Job Title: Academic Internship Specialist - CUNY Beyond (Multiple Positions)

Job ID: 31978

Location: LaGuardia Community College

Full/Part Time: Full-Time

Regular/Temporary: Regular

POSITION DETAILS

Founded in 1971 in Long Island City, Queens, LaGuardia Community College is one of seven community colleges of the City University of New York (CUNY). LaGuardia offers more than sixty associate degree programs and more than fifty workforce training, ESOL, GED, and pre-college programs. In 2023, LaGuardia served approximately 24,000 students. More than one-third of LaGuardia’s degree-seeking students are born outside the United States; they come from 136 countries and speak 43 heritage languages. Sixty percent are first-generation college students.

Virtually all LaGuardia students are ethnic minorities (89 percent), 58 percent are women, 27 percent are over the age of 25. Forty-six percent of associate degree students are Hispanic. Upon graduation most students transfer to four-year colleges, typically in CUNY, to complete their baccalaureate degrees. Graduates of career programs such as Nursing, Computer Technology, and Veterinary Technology enter the workforce. LaGuardia ranked fifth among U.S. community colleges in economic mobility – moving low-income students into the middle class and beyond – in studies by Stanford University (2017) and the Brookings Institution (2020). Please visit www.laguardia.edu to learn more.

The CUNY Inclusive Economy Initiative (CIE) aims to enhance student career success through strengthening campus capabilities in fostering employer relationships and guiding students in aligning their academic and co-curricular experiences with their career goals. Specialists will engage with employers in defining workforce needs, identifying hiring challenges and opportunities, specifying skills and proficiencies needed to fill available roles, and exploring partnerships to help grow New York’s emerging industries.

The Office of the President at LaGuardia Community College seeks a Career coach to align, accomplish, and extend the mission of CUNY CIE to support students’ career and transfer exploration, career-connected learning, and preparation for internship opportunities. Candidates are not required to have industry-specific content knowledge, but an understanding of recruitment and hiring practices in key sectors of the NYC economy is required.

Reporting to the Executive Director of Employer Engagement, duties include:

• Provide mandated career coaching for declared majors in either Green Industries (including environmental science and biology), Management (including healthcare), or Psychological Services (including human services)
• Help students plan for internships and other opportunities to build their experience in and exposure to workplaces.
• Secure partnerships and continuously cultivate relationships with employers offering paid internship, clinical placement, and full-time job opportunities to students with target majors.
• Secure paid internships and full-time job offers within target majors for our newest graduates.
• Share employment opportunities and, where appropriate, refer qualified students to employers for specific roles. 
• Use full Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel, to facilitate, manage, track, and report on program outcome metrics.
• Conduct, manage, and evaluate events via Zoom (or a similar platform) including creating registration, engaging participants during the workshop, and analyzing post-session attendance and other data. 
• Promote connections for students to career services to increase persistence in the major.  
• Provide feedback to faculty from employers to help aid curricular decisions.
• Share knowledge with faculty, advisors, and broader campus to encourage alignment with in-demand skills 
• Ensure that students are on-track to participate in relevant CUNY CIE and CUNY Beyond-related programs.
• Coordinate with other industry specialists, campus career offices and CUNY leadership to maximize industry partnerships benefiting the campus and to learn about student and employer needs. 
• Participate in CUNY-wide training and events and utilize common tools deployed across the initiative. 
• Performs related duties and occasional weekend responsibilities as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

Bachelor's degree and four years' related experience required.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• An understanding of the tech industry and its relationship to higher education.
• Experience with data and reporting (both quantitative and qualitative written reports). 
• Previous familiarity with community and business outreach, ideally in implementing talent acquisition, outreach strategies, or business development. 
• Previous professional experience in an NYC industry outside of education. 
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications and experience or ability to quickly learn appropriate modules in the CUNYfirst system.

CUNY TITLE OVERVIEW

·      Supports an academic internship program providing career development and professional work experience.

·      Acts as liaison between the College and employer sponsors, monitoring the success of students' internship experiences

·      Supervises student internships, assuring adherence to related College and governmental policies and regulations

·      Creates and conducts orientation sessions and workshops for students in the internship program; coordinates applications, interviews, and placement as part of overall student outreach

·      Provides faculty orientation and development related to internship programs

·      Implements and evaluates competencies and other success factors

·      Performs related duties as assigned.

CUNY TITLE

Higher Education Assistant

FLSA

Exempt

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

$70,815 - $94,909

Salary commensurate with education and experience.

CUNY's benefits contribute significantly to total compensation, supporting health and wellness, financial well-being, and professional development.  We offer a range of health plans, competitive retirement/pension benefits and savings plans, tuition waivers for CUNY graduate study and generous paid time off.  Our staff also benefits from the extensive academic, arts, and athletic programs on our campuses and the opportunity to participate in a lively, diverse academic community in one of the greatest cities in the world.

HOW TO APPLY

Visit www.cuny.edu, access the employment page, log in or create a new user account, and search for this vacancy using the Job ID or Title.  Select "Apply Now" and provide the requested information. 

Candidates should provide a resume and cover letter.

CLOSING DATE

April 19th, 2026

JOB SEARCH CATEGORY

CUNY Job Posting: Managerial/Professional

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

CUNY encourages people with disabilities, minorities, veterans and women to apply.  At CUNY, Italian Americans are also included among our protected groups.  Applicants and employees will not be discriminated against on the basis of any legally protected category, including sexual orientation or gender identity. EEO/AA/Vet/Disability Employer.