Director of Alumni Relations

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.

• 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

Wisconsin School of Business, Advancement

The minimum salary for the position is $127,000. Actual starting salary will be based on experience and 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

• 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

• Bachelor's degree required

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.

Please note that successful applicants are responsible for ensuring their eligibility to work in the United States (i.e. a citizen or national of the United States, a lawful permanent resident, a foreign national authorized to work in the United States without need of employer sponsorship) on or before the effective date of appointment.

Rima Okbazghi

rima.okbazghi@wisc.edu

608-262-2810

Relay Access (WTRS): 7-1-1. See RELAY_SERVICE for further information.

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promote excellence by acknowledging skills and expertise from all backgrounds and encourage all qualified individuals to apply. For more information regarding applicant and employee rights and to view federal and state required postings, visit the Human Resources Workplace Poster website.

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Employment may require a criminal background check. It may also require your references to answer questions regarding misconduct, including sexual violence and sexual harassment.

The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7).

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