"Associate Director of Alumni Relations"

Job Details

Salary: $85,000-89,000. Annual compensation for this position is based on relevant education and experience and will be set within the listed salary range.

REPORTS TO: Director of Alumni Relations

STATUS/HOURS: Minimum 40 hours/week. Schedule may vary according to departmental and Academy needs.

Pay Group	Salaried
Type	Regular
Status	Full-Time
Fiscal Year Weeks	Full year (52 weeks)
Class	Administrator
Department	Alumni Relations
Location	Hybrid

Position Purpose

Advance the mission of Institutional Advancement: to engage the extended community in the Harkness values of PEA and to advance the mission of the Academy, by enhancing PEA’s ability to build, strengthen, and maintain lifelong relationships with its alumni.

Job Responsibilities

• Identify emerging trends market demands and priorities and facilitate the department’s ability to react to market demands by developing and adjusting strategies in order to ensure integrity and vitality of engagement efforts.
• Develop and direct regional and reunion programs and implement existing programs that support the department’s mission.
  • Event management: Plan and execute events for alumni, and members of the PEA community, on campus and in select regional markets.
  • Volunteer management: Identify, cultivate, recruit, train, motivate, and grow a successful pool of loyal alumni volunteers in order to establish and reinforce lifelong affinity and support of PEA and its strategic institutional initiatives.
  • Affinity cultivation: Plan and execute in-person and web-based programming to engage select affinity groups, e.g., generational, ethnic, gender, professional, etc.
  • Communications: Partner with the Academy’s communications team to develop relevant content for all media, including Academy website, Alumni Directory, Alumni Newsletter, Exeter Bulletin and social media.
• Serve as the Program Manager for all aspects of on campus programs and logistics on behalf of Alumni Relations and IA.

  Responsibilities Include:

  • Manage all aspects of on campus alumni events including planning, facilitation, and budgeting.
  • Manage working relationships with on campus partners (catering, dining, facilities, safety, faculty etc.) and outside vendors to ensure successful execution of alumni events on campus (e.g. Reunions, Exeter Leadership Weekend, Awards Dinners, Exeter Salutes, Special Reunions/Celebrations/Anniversaries, Building Dedications/Openings etc.)
  • Manage all communications around Exeter’s on campus and reunion programs
  • Develop core programming for 15 reunion classes
  • Manage catering, facilities and security needs for reunion programs, including hiring and managing of outside vendors as needed
  • Oversee app integration with Guidebook – PEA Events App
• Develop and steward relationships with faculty and staff across campus to support the initiatives of alumni relations and the Office of Institutional Advancement.
• Develop and maintain evaluative tools to measure the impact of activities and programs and to identify relevant market trends.
• Develop and maintain program costs within departmental budgetary guidelines.
• Employee supervision responsibility for the Program Manager of Alumni Relations, Campus and Student Programs. This will include daily management, mentoring/development, coaching and evaluation.
• Assist and serve as proxy for the Director in all fiscal, operations and personnel matters:
  • Assist in the supervision, mentoring and evaluation of the department’s staff.
  • Initiate, collaborate and manage special projects with faculty and other Academy staff

Knowledge, Skills and Competencies

• Strong interpersonal skills with ability to develop and maintain collegial relationships.
• Respect for diversity of identities and experiences, an orientation toward equity and inclusion, and cultural competency in all aspects of Academy life.
• Excellent communication (written and verbal) skills with emphasis on writing. Ability to communicate with officers, faculty, administrators and donors. Ability to present complex information in a clear and compelling manner in writing and in person. Ability to document meetings, write briefings, proposals and stewardship reports.
• Strategic high-level thinking coupled with the attention to detail necessary for successful planning and execution.
• Proven excellent client support skills with demonstrated evidence of strong business acumen.
• A passion for excellent customer service and commitment to exceptional quality. Ability to coach support team in all aspects of work, but particularly with regard to preparation of written materials.
• Demonstrated ability to work with students by building trust and credibility.
• Excellent analytical and problem solving skills as well as a strong customer focus.
• A strict adherence to confidential policies is required.
• Ability to work independently and handle multiple priorities and deadlines simultaneously.
• Advanced proficiency with MS Office. Proficiency with social media, including, but not limited to, Facebook and LinkedIn.
• Willingness and ability to learn additional applications as needed.
• High degree of organizational skills with the ability to be flexible and multi-task with accuracy.
• Ability to follow verbal and written directions, maintain a professional demeanor and restraint at all times, including stressful situations.
• Ability and willingness to travel (by car, air, train or bus) domestically as needed.

