The University of Arizona Foundation seeks a Director of Alumni Engagement. The Director will be responsible for fostering alumni connections, affinity, and philanthropic support through volunteer management, fundraising, events, and communications. This role involves developing strategic activities valued by alumni, maintaining lifelong relationships between alumni and the University, inspiring loyalty and financial contributions, and enhancing the reputation of the University of Arizona

The ideal candidate should be a highly motivated, outgoing individual who can collaborate with Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement (PAE) colleagues and other campus partners to achieve multi-faceted alumni engagement goals. The Director should bring a broad and inspiring vision for alumni engagement and possess the skills to manage daily operations, including planning, budgeting, and staff development.

Supervisory Responsibility

The Director will be responsible for planning and managing the work of both exempt and non-exempt team members. This position will be accountable for performance planning and evaluation, staff training and development, recruitment, and may contribute to recommending staffing plans and pay decisions.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Create and execute an alumni engagement plan with defined objectives, timelines, and routine assessment that results in program growth – exhibited through increased attendance at on- and off-campus events, growth of mentoring and career networking opportunities, increased annual and reunion giving, expanded group of volunteers, and developing a pipeline of engaged volunteers supporting different initiatives.
• Recruit, train, and manage alumni volunteers to help develop and implement engagement plan.
• Collaborate closely with the Associate Director of Annual Giving and Director of Discovery and Leadership Giving to ensure that alumni engagement strategies support fundraising program objectives and needs.
• Assist in the qualification of alumni prospects and formulate strategies for building relationships with prospects and soliciting gifts in support of the University.
• Supervise and evaluate work of alumni engagement team members to develop, facilitate, and nurture Chapter and Club volunteer network and current and recent student engagement through high-level communications, program, events, and volunteer management.
• Ensure accurate and complete alumni database records. Capture contact, biographical, and career information of alumni via in-person events, surveys, projects, correspondence, website, postal returns, etc.
• Establish cross-functional project teams with key stakeholders to ensure the timely execution of various engagement initiatives.
• Serve as a liaison with the alumni professionals in academic departments and other administrative units.
• Utilize new technologies and techniques to reach a diverse constituent audience.
• Periodically assess and evaluate alumni engagement activities and provide periodic updates related to the Alumni Engagement programs to manager and leadership.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• Commitment to working in a collaborative team environment with shared goals.
• Ability to work efficiently with a wide variety of individuals, including donors, PAE colleagues, deans, faculty, and staff.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to effectively communicate both verbally and written.
• Demonstrated commitment to exceptional customer service with the ability to translate the PAE guiding principles of donor-centricity and collaboration into work practices.
• Ability to recognize and handle highly confidential and sensitive information in a discrete and professional manner.
• Work with excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Be able to work independently with the ability to prioritize multiple projects and meet strict deadlines for deliverables.
• Ability to anticipate and discern work priorities and meet deadlines with little supervision.
• Adept at problem-solving and using judgment in situations requiring initiative, tact, and confidentiality.
• An exceptional work ethic and track record of personal initiative required.
• Openness to new ideas and personal flexibility with the ability to adapt and succeed in a multi-task, fast-paced environment with changing processes and occasional ambiguity.
• Ability to inspire cooperation and participation.
• Proficiency in the use of personal computers and Microsoft Office software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook).
• Proficiency or ability to learn additional software required to perform the essential duties of the position

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree AND
• Minimum of five (5) years related experience and at least 2 years of managerial experience OR
• Any equivalent combination of experience, training, and/or education as approved by Human Resources.
• Ability to travel (both by car and commercial airline) both in state and nationally.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in development and/or alumni relations in a higher education/non-profit setting.
• Knowledge of comprehensive donor databases such as Blackbaud CRM system (internally known as Lynx).

Work Environment

• Regular in-state and national travel is required.
• The Director will be required to work evenings and/or weekends as necessary.

The University of Arizona Foundation reserves the right to revise this job description at any time.