Employer Relations Specialist - Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources

The Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources at West Virginia University is currently accepting applications for an Employer Relations Specialist (ERS).

About the Opportunity

The Employer Relations Specialist will play a pivotal role in integrating employer relationships with students, alumni, faculty, staff, and the Statler Career Center team, within the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources. The incumbent will perform a wide range of building and enhancing employer relations, communication, marketing, outreach, and administrative functions within the College. Collaborate with the WVU Career Services Center as well as other university career center units on career fairs, information sessions, site visits, internships, co-ops, on-campus and off-campus jobs, full-time jobs, meetings, classroom company presentations, site visits, and additional networking events related to any Statler College major for student success.Must be willing and able to work early mornings, nights, and weekends depending upon programming or recruitment activities.

We strongly believe in work-life balance and keeping time for things we love outside our work. WVU offers generous benefits, including:

• 37.5-hour work week
• 13 paid holidays (staff holiday calendar)
• 24 annual leave (vacation) days per year (employee leave)
• 18 sick days per year (for when you're ill, for when you need time to care for sick family, for your own, or your family's, regularly scheduled medical appointments. Who is family for the purpose of this leave? A lot of people in your life including immediate relatives and in-laws as well as others considered to be members of your household living under the same roof)
• WVU offers a range of health insurance and other benefits
• 401(a) retirement savings with 6% employee contribution match, eligibility to continue health insurance, and other retiree perks. Looking for more retirement benefits information? Check out retirement health insurance benefits, retirement income, and FAQ's.
• Wellness programs

What You'll Do:

Employer Relations

• Establish new employer contacts and strengthen current employer contacts through outreach activities such as cold calls, mass mailings, and individual employer visits.
• Strategically identify and build relationships with regional, state, national, and international employers for recruitment of university students and alumni.
• Proactively develop and implement strategies designed to increase employment opportunities for university students and graduates.
• Schedule and conduct employer visits to determine hiring needs and promote the college's students and alumni as a potential candidate pool.
• Collaborate with employers to develop marketing strategies for enhancement of employer presence on campus, which includes, but not limited to campus recruitment, co-ops, internships, class/organization presentations, and resume searches.
• Organize, attend, and participate in site visits, on-campus partnership meetings, interviews, and career development events (networking receptions, information sessions, classroom presentations, etc.).
• Identify and contact new employers based on student interest, curriculum alignment, and faculty research areas.
• Solicit direct feedback from employers relative to their ideal candidate qualifications and the quality of student preparedness and areas in need of improvement.Monitor employer satisfaction to implement upgrades and improvements, as necessary.
• Collaborate with faculty and staff to increase employment opportunities for students.
• Connect students with alumni/employers willing to serve as ad hoc career coaches or mentors.
• Develop both internship and permanent employment opportunities for students through active marketing to alumni and corporate communities. Maintain and market a LinkedIn account.
• Benchmark employer development, internship, and co-op processes with other universities.
• Facilitate relationships between employers and the university community, including students, faculty, staff, alumni association, foundation, etc.
• Work closely with the student employment career services staff to promote and post job shadowing, experiential learning, and part-time job opportunities for students in a weekly newsletter.
• Design and develop employer marketing material, compose content, and coordinate timing of communications to employers.
• Compile and report data on employer relations activities, assess employer relations efforts, and provide feedback as to the effectiveness of such efforts.
• Track job market demand, use of career services, trends in recruiting, job-offer data, and hiring results for students in various academic majors.
• Formulate strategies for achieving greater participation rates for those majors that underuse available career resources.

