Alumni Relations Specialist

Iowa State University; Ames (IA); On-site; USD 52,000 - 77,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

WorkFlex options

Onsite childcare (Ames, IA)

Health and dental benefits

Retirement plans

Job summary

Iowa State University seeks an Alumni Relations Specialist II to foster meaningful connections among alumni, students, faculty, and staff. You will collaborate with college leadership to develop initiatives strengthening alumni engagement across the college's units.

You will lead efforts to cultivate relationships with alumni and provide strategic consultation to departments on alumni engagement, including planning college events and serving as liaison to alumni organizations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and 2 years of related experience.
• Experience building relationships with alumni and external stakeholders to support engagement initiatives.
• Experience using CRM systems or constituent engagement databases to manage relationships and track outreach.

Responsibilities

• Develop strategies that strengthen alumni engagement and lifelong connections.
• Increase alumni participation through mentoring, networking, volunteering, and service opportunities.
• Serve as liaison to internal/external alumni organizations and coordinate events.

Skills

Relationship building

Event planning

Project management

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

CRM systems

Constituent databases

Job description

Position Title: Alumni Relations Specialist

Job Group: Professional & Scientific

Required Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and 2 years of related experience

Job Description

The College of Health and Human Sciences is seeking an Alumni Relations Specialist II to foster meaningful connections among alumni, students, faculty, and staff. In this role, you will collaborate with college and department leadership, faculty and staff, and university partners to develop and implement initiatives that strengthen alumni engagement across the college's academic and administrative units.

The Alumni Relations Specialist will lead efforts to identify and cultivate relationships with alumni, and provide strategic consultation to departments on alumni engagement. Responsibilities also include overseeing the planning and execution of college signature and alumni events serving as the college's liaison to internal and external alumni organizations.

Example of Duties

• Develop and implement strategies that strengthen alumni engagement and foster lifelong connections with the college.
• Increase alumni participation through mentoring, networking, volunteering, and service opportunities.
• Serve as the primary liaison for alumni relations, collaborating with college leadership, and university partners.
• Coordinate and support the Dean's Advisory Council, including member recruitment, communications, meetings, and engagement activities.
• Plan and manage alumni, advisory council, student, college celebrations, and community events, ensuring high-quality experiences and successful event execution.
• Lead alumni recognition initiatives, including awards programs, nominations, and celebration of alumni achievements.
• Partner with communications staff to promote alumni stories and develop content for digital, print, social media, and other outreach efforts.
• Maintain accurate constituent records, monitor engagement metrics, prepare reports, and use data to evaluate programs and guide continuous improvement.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in event management, public relations, communications, higher education, or a related field.
• Experience building and managing relationships with alumni, volunteers, donors, and other external stakeholders to support engagement initiatives.
• Demonstrated project management experience, including leading cross-functional teams and coordinating strategic initiatives to achieve organizational goals.
• Experience planning and executing events, programs, and outreach activities for alumni, advisory councils, and other college or community stakeholders, including coordinating the work of staff, volunteers, or committee members.
• Experience using CRM systems or constituent engagement databases to manage relationships, track outreach efforts, analyze engagement data, and develop data-informed engagement strategies.

This position may require occasional evening and weekend work to support alumni events, college programs, and other engagement activities.

Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. on an ongoing basis without sponsorship. Immigration sponsorship is not available for this position.

Why Choose Iowa State University?

Iowa State Employees enjoy comprehensive health and work-life benefits, including medical and dental, as well as:

• Retirement benefits including defined benefit and defined contribution plans
• Generous vacation, holiday, and sick time and leave plans
• Onsite childcare (Ames, Iowa)
• Life insurance and long-term disability
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Various voluntary benefits and discounts
• Employee Assistance Program
• Wellbeing program

Iowa State offers WorkFlex options for some positions. WorkFlex offers flexibility on when, where, and how you do your work. For more information, please speak with the Hiring Manager.

Appointment Type: Regular

Number of Months Employed Per Year: 12 Month Work Period

Time Type: Full time

Pay Grade: PS807

Original Posting Date: August 5, 2026

Posting Close Date: August 19, 2026

Job Requisition Number: R19701

Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, ethnicity, religion, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation, genetic information, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. Veteran. Inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies may be directed to Office of Equal Opportunity, 2680 Beardshear Hall, 515 Morrill Road, Ames, Iowa 50011, Tel. [phone], email [e-mail] .

General ISU compensation information can be found on the University Human Resources website. Please note that this is only