Senior Director of Global Alumni Engagement - University of Pennsylvania

University Overview


The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn’s distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of America’s Best Large Employers in 2023.




Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.




The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.








Posted Job Title

Senior Director of Global Alumni Engagement





Job Profile Title

Director C, Development, Alumni Relations





Job Description Summary

Reporting to the Associate Vice Dean of Advancement, the Senior Director of Global Alumni Engagement is responsible for the strategy, execution, and quality of a comprehensive Penn Arts and Sciences alumni engagement programs, both domestically and internationally. They will be responsible for conceptualizing, implementing, and managing programs/initiatives that engage alumni, build affinity for Arts and Sciences and benefit alumni and current students. The Senior Director will provide strategic direction and management of the Arts & Sciences Ambassador Council (ASAC) and other volunteer boards and our comprehensive volunteer pipeline initiatives. The Senior Director will design and lead strategy and implementation for initiatives to support Department, Center and Program alumni outreach in close partnership with faculty leadership. They will be creative, strategic, and collaborative in their approach to constituency engagement, working with colleagues across campus and alumni volunteers to advance the mission of Penn Arts & Sciences. The Director will supervise four alumni engagement staff members who will support this work.





Job Description


Job Responsibilities



+ Develop vision and oversee execution of a strategic alumni engagement plan for the School, including conceptualizing and creating new programmatic initiatives as well as having top-line responsibility for ongoing programs and participating in campaign planning.


+ Manage team of four professional alumni engagement staff, establishing annual goals, developing performance metrics, and leading vision and planning.


+ Manage strategic direction, volunteer pipeline, and programs and initiatives of the Arts & Sciences Ambassador Council leadership group. Manage staff leadership of other existing volunteer engagement opportunities including the Professional Women’s Alliance and Center, Department and Program boards. In consultation with the Associate Vice Dean, plan meeting agendas, manage a pipeline of potential volunteers for new volunteer leadership and proactively identify new prospective volunteers, including identifying leadership advisory board candidates.


+ Design and implement new volunteer engagement opportunities. Serve as relationship manager with regional leaders to manage and support programmatic strategy. Lead efforts to develop DEIB initiatives for alumni engagement and events, prioritizing further diversification of our volunteer pipeline.


+ Develop and lead a comprehensive strategy and implementation for initiatives to support Department, Center and Program alumni outreach, in close partnership with faculty leadership. Lead strategy for School department/center/program volunteer engagement. Establish best practices, create policy and data requirements, and provide professional guidance to all SAS center/program/department volunteer boards.


+ Provide oversight and management for key alumni engagement events and programming, both on-campus and regionally, including signature programs such as BenTalks, Salon gatherings, and Alumni weekend events. As part of this effort, staff school and university academic leadership, faculty, SAS board members and other volunteers as needed.


+ Work closely with the School of Arts & Sciences Office of Advancement (SASOA) leadership, MGOs, DAR colleagues, and data analytics teams, to establish a systematic and ongoing approach to best utilize our constituent database to identify and evaluate alumni & constituent volunteers for new and unfilled volunteer needs, developing engagement plans and creating strategic metrics and reporting tools.


+ Maintain and expand inventory of engagement opportunities by deepening partnership with Central Alumni Relations, Career Services, the College, and select academic programs; serve as primary liaison between these groups and Central major gifts, principal gifts, and international programs to create new pathways for alumni participation.


+ Collaborate with SASOA communications team to engage alumni through social media and digital branding for Penn Arts & Sciences programming and develop a strategic alumni communications strategy.


+ Partner with Director of Annual Giving to leverage alumni engagement programs and initiatives to drive annual fund participation.


+ Create mechanisms and means for assessing quality and impact of programs.





Qualifications



+ BA/BS with 7-10 years of experience in related field/s, with demonstrated ability in managing, mentoring and motivating staff. Experience in a complex higher education institution preferred.


+ Maturity and diplomacy to navigate relationships with the cultural fluency, interpersonal, and networking skills necessary to build relationships with external (donors, prospects, board members, volunteers, friends) and internal constituents (deans, faculty, staff, colleagues).


