Career Success Coach - (Contract)

About Walden University

Walden University is committed to transforming the lives of its students by helping them secure meaningful careers that reflect the degrees they’ve worked hard to earn. We recognize that traditional career counseling is not always effective for all, especially for students with low social capital, who may struggle to find jobs they love despite having the necessary qualifications. At Walden, we’re committed to changing that.

In collaboration with 1Up Career Coaching, a nonprofit with a proven track record, we’ve launched an innovative, hands-on, and highly personalized career coaching program designed for students and alumni who have not benefited from conventional methods.

Key Aspects of Our Approach

•  “Whatever-it-takes” coaching: We take responsibility for helping students not only discover opportunities but also secure the job.
• Blunt, no-nonsense feedback: We tell students exactly what’s working and what’s not—whether it’s a poorly structured resume or a subpar interview performance.
• Hands-on guidance: We provide detailed coaching on everything from networking and resume writing to interview prep, including night-before role-playing and specific communication tips.
• Focus on underrepresented groups: First-generation college students and working adult learners, who often lack access to traditional career networks, are a core focus of this coaching initiative.

What We’ve Achieved So Far

· Walden students who have participated in this coaching program report a significant improvement in job satisfaction—moving from a 4/10 to an 8/10—and the ability to better provide for their families.

We’re Ready to Scale – Are You Ready to Join Us?

We are now seeking entrepreneurial, results-driven professionals to help us scale this game-changing career coaching program. Experience with hiring and managing a diverse group of employees across a wide span of jobs, industries, and backgrounds is a must. Experience in recruitment and talent acquisition may also be considered. The ideal candidate can demonstrate the ability to build trusting relationships and work closely with the student demographics Walden typically serves. Additionally, the candidate will be skilled in navigating the hiring process and can also adapt their communication and coaching style to fit the unique needs of its student base. Our first coaching roles will be temporary contractor positions, with a high probability of transitioning to permanent roles based on performance and the success of this initiative.

In our U.S. locations, we operate on a hybrid work model with three in-office days and two remote days per week. Starting Q1 2025, we will transition to a four-day in-office schedule, Monday–Thursday. This in-office time fosters creativity, innovation, communication, and stronger team relationships, supporting both individual and organizational success.

Responsibilities

• Seek out clients among our soon-to-graduate students and recent alumni to help them change the trajectories of their professional lives.
• Leverage traditional and non-traditional recruiting channels to identify prospective candidates and secure their enrollment into the career coaching program.
• Serve 20-30 clients at a time; closely work and collaborate with them to secure outstanding job opportunities. Must be willing to work flexible schedule including evenings. 
• Source opportunities that unilaterally align with the client’s career aspirations and experience.
• Provide consult and direction on how to “get in the door” with organizations, secure interviews and ultimately career opportunities.
• Prepare clients for interviews, provided and coach them on interviewing best practices.
• Act as a champion and subject matter expert of the 1Up Career Coaching program, driving adoption of the program and supporting the long-term evolution of the program.
• Provide feedback and recommendations to the University on how to enhance the program for sustainable success.

• Bachelor's Degree Required.
• Master's Degree MBA or similar.  Preferred.
• A thoughtful individual contributor who is highly collaborative and can successfully navigate a matrixed, complex organization.
• A self-motivated individual, that is metrics-driven, and brings disciplined approach to strategy execution.
• Results-driven, one will bring outstanding strategic capabilities and a strong business acumen.
• A true “change agent,” able to lead diverse groups in implementing new programs and ideas. One will bring the
• proven ability to work cross-functionally and lead through influence.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Highly motivated, self-directed and will be passionate about making a measurable difference for the University and its students.

Equal Opportunity – Minority / Female / Disability / V / Gender Identity / Sexual Orientation