Associate Director of Health Professions & Life Sciences Career Advising

The Associate Director of Health Professions & Life Sciences Career Advising serves as Northeastern University's dedicated career specialist for students pursuing roles in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, public health, biotechnology, pharmaceutical sciences, clinical research, and adjacent health and life sciences disciplines. As a core member of the Career Education Center's sector-based advising team, this role brings deep, current knowledge of the health professions and life sciences talent market to bear on every aspect of student career development from first-year exploration through professional school application support, fellowship pursuit, and full-time offer negotiation. The Health Professions & Life Sciences Career Advisor designs and delivers sector-specific programming, maintains active employer relationships with hospitals and health systems, biotech and pharmaceutical companies, research institutions, and public health organizations across scales and geographies, and uses labor market data and AI-enabled tools to give students a competitive edge. This professional understands how health and life sciences hiring and professional school admissions are being reshaped by AI including changes to application and screening processes, evolving competency expectations, and emerging roles at the intersection of biology, data, and technology, and translates that intelligence into practical, outcome-focused advising and workshops. The role is ideal for someone who has worked in or alongside clinical, research, or life sciences environments, speaks the language of health professions advisors, hiring managers, and admissions committees, and is energized by helping students land meaningful, high-quality internships, research experiences, and full-time employment, or gain admission to the professional or graduate programs that launch careers dedicated to health, science and human well-being.  This position will supervise 1 or 2 Assistant Directors.

• A bachelor's degree in a life sciences, health, or related field is required; a master's degree or doctorate in higher education, counseling, public health, a clinical discipline, or a related field preferred. A health professions advising certification is a plus.  

• Minimum of 4–6 years of experience in career services, health professions advising, clinical or research recruiting, workforce development, or the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, or healthcare industries, with demonstrated understanding of health and life sciences hiring practices, professional school admissions, and related ole landscapes.  

• Substantive knowledge of the health professions and life sciences job markets including familiarity with pre-med, pre-dental, pre-pharmacy, and pre-PA advising pathways; professional and graduate school application processes; biotech and pharma recruiting cycles; clinical research career tracks; and the growing demand for professionals with combined biological and data science competencies.  

• Experience working with or advising students or early-career professionals in health or life sciences fields, with the ability to translate complex industry and admissions dynamics including application timelines, licensure and credentialing norms, research experience expectations, and evolving employer and program requirements into accessible, actionable guidance.  

• Experience managing others, including regular coaching and feedback, structured professional development, performance management, and engagement support that cultivates a high-performing, student-centered advising practice.  

• Proficiency with career management platforms (e.g., Handshake), labor market intelligence tools (e.g., Lightcast, LinkedIn Talent Insights), pre-health advising platforms (e.g., Liaison/AMCAS familiarity), and AI-enabled career development tools.  

• Demonstrated ability to build and sustain employer relationships with hospitals and health systems, biotech and pharmaceutical firms, research institutions, and public health organizations, and convert those relationships into internship, co-op, and full-time hiring opportunities for students.  

• Data fluency: ability to interpret employment outcome data, professional school matriculation rates, labor market trends, and program metrics to evaluate effectiveness and inform programming decisions.  

• Strong presentation, coaching, and interpersonal skills; ability to engage effectively with students at varying levels of clinical experience, research background, and career and professional school readiness.