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VET TEC 2.0 Career Placement Specialist

Department: Career Services / VET TEC 2.0 Reports To: Vice President of Administrations/ Career Services Manager Classification: Full-Time

Position Summary

Lakewood University is seeking a results-driven VET TEC 2.0 Career Placement Specialist to help Veterans completing Lakewood University's Cybersecurity program successfully transition into employment in cybersecurity and related information technology occupations.

The Placement Specialist will work directly with students and graduates throughout the employment process, beginning before graduation and continuing through successful job placement and employment verification. This position will also develop relationships with employers, identify employment opportunities, prepare Veterans for the hiring process, track employment outcomes, and maintain accurate documentation required for Lakewood University's VET TEC 2.0 reporting and placement initiatives.

The successful candidate will understand that placement is an active process. This role requires consistent outreach to students, employers, recruiters, government contractors, staffing firms, Veteran-serving organizations, and other potential hiring partners.

Primary Responsibilities

Student and Graduate Placement

Manage an assigned caseload of VET TEC 2.0 students and graduates from career preparation through verified employment.

Meet individually with students to develop a personalized cybersecurity employment plan based on their experience, certifications, military background, transferable skills, location, salary goals, and career interests.

Begin employment preparation before graduation so students are job-ready when they complete the program.

Maintain frequent contact with graduates until an appropriate employment or continuing-education outcome is achieved.

Assist graduates in identifying positions that reasonably align with their cybersecurity training and qualifications.

Create individualized weekly job-search goals and follow up on completion.

Proactively intervene when a graduate is not generating interviews or employment offers.

Employer Development

Develop and maintain an active network of employers that hire entry-level cybersecurity and information technology professionals.

Conduct ongoing outreach to:

• Cybersecurity companies
• Managed service providers
• Information technology departments
• Federal contractors
• Defense contractors
• Healthcare organizations
• Banks and financial institutions
• State and local government agencies
• Staffing and recruiting companies
• Veteran-friendly employers
• Small and mid-sized businesses with IT and cybersecurity needs

Develop relationships with hiring managers, recruiters, talent acquisition professionals, and Veteran employment representatives.

Identify current openings appropriate for Lakewood University graduates and directly refer qualified candidates.

Create employer partnerships that provide interviews, hiring events, internships, apprenticeships, mentorship opportunities, and employment pipelines for Lakewood University graduates.

Organize virtual hiring events, employer information sessions, and cybersecurity career fairs.

Job Search and Career Coaching

Assist students and graduates with:

• Cybersecurity-focused resumes
• LinkedIn profiles
• USAJOBS profiles and federal resumes
• Interview preparation
• Mock interviews
• Salary discussions
• Job-search strategies
• Networking
• Professional communication
• Translating military experience into civilian terminology

Help students identify realistic entry-level pathways including positions such as:

SOC Analyst Cybersecurity Analyst Information Security Analyst Security Operations Specialist IT Security Specialist Help Desk / Technical Support Specialist Network Support Specialist Junior Network Administrator Systems Support Specialist IT Specialist Cybersecurity Technician Governance, Risk and Compliance Support Security Administrator

Educate students on using certifications, projects, labs, and practical cybersecurity skills to demonstrate competency to employers.

Veteran-Focused Career Assistance

Understand the employment advantages and challenges faced by transitioning service members and Veterans.

Help Veterans translate military occupational experience, leadership, security responsibilities, technical experience, and transferable skills into civilian cybersecurity employment opportunities.

Develop relationships with Veteran hiring programs, military-friendly employers, federal contractors, government agencies, and Veteran employment organizations.

Help qualified Veterans identify employment opportunities where security-clearance eligibility or an existing security clearance may be advantageous.

Placement Tracking and Documentation

Maintain accurate records of all student and graduate employment activity in Lakewood University's designated systems.

Document:

• Employer contacts
• Jobs referred
• Applications submitted
• Interviews obtained
• Employment offers
• Employment start dates
• Job titles
• Employers
• Relationship of employment to the student's field of study
• Continued employment follow-up
• Continuing-education outcomes
• Supporting employment documentation

Collect appropriate documentation necessary to verify qualifying employment outcomes.

Maintain regular contact with placed graduates to verify continued employment and obtain required supporting documentation.

Work closely with Lakewood University leadership and compliance personnel to ensure placement documentation supports VET TEC 2.0 reporting requirements.

Data and Performance Management

Maintain a real-time placement dashboard for the VET TEC 2.0 population.

Track each student according to placement stage, including:

Not Yet Career Ready → Career Ready → Applying → Interviewing → Offer Received → Employed → Employment Verified

Monitor placement performance by cohort and identify students requiring additional intervention.

Prepare weekly reports showing:

• Number of active job seekers
• Applications submitted
• Interviews scheduled
• Offers received
• Students placed
• Placement percentage
• Days from graduation to placement
• Employers hiring Lakewood graduates
• Students approaching critical placement deadlines
• Outstanding employment documentation

Performance Expectations

Success in this position will be measured primarily by student employment outcomes rather than the number of career-service activities conducted.

The Placement Specialist will be expected to work toward Lakewood University's goal of achieving and maintaining at least a 70% cybersecurity-related employment placement rate within 180 days of graduation, while striving for placement substantially above that level.

Additional performance indicators may include:

• Percentage of graduates employed in their field
• Average number of days from graduation to employment
• Number of graduates receiving interviews
• Percentage of graduates receiving interviews within 30 days
• Number of active employer partners
• Number of employers hiring multiple Lakewood graduates
• Graduate response and engagement rates
• Accuracy and completeness of employment documentation
• Employment retention and verification
• Continuing-education outcomes where applicable

Qualifications

Required

Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.

Experience in career services, workforce development, recruiting, staffing, employer relations, Veteran employment services, higher education career services, or related work.

Demonstrated ability to develop employer relationships and generate employment opportunities.

Excellent communication, coaching, organization, and follow-up skills.

Ability to manage a significant caseload while maintaining detailed documentation.

Comfort working with databases, CRM systems, spreadsheets, and employment-tracking systems.

Ability to work independently and be accountable for measurable placement outcomes.

Preferred

Experience recruiting or placing candidates in cybersecurity, information technology, or technical positions.

Experience working with Veterans, transitioning service members, military spouses, or Veteran employment programs.

Knowledge of entry-level cybersecurity career pathways and certifications such as CompTIA A+, Network+, and Security+.

Experience with federal employment, USAJOBS, government contractors, or security-cleared employment.

Existing relationships with technology employers, staffing firms, federal contractors, or Veteran hiring organizations.

Experience with Salesforce or another CRM system.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is persistent, highly organized, comfortable making employer outreach calls every day, and motivated by measurable employment outcomes.

This individual does not wait for employers to contact Lakewood University. The Placement Specialist actively identifies opportunities, contacts employers, introduces Lakewood graduates, follows up with hiring managers, prepares candidates for interviews, and continues working with graduates until a successful employment outcome is achieved.

The ideal candidate approaches every graduate with the mindset:

"What needs to happen next to get this Veteran interviewed, hired, and successfully established in a cybersecurity career?"