Associate Director, Alumni and Volunteer Experience

About this role

Department ADV College Experience About the Department The University of Chicago Advancement team cultivates lifelong connections with more than 220,000 alumni, current students, parents, and friends worldwide, building community through intellectual, professional, and other meaningful experiences on campus, around the world and online. Advancement empowers every division, school, department, and institute to thrive, generating support for esteemed faculty, pioneering researchers, visionary practitioners, and ambitious students.

During the Chicago Minds campaign, Advancement seeks to raise over $1 billion annually. This unprecedented philanthropic effort is designed to stretch the boundaries of what is possible, fueling bold discovery and amplifying the University’s global impact.

Our work is rooted in the belief that meaningful connection and lasting experiences inspire ambassadorship and enduring commitment. We champion a culture of innovation and excellence, inviting every member of our community to participate in a future defined by creativity, intellectual rigor, and shared purpose. Through collaborative partnerships, strategic stewardship, and investment in talent, Advancement is reimagining alumni and donor engagement while ensuring UChicago remains a catalyst of impact for generations to come.

The Alumni and Volunteer Experience team oversees a diverse set of programs and initiatives designed to increase participation and engagement among alumni, parents, and friends of the University, with a focus on driving key University priorities. Job Summary The Associate Director, Alumni and Volunteer Experience, will serve in a role focused on developing innovative strategies for building and strengthening class-based undergraduate alumni engagement. They will be responsible for identifying and executing initiatives that strengthen alumni affinity during and between milestone reunion years. The University’s undergraduate College has seen significant growth and change in the past two decades, resulting in diversity of identity and campus experiences in the undergraduate alumni population. This role will be responsible for responding to this diversity by taking an entrepreneurial and proactive approach to tailoring class-based experiences.

This role uses best practices and knowledge within Alumni Relations and leads a program designed to engage the alumni community worldwide, increase participation, and advance the objectives of the College and the University. Researches, executes, and implements best practices in alumni relationship management. Responsibilities • Develops and implements strategic engagement plans for College Reunion classes, with specific and measurable goals, aligned with the University's alumni engagement and fundraising priorities and tailored to the unique needs of each class. • Identifies, creates, and executes opportunities for meaningful class-based engagement during and between reunion years, with a focus on strengthening connections between alumni and the University and among alumni themselves; deepening alumni pride; and enhancing and expanding engagement opportunities for the global UChicago undergraduate alumni community. • Partners closely with Reunion volunteer committee staff leads to support volunteers in the development of class-based programs and initiatives aligned with community and University priorities. • Collaborates with key stakeholders in planning and executing strategic class-based experiences, including College Alumni Weekend programming and Reunion dinners. • Develops and implements strategies for leveraging existing alumni programs to engage Reunion classes and for increasing touchpoints with the broad community of Reunion alumni. • Partners with colleagues across the University and the College, including College reunion fundraising leads, to develop and implement strategies to increase cross-campus collaboration on class-based engagement strategies and goals. • Builds a culture of philanthropy across alumni communities, supporting divisional qualification, cultivation, and solicitation strategies and ensuring that volunteer boards meet philanthropic goals. • Continually evaluates, assess, and reports on class-based alumni engagement strategies for ongoing improvement and growth, with a particular focus on driving Advancement goals. • Identifies and integrates strategies for increasing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging across programs and experiences. • Seeks opportunities for professional development that will enhance job performance, including building networks within the University and with colleagues at peer institutions and with an eye towards broadly diversifying the advancement profession. • Assists in leading and coordinating the planning, organization, and management of events, programs, and services designed to cultivate and maintain ties between the University of Chicago and key constituent groups. May assist in or individually create a marketing plan to maximize participation and engagement of alumni, parents, and friends. • Has a deep understanding of strategic planning, data management, the creation and tracking of metrics, and the creation and implementation of new constituent relations programs worldwide. Measures, tracks, and reports participation and success of initiatives. • Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications Education: Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field. Work Experience: Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 5-7 years of work experience in a related job discipline. Certifications: ---

Preferred Qualifications

Education: • Bachelor’s degree.

Experience: • Minimum five years of professional work experience in nonprofit management, development, alumni relations, marketing, public relations, sales, or similar professional field. • Minimum one year of experience developing and monitoring budgets. • Background prov

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