Director of Alumni Engagement

University of New Orleans; New Orleans, Northern (LA, KY); Hybrid; USD 95,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

LSU New Orleans seeks a Director of Alumni Engagement to lead the strategy for alumni and constituent engagement and serve as a public representative for the institution in the alumni and broader community. The role builds and grows engagement, partners with Development on the alumni-to-donor pipeline, and liaises with the Alumni Association and its board.

The position involves working outside normal hours, with travel and attendance at events during evenings and weekends, and requires strong

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Five or more years of progressively responsible experience in alumni relations, engagement, membership, community relations, or development.
• Experience managing volunteers, boards, or committees.
• Experience designing and delivering events and engagement programs at scale.
• Strong external relationship-building skills and comfort representing an institution publicly.
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Proficiency with donor databases such as Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT and ability to maintain confidentiality.
• Ability to work outside the office and outside normal business hours; travel and evening/weekend events; valid driver's license.

Responsibilities

• Develops and leads the alumni and constituent engagement strategy and program calendar, including reunions, homecoming, chapters, regional and affinity groups, and signature events.
• Serves as outward-facing representative of LSU New Orleans in the community and builds relationships with alumni, parents, friends, employers, and civic partners.
• Partners with Development and Annual Giving to build the alumni-to-donor pipeline and support giving by young alumni and affinity groups.
• Supervises staff, manages the engagement budget, metrics, and reporting; produces periodic reports for foundation and executive leadership.
• Represent LSU New Orleans at community, civic, and industry events to advance enrollment, reputation, and philanthropic partnerships.

Skills

Alumni relations

Volunteer management

Event planning

Donor relations

Public speaking

Relationship building

Written communication

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT

Job description

Job Summary

Working under the supervision of the Executive Director, the Director of Alumni Engagement leads the alumni and constituent engagement strategy for LSU New Orleans and serves as a public representative and relationship-builder for the institution in the alumni and broader community. This position builds and grows measurable engagement, manages the alumni-to-donor pipeline in partnership with Development, and serves as the primary staff liaison to the LSU New Orleans Alumni Association and its board. This is an outward-facing, community-engaged role. The Director represents LSU New Orleans across alumni, parents, friends, community, and civic and corporate partners, and leads a portfolio of events, volunteer, and affinity programs that bridge the UNO legacy and the LSU New Orleans future. The position regularly requires work outside the office and outside normal business hours, including travel and attendance at events on evenings and weekends.

Responsibilities

Develops and leads the alumni and constituent engagement strategy and program calendar, including reunions, homecoming, chapters, regional and affinity groups, young-alumni programming, and signature events, and grows measurable participation, engagement, and satisfaction. Serves as an outward-facing representative of LSU New Orleans in the community: represents the institution at community, civic, and industry events; builds and stewards relationships with alumni, parents, friends, employers, and civic and corporate partners; and extends the engagement network to advance enrollment, reputation, and philanthropic partnerships. This work can often occur outside the office and outside normal business hours, including travel and evening and weekend events. Serves as the primary staff liaison to the Alumni Association and its board. Partners with Development and Annual Giving to build the alumni-to-donor pipeline, converting engagement into giving, identifying and referring prospects, and supporting young-alumni and affinity giving; and partners with Advancement Communications on alumni communications, brand, and digital engagement. Supervises the Alumni Coordinator and manages the alumni engagement budget, metrics, and reporting. Produces periodic reports as required for the Foundation's committee members, President/CEO, and Executive Director. Performs other responsibilities as assigned to meet the goals and objectives of the University and the Foundation.

