Executive Director, Alumni Relations - Columbia University

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Bargaining Unit:
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• End Date if Temporary:
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Standard Work Schedule:
• Building:
• Salary Range: $175,000 - $195,000

Position Summary

Reporting to the Vice Dean for Development & Alumni Relations, the Executive Director, Alumni Relations leads a team that drives engagement among Columbia Business School’s (CBS) 50,000 alumni. The Executive Director serves in a pivotal role in fostering lifelong learning and alumni connections between CBS and its alumni, ensuring that alumni are actively involved in the life of the university. This position requires a dynamic, strategic leader with deep expertise in alumni relations, fundraising, and higher education administration. The Executive Director will lead a team responsible for alumni programming, alumni/student programs, alumni data collection and analysis, alumni communications and platforms, and volunteer management. This role is integral to advancing the School’s mission through robust alumni engagement and support for CBS’s teaching and research objectives.

The Executive Director is a key member of the Development and Alumni Relations (DAR) leadership team which is dedicated to supporting the School’s mission by encouraging philanthropy and lifelong alumni engagement. The team operates with core values of Respect, Inclusion, Service, Empathy and Excellence.

About Columbia Business School:

For over a century, Columbia Business School (CBS) has helped develop leaders and builders of enterprises who drive value for their stakeholders and society at large through our MBA, MS, PhD, and Executive Education programs. We are equally committed to cultivating new scholars and teachers and to creating and disseminating pathbreaking knowledge, concepts, and tools that advance the understanding and practice of management through our faculty research and PhD programs. Our vision is simple: to develop ideas and leaders that transform the world—from the very center of business.

Our ever-evolving curriculum, featuring pioneering courses, STEM certification, and immersive experiential learning, prepares students to excel in key areas such as digital transformation, entrepreneurship, innovation, twenty-first-century finance, the intersection of business and society, and climate and sustainability. The CBS administration enables CBS’ educational and scholarly mission through strategic and operational guidance and support, optimizing School resources through well-designed, transparent processes with a culture of respect for all.

Responsibilities

1. Alumni Engagement Strategy - Directs and oversees comprehensive engagement strategies for Columbia Business School’s 50,000 alumni, encouraging connections by Industry, Region, Life Stage, and Affinity groups.
   • Develop and implement innovative alumni engagement initiatives, from digital platforms and operations to in-person events and virtual programming.
   • Ensures engagement efforts align with the School’s broader mission and values, fostering a lifelong connection between alumni and CBS.
2. Team Management and Leadership
   • Lead and inspire a high-performing Alumni Relations Team, focusing on the following areas:
     • Communications: Manages alumni communications and collaborates with the Marketing and Communications team to develop and execute multi-channel strategies that inform and engage alumni with CBS.
     • Programming: Plan and manage an annual calendar of Alumni Programs, including reunions, global events, and intellectual engagements, ensuring a broad reach across the alumni community.
     • Volunteer Management: Cultivate and nurture relationships with key alumni leaders and volunteers, including Board members to advance the School’s goals. Support and grow regional, affinity-based, and women’s circle volunteers. Partner with volunteer managers across the school and university.
     • Budget Management: Oversee significant budgetary resources, ensuring optimal allocation to maximize alumni engagement opportunities.
3. Partnership Development:
   • Builds and maintains strong partnerships across the School and the University, including with Academic Institutes, Centers, and Programs to function effectively as a cohesive unit.
   • Maintains relationships with key faculty, deans, and department heads for the purpose of involving alumni in the educational mission of the University. Works closely with University-level Alumni Relations colleagues in the Office of Alumni and Development to create a unified alumni engagement strategy.
4. Event Oversight:
   • Oversees the planning and execution of the Annual Benefit Dinner, a marquee event attended by 200-300 guests, including the School’s Board members, to recognize and celebrate alumni contributions.
   • Manages annual reunion, global and domestic alumni and donor events, speaker programs, and other large and small events.
5. Leadership and Collaboration:
   • Serves as a strategic partner on the DAR leadership team.
   • Contributes to the development of long-term strategies that support the School’s priorities and enhance alumni engagement on a global scale.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required. Minimum of 7 -9 years of experience in alumni relations or a related field (Higher Education Administration, Events Management, Program Development) with a demonstrated record of leadership and innovative programming.
• Demonstrated leadership skills with significant experience managing and leading teams. Ability to work effectively across departments and with a variety of volunteers.
• Previous experience designing, implementing, and managing events and programs, with a particular emphasis on volunteer management and alumni engagement.
• Proven ability to handle a variety of tasks under tight deadline pressures and work in a high-volume, high-demand (also highly collaborative, supportive, team-oriented) office.
• Excellent oral and written communication with strong interpersonal abilities to engage and inspire diverse audiences.
• Able to work some evenings and weekends with domestic and international travel.
• Valid Driver’s license for travel to alumni events engagement activities.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.