| Position Title |
Undergraduate Internship Manager, College of Business and Economics |
| About the University |
Western Washington University, with over 15,000 students in seven colleges and the graduate school, is nationally recognized for its educational programs, students and faculty. The campus is located in Bellingham, Washington, a coastal community of 90,000 overlooking Bellingham Bay, the San Juan Islands and the North Cascades Mountain range. The city lies 90 miles north of Seattle and 60 miles south of Vancouver, British Columbia. Western has additional sites in Anacortes, Bremerton, Everett, Port Angeles, and Poulsbo. Western is recognized nationally for its successes, such as being named one of the top public master's-granting institutions in the Pacific Northwest for 25 years in a row by U.S. News & World Report.
Western Washington University is committed to achieving excellence through advancing inclusive success, increasing our Washington impact, and focusing on transformational education grounded in the liberal arts and sciences and based on innovative scholarship, research, and creative activity. Western's greatest strength is the outstanding students, faculty, staff, and alumni/ae who make up its community. Western supports an inclusive governance structure for all and provides a learning and working environment in which everyone can thrive. In pursuit of this excellence, individual employees are expected to establish and maintain productive and effective inclusive working relationships amongst diverse populations including staff, faculty, administration, student, and external constituents. Further, individual employees are expected to have the ability to operationalize sustainability concepts (economic, societal, environmental) into all aspects of performing their job duties.
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| About the Department |
The College of Business and Economics supports Western's mission, which states that together with our students, staff, and faculty, we are committed to making a positive impact in the state and the world with a shared focus on academic excellence and inclusive achievement. All are encouraged to apply including women, people of color, people with disabilities, veterans, and other candidates from underrepresented backgrounds and with diverse experiences interested in this opportunity.
We are a student-focused school of business and economics engaged in scholarly and professional activities that contribute to the well-being of society.
We believe business education should empower individuals to lead with purpose, think critically, and create meaningful change in their communities and beyond.
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| About the Position |
The primary purpose of this position is to cultivate internship opportunities and expand undergraduate student internship placement in the College of Business and Economics (CBE). Through employer outreach, partnership development, and coordination with academic programs, this position helps students gain practical experience, develop professional skills, and connect academic learning with career opportunities.
Working collaboratively with employers, alumni, faculty, university partners, and the business community, the position supports student success, workforce readiness, and internship participation in alignment with the CBE Strategic Plan and AACSB accreditation expectations. The position works closely with the Undergraduate Career Services Manager to ensure students have access to and are professionally prepared to take on internship opportunities that support their academic programs, career interests, and professional goals.
This is an in-person, on-campus position located at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington.
This a permanent, part-time position (10-month cyclic).
Position Duties and Responsibilities
50% - Develop internship pipelines and opportunities for CBE students.
- Building and maintaining relationships with employers, alumni, advisory board members, professional associations, economic development organizations, and community partners.
- Identifying, cultivating, and expanding internship opportunities aligned with CBE academic programs and student interests.
- Expanding employer participation in CBE internships through ongoing outreach and engagement activities.
- Representing CBE at employer, university, industry, and community events related to internships, workforce development, and professionalism.
- Facilitating experiential learning opportunities (e.g., case competitions, industry projects) with employers to advance relationship management.
- Monitoring workforce trends and employer needs to identify emerging opportunities for students.
25% - Support academic programs that utilize required internships.
- Collaborating with departmental and program leadership to align internship opportunities with program requirements, learning objectives, and workforce needs.
- Developing dedicated internship opportunities that sufficiently support program-specific requirements.
- Cultivating and maintaining employer partnerships that support required internship programs.
- Tracking and reporting on students in internships meeting programmatic needs.
15% - Conduct activities that connect students with internship opportunities.
- Coordinating with the CBE Undergraduate Career Services Manager and WWU Career Center members as appropriate to ensure students are professionally prepared for internship opportunities.
- Developing and disseminating internship communications, employer information, and related internship resources through various media channels.
- Contributing events to the CBE Career Calendar.
- Running internship information sessions, employer presentations, internship fairs, and similar student outreach activities.
- Facilitating connections between students and employers through recruiting, networking, internship promotion, and related activities.
- Serving as a resource to students, employers, and faculty regarding internship opportunities, expectations, and processes.
10% - Provide internship reporting, assessment, and strategic support to advance CBE internship goals.
- Meeting periodically with CBE leadership, faculty, departments, and university partners regarding internship and experiential learning initiatives.
- Tracking and reporting internship development activities, employer engagement, student participation, and related outcomes.
- Preparing reports that include analysis, highlights, and recommendations regarding internship participation, employer engagement, and overall program effectiveness.
- Providing and supporting necessary CBE reporting related to student success, workforce readiness, internship participation, accreditation, and strategic planning efforts.
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| Required Qualifications |
- Bachelor’s degree in business, Human Resources, Communications, Public Administration, Economic Development, Higher Education, or a related field. Equivalent combinations of education and experience may be considered.
- Three years of professional experience in employer relations, recruiting, workforce development, internship programs, business development, career services, economic development, or a closely related field.
- Demonstrated ability to build and maintain productive relationships with employers, alumni, community partners, faculty, students, and other stakeholders.
- Demonstrated ability to develop, coordinate, and manage programs, projects, partnerships, or initiatives involving multiple constituents.
- Strong communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills.
- Strong organizational, project management, and time-management skills, including the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
- Knowledge of internship, experiential learning, workforce development, recruiting, or talent development practices relevant to undergraduate business students.
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| Preferred Qualifications |
- Master’s degree in business administration, Human Resources, Organizational Leadership, Higher Education, Public Administration, or a related field.
- Five or more years of progressively responsible experience in employer relations, recruiting, workforce development, internship development, business development, career services, or a related field.
- Experience working with undergraduate students in a higher education setting.
- Experience developing partnerships with employers, alumni, professional associations, advisory boards, or community organizations.
- Experience supporting internship, experiential learning, workforce development, or work-based learning initiatives.
- Experience using relationship management, internship management, CRM, career services, or other stakeholder engagement technologies.
- Experience collecting, analyzing, and reporting data to assess program effectiveness and support continuous improvement.
- Knowledge of regional workforce needs, employer hiring trends, and experiential learning best practices.
- Understanding of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, and their impact on workforce development, recruiting, and internship opportunities.
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| Special Requirements |
Must be willing to do some travel (for example, meeting employers in Bellingham/Seattle/Surrounding areas, taking students to meet employers, etc.) |
| Conditions of Employment |
All employees must comply with our Immunization policies, including Proof of Rubeola Measles Immunity within 60-days of hire. Please reach out to HR@wwu.edu if you need information regarding medical or religious exemption and applicable accommodations. |
| Salary |
Hiring range is $33,846 - $39,923/year (@.6/10-months). Through longevity position tops out at $43,999/year. |
| Benefits Information |
Benefits Overview for Administrative Professional Position.
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| Application Instructions |
Application materials should address your experience related to the position responsibilities and the required and preferred qualifications.
Please submit a resume and cover letter that details how you meet the minimum and preferred requirements of the position, include 3 professional references (contacted only for applicants that make the finalist stage). |
| Closing Date Notes |
Application review begins October 30, 2026; position is open until filled. |