Direct/Indirect Reports

The Associate Director will have employee supervision responsibility of the Program Manager reporting to them. This will include daily management, mentoring/development, coaching and evaluation.

Position Requirements

Education

• Bachelor’s degree required

Experience

• 8+ years’ relevant experience in alumni relations, donor relations, sales and marketing, or related fields or the equivalent combination of education and related experience.
• Demonstrated experience cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding volunteers to establish long-term relationships and connections with the Academy.
• Successful experience in working with senior institutional leaders. Ability to effectively leverage the time of senior volunteers and academic and administrative staff including strong preparation and good judgment.
• Initiative, resilience, and entrepreneurial spirit.

Additional Requirements

1. Successfully complete a criminal background check (reviewed every 5 years).
2. Clean Driving record (reviewed annually)

Company

Phillips Exeter Academy, co-founded by John and Elizabeth Phillips in 1781 who believed every student should have access to the very best education, embraces the ideals of both goodness and knowledge.

Phillips Exeter Academy is located in Exeter, a southern New Hampshire town settled by European colonists nearly 400 years ago.

The Academy campus, set in the town's village, is divided by the three principal streets of the community, creating a walkable atmosphere. Dormitories and dining halls are easily accessible from classrooms and other facilities like the student center, library, art gallery, theater, and athletic buildings and fields. Downtown stores and restaurants, as well as a riverside pathway, are just off campus.

Now a coeducational residential school with more than 1,000 high school students from the U.S. and 33 foreign countries, Exeter has a centuries-old tradition of academic excellence and a commitment to empowering Exonians to find their place in the world.

We are a community that celebrates curiosity and cultivates potential. With a student-to-teacher ratio of 5:1, more than 450 courses in 18 subject areas, and the opportunity to study on five continents, Exeter provides unparalleled opportunities for discovery and exploration, of both self and subject matter.

At Exeter, employee development will focus on nurturing careers and providing opportunities for professional growth. All employees will be given clear expectations and will be expected to perform their job responsibilities with proficiency and an appreciation of the importance of their responsibilities and a commitment to excellence. Employees seeking to develop skills and experiences in order to grow and take on new responsibilities will be supported as appropriate. Employees are entitled to clear, honest and timely feedback on the performance of their responsibilities, and will be held accountable for acting on such feedback where a need for improvement has been identified.

Employee engagement is focused on building connection and supporting the well-being of all employees. Our goal is for employees to feel connected to our community as a whole, that their work has meaning and impact, and that they are appreciated for the work that they do. Employee voice is encouraged and agency is attained through open channels of communication and engagement that support the success of the Academy. The Academy seeks to be a best place to work where all adults have a strong sense of belonging and inclusion, and where there is a common understanding of what it means to do things with a commitment to excellence, personal growth, accountability to oneself and others, respect, gratitude, humility and generosity of spirit.

Compensation and Benefits packages should attract a high performing and diverse workforce — employees who are committed to the mission and values of the school and have the skills necessary to succeed. Our compensation and benefits should be highly competitive with comparable markets. Benefits should be relevant, flexible and contribute to attracting and retaining employees of the highest talent. Our compensation structures should be transparent, clearly communicated and have the flexibility to recognize outstanding performance.

Company info

Website: http://www.exeter.edu/