Director of Alumni Engagement

St. Stephen's Episcopal School; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 95,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

St. Stephen's Episcopal School in Austin, Texas, seeks a full-time Director of Alumni Engagement to lead a comprehensive alumni program serving 7,500+ alumni worldwide. You will craft strategies for engagement, giving, and outreach, while supervising staff and managing a budget.

The role emphasizes building meaningful relationships, coordinating reunions and regional events, and collaborating across Advancement teams to maximize philanthropy and community involvement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• 5+ years of alumni engagement experience.
• Annual giving experience is highly desirable.
• Experience in an independent school or university setting preferred.

Responsibilities

• Identify, engage, and manage alumni volunteers and prospective donors, including board liaison.
• Develop engagement opportunities and communications strategies to grow donor pipeline.
• Design and oversee alumni events and experiences, including reunions and regional meetups.
• Create and manage alumni communications and segmented marketing plans to increase participation.
• Oversee nomination and recognition processes for alumni awards and stewardship initiatives.
• Track engagement metrics, supervise staff, manage budget, and maintain accurate records.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Volunteer management

Donor relations

Communications planning

Data-driven decision-making

Event planning

Google Workspace

CRM systems

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

CRMs

Event management platforms

Google Workspace

Social media tools

Job description

St. Stephen's Episcopal School in Austin, Texas, a grades 6-12 day and boarding school of 710 students, is seeking a full-time

Director of Alumni Engagement.

The Director of Alumni Engagement provides strategic leadership for a comprehensive alumni engagement program designed to foster lifelong, meaningful relationships between St. Stephen's Episcopal School and its more than 7,500 alumni worldwide.

Responsibilities:

Volunteer Recruitment and Management:

• Identify, qualify, and help engage alumni volunteers, advocates, and prospective donors through relationship-building and strategic outreach with a focus on in person visits.
• Provide leadership and guidance to volunteers to increase alumni engagement and advance St. Stephen's mission, including staff liaison to the Spartan Alumni Association Board.

Giving:

• Develop engagement opportunities and communications strategies that support alumni giving and long-term donor pipeline development.
• Work collaboratively with the Director of Annual Giving to identify, recruit and train alumni annual giving volunteers and to champion alumni annual giving fundraising strategies and goals that annually grow the number of alumni donors.
• Solicit gifts when visiting with alumni and manage a donor portfolio of approximately 25-50 alumni prospects.

Event Management:

• Oversee and design events and experiences that deepen alumni connection to the school, foster meaningful peer relationships, and support long-term engagement and philanthropic participation.
• Collaborate with Advancement colleagues to develop and execute a comprehensive calendar of alumni engagement opportunities, including Reunion Weekend, regional events, networking programs, campus events, volunteer gatherings, and affinity-based programming.
• Identify opportunities to integrate current students into alumni programming.

Communications:

• In collaboration with Director of Advancement and Director of Marketing and Communications, create and manage an alumni communication and segmented marketing plan designed to increase connection, participation, and affinity across alumni constituencies.
• Oversee the creation and distribution of alumni communications, including The Hill e-newsletter, invitations, save-the-dates, social media content, alumni updates, obituaries, and other engagement materials.
• Ensure alumni communications and programming consistently reinforce the impact of philanthropy and the value of alumni participation and support.

Alumni Recognition and Stewardship:

• In partnership with the Spartan Alumni Association Board and Director of Advancement, oversee the nomination and selection process for alumni recognition awards.
• Develop thoughtful stewardship and recognition strategies that celebrate alumni achievement, volunteerism, engagement, and philanthropy.

Management and Administration:

• Track and evaluate the success of alumni engagement efforts through metrics such as event attendance, participation rates, and alumni feedback.
• Supervise and mentor Alumni Engagement Officer.
• Manage the alumni engagement budget and ensure effective stewardship of resources.
• Maintain accurate alumni engagement records and support effective use of the school's constituent database and engagement tracking systems.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Community:

• In alignment with the school's mission and values, employees are expected to collaborate with integrity, promote respect and inclusion, contribute to a vibrant, caring school community, and demonstrate the following behaviors in the performance of their duties:
  • Approach work with initiative and creativity, and work collaboratively across roles and departments to benefit and strengthen the school community.
  • Pursue ongoing professional growth and model a love of learning for colleagues and students; communicate clearly, constructively, and maintain professional behavior in all interactions.
  • Demonstrate sound judgment, reliability, and self-awareness; follow school policies, safety protocols, and contribute to a positive and supportive work environment.
  • Honor the dignity of all community members, seek to understand and value diverse perspectives, and support a culture of inclusion that contributes to people feeling valued and connected.
  • Act ethically in decisions and interactions, and use community resources responsibly.

Required Skills/Abilities:

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with the ability to inspire engagement across diverse constituencies.
• Demonstrated ability to think strategically about relationship-building, community engagement, and philanthropic culture.
• Strong leadership, collaboration, volunteer management, and supervisory skills.
• Excellent organizational and project management abilities, with strong attention to detail and the capacity to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Analytical mindset with experience using engagement metrics and data to inform strategy and decision-making.
• Understanding of advancement best practices, including the interconnected roles of alumni engagement, communications, annual giving, stewardship, and donor pipeline development.
• Proficiency in Google Workspace/G-Suite, constituent databases/CRMs, event management platforms, and digital communication tools.
• Commitment to the mission and values of St. Stephen's Episcopal School and to fostering a welcoming and inclusive community.

Required Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree required.
• 5+ years of experience with a proven track record in alumni engagement; annual giving experience highly desirable; experience in an independent school or university setting strongly preferred.

Qualified candidates should submit their resume and a letter of interest addressing their qualifications for this role.

Equal Opportunity Statement

In accordance with our founding mission and as a diocesan school of the Episcopal Church, St. Stephen's Episcopal School believes in the inherent value and dignity of every human being. We seek qualified candidates who share this foundational belief and are ready to work in community to create a more just society. We celebrate every individual, recognizing that our unique stories, histories, and voices are essential to creating a vibrant living and learning space. As such, we strongly encourage people of all backgrounds, perspectives, and identities to apply to become members of our community.

Equal access to employment, programs, and services is available to all. With respect to its employment practices, St. Stephen's Episcopal School does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, gender or gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or sexual orientation or identity.