Assistant Director of Industry to Campus Connections

About the job

Organizational Unit

The Center for Career & Professional Development at the University of South Florida (Tampa campus), reporting to the Division of Student Success, is the university's centralized career planning and employment assistance service for students and graduates. Programs offered by the Center for Career & Professional Development are designed to help students and graduates assess, explore, develop, and implement their career goals, gain employability skills and career-related experiences, prepare for a successful transition into graduate/professional school or the labor market, and connect with employers to obtain part-time jobs, internships, cooperative education, and professional employment.

Position Summary

The ideal candidate will report directly to the Director of Industry Connections, this role works closely with the Center for Career & Professional Development, across the University, top employers, and strategic partners. In addition, they manage a Coordinator of Employer Connections and will:

• Serve effectively as part of the Industry to Campus Connections team and Center for Career & Professional Development to develop strong relationships with key employers, faculty, and staff throughout campus, and in the broader community to ensure the unit is effectively communicating our program offerings, assessing existing services, identifying future needs, and leveraging technology to reach our goals.

• Work across unit teams to proactively research, identify, plan, and implement existing immersive programs and talent recruitment events. The person in this role must also possess the creativity and drive to innovate new models.

• Collaborate with the Center for Career & Professional Development leadership team to facilitate external engagement across the University as needed to ensure strategic partnerships, signature programs, key employer relationships, new initiatives, and externally sponsored activities foster new and expand existing relationships across the university and beyond based upon a culture of trust, collaboration and execution, and value creation.

• Work closely with the Director of Industry to Campus Connections and Director of Strategic Initiatives to support talent requests from strategic partners. Examples include but are not limited to connections to key faculty, staff, and student organizations, campus Interviews, employer events, information sessions, and access to resume books.

• Host career fairs and participate in Center for Career & Professional Development events and represent our unit with the Chamber of Commerce and university committees relating to employer development at local, state, regional, and national meetings.

• Facilitate an Employer Summit each summer to provide professional development to community recruiters and foster connection to USF.

Responsibilities

• Engage with employers and alumni to support efforts to connect with USF students. This includes working with the team to host events, panels, career fairs, and activities for student interaction. Serve in the Chamber of Commerce to connect with Tampa employers.
• Supervise and direct the Coordinator of Employer Connections.
• Work with Center for Career & Professional Development team members and across campus to infuse employers into programs and workshops.
• Work with the Director of Industry Connections to create goals for employer engagement at USF.
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

•    This position requires a Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution with a minimum of four years related exempt experience, including two years of supervisory experience.

Degree Equivalency Clause: Four years of direct experience for a bachelor’s degree. • Senate Bill 1310- The Florida Senate (https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/1310) is conditional upon meeting all employment eligibility requirements in the U.S. • SB 1310: Substitution of Work Experience for Postsecondary Education Requirements • A public employer may include a postsecondary degree as a baseline requirement only as an alternative to the number of years of direct experience required, not to exceed: • (a) Two years of direct experience for an associate degree; • (b) Four years of direct experience for a bachelor’s degree; • (c) Six years of direct experience for a master’s degree; • (d) Seven years of direct experience for a professional degree; or • (e) Nine years of direct experience for a doctoral degree • Related work experience may not substitute for any required licensure, certification, or registration required for the position of employment as established by the public employer and indicated in the advertised description of the position of employment. • Minimum Qualifications that require a high school diploma are exempt from SB 1310.

Preferred Qualifications:

Preferred Candidate Experiences:

• A dynamic leader with excellent organizational and relationship skills who fosters a culture of collaboration and trust around external relationship building and management and functions with a high degree of professionalism and integrity. • Possesses a strategic mindset related to achieving goals, able to communicate vision and translate ideas into operational goals effectively. • Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, process-driven environment while maintaining exceptional attention to detail and accuracy with lean staff support. • Outstanding written, verbal, and presentation skills and the proven ability to communicate effectively with stakeholders at all levels. • Demonstrated ability to manage time-sensitive problems in a constructive, positive manner. • Software capabilities including CSMs such as Handshake.

