Career Development & Internship Lead

Position Summary

The Career Development & Internship Lead provides career counseling, professional development, and internship support to KAUST students, helping them identify and pursue career pathways aligned with their skills, interests, academic backgrounds, and professional goals.

The role provides direct, student-centered career advising across KAUST's graduate and academic programs, helping students develop effective career plans, prepare for employment and further professional opportunities, and build the skills and networks needed to successfully transition from KAUST into industry, academia, entrepreneurship, and other professional pathways.

The position will also play a key role in developing and expanding internship opportunities for KAUST students. Working under the direction of the Head, Career Development & Industry Partnerships, the Lead will engage with employers and external organizations to identify internship opportunities, facilitate student-employer connections, support internship placement processes, and monitor student and employer experiences.

The role works closely with academic divisions, faculty, student services, alumni and graduate employment colleagues, and external partners to ensure students receive coordinated and high-quality career support and access to meaningful experiential learning opportunities.

Major Responsibilities

Career Counseling & Student Advising

• Provide individualized career counseling and advising to KAUST students, helping them identify career interests, goals, strengths, and potential career pathways.
• Conduct one-on-one career advising sessions covering career exploration, job search strategies, CV/resume development, cover letters, interviewing, networking, professional branding, and employment preparation.
• Help students translate their academic, research, technical, and transferable skills into competencies and experiences valued by employers and other organizations.
• Support students in developing individualized career plans and identifying appropriate professional development, networking, internship, and employment opportunities.
• Advise students on career pathways across industry, academia, entrepreneurship, government, and other professional sectors.
• Provide targeted career support to students preparing for internships, job searches, interviews, career fairs, and employer engagement activities.
• Develop resources and tools that help students independently navigate career exploration and employment processes.
• Maintain appropriate records of student advising activity and use student feedback to improve career services.

Internship Development & Student Placement

• Support the development and expansion of high-quality internship opportunities for KAUST students in Saudi Arabia and internationally.
• Identify potential internship hosts and organizations through employer outreach, professional networks, alumni connections, and other channels.
• Develop and maintain a working database of internship opportunities and employer contacts.
• Engage with prospective internship hosts to understand their talent needs, internship requirements, timelines, and opportunities for KAUST students.
• Match students with relevant internship opportunities based on academic background, skills, career interests, and employer requirements.
• Coordinate with faculty and academic divisions to ensure internship opportunities are appropriate and aligned with students academic and professional development.
• Support students throughout the internship process, including opportunity identification, application preparation, interviews, placement, and completion.
• Help establish and maintain processes for documenting internship placements, student participation, employer feedback, and outcomes.
• Monitor the quality and effectiveness of internship experiences and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Build relationships with successful internship hosts to encourage repeat placements and expanded opportunities.

Career Programming & Professional Development

• Plan, coordinate, and deliver career development workshops, seminars, information sessions, and other student programming.
• Develop programming on topics such as career exploration, job searching, CV/resume writing, interviewing, networking, professional communication, LinkedIn and personal branding, and workplace readiness.
• Work with the Office of Alumni and Graduate Employment, academic divisions and faculty to identify career development needs within different student populations and programs.
• Support the Office of Alumni and Graduate Employment, career fairs, employer recruitment activities, and other University-wide career initiatives.

Career Resources, Data & Continuous Improvement

• Track student engagement, advising activity, internship applications and placements, employer participation, and other career service outcomes.
• Collect and analyze student and employer feedback to identify opportunities to improve career services and internship programs.
• Contribute to dashboards, reports, and other information used to monitor career development and internship outcomes.
• Provide regular updates to the Head on student needs, internship activity, employer engagement, and emerging issues or opportunities.

Collaboration & Student Experience

• Develop strong working relationships with faculty and academic staff to understand students career needs and promote participation in career and internship programs.
• Support student recruitment, orientation, commencement, career events, and other major University activities as needed.
• Promote a student-centered approach to career development that is accessible, inclusive, practical, and responsive to the diverse needs of KAUSTs student population.
• Undertake additional responsibilities as assigned by the Head, Career Development & Industry Partnerships.

Competencies

• Demonstrated experience providing career counseling, advising, coaching, or professional development support to students or early-career professionals.
• Strong knowledge of career development principles, job-search strategies, and professional preparation.
• Demonstrated ability to develop relationships with employers and external organizations and identify opportunities for students.
• Experience developing or coordinating internship, experiential learning, career development, or student employment programs.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills, with the ability to establish trust and rapport with students from diverse cultural and academic backgrounds.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong organizational and program coordination skills, with the ability to manage multiple student cases, employer relationships, events, and deadlines.
• Ability to translate academic and research experiences into relevant career competencies and opportunities.
• Strong problem-solving skills and a service-oriented approach.
• Ability to work collaboratively with faculty, academic leaders, student services, employers, and other stakeholders.
• Familiarity with STEM career pathways, higher education, and/or the Saudi employment and industry environment preferred.
• Strong digital literacy and ability to use career management systems, databases, and other technology to support student engagement and program delivery.

Qualifications / Experience

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field; advanced degree preferred.
• 5+ years of relevant experience in career counseling, career services, higher education, student development, internships, employer relations, talent development, or a related field.
• Fluency in Arabic and English preferred; familiarity with the Saudi education ecosystem
• Demonstrated experience providing individual career advising, coaching, or counseling.
• Experience developing or coordinating internships, experiential learning opportunities, or employer engagement programs.
• Experience working with students or early-career professionals in a higher education, STEM, research, or professional environment preferred.
• Experience working with culturally diverse and/or international student populations preferred.