Join Our Team as the Associate Director, Recruiting & Industry Relations!

The Associate Director of Recruiting & Industry Relations serves as a key leader within SDSU Career Services, driving partnerships that expand meaningful career opportunities for students and alumni. This role leads the university’s employer engagement strategy—developing innovative industry services, strengthening recruiting pipelines, and leveraging data-informed practices to support regional workforce and economic development. The Associate Director oversees a dedicated Industry Relations team, advances revenue-generating initiatives, and represents SDSU with executives, workforce boards, chambers of commerce, and community partners. This is an exciting opportunity for a collaborative, strategic, and relationship-driven professional to shape the future of industry engagement at a nationally recognized institution.

Key responsibilities include:

Recruiting & Industry Relations Strategy

• Lead the planning, implementation, and evaluation of employer-facing services, ensuring high-quality engagement experiences for students, alumni, and industry partners.
• Implement and maintain CRM strategies to strengthen partnerships, improve employer engagement, and drive growth in work-based learning opportunities.
• Develop and refine an Industry Menu of Services and innovate new offerings that add value beyond traditional recruiting.
• Manage employer participation platforms and set/enforce fee structures that support annual revenue goals.
• Cultivate new and existing employer relationships to generate internships, jobs, and experiential learning opportunities.

Internal & External Partnerships

• Communicate key metrics to internal stakeholders and external partners to expand collaborations and enhance employment pathways.
• Coordinate strategic planning with campus divisions and community organizations to support revenue generation and industry engagement.
• Build and strengthen relationships across the university to align programs with institutional priorities.
• Represent SDSU at conferences, networking events, and industry convenings while promoting the university’s brand across diverse sectors.
• Serve on workforce and economic development boards and maintain partnerships with chambers of commerce, SBDCs, and related organizations.
• Develop MOUs and support cross-campus use of employer engagement tools and systems.

Management, Administration & Outcomes

• Supervise, support, and develop the Industry Relations team, fostering innovation, collaboration, and accountability.
• Monitor labor market trends and assess industry engagement efforts using data, logic models, and institutional priorities.
• Lead the creation and oversight of industry-focused services, ensuring compliance with policies, legal requirements, and best practices.
• Direct revenue-generation strategies and oversee financial administration, including grants and contracts.

Communications, Marketing & Outreach

• Incorporate student voice to guide programming and service delivery.
• Develop and assess marketing and communications strategies to elevate SDSU’s visibility among industry partners.
• Leverage digital, media, and in-person channels to promote departmental initiatives and strengthen industry engagement.

Why You’ll Love Working at SDSU:

• Mission-Driven Impact: Help prepare SDSU students for successful, purpose-driven careers that transform communities and industries.
• Collaborative Leadership: Join a forward-thinking team committed to innovation, inclusion, and partnership.
• Regional Engagement: Work at the intersection of education and workforce development, engaging directly with employers and economic leaders.
• Professional Growth: Lead high-impact initiatives while advancing your own leadership career in higher education and talent development.

Position Information

• This is a full-time, at-will role, offering comprehensive benefits.
• Position is designated exempt under FLSA and is not eligible for overtime compensation.
• Standard SDSU work hours are Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., but may vary based on operational needs.
• The individual hired into this role will work on campus at SDSU in San Diego.

Department Summary
SDSU Career Services, a unit within the Division of Student Affairs and Campus Diversity, is an innovative and globally recognized change-agent in education, workforce, and economic development. SDSU Career Services is also a national authority in the field and a federally designated career services provider authorized by the California Employment Development Department (EDD) and the United States Department of Labor (DOL). The department has been named the most valuable organization across a thirteen-state region and has expanded its employer relations team to support growing regional and national workforce needs.

SDSU Career Services is changing the paradigm for how career centers define success and serve job seekers and employers. The department is moving away from conventional metrics and ideologies that focus primarily on lifelong career journeys and human growth narratives, and instead prioritizes immediate, measurable outcomes that help students enter career pathways leading to livable wage jobs. This includes a strong emphasis on technology integration, employer-centered practices, and the use of real-time labor market insights to drive decision-making. This also includes embracing new concepts, tools, and approaches to serving its stakeholders, including the adoption of apprenticeships, alignment with its workforce development board, and contributing to its regional Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS). 

By embedding itself and leading within regional workforce and economic development ecosystems, SDSU Career Services is transforming the role and influence of career centers. The department is actively reinventing how institutions support talent development, employer engagement, and economic advancement. Through its commitment to student employment outcomes during school and after graduation, SDSU Career Services is establishing a new standard for accountability and leading the field across multiple arenas.For more information regarding Career Services, click here.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in employer relations, recruiting, talent development, or workforce engagement.
• Demonstrated experience managing staff and leading programs that connect students or job seekers with professional opportunities.

