Corporate Engagement Manager
Location: Gurugram, New Delhi
Type of Contract: Permanent, Full Time
Salary: Competitive
Job Purpose
The Corporate Engagement Manager will contribute to the UoSD placement and career development activities under the guidance of the Head of Career Advancement Services, to support students in securing internships, job placements, and career advancement opportunities. This role will involve incorporating and embedding the University of Southampton’s operating frameworks, quality standards, data and impact systems into all delivery, contextualised to the Indian labour market. The core focus is building and nurturing industry partnerships, managing employer relations, overseeing placement and training activities and providing guidance on employment trends. Building a strong and collaborative relationship with the University of Southampton’s own Careers, Employability & Student Enterprise (CESE) team will be critical to the long-term success of this department.
Main Duties and Responsibilities
Strategy and Performance
- Working with senior colleagues, including the Head of Career Advancement Services, Academic Provost and COO, implement a strategic plan for placements that aligns with the institution's goals, the UoSD placement strategy and ensures high placement rates for students.
- Design and oversee programs that help students secure and succeed in internships and placements, including guidance on applications, workplace readiness, and performance enhancement.
- Focus on placement activity to meet the needs of growing undergraduate and postgraduate student numbers for work experience.
- Develop structures and processes emulating global standards in career development and placements, aligned with UoS CESE quality standards and systems.
- Work with key stakeholders including Alumni, Faculty, Marketing & Admissions teams to achieve the Delivery Plan for UoSD Employability and Placements
Industry and Employer Relations
- Build and maintain strong relationships with key industry partners, recruiters, alumni, and other stakeholders to secure internship and job opportunities.
- Act as the primary point of contact between the institution and employers, facilitating on-campus recruitment, job fairs, and company presentations.
- Collaborate with industry leaders to understand current hiring trends and incorporate them into the placement strategy.
- Work closely with UoS CESE to embed a culture of best practice and continuous improvement into all service delivery as the UoSD service develops and grows.
- Proactively identify and develop new placement opportunities.
- Proactively develop and sustain effective partnership working with all placement providers.
Student Career Development
- Adapt UoS CESE job search materials and resources (inc web pages) to align with Indian graduate labour market, ensuring compliance with brand guidelines and quality standards.
- Organise and deliver resume-building workshops, interview preparation sessions, and other relevant training programmes to improve employability / job readiness
- Oversee mentoring programme and internship programmes, ensuring they meet industry standards, UoS CESE quality standards, health and safety and legislative compliance and student needs.
Data Analysis and Reporting
- Use UoS CESE recording systems (MyCareer) and procedures to track, analyse, and report placement statistics, trends, and outcomes to senior management and stakeholders, inc UoS CESE
- Use data, evidence, and stakeholder feedback to analyse performance and the student experience to deliver continuous improvements and shape service design.
- Conduct regular surveys and feedback sessions to assess and improve student satisfaction with placement services, maximising use of the Student Placements Committee.
Development Management
- Help create a climate that achieves targets, objectives, and fosters cross-team collaboration beyond Career Advancement Services.
- Build and lead a team as the service and campus grow, fostering a collaborative and motivating work environment that encourages innovative approaches to placements. Set clear objectives and ensure effective execution of placement initiatives in alignment with institutional priorities.
- Ensure the development and implementation of a robust placements risk assessment and due diligence process including out-of-hours emergency procedures focusing on student well-being and risk mitigation.
Compliance and Quality Assurance
- Ensure that all placement activities adhere to institutional policies, industry standards, and relevant compliance requirements.
- Maintain records of placement processes, ensuring data integrity and confidentiality.
- Ensure and promote the personal health, safety, and wellbeing of staff and students.
- Carry out duties in a way which promotes fairness in all matters, and which engenders trust.
- Promote equality of opportunity and support diversity and inclusion as well as working to support the University’s environmental sustainability agenda and practices.
Person Specification
Statutory Requirements
- Eligibility to live and work in India
- Undergo an enhanced disclosure check (overseas equivalent of DBS).
Qualifications, knowledge & experience
- Master’s degree in management
- Extensive experience in placements, recruitment, or career services.
- Knowledge about multidisciplinary Higher Education placements both in India and abroad.
- Significant roster of client relationships to establish an effective immediate platform for UoSD’s placements initiatives.
- Significant experience of managing risk and due diligence processes with a focus on student well-being.
- Proven track record in building successful industry partnerships and achieving placement targets.
- Knowledge of labour market trends and talent acquisition activities.
Planning & organising
- Strong industry network and proven track record in student placements.
- Excellent communication, negotiation, and relationship management skills.
Problem solving and initiative
- Proven ability to develop understanding of long-standing and complex problems and to apply professional knowledge and experience to solve them.
- Ability to demonstrate an understanding of policy frameworks within the bigger institutional picture; how process development supports lateral management of activities across the workstream as a whole; engage in collecting ideas that support the development of new ways of thinking and solving long standing problems.
- Ability to collect complex data, analyse key findings and summarise recommendations for senior staff.
Management and teamwork
- Excellent interpersonal, teamwork, network and influencing skills.
- High level of IT proficiency.
- Ability to plan workloads to ensure that the department is run in the most efficient way possible without sacrificing quality
- Ability to work under pressure to meet deadlines and achieve targets in an unpredictable environment.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills
Communicating and influencing
- Strong communication, networking, and negotiation skills.
- Demonstrated ability to strategize and execute complex placement initiatives.
- Proficient in data analysis and using insights to drive improvements.
- Team leadership and project management skills.
- Familiarity with career development tools and platforms.
Other skills and behaviours
- Proven ability to demonstrate alignment with the University’s core values in all areas of work and champion those behaviours in the department.
Oxford International is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Recruitment checks, including checks with past employees, are undertaken in accordance with our Recruitment and Selection policy.
Oxford International is an equal opportunity employer. Every applicant and employee has the same opportunities regardless of race, colour, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression, or veteran status.
