Director, Alumni Engagement - University of North Texas System

Title: Director, Alumni Engagement

Employee Classification: Director Donor Engagement

Campus: University of North Texas

Division: UNT-Advancement

SubDivision-Department: UNT-Advancement

Department: UNT-Advancement - Gen-170000

Job Location: Denton

Salary: $82,000 - $95,000

FTE: 1.000000

Retirement Eligibility: TRS Eligible

About Us - Values Overview:

Department Summary

The Division of University Advancement strives to transform lives and unlock potential through the power of philanthropy and engagement by awakening and stewarding pride and loyalty for the University of North Texas.

Established in 1890, UNT is one of the nation’s largest public research universities with more than 44,000 students. Ranked a Tier One research university by the Carnegie Classification, UNT is a catalyst for creativity, fueling progress, innovation and entrepreneurship for the North Texas region and the state. The university has earned designation as both a Minority-Serving and Hispanic-Serving Institution. UNT students earned more than 11,000 degrees last year from its 14 colleges and schools and the university offers 112 bachelor’s, 94 master’s and 38 doctoral degree programs, many nationally and internationally recognized. UNT’s world-class faculty are making breakthroughs every day, and its students and alumni are changing the world around them.

Position Overview

Reporting to the Assistant VP of Alumni Engagement, the Director of Alumni Engagement will supervise and lead professional staff within Alumni Engagement that will focus on engaging alumni, connecting them to the institution, and leading enhanced engagement through the four modes of engagement: philanthropy, volunteerism, communication and experiential.

The Director will manage all alumni programs, oversee the Alumni Scholarship program, and ensure successful implementation of strategic initiatives to deepen alumni engagement leading to alumni support of the institution's fundraising goals. Additionally, this role will help enhance development pipelines towards initiatives focused at the divisional level.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's Degree and six years of professional experience in alumni relations, engagement, donor relations, public relations, or sales; with at least one year in a supervisory capacity; or any equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Demonstrated experience in establishing and maintaining effective professional relationships with internal and external constituents.
• Thorough knowledge of philanthropy and fundraising principles.
• Ability to plan, organize, develop, and execute strategies.
• Ability to attend numerous off-site events and meetings and travel and work evenings and weekends as necessary.
• Ability to establish and maintain cordial, productive, and professional working relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Exceptional communication skills.
• Ability to master University policies and procedures and apply these in specific situations.
• Ability to exercise resourcefulness and good judgment.
• Ability to manage multiple streams of work.
• Demonstrated excellent analytical skills, problem-solving ability, and strong critical thinking skills.

Preferred Qualifications

The ideal candidate will possess the following additional qualifications:

• Work experience in higher education and at least 5 years of experience in alumni engagement.
• Program management and event planning skills.
• Strong collaborative leadership skills and ability to work effectively as a team member.
• A high degree of energy, creativity, and initiative.
• Ability to interact with high level individuals, maintaining a high level of professionalism, judgment, and confidentiality.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, including proposal writing and public speaking.
• Capable of managing competing priorities and multiple deadlines and seeing projects through from beginning to end.
• The ability to travel and participate in evening and weekend activities.
• The ability to authentically and enthusiastically represent the mission, vision, and values of the UNT Denton and contribute to its diverse and inclusive campus culture as a strong and compelling advocate.

Required License/Registration/Certifications

Job Duties:

Program Management and Fundraising Pipeline Development:

• Work with the Assistant VP of Alumni Engagement to develop strategic plan, department strategies, and measurements for success for alumni engagement programming.
• Responsible for successful implementation of strategic initiatives for alumni engagement programming.
• Provides leadership and oversight of alumni engagement programing.
• Collaborates with Department Communications to ensure that our communications and marketing initiatives are aligned and successfully coordinated within our programs.
• Supervise three professional level positions overseeing alumni volunteer networks, early engagement, and alumni engagement & scholarships.
• Provides leadership to team members who have management responsibility for various volunteer networks.
• Responsible for developing a plan for collecting and tracking data for programs under supervision. To work with AVP to obtain alumni engagement activity.
• Ensures all staff are trained on basic fundraising principles including identification, cultivation, and stewardship.
• Responsible for incorporating alumni engagement programming into the fundraising pipeline as part of the integrated advancement model.
• Assist Development Officers in cultivating, stewarding, and ultimately securing gifts from high wealth capacity alumni in a targeted and strategic manner.
• Assist Annual Giving in cultivating, stewarding, and ultimately securing gifts from alumni in a targeted and strategic manner.
• Work with staff and volunteer leadership for each of the volunteer boards to reach 100% giving by members during each fiscal year.

Volunteer Management:

• Provide leadership to plan, execute, and oversee volunteer programming with the intent to engage alumni through opportunities for them to share their time, talents, and treasure. Oversee appropriate staff to ensure success.
• Implementation of a strategic plan for alumni programming that will continue to grow the affinity networks as well as identify and cultivate alumni volunteers.
• Establish a systematic and ongoing approach to identify and prioritize volunteer leadership opportunities.
• Work closely with Development staff to identify and evaluate alumni volunteers. o Assist Annual Giving in moving non-donors to volunteers and donors.
• Use quantitative and qualitative metrics to define and measure program success.
• Responsible for self and programming staff tracking volunteer data in CRM.

Administration:

• Director will be responsible for developing and managing program area budgets.
• Role will be responsible to present proposed budgets to Assistant VP during period of budget requests for approval.
• Position will work with team members they supervise to ensure expenditures are within allocated budget and are in line with goals of the office.
• Responsible for management and training of professional staff.
• Provide guidance, support, and direction fostering a collaborative and motivated team environment. Mentor staff members to develop their skills and advance their careers withing the organization.
• Ensure staff are up to date with the latest industry trends and best practices in alumni engagement.
• Conduct regular performance reviews to assess individual and team progress against goals. Provide constructive feedback, recognize achievements, and identify areas for improvement to ensure high performance and continuous growth.
• Other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule:

Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 5:00pm; some evenings and weekends required; hybrid remote opportunity available.

Driving University Vehicle:

Yes

Security Sensitive:

This is a Security Sensitive Position.

Special Instructions:

Benefits:

For information regarding our Benefits, click here.

EEO Statement:

The University of North Texas System is firmly committed to equal opportunity and does not permit -- and takes actions to prevent -- discrimination, harassment (including sexual violence) and retaliation on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, genetic information, or veteran status in its application and admission processes, educational programs and activities, facilities and employment practices. The University of North Texas System immediately investigates complaints of discrimination and takes remedial action when appropriate. The University of North Texas System also takes actions to prevent retaliation against individuals who oppose any form of harassment or discriminatory practice, file a charge or report, or testify, assist or participate in an investigative proceeding or hearing.