covering career exploration, networking, interviewing, salary negotiation, and workplace success
• Design and facilitate career readiness workshops (resume, interview prep, networking, job search strategies, etc.
• Create and maintain career readiness resources, guides, and training materials
• Partner with College Success team and support scholar career mapping and pathway planning
• Educate scholars on networking and relationship-building strategies and employer-informed career readiness assessments
• Work with College Success team to track data-driven progress and recommend intervention plans

Graduate Recruitment & Placement (30%)

• Develop and execute placement strategies that connect graduating students with full-time employment opportunities
• Partner with internal hiring managers and external employers to identify workforce needs and align candidates with open positions
• Actively source and match qualified graduating students to employment opportunities
• Facilitate candidate introductions, interview coordination, and hiring processes
• Track placement outcomes and maintain accurate candidate records within the applicant tracking system (ATS) and CRM (Salesforce)
• Monitor graduate employment outcomes and implement interventions for students at risk of delayed placement

Internship & Early Career Talent Pipeline Management (15%)

• Partner with hiring managers to identify and support high-potential interns
• Work with Sr. Manager, Career Readiness to develop and execute internship-to-full-time conversion strategies
• Monitor intern performance and engagement throughout internship programs
• Conduct regular check-ins with interns and supervisors to identify conversion opportunities
• Collaborate with Talent Acquisition and business leaders to forecast future hiring needs and build talent pipelines

Employer Partnerships & Business Development (15%)

• Build and maintain relationships with employers, industry leaders, workforce organizations, chambers of commerce, and university partners
• Develop new external employment pathways and hiring partnerships that support graduate placement goals
• Coordinate external employer engagement activities including networking events, employer panels, recruiting events, and career fairs
• Collaborate with internal and external employers to understand workforce trends, hiring needs, and future skill requirements
• Represent the organization at industry conferences, university events, and workforce development initiatives

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, Communications, Education, Counseling, Psychology, or a related field
• 4+ years of experience in university recruiting, career services, workforce development, talent acquisition, or career coaching
• Experience working directly with college students or early-career professionals
• Experience building employer relationships and facilitating hiring outcomes
• Master's degree in Higher Education, Counseling, Human Resources, Business, or related field
• Experience with internship programs and campus recruiting initiatives

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities:

• Strong understanding of university recruiting, workforce development, and career coaching best practices
• Demonstrated ability to coach and influence students and early-career professionals
• Experience developing employer partnerships and recruiting talent pipelines
• Knowledge of employment trends, labor market data, and early-career hiring practices
• Excellent presentation, facilitation, and public speaking skills
• Strong relationship-building and stakeholder management abilities
• Proficiency with applicant tracking systems (ATS), CRM platforms, and career services technologies
• Exceptional organizational, project management, and data analysis skills
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment

Pay Range: $75,000.00 - $85,000.00. Final compensation will be dependent upon skills & experience.

Applications close on Friday, June 19th, 2026.

Additional Information

Wonderful's dedication to you: 

• Competitive benefits package including Medical (including 24/7 online access to a physician), Vision, Dental, and 401k with match eligibility
• Wonderful Giving (wonderfulgiving.com) -- allowing you to donate company money to a cause of your choice

EEO is the law - click here for more information