Leadership Competencies and Personal Traits:

• Exceptional degree of emotional intelligence and ability to establish credibility, work collaboratively, and influence outcomes with a wide range of stakeholders. • Outstanding relationship skills and building rapport with internal and external constituents. • Ability to maintain composure, humor, and a positive attitude during lengthy periods of high-volume work. • Highly motivated self-starter who works well independently. • Willingness to travel 20% local to global as needed is required. • Schedule flexibility to include occasional evenings, early mornings, and weekends is required. • This position may also assume other duties as assigned.

Preferred Hiring Qualifications:

• Master’s degree or higher. • High personal standards of customer service, professionalism, and maturity are required. • Prior experience and solid track record as a leader in one of the following areas: Employer Relations, University Recruiting, Career Management, Admissions, Advancement, and Business Development/Sales/Marketing. • Other valuable attributes include excellent organizational, personnel, and administrative management skills; and experience working effectively with faculty, University administrators, and advisory board members. • Experience working with faculty, University administrators, and advisory board members preferred.

The University of South Florida is a top-ranked research university serving approximately 50,000 students from across the globe at campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg and USF Health. In 2025, U.S. News & World Report recognized USF with its highest overall ranking in university history, as a top 50 public university for the seventh consecutive year and as one of the top 15 best values among all public universities in the nation. U.S. News also ranks the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine in the highest tier, placing it as one of the top 16 medical schools in the nation and inside the top 10 among public universities. USF is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), a group that includes only the top 3% of universities in the U.S. With an all-time high of $750 million in research funding in 2025 and as a top 20 public university for producing U.S. patents, USF uses innovation to transform lives and shape a better future. The university generates an annual economic impact of nearly $10 billion for the state of Florida. USF’s Division I athletics teams compete in the American Conference. Learn more at www.usf.edu.

About Us

Working at USF

With approximately 16,000 employees, the University of South Florida is one of the largest employers in the Tampa Bay area. We are dedicated to cultivating a talented, engaged and driven workforce that strives to be bold. Employees excel in USF‘s rich academic environment, which fosters their development and advancement. In 2025, Forbes recognized USF as one of Florida’s best large employers, ranked No. 1 among the state’s 12 public universities. Our first-class benefits package includes medical, dental and life insurance plans, retirement plan options, employee and dependent tuition programs, generous leave, and hundreds of employee perks and discounts.

About USF

The University of South Florida is a top-ranked research university serving approximately 50,000 students from across the globe at campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota-Manatee and USF Health. USF is recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a top 50 public university and the best value in Florida. U.S. News also ranks the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine as the No. 1 medical school in Florida and in the highest tier nationwide. USF is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), a group that includes only the top 3% of universities in the U.S. With an all-time high of $738 million in research funding in 2024 and as a top 20 public university for producing U.S. patents, USF uses innovation to transform lives and shape a better future. The university generates an annual economic impact of more than $6 billion. USF’s Division I athletics teams compete in the American Athletic Conference. Learn more at www.usf.edu.

Compliance and Federal Notices

This position may be subject to a Level 1 or Level 2 criminal background check.

Applicants have rights under Federal Employment Laws:

The University of South Florida is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment based on any characteristic protected by law.  The University maintains programs for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities in accordance with all applicable federal and state laws.

Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

Applicants for USF employment are entitled to request reasonable accommodation(s) in the application process. A request is to be made at least five (5) working days prior to the time the accommodation(s) is needed. Visit the Central Human Resources ADA Accommodations webpage for more information on requesting an accommodation during the application/interview process.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of South Florida is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment based on any characteristic protected by law.  The University maintains affirmative action programs for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities in accordance with all applicable federal and state laws.  This job description does not constitute an employment contract.

Additional Information

• Job Identification: 44525
• Job Category: Business Services
• Posting Date: 2026-10-12
• Apply Before: 2026-11-02
• Locations: 4202 E Fowler Ave, Tampa, FL, 33620, US
• Hiring Salary: $60,000 - $61,000 per year
• Essential Personnel: No