Assistant Director, Alumni Advising - Pritzker School of Law

Department: Law Career Strategy and Advanc
Salary/Grade: EXS/7

Job Summary:

Join a collaborative, creative, and forward-thinking team in supporting and counseling our alumni, and use your JD and prior experience while leaning into skills that were underutilized in legal practice. We are looking for candidates with diverse viewpoints and experiences to help us:

• Counsel alumni of all backgrounds with empathy and knowledge of the legal market;
• Develop and present topical programs on the legal job search, professional development, and the legal market;
• Lead dynamic small group sessions designed to help alumni work together as they move through critical career milestones;
• Think strategically regarding communication with all of our partners – students, alumni, legal employers, other staff and faculty;
• Develop and maintain relationships with alumni across the globe; and
• Market the law school alumni and law programs to potential employers.

Specific Responsibilities:

• Provide empathetic and supportive career advising to alumni at all stages in their career on legal and alternative employment searches, career development, and navigating the legal world.
• Plan and implement innovative and engaging programming on the job search and professional development, including panels, workshops, and webinars.    
• Design and lead multi-session alumni peer group meetings, focused around particular career milestones the group members are facing.
• Develop relationships with legal recruiters, employers and alumni clubs in various markets in order to expand the type and number of career opportunities for Northwestern Law alumni, as well as to identify alumni career concerns and needs.
• Create content for and maintain our alumni blog/online resource center.
• Maintain knowledge of current events in the legal community and the larger economy with regard to their impact on hiring trends, market differentiation, and practice area growth or contraction.
• Assist the other Career Advisors with matters related to current students and graduates of the most recent graduating class.
• Play an active role in legal and legally-related trade associations and organizations.

Minimum Qualifications:

• JD or LLM. 
• Minimum of four years’ work experience in the legal profession.

Minimum Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities.)

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.  
• Ability to develop and maintain positive relationships.
• Creative, forward-thinking and positive mindset.
• Experience handling multiple projects at once.
• Knowledge of the range of law careers and legal employers.
• Track record of meeting deadlines; self-driven.
• Ability to collaborate as a member of a team.
• Comfort with learning new technologies and software.
• Experience working with Excel and database systems.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Three or more years of experience in law school career services, law firm recruitment or legal professional development.
• Substantive experience working with lawyers in career transitions.

Preferred Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities)

• Strong knowledge of Excel.
• Experience with Symplicity database.
• Knowledge of social media such as LinkedIn.

Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer of all protected classes, including veterans and individuals with disabilities. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply. Hiring is contingent upon eligibility to work in the United States.