Career Development & Lead

About the Role

King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST) is seeking a Career Development & Internship Lead. This full-time position, located in King Abdullah Economic City, involves providing career counseling, professional development, and internship support to KAUST students. The role focuses on helping students identify and pursue career pathways aligned with their skills, interests, academic backgrounds, and professional goals, with an experience requirement of 5-10 years.

Position Summary

The Career Development & Internship Lead provides direct, student-centered career advising across KAUST's graduate and academic programs. This includes assisting students in developing effective career plans, preparing for employment and further professional opportunities, and building the necessary skills and networks for successful transitions into industry, academia, entrepreneurship, and other professional pathways. The role also involves developing and expanding internship opportunities for KAUST students by engaging with employers and external organizations to identify placements, facilitate connections, and support the internship process.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide individualized career counseling and advising, covering career exploration, job search strategies, CV/resume development, cover letters, interviewing, networking, and professional branding.
• Help students translate academic, research, technical, and transferable skills into competencies valued by employers.
• Support the development and expansion of high-quality internship opportunities in Saudi Arabia and internationally.
• Identify potential internship hosts, engage with organizations to understand their talent needs, and match students with relevant opportunities.
• Coordinate with faculty and academic divisions to ensure internships align with student academic and professional development.
• Plan, coordinate, and deliver career development workshops, seminars, and information sessions on topics such as job searching, professional communication, and workplace readiness.
• Track student engagement, advising activity, internship applications, placements, and employer participation to monitor career service outcomes.
• Collect and analyze student and employer feedback to identify opportunities for improving career services and internship programs.
• Develop strong working relationships with faculty and academic staff to understand student career needs and promote participation in career and internship programs.

Qualifications and Experience

• A minimum of 5-10 years of relevant professional experience.
• Demonstrated ability to provide career counseling and professional development support to students.
• Experience in developing and expanding internship opportunities and facilitating student-employer connections.
• Strong understanding of career pathways across various sectors including industry, academia, and entrepreneurship.

Skills and Attributes

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills for advising students and engaging with external partners.
• Ability to develop and maintain a database of internship opportunities and employer contacts.
• Strong organizational skills to coordinate internship processes and monitor experiences.
• Capacity to collaborate effectively with academic divisions, faculty, student services, and alumni.
• Commitment to a student-centered approach that is accessible, inclusive, and responsive to diverse student needs.

Work Environment

The Career Development & Internship Lead will work under the direction of the Head, Career Development & Industry Partnerships. The role involves close collaboration with academic divisions, faculty, student services, and alumni and graduate employment colleagues to ensure coordinated and high-quality career support. This full-time position is based in King Abdullah Economic City.