Director of Alumni Engagement

Biola University, Inc.; La Mirada, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 103,000; Full time

Job summary

Biola University, Inc. is seeking a Director of Alumni Engagement to lead strategic alumni initiatives and oversee engagement, fundraising, and events. The role reports to the Vice President for University Advancement and supervises the Alumni Engagement & Events Coordinator.

It requires a strong background in alumni relations and donor stewardship, with travel across the United States. The Director will drive lifelong alumni relationships, align programs with Biola’s mission, and advance the

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; master's degree preferred.
• 5–7 years of leadership experience in alumni relations or related field.
• Proven ability to develop and execute strategic engagement initiatives with measurable outcomes.
• Experience leading teams and managing complex projects across divisions.
• Strong donor relations and fundraising familiarity is preferred.
• Proficiency with CRM and data analytics for reporting and insights.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and leadership abilities.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for the university's alumni engagement strategy.
• Lead the Biolans for Life alumni engagement plan and campaign.
• Develop annual and multi-year priorities with measurable KPIs.
• Foster innovation and engagement across alumni programs and events.
• Collaborate with Advancement Communications on mission-centered messaging.
• Oversee alumni engagement technology, dashboards, and reporting.

Skills

Leadership

Alumni relations

Donor engagement

CRM systems

Data analytics

Communication skills

Travel

Project management

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

Job description

Director of Alumni Engagement

Department: University Advancement

Reports To: Vice President of University Advancement

Supervises: Alumni Engagement & Events Coordinator

Position Description

The Director of Alumni Engagement is the strategic leader responsible for cultivating lifelong relationships with Biola University's 73,000+ living alumni. Reporting to the Vice President of University Advancement, the Director provides the vision and leadership to strengthen alumni affinity, engagement, and philanthropic investment in support of Biola’s mission. This role is pivotal in executing Biolans for Life, Biola’s comprehensive strategy designed to engage alumni in lifelong relationships, learning, and impact.

As a primary ambassador for the university for alumni, the Director collaborates with the Vice President of University Advancement and institution-wide to align alumni initiatives with Biola’s mission and strategic priorities. By fostering a culture of innovation and constituent-centered service, the Director assesses performance and drives measurable goals and outcomes that support the Biolans for Life alumni strategy, the university's comprehensive campaign, and long-term institutional goals.

Alignment with Theological Positions

The person who fills this position must be someone who personally agrees with Biola’s Articles of Faith and Statement of Biblical Principles and who is supportive of the positions taken by Biola as contained in its Eschatology Teaching Position. As such, this person may not speak against or act in a manner inconsistent with these positions during the course of their employment at Biola.

Essential Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Partner with the Vice President for University Advancement to provide strategic leadership for Biola University's alumni engagement strategy, ensuring alignment with the university's mission, strategic plan, and comprehensive campaign.
• Lead the implementation, ongoing assessment, and continuous refinement of the Biolans for Life comprehensive alumni engagement plan, providing regular assessment and strategic recommendations to the Vice President for University Advancement.
• Develop annual and multi-year strategic priorities, measurable objectives, and key performance indicators for alumni engagement.
• Establish a culture of innovation by identifying emerging trends, implementing new initiatives, and continuously improving the alumni experience.
• Utilize Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) key fundings of their global alumni engagement metrics survey to measure engagement outcomes, inform strategic decision-making, and benchmark performance against peer institutions.
• Serve as a strategic thought partner within University Advancement and across the university, helping ensure Alumni Engagement advances long-term institutional and Advancement priorities.

Alumni Engagement & Experience

• Develop and execute a comprehensive engagement calendar, including Homecoming, key signature events, regional gatherings, affinity groups, and digital communities to expand Biola's international presence.
• Build scalable volunteer structures to engage alumni as ambassadors, mentors, advisors, speakers, recruiters, advocates and donors, while strengthening the student-to-alumni transition.
• Lead the strategy and execution of regional alumni gatherings, presidential events, and other off-campus engagement opportunities that expand Biola's presence and strengthen relationships with alumni nationwide and internationally.
• Partner with Advancement Communications to develop compelling, mission-centered communications that increase alumni engagement and affinity.
• Provide strategic oversight for alumni engagement technologies, digital platforms, and engagement channels to ensure a seamless and meaningful alumni experience.
• Develop engagement dashboards and reporting tools that measure participation, constituent satisfaction, volunteerism, philanthropy, and other key engagement indicators.

Philanthropy & Advancement

• Partner with the Vice President for University Advancement to identify and develop strategic opportunities and engagement strategies that strengthen alumni philanthropy.
• Personally manage a portfolio of alumni donors and prospects, focusing on qualification, cultivation, and stewardship in partnership with frontline fundraisers.
• Collaborate with Annual Giving and Major Gifts within Advancement to increase alumni participation and support the success of the comprehensive campaign.

Leadership & Operations

• Serve as a key member of the Advancement leadership team, collaborating with the Vice President for University Advancement and Advancement leadership to achieve division-wide goals and advance Biola University's comprehensive campaign.
• Lead, supervise, and develop staff and key volunteers.
• Partner with deans, faculty, and university leadership to cultivate alumni engagement opportunities within each academic school.
• Oversee budgetary planning, allocation, and reporting for all alumni engagement initiatives.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; master's degree preferred.
• Five to seven years of progressively responsible leadership experience in alumni relations, advancement, higher education, nonprofit leadership, sales, or a related field.
• Demonstrated success developing and executing strategic engagement initiatives with measurable outcomes.
• Experience leading teams, managing complex projects, and collaborating across organizational divisions.
• Demonstrated success cultivating strong constituent relationships and engaging volunteers, donors, or external stakeholders.
• Experience with fundraising, donor strategy, or advancement is strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of constituent relationship management systems, data analytics, and engagement reporting.
• Knowledge of CASE Global Alumni Engagement Metrics Survey and key findings or the ability to quickly develop expertise.
• Outstanding oral and written communication, interpersonal, organizational, and leadership skills.
• Frequent travel throughout the United States is required.
• Maintain a lifestyle consistent with sound Biblical principles and standards of conduct in alignment with the Biola University Articles of
• Faith, actively pursuing Christ-like maturation in your life.
• Understand that the Biola Statement of Principles reflect the unwavering convictions of the university, and hold personal theological beliefs that are in agreement with the statement.

Hours: Full-time, salaried position This position requires personal attendance at Biola’s campus in La Mirada, California.

Hiring Range: $89,764.00 - 103,170.00 annual