Executive Director of Alumni and Alumnae Relations

Description The Executive Director is a member of the senior management team in Advancement and oversees a comprehensive program to establish, maintain and enhance meaningful long-term relationships with and among alumni and alumnae to foster affinity, pride and confidence in Hobart and William Smith Colleges. The Executive Director must be acutely aware and sensitive to the Colleges’ broad and diverse constituencies and ensure the creation and delivery of timely, thoughtful, and sophisticated communications. They will develop and sustain engagement opportunities that include volunteer opportunities, affinity-based initiatives, and events and activities in strategic locations around the country and on campus - all designed to channel alumni and alumnae interests into meaningful expressions of good will and support for the overall advancement of the Colleges. The Executive Director must be mission driven and guided by principles of teamwork, integrity, accountability for defined goals and objectives, attention to detail and a commitment to excellence. They will be held accountable for continuous improvement in keeping with industry best-practices, while respecting the Colleges’ heritage, values, and mission of preparing students to live lives of consequence. RESPONSIBILITIES: Serve as Colleges’ primary liaison to all alumni and alumnae, including the stewardship of daily inquiries, concerns, and suggestions. Responsible for developing and implementing overall strategy for the Colleges’ alumni and alumnae engagement program. This includes setting and achieving annual engagement goals for Hobart and William Smith. These will be based on the CASE Alumni Engagement Metrics (AEM) model. Ensure consistent, sensitive, and sophisticated messaging in all communications (including print, web and social media) intended for alumni and alumnae audiences. Develop and execute a regular schedule of engagement initiatives (volunteer opportunities, educational programming, events, etc.) for alumni and alumnae on campus and around the country, including regional events with the Colleges’ President and other VIPs, off-campus lectures and discussions with faculty, the annual Reunion Weekend, Homecoming and Family Weekend, Capital Campaign events, etc. Educate and cultivate students to foster lifetime connections and commitment to the institution through campus activities and events, including participation in all campus traditions such as Orientation, Convocation, Founders’ Day, Commencement, etc. as well as Statesmen Athletic Association and Herons Society programing, athletic events, and student award programs. This may include recruiting alum speakers, writing and delivering remarks, promotion to alumni and alumnae, etc. Serve as primary manager of, and campus spokesperson for the leadership of the Alumni and Alumnae Associations to guide volunteer initiatives to ensure positive volunteer experiences and support of Advancement objectives. In addition to guiding Associations’ leadership, oversee programs to support volunteer groups including LGBTQ Alumni and Alumnae, Afro-Latino Alumni and Alumnae Association, Class Correspondents, regional volunteers, honors committees, young alumni and alumnae, Greek alumni and alumnae, etc. Serve as spokesperson to represent alumni and alumnae at campus and regional events. Includes preparing and delivering remarks or introducing alumni and alumnae speakers. Also requires writing remarks to be delivered by representatives such as Association leadership, visiting alumni and alumnae and campus leadership. Provide support for, and oversight of, the collection and distribution of information from alumni and alumnae for the Pulteney Street Survey and serve as editor of Classnotes and other pages. Oversee program to maintain timely acknowledgement and communication of alumni and alumnae life events, including births, deaths, marriages, new jobs, etc. Ensure availability of alumni and alumnae wide-ranging services (e.g. social and career networking opportunities, transcript requests, recommendations, contact information, searches, continuing education and travel programs, etc.). Respond to requests from campus staff and faculty (e.g. list of alums to connect with students doing a research project, list of alums as potential speakers, connecting alums and students for outreach, connecting alums and prospective students, etc.). Oversee and promote a robust honors program including awards presented by the Associations to faculty, students, alumni and alumnae. Provide guidance to campus colleagues regarding institutional history and heritage. Oversee alumni and alumnae travel programs - domestic and abroad - including coordination with travel company, the recruitment of faculty, staff, program development, promotion, and budgeting. Participate in activities of the Advancement senior management team. Supervise staff of four. Requires some evening and weekend work Travel on behalf of the Colleges (20-30 days per year) Maintain consistent presence at events on campus including campus traditions, athletic contests, student performances, Commencement, etc. Responsible for managing a balanced budget OTHER INFORMATION: This administrative position is full time (12 months/37.5 hours per week) and benefits eligible. Normal hours of work are 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. during the academic year with a possible shortened workweek during the scheduled summer hours. Potential for remote work for some portion of the week. Evening and weekend work is required. Salary range is $100,000 - $105,000. This position description is not all-inclusive; other tasks or responsibilities may be assigned. Qualifications Minimum of 10 years’ experience working in public relations or a related field of higher education development, alumni relations, or communications. Excellent oral and written communication skills and interpersonal skills are required. Must be proactive, highly responsive, flexible, highly organized, detail-oriented, energetic, creative and able to work under tight deadlines and manage multiple tasks at once. Must be able to work both independently and collaboratively as part of a team. Demonstrated experience working in volunteer management or related work. Strong aptitude for working with databases, Word, Excel and other e-resources is essential. Bachelor’s degree required, Master's degree preferred or equivalent experience. Knowledge of Hobart and William Smith Colleges and their operations is preferred. Valid NYS driver’s license Must be able to lift and carry up to 30 pounds and be comfortable with the physical demands of the job.

Salary : $100,000 - $105,000