Director of Alumni Relations

Employer: University of Wisconsin-Madison

Location: Madison, Wisconsin, United States

Salary: Competitive Salary (Minimum $127,000, actual starting salary based on experience and qualifications)

Date posted: Dec 19, 2025

Position Type: Administrative, Business & Administrative Affairs, Community Relations & Institutional Outreach, Development & Advancement, Alumni Affairs

Employment Type: Full Time

Job Summary

The Wisconsin School of Business (WSB) at UW–Madison is a globally recognized business school, conducting cutting-edge research and delivering market-responsive degrees. WSB enrolls more than 4,000 students annually within a comprehensive portfolio of undergraduate and graduate degree programs. WSB boasts an extensive, powerful network of 50,000+ alumni who are leaders in their respective fields and passionate about their alma mater—so passionate that our university boasts the #14 best alumni network among public schools (The Princeton Review). WSB is committed to equipping our students and alumni to be bold leaders, entrepreneurial thinkers, and collaborative partners who can tackle complex challenges and lead without a blueprint.

WSB’s Director of Alumni Relations sets the strategic direction for schoolwide alumni engagement initiatives to foster deeper alumni connections, raise the profile of the school, and generate philanthropic investment. This position reports to the chief advancement officer and oversees the alumni relations team. The position works closely with the development team at the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association, WSB’s dean, and many WSB unit leaders to direct alumni engagement efforts and curate the alumni experience.

The school’s alumni relations team is comprised of engagement, advancement, and communication/creative professionals. Together, the team builds and delivers a portfolio of alumni and donor programs, communications, and activities that advance the reach, reputation, and revenue of the school. The team leverages insights collected regularly from our alumni to identify target audiences, tailor our storytelling, and build programming to support our alumni and enhance the Business Badger network.

In addition to leading the strategic direction and operational execution of the alumni relations team, the director will build collaborations across the school and campus, launch new programs and services, and further enhance how we tell the WSB story. An important component of the role is building and enhancing relationships with alumni leaders, corporate/industry partners, and volunteers, including those who serve on the Wisconsin Business Alumni Board.

Key priorities for the Director of Alumni Relations include developing strategies to build the donor and volunteer pipeline; using data and insights to curate segmented alumni experiences around industry, age/life stage, and/or geographic region; and shaping storytelling that cuts through the clutter and helps build the WSB brand. This important leadership position will leverage the momentum WSB has established coming out of its 125th anniversary year as the school moves forward with a new strategic roadmap and forthcoming comprehensive campaign.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced advancement leader who enjoys leading a high-capacity team, shaping the alumni experience, and generating affinity and engagement among priority stakeholder groups. A successful candidate will be passionate about advancement work and have extensive experience providing cross-functional leadership.

This role works in a hybrid capacity, with at least 40% time spent on campus (many weeks will demand more time on campus). Occasional overnight, out-of-state travel and evening/weekend work is required.

Key Job Responsibilities

• Develops strategic planning initiatives and objectives to ensure appropriate use of financial, administrative, and staffing resources and alignment with the strategic plan
• Advises leadership on alumni relations objectives, strategies, and performance
• Recommends changes to ensure goals are met and to foster relationships and promote alumni impact
• Serves as the chief alumni liaison to leadership and internal and external stakeholders at large events, promotes and advocates for institutional alumni relations goals and initiatives
• Monitors alumni operational activities and ensures adherence to established objectives
• Exercises supervisory authority, including hiring, transferring, suspending, promoting, managing conduct and performance, discharging, assigning, rewarding, disciplining, and/or approving hours worked of at least 2.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees
• Develops and oversees the budget

Department: Wisconsin School of Business, Advancement

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of 5–7 years of progressively responsible experience in alumni relations, advancement, or related fields
• At least 2–3 years of experience supervising professional staff and managing cross-functional teams
• Proven ability to develop and lead strategy that yields measurable outcomes

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in higher education
• Experience designing, leading, and measuring engagement programs (including large-scale events)
• Experience developing and/or overseeing communications and creative strategy
• Experience managing annual giving campaigns and related fundraising communications
• Experience managing boards and/or volunteers
• Ability to leverage data and audience segmentation to build customized programs
• Demonstrated ability to influence, build trustworthy partnerships, and work collaboratively
• Evidence of building/championing new ideas and empowering others to implement

Education: Bachelor's degree required

How to Apply

Click the "Apply" button to start the application process.

You will be prompted to upload the following documents:

• Resume
• Letter of Qualification

Applicants should attach a letter of qualifications and resume detailing their training and experience relating to the required and preferred qualifications referenced above. The application reviewers will be relying on written application materials to determine which qualified applicants will advance in the recruitment process. The search committee will review all application materials after the posted deadline. We will notify selected applicants to participate further in the selection process directly. References will be requested of final candidates. All applicants will be notified after the search is complete and a candidate has been selected.