Key Qualifications

• Proven ability to develop and sustain partnerships with industry, community, and academic stakeholders.
• Knowledge of workforce development, career readiness, and employer engagement trends.
• Experience with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools and outcome reporting.
• Strong leadership, team building, and communication skills.
• Strategic and data-driven mindset with a focus on results and innovation.
• Experience managing budgets, contracts, and fee-based programs.

Compensation and Benefits

At San Diego State University, we value our team members and offer a competitive salary that reflects your qualifications and experience. But that’s just the beginning! Our exceptional benefits package is designed to support your well-being and work-life balance:

• Generous Leave Benefits: Enjoy 15 paid holidays, 24 vacation days, and 12 sick days per year.
• Retirement Security: Benefit from a CalPERS defined benefit pension plan, with reciprocity with the UC Retirement Plan, plus retiree healthcare benefits.
• Comprehensive Health Coverage: Access a variety of health, dental, and vision plans at no or low cost to you.
• Educational Opportunities: Take advantage of the California State University system fee reduction program for yourself or a qualified dependent.
• Voluntary Benefits: Opt into additional benefits like Auto & Home Insurance, Life and Disability Insurances, a Legal Plan, Pet Insurance, and the ScholarShare 529 Plan for college savings.

The expected hiring salary for this position ranges from $80,000-$89,256

SDSU Values

At SDSU, our diversity gives us power and benefits every single member of our community.  Consistent with California law and federal civil rights laws, SDSU provides equal opportunity for all in education and employment.  We encourage all members of our community to purposefully learn from one another through open and respectful dialogue and responsible engagement. We strongly preserve the right to free expression and encourage difficult conversations that help lead to improved individual and community learning and cohesion.

Principles of Community

At San Diego State University, we are a community of diverse individuals who have and represent many perspectives, beliefs, and identities. This diversity lends our community strength, and we commit to creating and sustaining an inclusive and intellectually vibrant environment that benefits all members of our university. 

SDSU’s Principles of Community is an aspirational statement that is intended to evolve over time. The statement reflects the ideals we are encouraged to uphold in our interactions with one another. 

Equal Opportunity and Excellence in Education and Employment

All university programs and activities are open and available to all regardless of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin. Consistent with California law and federal civil rights laws, San Diego State University (SDSU) provides equal opportunity in education and employment without unlawful discrimination or preferential treatment based on race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin. Our commitment to equal opportunity means ensuring that every student and employee has access to the resources and support they need to thrive and succeed in a university environment and in their communities. SDSU complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the California Equity in Higher Education Act, California’s Proposition 209 (Art. I, Section 31 of the California Constitution), other applicable state and federal anti-discrimination laws, and CSU’s Nondiscrimination Policy. We prohibit discriminatory preferential treatment, segregation based on race or any other protected status, and all forms of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation in all university programs, policies, and practices. 

SDSU is a diverse community of individuals who represent many perspectives, beliefs and identities, committed to fostering an inclusive, respectful, and intellectually vibrant environment. We cultivate a culture of open dialogue, mutual respect, and belonging to support educational excellence and student success. Through academic programs, student organizations and activities, faculty initiatives, and community partnerships, we encourage meaningful engagement with diverse perspectives. As a higher education institution, we are dedicated to advancing knowledge and empowering individuals to reach their full potential by prioritizing inclusive curriculum development, faculty and staff training, student mentorship, and comprehensive support programs. At SDSU, excellence is built on merit, talent, diversity, accessibility, and equal opportunity for all.

Supplemental Information

Apply by January 11, 2026, to ensure full consideration. Applications submitted after this date will be reviewed on an as-needed basis, and the position will remain open until filled.

The person holding this position is considered a ‘mandated reporter’ under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and is required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment. 

San Diego State University is not a sponsoring agency for staff or management positions (e.g., H-1B visa). Applicants must currently be authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. Offers of employment are contingent upon the presentation of documents that demonstrate a person's identity and authorization to work in the United States, which are consistent with the provisions of the Immigration Reform and Control Act. 

A background check (including a criminal records check) must be completed satisfactorily and is required for employment. SDSU will make a conditional offer of employment, which may be rescinded if the background check reveals disqualifying information, and/or it is discovered that the candidate knowingly withheld or falsified information. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may affect the continued employment of a current SDSU employee who was conditionally offered the position.

SDSU is a smoke-free campus. For more information, please click here.

Reasonable accommodations will be provided for qualified applicants with disabilities who request an accommodation by contacting Rachael Stalmann at rstalmann@sdsu.edu.