Manager of Job Placement & Alumni Success

Who We Are:

National Louis is a 135+ year old university that has been grounded in the values of innovation, access, excellence, and equity from its inception. As an institution, we believe in providing access to educational opportunity and that education is our greatest lever for social and economic mobility. We are a student-focused community that is committed to continuous improvement and superior student service.  We believe that through education we are able to empower change and build healthy communities. Our hard-working community is based on collaboration and respect for all team members and students.

What You Will Do:

The Manager of Job Placement and Alumni Success at Accelerate U will ensure that Accelerate U program graduates transition successfully into full-time employment and that Accelerate U successfully connects program alumni to ongoing professional growth  and engagement opportunities. This role requires a proactive, relationship-oriented individual to connect students with career opportunities, build strong employer partnerships, and maintain alumni networks for long-term success.  The Manager of Job Placement and Alumni Success will report to Accelerate U’s Director of Employer Engagement. 

This is the right role for you if:

You are committed to equity, access, and building economic mobility. You know the power of a great education - one that catapults a learner into new, choice-filled opportunities. You also know that too many talented, high-potential people get left out, overlooked, or skipped over when it comes to opportunities. You want to break down those barriers, destroy those misconceptions, and work with mission-aligned employers to construct creative pathways to work and college degrees. 

You are driven to succeed in an entrepreneurial environment. You are passionate about opening doors for others. You want to take everything you know about operations, process management, partnership building, and working with a variety of stakeholders to achieve a goal and use it to help establish an employer engagement strategy at Accelerate U. You love start-up and making a path when there isn’t one. You’re agile, flexible, and ready to work hard.

You are relentless. We’re creating something that doesn’t exist. The Manager of Job Placement and Alumni Success will build strong relationships and rely on those relationships to improve experiences for Accelerate U learners. You embrace the “and,” working with those around you to figure out a path forward.  You have high expectations for yourself and others.  And you never, ever give up.

Job Placement and Employer Partnerships

• Work closely with the Director of Employer Engagement and the Externship Coordinator to ensure all program completers secure full-time, upwardly mobile employment within three months of completing their AU training program.

• Follow-up with employer Human Resources teams to ensure AU learners who completed an externship successfully understand their next steps for securing a job.

• Work with and support individual AU students to help them find, submit applications for, and secure open full-time jobs in their field of training.

• Develop and maintain partnerships with local and regional employers, securing job opportunities aligned with participants’ skills and industry-recognized credentials.

• Coordinate career fairs, networking events, and employer engagement opportunities for students and alumni.

• Find and circulate Chicagoland job opportunities to current and former learners looking for full-time jobs, including the creation of an AU job database where employers can share opportunities and students can find them.

• Explore and work with the AU team to implement new strategies (i.e. using AI tools to better match students to jobs) that will lead to increased hire rates among AU students.

Alumni Engagement and Success

• Create a list of all UA alum - including personal and school email addresses - that can be used for sharing important updates and open jobs. 
• Maintain regular communication with program alumni, ensuring they are aware of ongoing professional development opportunities.

• Manage contact information for all alum and ensure regular engagement via newsletters, individual follow-up, and other strategies to keep alum engaged with Accelerate U.

• Oversee the build out and manage a job board for AU alum.

• Collaborate with the program team to identify opportunities for Alumni to work or volunteer with AU to support current students (i.e. skills lab assistant, assistant coach, orientation panelist, guest speaker), and help recruit alumni for these opportunities.

• Organize alumni events, webinars, and workshops to foster a community of lifelong learning and professional growth.

• Work closely with the NLU Enrollment/Outreach teams, the NLU “Learn & Earn in 3” team and other departments to ensure AU alumni understand and have a clear path to continued learning at NLU, including joining NLU’s new 3-year bachelor’s degree program.

Coaching and Career Readiness Support

• Collaborate with the AU Career Coaching team to make sure all AU learners receive individualized coaching on job search strategies, resume building, interview preparation, and career development.

• Hire, onboard, and manage 5-10 part-time “alumni coaches” each year who will provide hourly/paid support to the AU program by helping AU coaches with their caseload, recruiting new AU learners, creating compelling AU social media/marketing content, and other tasks as needed.

Data and Reporting

• Collect and maintain accurate data in NLU/AU data systems on job placement rates, salary outcomes, and alumni career progression.

• Analyze trends and provide recommendations for enhancing job placement and alumni engagement efforts.

• Work with leadership to set and meet job placement and alumni success targets.

• Associate Degree in Business, Education, Human Resources, or Social Services, Bachelor's Degree preferred.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience in workforce development, job placement, career coaching, or related fields, five years preferred.
• Proven experience in building and maintaining partnerships with employers and stakeholders.
• Experience in alumni engagement or managing professional development programs is highly desirable.
• Proficiency in using career services management platforms, CRM systems, and job placement tracking tools. Knowledge of workforce trends and employment market analysis is a plus

• Desire to work in a fast-paced, start-up environment.

NLU Inclusion Statement:

National Louis University is deeply committed to serving its community, advancing access and equity, and ensuring that all individuals are welcomed and valued.  We are dedicated to fostering a culture where diversity, equity, and inclusion remain at the core of who we are. These are more than just words to us: they are truly a way of life for the NLU community. We recognize that differences in abilities, age, ethnicity, gender (identity and expression), race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, and background bring richness to our work environment. We affirm diverse perspectives, innovative contributions, and authentic presentations of self from every member within the NLU community. We believe inclusion is grounded in the actions we intentionally take each day. Our goal is to inspire and empower NLU employees and community members to cultivate an environment where we collectively focus on uplifting and advancing our institutional culture.

At National Louis University, we offer our employees an innovative environment to work together and inspire the ideas that will make an impact. As our external environment changes, our employees are provided the opportunities and tools needed to grow both personally and professionally to remain successful. NLU employees and dependents are offered a wide range of benefits, including but not limited to, Health Insurance benefits, Retirement benefits, Paid Time Off and Educational Opportunities. Additional information regarding full-time staff benefits can be found here.

The salary range of the grade for this position is $51,966 to $75,351 annually.  Compensation decisions are dependent upon the facts and circumstances of each position and candidate.  Offers are based on multiple factors permitted by law, including but not limited to: budgetary considerations, job-related knowledge/skills, experience, market considerations, tenure and standing with the university (applicable to current employees), and internal equity. 

Please Include the following along with your application:

• Resume (Required)
• Cover Letter (Optional)
• Current NLU employees please also submit an Internal Posting Form