Careers at UMass Amherst

About UMass Amherst

The flagship of the Commonwealth, the University of Massachusetts Amherst is a nationally ranked public land-grant research university that seeks to expand educational access, fuel innovation and creativity, and share and use its knowledge for the common good. Founded in 1863, UMass Amherst sits on nearly 1,450-acres in scenic Western Massachusetts and boasts state-of-the-art facilities for teaching, research, scholarship, and creative activity. The institution advances a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community where everyone feels connected and valued—and thrives, and offers a full range of undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees across 10 schools and colleges, and 100 undergraduate majors. We believe every member of our university community can contribute to our ongoing success by striving for the highest level of excellence as we seek breakthrough solutions to mounting environmental, social, economic, and technological challenges in our world. 

Job Summary

Reporting to the Director of Career Development Services for the College of Humanities and Fine Arts (HFA), the Assistant Director provides personalized career, job and internship advising to HFA undergraduate students and recent alumni. This position plays a key role in helping students identify and clarify their professional goals and teaches the career skills necessary for student success upon graduation. In addition to one-on-one advising, the Assistant Director delivers career development workshops and in-class presentations on topics such as career exploration, internships, résumés and cover letters, interviewing, networking, and job search strategies. This role involves building strong relationships within and beyond the college to support HFA student career growth and success. Career programming takes place across campus and occasionally on the Mt. Ida campus.

Essential Functions 

• Provide one-on-one and small-group career advising to undergraduate students, helping them in exploring career paths aligned with their interests, skills, and academic backgrounds. Guide students through the job and internship search process, résumé and cover letter writing, interview preparation, and networking strategies. Advise students on experiential education such as internships, co-ops, volunteering, and community engagement.
• Identifies and addresses barriers to career decision-making and refers students to appropriate campus or external support services as needed.
• Facilitate both in-person and virtual advising sessions to ensure equitable access to career development support. Stays informed about labor market trends for Humanities and Fine Art Students and best practices in career advising.
• Participates in the development and delivery of HFA major-specific and general career workshops and in-class presentations. Liaises with HFA academic departments, undergraduate program directors, faculty, academic advisors, and other university staff on internships, jobs and other opportunities for their students and promote available opportunities.
• Act as a point of contact for academic departments regarding internship credit questions and other inquiries. Communicates information on internship housing options on the Mt. Ida campus for students taking part in internships in the Boston area. Manages or co-manages the HFA Summer Internship Scholarship program in coordination with the Director of Career Services and the HFA Dean’s Office.
• Assists with employer relations for the College and helps organize and plan HFA-sponsored career fairs, networking events, and employer visits. Works with the HFA Career Center Director to facilitate and grow student opportunities and programmatic initiatives. Helps organize and manage career development-related alumni speakers and events.
• Identifies barriers that students from diverse and multicultural backgrounds face in accessing and benefiting from career advising and development. Barriers may include limited awareness of available resources, cultural and language differences, financial constraints, implicit bias, and lack of representation in career services. Collaborates to develop and implement strategies that promote inclusivity, ensuring all students can fully participate in career development opportunities and achieve professional success.
• Attends, promotes and markets HFA Career and Professional Development programs to prospective and current students and families at open houses and campus visit days.
• Provides technical support and content for the HFA Career website, the weekly HFA undergraduate career newsletter, and helps maintain the Career Center’s social media. Uses the University’s communication platform, Marketing Cloud, to produce newsletters and other informational materials.
• Conducts data collection for First Destination and related surveys and provides data analysis when needed.
• Attends regularly scheduled unit and college meetings and participates in ongoing professional development. 
• Holds weekly office hours for walk-ins, resume reviews and drop-in career questions

Other Functions

• Performs other duties as assigned.
• May hire and supervise student assistants.
• Understands responsibilities with respect to Title IX, Clery, and other compliance requirements (will train).
• Demonstrates capacity, skill, and willingness to engage students and contribute to student success.  
• Understands responsibilities concerning conflicts of interest and behaves in ways consistent with both law and university policy.
• Contributes toward creating a positive and respectful workplace defined by personal and professional competence, integrity, and collaboration.
• Understands and contributes to the implementation of departmental and institutional goals for achieving non-discrimination and creating a respectful, inclusive environment that is supportive of diversity.
• Uses access to sensitive and/or not yet public university-related information only in the performance of the responsibilities of position and exercises care to prevent unnecessary disclosure to others.   

Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Education, Experience, Certifications, Licensure)

• Bachelor's Degree, preferably in a Liberal Arts, Humanities, Fine Arts, Social Sciences, or Education field required.
• Minimum of two (2) years of career counseling, academic advising, teaching, or related work experience.
• Ability to develop and maintain productive working relationships with students, faculty, staff, and alumni from a wide variety of social, cultural, and economic backgrounds.
• Ability to develop and maintain strong working relationships with employers, companies and organizations of interest to HFA students across a variety of industries; able to research and identify new prospects and conduct outreach.
• Excellent verbal, written, and public speaking/presentation skills.
• Strong organizational skills, including the ability to independently prioritize work and handle multiple tasks.
• Creativity, strong initiative, and the ability to work independently and as part of a collaborative team.
• Ability and willingness to support college and university student success initiatives. 

Preferred Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Education, Experience, Certifications, Licensure)

• Master's Degree in a Liberal Arts, Humanities, Fine Arts, Social Sciences, or Education field.
• Familiarity with employment trends and career opportunities for Humanities and Fine Arts majors.
• Experience in teaching the writing of resumes and cover letters, interview preparation, networking, and job search strategies.
• Strong computer skills with experience in data collection, analysis, and reporting. 
• Understanding of career management systems (e.g., LinkedIn, Handshake, Marketing Cloud).
• Experience with planning and management of events.
• Program development experience.  

Physical Demands/Working Conditions

• Typical office environment. 
• This position has the opportunity for a hybrid work schedule, which is defined by the University as an arrangement where the employee’s work is regularly performed at a location other than the campus workspace for a portion of the week. As this position falls within the Professional Staff Union, it is subject to the terms and conditions of the Professional Staff Union collective bargaining agreement.

Additional Details

• This position may be expected to participate in occasional Mt. Ida campus-based programs. 

Work Schedule

• Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Salary Information

Level 26  

PSU Hiring Ranges  

Special Instructions to Applicants

Upload your resume and cover letter, along with your completed application. Our team will check references at the final stage of the interview process. Please be prepared to provide contact information for at least three (3) professional references. This position will remain open until filled or the advertised closing date, whichever occurs first. Early submissions are recommended.

The University of Massachusetts Amherst welcomes all qualified applicants and complies with all state and federal anti-discrimination laws.