Required Qualifications

• - Bachelor's degree, or an equivalent combination of education and experience
• - Five or more years of progressively responsible experience in alumni relations, engagement, membership, community relations, or development
• - Demonstrated experience managing volunteers, boards, or committees
• - Experience designing and delivering events and engagement programs at scale
• - Strong external relationship-building skills and comfort representing an institution publicly
• - Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills
• - Proficiency with donor databases such as Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT Professional demeanor and the ability to maintain confidentiality
• - Must be able to work outside the office and outside normal business hours, including travel and evening and weekend events; valid driver's license

Desired Qualifications

• - Experience in higher education alumni relations, engagement, or community and external relations
• - Experience staffing or partnering with an alumni or membership association and its board
• - Experience supporting a capital or comprehensive campaign and alumni giving
• - Established relationships within the New Orleans community and civic or corporate networks
• - Supervisory experience

Posting Close Date

This position will remain open until filled.

References will be contacted at the appropriate phase of the recruitment process.

This position may require a criminal background check to be conducted on the candidate(s) selected for hire.

LSU New Orleans seeks to recruit a highly productive workforce and will provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and prospective employees.

Employment decisions shall be based strictly on merit and without regard to religious or political beliefs, sex, race, or any other non-merit factor.

About LSU New Orleans

LSU New Orleans is the only R2 public research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, and one of just four public colleges in Louisiana to hold that designation. R2 status opens the doors to competitive federal research grants that flow preferentially to classified research universities. It anchors the university’s power to recruit research-active faculty, to sustain doctor programs of national standing, and to signal to businesses and investors that New Orleans possesses the intellectual infrastructure a knowledge economy demands. Located along Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans, LSU New Orleans’ research excellence and urban relevance provide an opportunity for the institution to become a leading public research partner in one of America’s most exciting and vibrant metropolitan areas. New Orleans has always faced challenges that call for research driven solutions including coastal land loss, educational achievement gaps, affordability, public safety, and workforce shortages. LSU New Orleans can strengthen its research activity as a tool for public problem solving as well as economic impact by leveraging the scale, reputation, infrastructure, and global reach of the LSU enterprise while remaining deeply connected to the city it serves. With more than 5,500 students and the support of approximately 248 faculty serving the College of Liberal Arts & Human Development, The college of Sciences, The Robert A. Savoie College of Engineering, the Henry Berstein College of Business Administration, and six distinct schools, the campus remains committed to honoring its founding vision and continuing to play a critical role in the region. Opened in 1958 on the site of a former U.S. Naval Air Station as the region’s first fully integrated public university, LSU New Orleans was created after years of coordinated efforts from civic leaders and residents who believed that an accessible public institution of higher education was vital to the city’s future. Located only 15 minutes away from downtown and the French Quarter, the university occupies a 195-acre campus in one of the nicest residential areas of the city. Since its first commencement exercises in 1962, the university has conferred more than 80,000 degrees creating an extensive network of Privateer Alumni that includes prominent local leaders in fields such as business, tourism, athletics, government, and academia. The university is also an important catalyst of socio-economic mobility for the region. Its student body includes a significant share of first-generation students, working students, adult learners, and veterans. The institution has grown from a commuter-oriented campus into a comprehensive urban research university with undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs in distinctive academic categories tied to the city and region. Its evolution has been inseparable from the story of New Orleans; an internationally recognized city of creativity, resilience, industry, cultural influence, and global connectivity. As one of the most strategically important cities in America, New Orleans’s economy is rooted in legacy sectors such as energy, maritime commerce, tourism, healthcare, and international trade. Recently, the city has expanded its economic portfolio to include areas such as coastal restoration, film and media production, technology, and advanced manufacturing. The city’s strengths are the university’s opportunities. New Orleans needs talent, civic leadership, resilient infrastructure, healthcare innovation, artists, and entrepreneurs. This combination of culture, commerce and connectivity gives LSU New Orleans a set of dynamic factors that allows it to serve as both an access institution and a problem-solving university as it reinvents itself beginning this summer. LSU New Orleans Welcomes Job Applicants from Varied Backgrounds LSU New Orleans seeks to recruit a highly productive workforce and will provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and prospective employees. Employment decisions shall be based strictly on merit and without regard to religious or political beliefs, sex, race, or any other non-merit factor.