Practice Group Leader, Consulting (Career Services Specialist)

USC Marshall School of Business

Graduate Career Services

The Marshall Career Services team, comprised of more than 30 professional staff, and more than 30 undergraduate and graduate student staff, lead the charge to ensure all of Marshall’s approximately 8,200 undergraduate, specialty MS, and MBA students have the support and connections to achieve their professional goals. Our team is currently in a period of change and rallying around a new set of strategic values:

• relationship-centered (we prioritize strong relationships with all internal and external stakeholders, especially students)
• career-outcome-driven (we connect students to as many opportunities and employers as possible and actively build the networks that lead to employment)
• innovative practice (we maintain a current, tech-forward, and competent practice)
• team-centered (we value our people and foster a supportive, balanced, and authentic work environment)

These values are reshaping how we function as a team and deliver career services. We are thrilled to be recruiting for several roles and are excited to recruit future team members that share our enthusiasm for defining the future of career services and continuing to build Marshall’s reputation as the best business school!

Position Description:

The MBA team in Marshall Career Services is looking to recruit an experienced career services professional to join the team as a practice group leader (PGL) for our consulting practice. The PGL will build a consulting-related practice consisting of an employer portfolio, alumni-in-residence, executives-in-residence, student clubs, peer advisors, and other resources, all of which facilitate MBA students, particularly full-time MBA students, successfully securing internships and full-time jobs. This is an exciting time to join the MBA team, which just reorganized around this new practice group model. This position reports to the Assistant Dean and Director of MBA Career Services.

Responsibilities and Duties:

• Serve as lead strategist for the assigned practice group; make strategic decisions on how to use limited time and resources to best drive the professional success of a cohort of MBA students pursuing respective practice area
• Ensure the delivery of career education – resume and cover letter reviews, interview preparation, industry-specific preparation – through one-on-one, group advising, and workshops with the full-time staff, peer advisors, alumni, technology, or other resources
• Build and maintain an appropriate employer portfolio to facilitate the professional success of respective practice area, including adequate opportunities to drive successful internship and full-time career outcomes for MBA students; actively work to grow the employer portfolio year-over-year
• Plan and coordinate a diverse range of employer-facing events, providing leadership and support to the Practice Group Coordinator; drive strong student engagement and participation in career-enhancing programs
• Leverage the incredible Trojan Network, intentionally connecting students to alumni, alumni to students, and capitalizing on the network’s willingness to support and enhance Marshall Career Service’s various career initiatives.
• Cultivate and maintain an Alumni/Executive-in-Residence program to scale the practice group’s reach and impact; intentionally train and deploy a highly qualified group of alumni volunteers eager to support the professional success of MBA students
• In line with the Marshall Career Service’s strategic value of career-outcome-driven, actively monitor the internship and full-time career outcomes of all full-time MBA students, working aggressively to implement continual solutions to drive outcomes as high as possible
• Lean into Marshall Career Service’s strategic value of relationship-centered, actively leaning into building positive relationships with students; establish relationships with and advise student clubs and their leaders, take opportunities to attend club events and be visibly present, and lean into communication during times of conflict
• Conduct one-on-one and group meetings with MBA students, as needed; participate in career preparation programs to support incoming MBA students and to prepare for entry into the practice group model
• Be a creative and entrepreneurial leader; each practice group is unique based on the nuances of that particular industry and the specific students, requiring a leader that will be tenacious in pursuing success – success will be more art than science and require someone that can develop a sense of knowing when to hold the course, when to change, and when to think outside the box
• Practice group leaders should maintain expertise in their respective industry, including connections to relevant professional organizations, monitoring employment trends, and thinking about future implications for the industry (AI, for example)
• Partner with the appropriate MBA team members to help incoming MBA students successfully onboard and prepare for entry into the practice group model, as well as support students’ transition between practice groups, as needed
• Practice group leader will partner with the Practice Group Leader for Executive and Working Professionals to determine appropriate industry-specific support for the students in the executive and working professional MBA programs
• Actively liaise with partners across Marshall Career Services, the Marshall School of Business, and USC to ensure that the organization is seen as a great partner and willing collaborator
• Other duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree.
• Four years of full-time relevant experience (Career Services or direct industry experience)
• Specific knowledge of the consulting recruitment landscape and process

Preferred Qualifications:

• MBA or master’s degree in Higher Education, Student Affairs, Counseling, Career Counseling, or related discipline.
• Seven years of full-time relevant experience, including both Career Services and relevant industry experience.

Anticipated Salary Range

The salary range for this position is $83,240.33 - $93,935.94 - $108,980.64. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state, and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

Required Documents and Additional Information

Resume and cover letter required. Please do not submit your application without these documents.

Job openings are posted for a minimum of five calendar days. This job may be removed from posting boards and filled any time after the minimum posting period has ended, so please apply on the same business day if interested.

USC has excellent benefits, including health benefits for staff and their family with access to the renowned university medical network; eligibility for retirement plans with employer contributions after six months of employment; tuition benefits for staff and their family; free Professional Development classes; central Los Angeles location with easy access to commuter trains, buses and free tram pick up services; discounts to sporting and other campus events.

Why join the USC Marshall School of Business?

The USC Marshall School of Business is ideally positioned to address the challenges of a rapidly changing business environment and is ranked as one of the country’s top schools for accounting, finance, marketing, consulting, entrepreneurship and international business studies. USC Marshall builds on the unique opportunities that stem from its Los Angeles location on the Pacific Rim, its interdisciplinary and impactful research, the momentum generated by the University of Southern California, and the unparalleled engagement of the Trojan Alumni Family. With ready access to industries defining the new business frontier, including bio-technology, life sciences, media, entertainment, communications and healthcare, this vast network offers USC Marshall graduates exceptionally strong support for success in the global marketplace.

For more information on the USC Marshall School of Business, visit: www.marshall.usc.edu.

USC is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or USC policy. USC observes affirmative action obligations consistent with state and federal law. USC will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal records in a manner consistent with applicable laws and regulations, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for employers and the Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and with due consideration for patient and student safety. Please refer to the Background Screening Policy Appendix D for specific employment screen implications for the position for which you are applying.

We provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. Applicants with questions about access or requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should contact USC Human Resources by phone at (213) 821-8100, or by email at uschr@usc.edu. Inquiries will be treated as confidential to the extent permitted by law.

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