Director of Career and Community Engagement

Director of Career and Community Engagement

This position is an on-campus, full-time, non-union supervisory, 12-month appointment based in Champaign, Illinois with an annual salary of $68,802.76.

Application Close Date / Time : Monday, October 6, 2025, at 6 PM CT

Applicants must submit :

An online employment application

Cover letter

Resume or CV

Primary responsibilities include career exploration, academic outreach, and community engagement leadership, and management of the Career and Community Engagement (CCE) department. The Director will provide leadership of CCE activities and partner with administration, deans, department chairs, directors, managers, and faculty to ensure CCE activities align with college priorities. The Director will collaborate with and supervise all staff within the CCE department. The Director will oversee the CCE budget and any associated grants.

Essential Job Functions

Direct and oversee all programming coming from the CCE, related to career exploration, outreach, and community engagement.

Manage the budget and grant execution for career exploration, outreach, and community engagement (CEOCE).

Manage and coordinate usage of CCE facilities, including the Career Exploration Room and its associated equipment.

Provide strategic oversight of the mobile career exploration vehicle, including supervising staff responsible for its operation and programming, and ensuring effective use of associated equipment and resources

Lead the planning team for community outreach and related initiatives.

Provide leadership in identifying community activities that have the potential to strengthen relationships between Parkland and the underserved populations in District 505.

Develop and maintain a strong working relationship and communication strategy with District 505 high schools and middle school administration and counselors, as well as community partners.

Develop, assess, and revise evaluation strategies to monitor effectiveness of CCE programming and need for improvements.

Determine and allocate resources necessary to implement CCE outreach activities.

Provide leadership in developing CCE programming from start to completion involving deadlines, processes, and implementation.

Collaborate with the Director and Youth Program Manager in Community Education to create a seamless pipeline of students engaging in career exploration through CCE.

Collaborate with the Dean for Enrollment Management and Director of Admissions and Early College Services to develop, coordinate, and track a pipeline of District 505 students, grades 6

th

through 12

th

, from CCE career exploration through enrollment.

Report on CCE programming and outcomes to administration.

Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Requirements

Bachelor's degree in any academic discipline, or an associate degree in any discipline with at least 2 years of related work experience in communications and community relations, or an equivalent blend of related experience.

Proven leadership experience, with preference given to candidates with 5+ years of program or project management at a community college.

A strategic mindset with the ability to lead research, development, and implementation of strategic plans.

Excellent organizational and collaboration skills.

Verbal and mathematical abilities sufficient to perform the duties of the position.

Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including speaking in front of large and small groups, and the ability to listen effectively and respond accordingly.

Ability to professionally engage in positive working relationships with members of the Parkland community, District 505 partners, and members of the public.

Demonstrates a high level of cultural competency.

Proficient in Microsoft Office applications, with the ability to learn Parkland College's CRM (Slate), and new programs as technology changes.

Prospective new hires will successfully complete a post offer, pre-employment criminal background check with fingerprinting. The background check review includes, but is not limited to, exclusionary offenses per the Illinois School Code and Title IV of the Higher Education Act.

In order to meet the needs of CCE and be present at community functions, a flexible schedule to include occasional evenings and weekends is required.

In an effort to comply with SURS return-to-work restrictions for employers (40 ILCS 5 / 15-139.5), candidates for employment at Parkland College must either not be a SURS annuitant or must be willing to suspend his / her SURS annuity upon employment. This applies to all SURS annuitants except those receiving their annuity under either the Self-Managed Plan (SMP) or by lump sum payment.

Physical Requirements

Movement : Position requires frequent standing, walking, and sitting. May occasionally involve climbing stairs, balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, or crawling.

Lifting / Carrying : Must be able to lift and carry up to 50 lbs. Occasionally, moving activity carts (~200 lbs.) which requires lifting one end to load into an elevator. Pushing / pulling heavy carts or equipment is a requirement.

Manual Dexterity : Role involves repetitive hand / arm movements, fine motor skills for typing and equipment use, and operation of machinery (e.g., deploying Pathfinder stairs, operating electrical systems, generator, and wheelchair lift).

Vision / Hearing / Communication : Requires close and distance vision, depth perception, normal hearing, and clear verbal communication.

Work Environment : Position may involve exposure to heat during outdoor deployments, loud noise, and moving machinery (doors, stairway, wheelchair lift).

Robust benefits, including medical insurance with no monthly premiums, dental, life, disability, retirement plans, flexible spending, dependent care, EAP, work / life balance with generous paid time off, and tuition waiver. More information on the benefits package may be found online at our Benefits page, https : / / www.parkland.edu / Main / About-Parkland / Department-Office-Directory / Human-Resources / Benefits.

Sponsorship for work authorization is not available for this position.

Apply for this position using the Apply Now button at the top or bottom of this posting. Applications not submitted through https : / / www.parkland.edu / careers will not be considered.

Please monitor your email, including spam or junk mail folders, for future correspondence from Parkland College Human Resources.

For further information on the application process, please contact Parkland College Human Resources at 217-351-2220.

Applicants with disabilities may request a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (2008) to complete the application and / or interview process.

Requests may be submitted by contacting Human Resources at 217-351-2220 or by emailing hr@parkland.edu.

Equal Opportunity Employer