Department

ARD Alumni Experience

About the Department

Alumni Relations and Development (ARD) engages alumni (~220k), current students, parents and friends of the University through intellectual, professional and social activities on campus, around the world and online. ARD raises $600 Million annually to support faculty and researchers, practitioners and patients, and students and programs across the University. Our work supports priorities in every division, school, department, and institute.

Within the Office of Alumni Relations and Development, the Alumni and Volunteer Experience team oversees a diverse set of programs and initiatives designed to increase participation and engagement among alumni, parents, and friends of the University, with a focus on driving key University priorities. Under the direction of the Executive Director, Alumni and Volunteer Experience, this team is responsible for achieving ambitious participation, engagement, and fundraising goals.

Job Summary

The Director, Alumni and Volunteer Experience, will lead a team focused on the University’s regional alumni engagement strategy. As the University prepares for a new major campaign and invests in a comprehensive regional strategy, the director will be part of the senior team developing innovative strategies for engaging priority markets and will lead the strategy implementation, in close partnership with colleagues and leadership volunteers.

This position manages a team of professionals responsible for programs and fundraisers designed to engage the alumni community worldwide, increase participation, and advance the objectives of the Alumni Associations, the broader University and divisional alumni initiatives.

Responsibilities

Leads a team that supports domestic and international regional alumni communities, focused on creating opportunities for all UChicago alumni to meaningfully engage with the University.Develops and implements strategic plans for regional alumni communities, with specific and measurable goals, aligned with the University's alumni engagement and fundraising priorities and tailored to the unique needs of individual markets.Identifies, creates, and strengthens opportunities for meaningful volunteer-led engagement in all regional communities, regardless of size and location.Partners with colleagues across the University, including regional advancement leads, to develop and implement strategies to increase cross-campus collaboration on regional strategies and goals.Partners with departmental leadership to develop team strategy to recruit, retain, train, support, and steward volunteer leadership across regions, with an emphasis on deepening volunteer and alumni engagement.Builds a culture of philanthropy across alumni communities, supporting divisional qualification, cultivation, and solicitation strategies and ensuring that volunteer boards meet philanthropic goals.Continually evaluates, assesses, and reports on regional alumni engagement strategies for ongoing improvement and growth, with a particular focus on driving Alumni Relations and Development goals.Identifies and integrates strategies for increasing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging across regional programs and experiences. Develops strategies to meaningfully and sustainably diversify the regional volunteer leadership pipeline.Hires, manages, evaluates and retains top talent.Seeks opportunities for professional development that will enhance job performance, including building networks within the University and with colleagues at peer institutions and with an eye towards broadly diversifying the advancement profession.Manages employees by establishing annual performance goals, allocating resources, assessing annual performance, and determining individual merit, incentive and/or promotional increases.Manages communications and support for University's AND/OR UNIT alumni organizations. Develops programs and tools to support alumni leaders and volunteers University-wide AND/OR WITHIN A UNIT. Develops standard practices and governance procedures for volunteer organizations.Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 7+ years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Certifications:

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Preferred Qualifications

Education:

Bachelor’s degree.Advanced degree.

Experience:

Minimum seven years of professional work experience in nonprofit management, development, alumni relations, marketing, public relations, sales, or similar professional work experience.

Minimum four years of management experience, including staff management.

Minimum two years of experience developing and monitoring budgets.

Strong commitment to customer service.

Technical Knowledge or Skills:

Demonstrated skill and knowledge of, or ability to learn quickly, the internal workings of the University as well as the technology tools available to the Office of Alumni Relations and Development, including the University's donor relationship management system and the Microsoft Office Suite.

Experience with Salesforce CRM.

Preferred Competencies

Build, lead, mentor, and motivate a diverse team, and to encourage growth and change in both people and programs. A strong commitment to personal and professional development, and the ability to foster a collaborative and inclusive team environment.

Outstanding interpersonal and communications skills characterized by the ability to listen, to speak, and to write effectively.

Manage confidential information with discretion and tact.

Act with integrity, professionalism, and confidentiality.

Work collegially and collaboratively in a team setting.

Prioritize multiple projects and independently follow through with detail.

Self-motivation and the ability to take initiative.

Working Conditions

This position has a hybrid work schedule which includes weekly in office presence.

Standard office environment.

Travel to campus and/or non-campus locations for University business.

Work evenings and weekends as needed.

This position is located in Hyde Park at 5235 South Harper Court.

Application Documents

Resume/CV (required)

Cover Letter, addressed to Hiring Committee (preferred)

When applying, the document(s) MUST be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.

Job Family

Alumni Relations & Development

Role Impact

People Manager

Scheduled Weekly Hours

37.5

Drug Test Required
 

No

Health Screen Required
 

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required
 

No

Pay Rate Type

Salary

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FLSA Status

Exempt

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Pay Range

$106,250.00 - $125,000.00

The included pay rate or range represents the University’s good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.

Benefits Eligible

Yes

The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook.

Posting Statement
 

The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity/Disabled/Veterans and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

 

Staff Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

 

We seek a diverse pool of applicants who wish to join an academic community that places the highest value on rigorous inquiry and encourages a diversity of perspectives, experiences, groups of individuals, and ideas to inform and stimulate intellectual challenge, engagement, and exchange.

 

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history.  A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment.  Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

 

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