Industry Advisor, Finance

This position requires a cover letter be included with your application.

The Industry Advisor, Finance provides comprehensive college-to-career guidance through the delivery of dynamic and engaging programming content and coaching services to undergraduate students interested in the finance industry including but not limited to investment banking, sales and trading, private equity, and real estate. 

This position will connect with students in innovative ways to support their career goals, collaborate with campus partners, student organizations, and academic partners to facilitate workshops across campus, identify area-specific resources, and assist with website content. This position works closely with the Employer Relations team in developing strategies to identify and enhance engagement with employers and alumni and develop an understanding of career paths and opportunities for students related to their post-graduate career plans. 

The ideal candidate for this role will have at least five years of experience specifically in the Finance industry, resulting in deep industry knowledge that they can translate to providing student support. 

About the Work Unit:

Launched in fall 2021 under the leadership of the new Vice Provost for Career Advancement and Engagement & Executive Director of the Evans Family Career Center, the Office of Career Advancement and Engagement (CAE), centrally supported within the Provost’s Office, drives radical campus-wide collaboration by integrating career advancement activities into the broader VU student experience. 

The new CAE division comprises three key areas: 

• Career Center - serves undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral scholars while continuing to support career and professional coaching of recent graduates (0-2 years) after graduation
• Corporate Partnerships – fosters enhanced employer and alumni engagement and facilitates high-impact corporate partnerships
• VU Network – oversees a network of regional hubs that promote activity and engagement with Vanderbilt’s growing community of students, alumni, parents, faculty and partnership corporations

The new CAE office offers enhanced career advancement services to connect the wide variety of academic programs and experiences to student career development. In addition, the office reimagines the link between corporate relations and corporate partnerships to generate greater career opportunities and outcomes for students and alumni. Further, the CAE office is currently laying the groundwork for the VU Network Hub, a national engagement program that identifies and stands-up regional hubs to facilitate activity and community interaction for Vanderbilt students, alumni, parents, faculty and partnership corporations. 

Duties and Responsibilities:

Strategic Student Support:

• Educate and support students working towards careers in the finance sector through professional skill-building activities, and industry-specific engagement opportunities.
• Create targeted industry-related content and share expertise and guidance with students aligning with industry expectations and trends. 
• Educate and guide students with navigating complex issues and decision-making processes necessary within the various finance pathways, providing insights into best practices, industry benchmarks, and emerging trends.
• Connect with students in intentional ways to support their career goals, including collaborating with campus partners, student organizations, and academic partners to facilitate workshops that align with finance industry expectations, and elevate expertise across campus. 
• Host Vandy in Finance weekly drop-in sessions sharing industry expertise to engage with students related to specialized industry topics and prepare for summer internship recruitment. 
• Advise students on relevant coursework and certifications that align with their career aspirations in finance.
• Foster students’ ability to effectively use data to quantify and make recommendations.
• Identify and utilize high-level techniques to teach finance principles and to perform quality mock interviews.
• Maintain accurate reporting of activities through Handshake and internal reporting systems. Uses resulting data to proactively strategize ways to increase student engagement. 

Industry Engagement: 

• Leverage and continue the cultivation of networking connections engaging alumni and corporate partners to ensure Vanderbilt students are set apart from peers in the most complex and in-demand career fields. 
• Facilitate personal and student interaction with high-level finance professionals, alumni, and corporate partners to cultivate valuable networks and opportunities.
• Collaborate with employer relations specialist to elevate partnerships with employers and alumni working within the finance field by leveraging own real-world experience and providing an understanding of the uniqueness of the specified industry through strategy focused conversations. 
• Cultivate and broaden external partner interest in supporting Vanderbilt students interested in the Finance sector. 
• Enhance partnerships by leveraging real-world finance experience and industry-specific insights.
• Participate in relevant professional associations and events, locally and nationally. 

Develop and Deliver Career Readiness Programming: 

• Create a comprehensive Guide to Internships and Jobs aligned to finance pathways including in-depth industry insights, resume and cover letter examples, guidance on networking strategies, technical skill development, and interviews tips and preparation techniques. 
• Curate industry specific resources and assist with updating industry specific website content. Coordinate with marketing and communications team to design creative communication strategies (social media; email; etc.) that provide targeted messaging to students and enhance student experience with the Career Center.
• Enhance relationships with campus partners and student organizations to develop and facilitate industry specific 101 programming, steps in the recruiting process, and a weekly seminar series.
• Create scalable measures to reach all students by developing intentional programs that connect to a diverse range of career paths within the field and connect with student interests.
• Work in partnership with the External Partner team to proactively engage employers and alumni in targeted programming focused on internships, summer experiences, and post-graduate jobs.

Supervisory Relationships:

This position may have the responsibility of managing a student worker. This position reports administratively and functionally to the Director of Student & Scholar Engagement.  

Qualifications

• Master’s degree preferred, bachelor’s degree is required 
• 5+ years working in the finance sector is required
• Demonstrated success in career empowerment program development and delivery to a variety of audiences incorporating industry insider insight, trends, and expectations of 2+ years is preferred
• Thorough knowledge of all aspects of career decision-making and the job search process aligned with the finance industry including: resume-writing, job search correspondence, interviewing (including behavioral interviews) and the summer job/internship search 
• Ability to conduct individual and small group coaching sessions using an active goals-oriented career coaching model.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills; project management skills, strong interpersonal and presentation skills.
• Highly creative, innovative, continuous learner with an entrepreneurial style. 
• Strong initiative, with the ability to work independently and as part of a team. 
• Ability to maintain confidentiality of records and information.
• Superior project management skills to handle complex program development and execution.

Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
At Vanderbilt University, we are intentional about and assume accountability for fostering advancement and respect for equity, diversity, and inclusion for all students, faculty, and staff. Our commitment to diversity makes us who we are.  We have created a community that celebrates differences and lets individuality thrive. As part of this commitment, we actively value diversity in our workplace and learning environments as we seek to take advantage of the rich backgrounds and abilities of everyone. The diverse voices of Vanderbilt represent an invaluable resource for the University in its efforts to fulfill its mission and strive to be an example of excellence in higher education.

Vanderbilt University is an equal-opportunity, affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Please note, all candidates selected for an offer of employment are subject to pre-employment background checks, which may include but are not limited to, based on the role for which they have been selected: criminal history, education verification, social media review, motor vehicle records, credit history, and professional license verification.