Assistant Vice President, Alumni Relations

Assistant Vice President, Alumni Relations

Wayne State University is searching for an experiencedAssistant Vice President, Alumni Relationsat its Detroit campus location.

Wayne State is a premier, public, urban research university located in the heart of Detroit, Michigan where students from all backgrounds are offered a rich, high-quality education. Our deep-rooted commitment to excellence, collaboration, integrity, diversity and inclusion creates exceptional educational opportunities which prepare students for success in a global society.

Essential functions (job duties):

Job Purpose

Provide vision and leadership for alumni programs and communication plans (both university-wide and school/college-specific) and related initiatives offered under the WSU Alumni Association (WSUAA) brand. Responsible for the strategic planning, creation, delivery, and maintenance of a comprehensive suite of alumni programs, communications, services, and volunteer opportunities meant to enhance philanthropic support and increase alumni connection and engagement. This position also serves as the Executive Director and Treasurer of the WSU Alumni Association. This position reports to the Vice President of Development and Alumni Affairs.

Essential Functions

(Essential functions are the primary duties/major job responsibilities that an employee must be able to perform, with or without reasonable accommodation. The essential functions are listed in order of importance.)

Provide vision and leadership for the alumni relations team. Manage the strategic planning process for alumni engagement and monitor programmatic progress. Establish organizational plans to meet engagement and philanthropy goals and oversee a comprehensive program that focuses on continued growth, innovation, and engagement.

Responsible for the design, planning and implementation of programs, communications, services, and volunteer opportunities meant to increase alumni loyalty and engagement with the university. Apply specific strategies for varying alumni populations, including affinity & identity groups, recent alumni, future alumni, and alumni volunteers. Oversee the development and implementation of marketing plans to increase alumni participation by identifying target groups and creating innovative communication campaigns.

Maintain a partnership with the WSUAA Board President and the members of the Board. Provide guidance and leadership for other alumni volunteer bodies, including the school/college alumni councils, affinity groups, and the WSUAA Past Presidents Council. Cultivate, manage, and broaden relationships with key university volunteers, including members of the WSUAA board of directors, its committees, and alumni volunteer leaders in key regions around the country. Collaborate with colleagues in the division to enhance cultivation and stewardship strategies through personal alumni outreach and visits.

Provide oversight of the design, planning, direction and implementation of print, electronic, and digital communications including the WSU Alumni Association's award-winning magazine, electronic newsletters, mailings, targeted email campaigns, social media, and other communications meant to build and enhance engagement.

Supervise a diverse staff, effectively managing performance to meet individual and team initiatives; foster a collegial and highly productive work environment. Recruit, interview, hire, train, coach, evaluate, and discipline staff. Establish and communicate performance expectations in a manner that motivates and empowers staff to fulfill job duties. Encourage, support, and ensure employee participation in training and development programs.

Develop goals and set operational standards for the alumni relations unit. Conduct periodic review, assess department's performance, and implement strategic changes/enhancements as needed. Execute and evaluate alumni relations programs, communications campaigns, and events. Evaluate the success and effectiveness of annual engagement efforts through statistical and qualitative analysis.

Manage unit's annual budget. Develop revenue and expense projections, approve expenditures at unit level and monitor transactions for compliance with university policies and procedures. Establish priorities and determine operating budgets of affiliated alumni volunteer councils, affinity groups; and oversee the related expenditures.

Network with outside professional groups and organizations to keep abreast of current industry trends and best practices related to alumni relations and engagement. Represent Development & Alumni Affairs at industry or community meetings at the request of leadership. Special projects and other duties as assigned.

Unique duties

N/A

Qualifications

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education Bachelor's degree

Graduation from an accredited college or university with a degree in marketing, business administration, communication, or related field. Master's degree preferred.

Extensive knowledge, understanding and experience with university policies and procedures.

Experience

Expert (established subject matter expert, 7+ years experience)

Additional experience information: Minimum 7-10 years of experience in the planning, development and implementation of programs, policies, and procedures in a complex higher education environment. Minimum five (5) years of experience managing personnel, preferably in an advancement, higher education, or non-profit environment.

Professional understanding of, and interest in, Development and Alumni Affairs best practices and general operations. Understanding of trends and best practices within the alumni relations field. Proven success in leading alumni relations programs and fundraising with demonstrated effectiveness in working with high-level volunteers, donors, and senior leadership. Positive and collaborative professional philosophy, recognizing that this position is integral to the achievement of the goals and objectives of Development and Alumni Affairs.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

ANALYTICAL AND PRESENTATION SKILLS: Ability to evaluate, interpret, and present complex information effectively in professionally prepared documents or presentations. Must possess a demonstrated attention to detail in order to achieve a high degree of accuracy.

COLLABORATION: Exhibits a willingness to partner with diverse units across the university with integrity and high character to reach unified goals. Possesses the ability to navigate difficult situations with grace and understanding while being respectful and accepting of individual differences.

COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS: Ability to communicate clearly, concisely and professionally both orally and in writing. Strong interpersonal skills are a must. Ability to work successfully with persons from diverse backgrounds.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION: Demonstrates a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion through continuous development, modeling inclusive behaviors and proactively managing implicit bias.

EDITING AND PROOFREADING SKILLS: Ability to accurately edit and proofread a variety of materials under tight deadlines.

LEARNING AGILITY: Independent and innovative self-starter who displays an ability to learn quickly and easily adapts to changing situations. Experience researching topics to gain knowledge and understanding when information gaps exist.

PLANNING AND ORGANIZATION: Ability to manage several projects simultaneously, prioritize and plan work activities while meeting respective deadlines. Strong organizational and time-management skills required. Maturity, sound judgment and ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously in a deadline-oriented environment.

TEAMWORK: Ability to collaborate effectively with colleagues within the division and other units to gain full understanding of the project and desired outcome; ability to produce high quality and consistent results with assistance of team members; provide support to teammates when tackling complex projects.

TECHNICAL SKILLS: Proficient in the use of complex administrative systems software, preferrably in the higher education environment. Proficient with Microsoft Office suite, especially Word, Excel and Teams. Ability to understand and translate complex concepts into lay terms.

WRITING SKILLS: Ability to conduct research, interview subjects and write materials that are creative and interesting, with strong attention to detail, grammar and style rules.

Working Conditions

Normal office environment.

Adhere to confidentiality and data usage policy for the division.

This position requires a high level of commitment and enthusiasm. Due to travel requirements, evening meetings and special events, etc., candidate must be willing to work extended hours as needed.

Preferred qualifications

School/College/Division:

H86 - Development & Alumni Affairs

Primary department

H8604

Employment type

• Regular Employee

• Job type: Full Time

• Job category: Staff/Administrative

Funding/salary information:

• Compensation type: Annual Salary

• Hourly rate:

• Salary minimum: $140,000

• Salary hire maximum: $150,000

Working conditions

Normal working condition

Job openings

• Number of openings: 1

• Reposted position: No

• Reposted reason: None (New Requisition)

• Prior posting/requisition number:

Background check requirements

University policy requires certain persons who are offered employment to undergo a background check, including a criminal history check, before starting work. If you are offered employment, the university will inform you if a background check is required.

Equal employment opportunity statement

Wayne State University provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. The university encourages applications from women, people of color and other underrepresented people. Wayne State is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer.