Assistant Director, Recent Alumni and Regional Programs
Position Description
Assistant Director, Recent Alumni and Regional Programs
Job Category Fulltime Regular
ExemptOvertimeEligible Exempt
Benefits Eligible Benefit Based
California Institute of Technology (Caltech) is a world-renowned science and engineering institute that marshals some of the world's brightest minds and most innovative tools to address fundamental scientific questions and pressing societal challenges. It's extraordinary faculty and students are expanding understanding of the universe and inventing the technologies of the future, with research interests from quantum science and engineering to bioinformatics and the nature of life itself, from human behavior and economics to energy and sustainability.
The contributions of Caltech's faculty and alumni have earned national and international recognition, including 48 Nobel Prizes. The Institute manages the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for NASA, sending probes to explore the planets of the solar system and quantify changes on Earth; owns and operates large-scale research facilities such as the Seismological Laboratory and a global network of astronomical observatories, including the Palomar and W. M. Keck Observatories; and cofounded and comanages Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory, which, in 2016, observed gravitational waves for the first time.
Job Summary
The purpose of Advancement and Alumni Relations (AAR) is to foster a thriving and engaged community of support for Caltech. By strengthening and nurturing the community of people who share and support the Institute’s mission and values, we will ensure the Institute receives the necessary resources to achieve our aspirations and advocate for excellence in teaching, research, and scholarship in perpetuity.
Within AAR, the Alumni Relations Office and Caltech Alumni Association (CAA) serve 26,000 alumni worldwide personally, professionally, and intellectually. Reporting to the Assistant Vice President of Alumni Relations, the Assistant Director of Recent Alumni and Regional Programs holds a broad range of programmatic responsibilities on the Alumni Relations team, working collaboratively with AAR, CAA, board members, volunteers, academic divisions, faculty, students and campus partners to carry out events and programs strategically designed to benefit our alumni world-wide.
Essential Job Duties
Program Development
- Build and manage a comprehensive Graduates of the Last Decade (GOLD) program, designing a year-round engagement calendar that includes in-person annual events, virtual programming, and targeted outreach strategies to increase recent alumni participation in signature Alumni Relations events.
- Cultivate and maintain collaborative relationships with campus units to advance student-alumni engagement initiatives, identifying opportunities to integrate alumni programming into the broader student experience and ensuring alignment across departments.
- Partner with the Alumni Relations marketing team to develop and execute strategic marketing and communications plans that strengthen engagement among current students and recent alumni, ensuring consistent and compelling messaging across all channels.
- Support the administration and ongoing refinement of the alumni engagement score, serving as a departmental resource for tracking, interpreting, and communicating engagement data across program areas and alumni segments.
Regional and Other Event Management
- Serve as the engagement lead for an assigned geographic region, developing and executing a portfolio of “Caltech In” programs that advance alumni relations priorities and deepen alumni connection between themselves and Caltech including speaker identification, venue sourcing and contracting, vendor coordination, and cross-functional collaboration with internal departments and external constituents.
- Identify, recruit, and steward volunteers within the assigned region, building a network of engaged alumni who support and amplify regional programming efforts.
- Manage event registration lists, participant tracking and reporting, produce name tags and other collateral material for all alumni relations events.
- Partner on the growth of the Techer Professional Network platform (PeopleGrove) partnering with the Alumni Relations marketing lead to serve as an engagement and networking tool for alumni, constituent networks/groups, and regional/international connections.
- Support the Chang Career Exploration Prize programs, including timeline development, building and launching award nominations, assisting with selection committee meetings, and ensuring award cycles are completed on time.
- Document, track, and organize materials.
Alumni Engagement Data Management and Analysis
- Assist AVP in developing summary reports, and presentations that translate engagement score trends into actionable insights for alumni relations staff, senior leadership, and volunteer stakeholders.
- Perform data entry and maintenance; assist with data reporting and analysis on alumni engagement programs and events.
- Perform other duties and special projects as assigned.
Basic Qualifications
- Bachelor's Degree or equivalent related work experience.
- Three years or more of experience in alumni relations, student affairs, or related higher education or nonprofit setting.
- Demonstrated experience in event planning, project management or volunteer management.
- Excellent organizational skills and project management skills, including the ability to work independently and collaboratively, manage multiple projects at the same time, prioritizing tasks and meeting deadlines within a fast-paced environment with multiple and competing demands.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Proficient with Zoom, Microsoft Office and Office 365, including Outlook, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
- Established computer competency and able to quickly learn computer systems and programs.
- Strong customer service skills including enthusiasm for the mission and diplomacy both individually and as part of a complex team.
- Ability to work effectively with colleagues, alumni, and donors from various backgrounds.
- Willingness to travel, and ability to work evenings and weekends.
- Demonstrate the ability to practice and adhere to AAR’s Guiding Principles.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience in database management and reporting.
- Experience working with volunteers.
Required Documents
- Resume.
- Cover Letter.
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