Alum Experience Director

Mount Holyoke College; South Hadley (MA); On-site; USD 98,000 - 111,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

403(b) Retirement Plan

Medical, dental, vision insurance

Flexible Spending Account (FSA)

Disability and Leave Benefits

Life Insurance

Employee Assistance Program

Tuition Benefits

Generous Paid Time Off

Access to Kendall Sports & Dance

Job summary

Mount Holyoke College seeks an Alum Experience Director to lead the Alum Association’s experiential engagement pillar, including Reunion, leadership summits, and regional programs. You will supervise staff and student teams, drive KPIs, and ensure inclusive, high‑impact alum experiences aligned with institutional priorities.

You will manage a multi‑year strategic plan, own the budget, and collaborate with Development, Marketing, and Student Life to strengthen lifelong connections and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 5–7+ years of experience leading signature events in hospitality, event production, or similar.
• 3+ years of supervisory experience.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication.
• Proven ability to recruit, train, and guide volunteers.

Responsibilities

• Lead experiential engagement for Reunion and signature events.
• Oversee staffing, budgeting, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Engage volunteers and alumni to boost participation and philanthropy.
• Partner with Development/Marketing/Student Life to present a cohesive campus presence.

Skills

Exceptional communication

Volunteer engagement

Project management

Team leadership

Data-driven decisions

Google Workspace

Canva

CRM experience

Confidential information handling

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

Salesforce

Blackbaud

Blackthorn

Job description

Job no: R-0000003157

Position Title: Alum Experience Director

Faculty or Staff: Staff

Full Time or Part Time: Full time

In-Person, Hybrid, or Remote: In-Person

Minimum Starting Rate of Pay: $98,225.00

Rate of pay commensurate with experience

Start Date: 12/07/2026

The Alum Association of Mount Holyoke College is an alum-ledorganization that uplifts Mount Holyoke alums and builds communitythat fosters lifelong learning and empowers impactful connectionsamongst alums and with the College. Within Mount Holyoke, staff ofthe Association operate as the Alum Relations Office in thePresident’s Division.

This vital role leads and executes signature experiences to growparticipation across Mount Holyoke’s diverse, global community of40,000 alums. The Director heads the Alum Association’s AlumExperience pillar, responsible for delivering exceptional, sharedalum engagements. This individual holds ownership for signatureevents, including Reunion, the Volunteer Leadership Summit and aselect portfolio of regional programs. Reporting to the ExecutiveDirector, the Director serves on the Association’s Leadership Team,integrating the experiential strategy across other Associationpillars and campus units. This role directly supervisesprofessional staff and student teams, driving measurable outcomesin conversion to all forms of alum engagement, includingphilanthropy, in full alignment with the Association’s prioritiesand the MHC Forward strategic plan.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

A. Strategic Leadership & Vision

• Develop, champion, and articulate the multi-year strategicaction plan for all experiential alum engagement, ensuring programsare innovative, globally inclusive and align with institutionalpriorities.
• Serve as the strategic owner of Mount Holyoke’s annualReunion(s), leading the cross-functional team, defining theprogrammatic structure, managing the budget and regularlyevaluating the quality and outcomes, elevating its impact as ahigh-profile, signature event.
• Oversee the development and implementation of creative,compelling programs that foster connection and a sense of belongingamong students, recent alums, and under-engaged constituents, witha focus on intergenerational initiatives that leverage class andregional structure as well as career and affinityconnections.
• Ensure that all program delivery and outcomes consistentlyembody the Association’s and College’s core commitment toexcellence and inclusion.
• Own and manage the entire Experiential Engagement pillarbudget, ensuring fiscal responsibility, monitoring cost recovery,and optimizing resources across all programmatic areas.
• Regularly collect, analyze, and use data to guide programmaticdecisions, assess effectiveness, and present key performanceindicators (KPIs) and post-event analysis to the Association’sleadership team.

B. Team Management and Operational Oversight

• Supervise, mentor, and evaluate a lean professional staff team(including the Assistant Director and Coordinator for ExperientialEngagement), fostering a culture of excellence in execution andservice while ensuring effective workload distribution across theteam. The Director is expected to carry a significant portion ofthe pillar's execution workload alongside the team.
• Set and maintain the pillar’s overall programmatic calendar,ensuring strategic sequencing and avoiding capacity conflicts withinstitutional partners.
• Manage and mentor student ambassadors and workers, and supportthe ongoing development of the Reunion Student Ambassadorprogram.
• Lead strategic-level collaboration with key College partners(e.g., Development/Mount Holyoke Fund, Marketing &Communications, Student Life) to ensure all shared experiencesreflect a cohesive institutional presence.

C. Volunteer & Stakeholder Engagement

• Actively manage the portfolio of class boards and volunteerleaders planning Reunion (representing approximately 260 alum andstudent leaders), building strong relationships to drive engagementand philanthropic support.
• Collaborate on the planning and execution of the biennialVolunteer Leadership Summit, delivering comprehensive trainingcontent and recognition programming.
• Cultivate and maintain strong strategic partnerships acrosscampus and effectively lead alum volunteers, students, faculty, andstaff on key initiatives, facilitating cross-functional teamwork toensure seamless program delivery.

Required Qualifications

• A Bachelor’s degree.
• 5-7+ years of progressively responsible experience leadingsignature event experiences (like major conferences, festivals,reunions) in hospitality, event production, and a similarly complexorganizational environment. You excel at designing, managing, andexecuting high-impact programs from concept to completion.
• A skilled orchestrator and project manager, you transform boldvisions into tangible results. You thrive on setting ambitiouspriorities, meticulously managing multiple complex projects, andconsistently exceeding goals in a fast-paced environment.
• At least 3 years of direct supervisory experience, empoweringand developing professional staff through effective hiring,training, and performance management. You are a leader who inspiresand grows teams.
• Exceptional communication skills – both written and verbal. Youbuild strong rapport and effortlessly connect with diverseindividuals at all levels.
• A mastery of volunteer engagement, with a proven track recordof recruiting, inspiring, training, and guiding diverse volunteergroups to achieve shared objectives.
• Tech-savvy proficiency with Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets,Slides), Canva, and experience leveraging database and eventmanagement systems (CRM experience with Salesforce, Blackbaud,Blackthorn, or similar platforms is highly preferred).
• The ability to handle confidential information with discretionand integrity.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in alum relations or higher education stronglypreferred.
• Certification in project management (e.g., PMP, Agile, Lean SixSigma) is a plus.
• Experience working with virtual communities and onlineengagement platforms is a plus.
• US Driver’s license and ability to operate a motorvehicle.

Supervision

This role supervises staff and student employees within theAlum Association

Hiring Range

$98,225 - $110,845

What We Offer

• 403(b) Retirement Plan (College contributes 9% of salary)
• Comprehensive medical, dental and vision insurance
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• Disability and Leave Benefits
• Life Insurance (College paid coverage 1x salary)
• Employee Assistance Program
• Tuition Benefits (to Mount Holyoke College or others)
• Generous Paid Time Off
• Access to Kendall Sports & Dance Complex

Background Checks

Mount Holyoke College is committed to providing a safe and secureenvironment, supported by qualified employees that will allow allof its students, faculty, staff and those associated with them tosuccessfully carry out the mission of the college. As a conditionof employment, the College will conduct appropriate backgroundchecks for all new hires. Mount Holyoke has designated the Officeof Human Resources as the office responsible for ensuring thatbackground checks (CORI, SORI, Credit History, & DriverCredential) are completed and utilized in the hiring process andFive College Office of Compliance and Risk Management as the officeresponsible for facilitating background checks as articulated inthis policy.

Full Job Description