Communication & Outreach

• Report to the Statler Career Center Director and collaborate with the Career Development Specialist (CDS) and WVU Career Services Center staff to thoroughly understand the resources available to employers, students, and alumni.
• Assist the Director in developing an overall strategic plan for the growth of the office and the services provided.
• Track and maintain accurate records for reporting purposes on employers, student utilization, and the areas of need present in the student population.
• Develop and maintain close working relationships with faculty and other administrators for the purpose of collaborative efforts for student success.
• Facilitate on-campus visits for companies interested in having information sessions or tables at the Statler College by creating reservations and announcements to students.
• Attend and participate with site visits, job shadowing experiences, meetings, special events, career fairs, and on-campus visits for companies interested in having information sessions or tables.
• Solicit direct feedback from employers relative to their ideal candidate qualifications as well as the quality of WVU student preparedness and areas in need of improvement. Collaborate this information with the Statler CDS.
• Research and provide content to the marketing strategist for industry/cluster-based marketing and reference materials in collaboration with the WVU Career Services Center.
• Consult industry representatives, including campus recruiting contacts, to ensure the accuracy and efficacy of the content, particularly as it pertains to a targeted discipline or industry in conjunction with the WVU Career Services Center.
• Strengthen relationships with existing employers through enhanced campus recruiting experiences.
• Develop survey instruments to identify prospective employers based on student interest, curriculum alignment, and faculty research areas.
• Interpret results to develop a target employer list to be utilized by the Statler College.
• Prepare written content for the weekly newsletter, and relevant and engaging content/resources to be featured on the Statler College web page.
• Support other duties as assigned by the Statler Career Center Director.
• Maintain a thorough knowledge of academic program requirements, academic policy information, and university policies, processes, and mandates. Recommend changes to university policies, procedures, processes, and mandates to encourage student success in the job search.

• A bachelor's degree in human resource management, industrial relations, marketing, communications, business, education, or other related fields.
• A minimum of three (3) years of experience in the following:
  
  
  
  • Employer relations and/or human resources
  • Communications and marketing
  • Relationship-building and maintaining networking connections
  
  
  
  
• Any equivalent combination of related education and/or experience will be considered.
• All qualifications must be met by the time of employment.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Excellent written, oral, and interpersonal communication competence skills.
• Knowledge of Statler College Engineering and Technology Academic Majors.
• Knowledge of Handshake, LinkedIn, Microsoft Office 365 (Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams, etc.), Google Forms, Qualtrics Surveys, Job Search Databases, and Human Resources Information Systems.
• Knowledge of National Association of Colleges & Employers (NACE) Career Readiness Competencies and recruiting practices.
• Exceptional organizational skills to meet deadlines, prioritize tasks, manage multiple projects, follow through on initiatives, results-oriented, and work independently without supervision.
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy.
• Ability to work in an innovative, collaborative, and sometimes ambiguous environment with a team for a common purpose.
• Demonstrated strong commitment to employer development as a core component of job search.
• Demonstrated ability to cultivate positive relationships across diverse professional consistencies.
• Ability to work successfully in a challenging environment with a broad range of internal and external constituents including students, employers, administrators, faculty, staff, and alumni.

Preferred Qualifications

• A master's degree in human resource management, industrial relations, marketing, communications, business, education, or other related fields.

• Valid US driver's license.
  
  
  
  • Willingness to travel overnight.
  • Responsible for driving employers at career fairs and students to company site visits.
  
  
  
  

West Virginia University is a place of purpose and community. We take pride in our profound impact on the state of West Virginia and are committed to the personal and professional growth of our employees.

From the groundbreaking R1 research at our flagship campus in Morgantown to the career-oriented programs at WVU Potomac State in Keyser, and the technology-intensive programs at WVU Tech in Beckley, the contributions of WVU employees resonate across the state, touching lives and shaping futures.

At WVU, you will discover a supportive community that champions work-life balance and fosters a collaborative atmosphere. Our core values - service, curiosity, respect, accountability and appreciation - unite us as Mountaineers.

We are dedicated to creating an inclusive and engaging working environment and actively seek candidates who bring diverse ideas, approaches and experiences.

Join us at West Virginia University, where your work will make a lasting impact. To learn more about WVU, visit wvu.edu.

West Virginia University is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and received an NSF ADVANCE award for gender equity. We value diversity among our faculty, staff and students and invite applications from all qualified applicants regardless of race, ethnicity, color, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, nationality, genetics, disability, or Veteran status.