Co-op Career Advisor and Industry Partner

Job TitleCo-op Career Advisor and Industry Partner
Job CategoryM&P - AAPS
Job Family GroupStaff - Non Union
DepartmentCo-op Coordinators I| Experiential Learning and PD |Faculty of Applied Science (Lily Chen)
Job End Date
October 29, 2027
Posting End DateNovember 29, 2026
Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.
Job Description
At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.
Job Summary
The Faculty of Applied Science Co-op Program is responsible for the development, implementation, management and evaluation of Co-operative Education in the Faculty of Applied Science. Co‑operative Education provides students enriched educational experiences for personal and professional growth by working with diverse community partners and sectors to provide transformative workplace learning experiences as part of their Bachelor of Applied Science and Masters of Engineering degree programs in Chemical, Chemical and Biological, Mining, Materials, Manufacturing and Integrated Engineering. Responsibilities of the Co-op Career Advisor and Industry Partner include the development, implementation, coordination and evaluation of the Applied Science Co-op Program in accordance with national accreditation standards set out by Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning Canada (CEWIL Canada). Tasks include designing and implementing strategies to recruit students, facilitating comprehensive career readiness curriculum including advising and coaching students in preparation for their job search and work experiences, monitoring co-op work placements, addressing workplace issues that students encounter, providing assessment, evaluation and analysis of the placement experience and student success each term, collaborating with other co-op professionals throughout the province and country, and the day-to-day administration of the program. The Co-op Career Advisor and Industry Partner is also responsible for working directly with existing local, national and international employers. Externally, this role develops and maintains relationships with employers and industry partners to build resources and programs to support undergraduate and graduate career development and learning.
Organizational Status
Reports to the Manager, APSC Co-op of the Applied Science Co-op Program. The Co-op Career Advisor and Industry Partner works closely with faculty, staff, and students to deliver co-op programming for a total of approximately 3,500 Applied Science co-op students during their multi-year journeys as co-op students at UBC. The Co-op Career Advisor and Industry Partner may supervise student staff positions, including hiring, discipline, evaluation, and termination. Further, they support external employers to provide advice, mediate major workplace issues, and intervene when necessary.
Work Performed
a. ADVISING AND COACHING:
• Provides co-op students with one-on-one and group career advising and coaching before, during and after each Co-op work term.
• Evaluates and interprets students’ qualifications to suggest relevant job postings and/or employers with the goal of ensuring successful co-op work terms.
• Identifies opportunities for student learning and promotes student engagement in career building experiences, across the student experience, within and beyond the university.
• Provides career advising and coaching for students on a variety of career and professional development topics and work search (i.e., career exploration, researching the labour market, making meaning of one’s disciplinary learning, facilitating experiential learning and reflection, gaining work/volunteer/leadership experience, resumes, cover letters, job interviews, networking and connecting to the workplace community).
• Identifies and provides support when students are in crisis or in need of health support and refers to appropriate level of support or intervention (i.e., Emergency Services, Counseling Services, Early Alert).
• Provides advice, coaching and resources and advise students facing complex workplaces issues such as discrimination, harassment, bullying and/or termination.
b. CO-OP WORK TERM OVERSIGHT:
• Conducts work term site visits and check-ins to monitor and evaluate the technical requirements of the co-op work term placement and the workplace environment with respect to working conditions, safety standards, and academic requirements of the position.
• Evaluates student performance in the workplace to ensure they are meeting employer needs and addresses any student and/or employer issues. This includes problem solving, mediating, and addressing workplace concerns or issues related to employee discipline, employee rights (including harassment, employment equity, employment standards), intellectual property rights, confidentiality concerns, and other matters raised by students and/or employers. Makes recommendations to Manager, APSC Co-op regarding student’s status in the program as a result of workplace issues.
• Designs, evaluates and assesses all required work term deliverables such as end of term assignments and employer evaluation of the work term, that must meet national accreditation standards.
• Assigns grades for co-op courses based on the requirements of the course.
c. TRAINING:
• Oversees the design, content, facilitation, and teaching of all co-op pre-employment and career readiness curriculum. This includes, but is not limited to, asynchronous and synchronous curriculum and training events, program orientations, pre-employment training workshops, information sessions, as well as recruiting events that can involve prospective students, current students, and alumni. Evaluates student feedback to determine and implement changes.
d. EMPLOYER FACING DUTIES
• Establishes and maintains ongoing relationships with employers and alumni locally, nationally, and internationally that support the creation of jobs.
• Develops and runs employer events that support student career development.
• Participates in the development of strategic business plans including conducting market research to identify and target partnerships for ongoing co-op work integrated learning growth.
• Advises and consults employers in developing academically appropriate co-op work opportunities that align with national co-op accreditation requirements, reviews and approves job postings, and writes/edits job descriptions on behalf of employers when requested. Provides advice to employers with recruitment strategies related to diversity and inclusion. Advises employers on funding availability through national and provincial funding programs.
• Identifies when new or existing co-op employers are not an appropriate partner for hiring co-op students and works with the management team to end the relationship with the employer.
e. NETWORKING:
• Attends various events, locally and nationally, such as conferences, trade shows, career fairs, and information sessions. Maintains involvement in relevant industry professional associations and Co-operative Education and Work Integrated Learning associations to expand students’ opportunities to engage with employers, alumni and community.
• Builds and maintains relationships with alumni, employers and other members of the workplace community to strategically develop resources and programming that initiate connections and provide networking opportunities for students within and beyond UBC.
• Develops and creates opportunities for students to connect with and learn from alumni, employers, and other members of the workplace community. For example, invite and prepare alumni, employers and industry partners, as subject matter experts, to participate in career development programs.
f. PROGRAM RECRUITMENT AND ADMISSION
• Develops and implements a student marketing and recruitment plan to attract new students to apply to the Co-op Program each year.
• Designs and manages the student admission process, including application, interview and development of admission criteria and scoring systems. Makes final decisions regarding student acceptance into the program.
g. OPERATIONAL - STRATEGIC PLANNING, ADMINISTRATION, ASSESSMENT, EVALUATION & BUDGETING
• Contributes to strategic