Associate Vice President and Freeman Family Director of the Center for Career Advancement

Associate Vice President and Freeman Family Director of the Center for Career Advancement
Lewisburg, Pennsylvania

Bucknell University invites nominations and applications for the position of Associate Vice President and Freeman Family Director of the Center for Career Advancement (AVP, CCA). Reporting to the Vice President for Student Affairs & Fritz FamilyDean of Students, the AVP will provide visionary leadership to ensure that all Bucknell students are deliberately and strategically connected to career development opportunities from the moment they transition to campus through graduation and beyond. This highly visible and influential role advances the University’s strategic and operational priorities by building strong partnerships across academic and administrative units, cultivating a robust employer and alumni network and serving as an innovative and trusted institutional partner.

Bucknell, a private, comprehensive undergraduate university, is ranked No. 30 in National Liberal Arts College by U.S. News & WorldReport 2026 , and No. 7 in Most Innovative Schools. Bucknell has been ranked No. 1 among colleges and universities in Pennsylvania and12th nationally among all colleges and universities on Forbes ’ 2026 America’s Best Midsize Employers list. Bucknell is supported byover 1,300 full-time employees (more than 400 faculty and more than 900 staff) and has a dedicated network of more than 57,000 alumni. TheUniversity serves over 3,900 undergraduates and 47 graduate students across three distinct colleges: the College of Arts & Sciences , the College of Engineering and the Kenneth W. Freeman College of Management . Bucknell awards bachelor’s degrees in more than 50 fields, including nine interdisciplinary programs, and select master’s degrees. For fiscal year 2025-26, Bucknell had an operating budget of $304 million and an endowment of $1.26 billion.

Bucknell’s Center for Career Advancement (CCA) aspires to cultivate a Bucknell community that empowers and inspires all students and graduates to pursue and achieve meaningful careers throughout their lifetime. CCA serves as a resource for students, employers, alumni and faculty and staff. The AVP will work closely with campus partners and University Advancement to leverage the full strength of the Bucknell network, including alumni, families and external stakeholders. They will serve as the chief architect of Bucknell’s integrated career strategy, aligning the University’s three colleges around a unified approach to student career readiness, experiential learning, alumni engagement and employer partnership development. As a key contributor to Bucknell’s mission of supporting students and transforming the world around us, the AVP will position the Center for Career Advancement as a national model of excellence in career readiness, employability and post-graduate success across all pathways. The AVP supervises a team of 13 professional staff and oversees an operating budget of $150,000 and an additional $100,000 in restricted funds

Success in this role requires a forward-thinking, collaborative leader with deep expertise in career operations and a demonstrated ability to think broadly, creatively and strategically. The AVP will lead the development of innovative, data-informed and scalable programs that anticipate workforce trends, emerging technologies and the evolving individual-level needs of a diverse student population. Among other goals, the AVP will: create and implement a collaborative strategic vision; modernize the CCA to suit a highly residential, innovative and forward-looking campus; integrate career readiness into the lifecycle of Bucknell students; develop, expand and deepen employer and alumni development and engagement; develop and grow revenue-generating initiatives that strengthen partnerships with employers and external organizations while advancing the CCA’s mission; and support, develop and augment the Center for Career Advancement staff.

A bachelor’s degree is required, with a master’s degree preferred in Higher Education Administration, Business, Organizational Leadership, Career Development or a related field. Also required are eight or more years of progressively responsible experience in career development, organizational leadership or related talent development field and five or more years of management and leadership experience, with a proven ability to empower teams, cultivate initiative, drive organizational transformation, foster innovation and inspire high performance.

The full prospectus is available here:

This is a full-time position that will be based on-site in Pennsylvania. Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience and includes a generous benefits package. The salary range for this role is $180,000 – 200,000. This is a full-time position that will be performed on site in the state of Pennsylvania.

Nominations and applications should be submitted electronically as soon as possible. Review of candidates will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Applications should include a curriculum vitae/resumé and a detailed letter of interest that responds to the opportunities and challenges and the desired attributes for the new AVP expressed in this search prospectus. All materials will be considered in full confidence. DSG Storbeck has been exclusively retained for this engagement, which is being led by Carly Rose DiGiovanni, Managing Director, and Abby Kallin, Senior Search Associate.

To express interest in this role please submit all materials directly to the talent profile . For nominations and inquiries, please contact: [email protected] . A ll inquiries are strictly confidential .

Bucknell University is committed to excellence through diversity in its faculty, staff and students. An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer, Bucknell University especially welcomes applications from candidates underrepresented in higher education.