Associate Director of Alumni Communities, External Relations
Job Summary
Reporting to the Director of Alumni Communities, the Associate Director of Alumni Communities is a key member of a team responsible for creating and sustaining lifelong relationships between Harvard Business School and its alumni through engagement opportunities. This team has been at the forefront of developing and implementing a strategy to support the transition of Harvard Business School (HBS) MBA graduates into the HBS alumni community. Building on this foundation, the team is evolving its approach to create a more integrated arc of engagement – from prospective student to recent graduate, to lifelong alumnus.
This role is primarily responsible for leading the recent alumni engagement strategy as well as strategies for other audiences as defined by current School priorities. The Associate Director will play a critical part in strengthening these connections, ensuring that engagement is not episodic but cumulative, reinforcing a lifelong sense of belonging and mutual value between alumni and the School.
Job-Specific Responsibilities
This role is responsible for creating and supporting the strategy, the development, and the execution of programs and engagement opportunities for recent alumni and other audiences as identified by the School (which may change over time).
- Partners with the Director of Alumni Communities to set audience strategies and ensure activity is aligned with overall alumni engagement, development and School priorities.
- Develop, collaborate on, and lead recent alumni strategy engagement opportunities across External Relations and HBS.
- The role offers the opportunity to directly manage staff. May supervise additional staff, students, and/or interns as assigned or for specific events, programs, or projects and collaborate with the Director to distribute team workload and responsibilities.
- Ideates new and evolving methods to enhance engagement of recent alumni and target audiences.
- Support the creation of new scalable programming methods to both broaden and deepen engagement.
- Execute individual portfolio of high-level, complex events and programs assigned. The Alumni Communities team currently operates the following programs: Alumnae Circles Program, Recent Alumni Regional Events, One-Year Reunion, Alumni Dinner Series, Admitted Student Dinners, MBA Student events, other recent alumni and audience specific events, as applicable.
- Collaborate with the Director to manage any team budget and financial deliverables.
- Develop and manage engagement metrics and data to measure ROI.
- Oversee a portfolio of activities developed in partnership with alumni volunteers, managing individual volunteers and committees.
- Builds and maintains cross-department and cross-School partnerships to ensure alignment on messaging, execution, events and programs, and support of the broader goals of AR, ER and MBA.
- Serves as knowledgeable institutional ambassador to better connect alumni with the School and its resources, answer questions, and engage in conversations about HBS and Alumni Relations services.
- Build trust and collaboration by being present on-site and engaging directly with colleagues and various constituents.
- Other duties as assigned.
Working Conditions
- Limited travel required. Some night and weekend work is required.
Basic Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree is required
- 7+ years of experience in community engagement, program development, marketing or comparable experience is required, preferably including volunteer management and collaboration with multiple stakeholders.
- Exceptional project management and organizational skills and the ability to meet deadlines and adhere to strict schedules on multiple projects.
- Excellent communication skills (verbal and written) and the ability to represent HBS and the University professionally both internally and externally.
Additional Qualifications and Skills
- Strong professional, interpersonal, and collaborative skills; diplomacy in working with diverse populations.
- Possess sound judgment, be resourceful, and demonstrate the ability to identify, analyze, and solve problems.
- Adept at engagement strategy, marketing, volunteer management, content development, and collaboration across internal teams.
- Detail-oriented and efficient.
- Motivated to learn and flexible to change.
- Ability to work independently, enlist the cooperation of others to get projects done, and take ownership of work.
- Possess proficiency with a variety of software programs, and willingness to learn.
Additional Information
- Standard Hours/Schedule: 40 hours per week
- Visa Sponsorship Information: Harvard University is unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position
- Pre-Employment Screening: Identity, Education
- This is a hybrid position which we consider to be a combination of remote and onsite work at our Boston, MA based campus. HBS expects all staff to be onsite a minimum of 3 days per week and departments provide onsite coverage Monday – Friday. Specific hours and days onsite will be determined by business needs and are subject to change with appropriate advanced notice.
- We may conduct candidate interviews virtually (phone and/or via Zoom) and/or in-person for this role.
- A cover letter is required to be considered for this opportunity.
Work Format Details
This position has been determined by school or unit leaders that some of the duties and responsibilities can be effectively performed at a non-Harvard location. The work schedule and location will be set by the department at its discretion and based upon operational needs. When not working at a Harvard or Harvard-designated location, employees in hybrid positions must work in a Harvard registered state in compliance with the University’s Policy on Employment Outside of Massachusetts. Additional details will be discussed during the interview process. Certain visa types and funding sources may limit work location. Individuals must meet work location sponsorship requirements prior to employment.
Salary Grade and Ranges
This position is salary grade level 058. Please visit Harvard's Salary Ranges to view the corresponding salary range and related information.
Benefits
Harvard offers a comprehensive benefits package that is designed to support a healthy work-life balance and your physical, mental and financial wellbeing. Because here, you are what matters. Our benefits include, but are not limited to:
- Generous paid time off including parental leave
- Medical, dental, and vision health insurance coverage starting on day one
- Retirement plans with university contributions
- Wellbeing and mental health resources
- Support for families and caregivers
- Professional development opportunities including tuition assistance and reimbursement
- Commuter benefits, discounts and campus perks
Learn more about these and additional benefits on our Benefits & Wellbeing Page.
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