Assistant Director, Alumni & Engagement Exper

The University of Arizona Foundation; Tucson (AZ); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Arizona Foundation seeks an Assistant Director, Alumni and Engagement Experiences to lead planning and execution of alumni events and engagement programs that advance donor relations.

You will manage logistics, budgets, staffing, and post-event reporting, partnering with campus and foundation colleagues to create meaningful experiences that strengthen affiliation and philanthropic support.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and two years of directly related nonprofit higher education experience.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).
• Experience with constituent relationship management software (CRM).

Responsibilities

• Provide full event planning and implementation support, including theme and program development.
• Plan and coordinate logistics for assigned events, timelines, invitations, site selection, seating, vendors, and budget.
• Collaborate with colleagues to outline event specifics and program elements showcasing university programs.
• Ensure guest comfort through communications and accessibility considerations.
• Lead staffing of events from preparation to on-site execution.
• Prepare post-event plans to capture attendance metrics and reconcile expenditures.
• Work with marketing to create event materials and generate reports.

Skills

Event planning

Budgeting

Communication

Time management

Teamwork

Confidentiality

Problem solving

Staffing events

Public relations

Diplomacy

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft Outlook

CRM software

Job description

Reporting to the Associate Director, the Assistant Director, Alumni and Engagement Experiences is responsible for the planning, coordination, implementation, and assessment of a portfolio of alumni and engagement experiences that support the University of Arizona’s philanthropic and engagement priorities. The Assistant Director develops and executes meaningful experiences designed to strengthen relationships with donors and alumni that increase participation and affinity and create pathways for deeper involvement and philanthropic support. Working collaboratively with colleagues across Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement (PAE), University and Foundation leadership, campus partners, alumni volunteers and chapter leaders, and external partners, the Assistant Director translates engagement strategies into high-quality constituent experiences and serves as a resource to colleges, units, and PAE teams in the development and execution of engagement initiatives.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide full event planning and implementation support as assigned including conceptualizing event theme and program in collaboration with supervisor.
• Plans and coordinates logistics for assigned PAE events, including drafting program outline, timeline, and task list; compiling invitation lists; site selection; preparing seating arrangements; negotiating with vendors and suppliers; developing and managing event budget, and coordinating/training event support staff and student volunteers.
• Work collaboratively with supervisor, department/unit and campus colleagues to outline event specifics and recommend program elements to showcase university programs.
• Ensure guest attendance and comfort through communications, special needs requirements, location directional guidance, etc.
• Provide lead staffing of assigned events from preparation to implementation.
• Prepares and presents post-event plans to capture attendance metrics, create event summaries, track and reconcile event expenditures.
• Work collaboratively with marketing and communications staff to create event and program materials as needed.
• Compiles information from CRM and other sources and generates reports and mailing lists based on area of concentration or at the direction of supervisor.
• Participate in preparation of departmental annual budget.
• Travel to offsite events to assist in execution.
• Assists with special projects and perform other related duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Ability to be proactive in pre-empting and taking corrective actions to resolve potential problems.
• Ability to organize and prioritize multiple tasks, create appropriate timelines and task lists and to effectively manage time to meet deadlines for concurrent projects.
• Knowledge of event preparation and implementation requirements.
• Flexible schedule to work occasional evenings and weekends to staff events.
• Ability to be diplomatic whenever handling community and campus inquiries; capable of handling highly sensitive and confidential information and always maintain confidentiality.
• Ability to work independently and in a team-based environment, and to learn new skills, as the work environment and customer needs change.
• Strong work ethic and self-motivated; ability to problem-solve and take initiative.
• Proven ability to focus on accuracy and to provide attention to detail.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills and ability to work effectively with individuals at all levels; excellent interpersonal skills
• Ability to perform advanced database tasks and develop processes and procedures for efficient and effective donor cultivation and stewardship activities.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree AND two years of directly related non-profit higher educational experience;
• Proficiency in the use of personal computers and Microsoft Office software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook).
• Proficiency in the use of constituent relationship management software.