+ Experience developing strategic plans and vision for initiatives, goal setting, and developing metrics and evaluation tools.


+ Proactively collaborative approach that takes initiative and actively seeks to deepen internal and external relationships.


+ Proven success in events, project and/or conference management.


+ Enthusiasm, ability to take risks, intelligence, insight, initiative, resilience, and a pioneering spirit. Tact, sensitivity and mature judgment.Ability to manage ambiguity and change.


+ Proficient in SalesForce, or a similar relationship management system. Familiarity with web-based communications tools.Ability to travel domestically and internationally, and work evenings and weekends as needed.


+ Excellent written and oral communication skills.


+ Highly detailed-oriented and well-organized.


+ Ability to work effectively in a large, complex institutional setting.


+ Successful candidates will also reflect the core operating values of the SAS Office of Advancement, which include: demonstrated mutual commitment to excellence; professionalism, creativity and adaptability; respect for the roles and responsibilities of individual members of the SASOA team; a collaborative and collegial style, and transparency in communication.Must be willing to travel domestically and internationally and work evenings and weekends as needed; a valid driver's license is required.





All applications, nominations and inquiries are invited. Applications should include, as separate documents, a CV or resume and a letter of interest addressing the them in this profile,




University of Pennsylvania has partnered with Talent Citizen to assist in this recruitment. Please contact President Tracy D. Welsh, Managing Associate Rachel K. Partin, and Associate José Cisneros to share your resume and cover letter via email at: pennsas-sdgae@talentcitizen.com






Job Location - City, State

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania





Department / School

Development and Alumni Relations





Pay Range

$74,476.00 - $120,000.00 Annual Rate

Salary offers are made based on the candidate’s qualifications, experience, skills, and education as they directly relate to the requirements of the position, as well as internal and market factors and grade profile.




Affirmative Action Statement Penn adheres to a policy that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected class.




Special Requirements Background check required after a conditional job offer is made. Consideration of the background check will be tailored to the requirements of the job.




University Benefits

+ Health, Life, and Flexible Spending Accounts : Penn offers comprehensive medical, prescription, behavioral health, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits to protect you and your family’s health and welfare. You can also use flexible spending accounts to pay for eligible health care and dependent care expenses with pre-tax dollars.

+ Tuition : Take advantage of Penn's exceptional tuition benefits . You, your spouse, and your dependent children can get tuition assistance here at Penn. Your dependent children are also eligible for tuition assistance at other institutions.

+ Retirement: Penn offers generous retirement plans to help you save for your future. Penn’s Basic, Matching, and Supplemental retirement plans allow you to save for retirement on a pre-tax or Roth basis. Choose from a wide variety of investment options through TIAA and Vanguard.

+ Time Away from Work: Penn provides you with a substantial amount of time away from work during the course of the year. This allows you to relax, take vacations, attend to personal affairs, recover from illness or injury, spend time with family—whatever your personal needs may be.

+ Long-Term Care Insurance: In partnership with Genworth Financial, Penn offers faculty and staff (and your eligible family members) long-term care insurance to help you cover some of the costs of long-term care services received at home, in the community or in a nursing facility. If you apply when you’re newly hired, you won’t have to provide proof of good health or be subject to underwriting requirements. Eligible family members must always provide proof of good health and are subject to underwriting.

+ Wellness and Work-life Resources : Penn is committed to supporting our faculty and staff as they balance the competing demands of work and personal life. That’s why we offer a wide variety of programs and resources to help you care for your health, your family, and your work-life balance.

+ Professional and Personal Development: Penn provides an array of resources to help you advance yourself personally and professionally.

+ University Resources: As a member of the Penn community, you have access to a wide range of University resources as well as cultural and recreational activities. Take advantage of the University’s libraries and athletic facilities, or visit our arboretum and art galleries. There’s always something going on at Penn, whether it’s a new exhibit at the Penn Museum, the latest music or theater presentation at the Annenberg Center, or the Penn Relays at Franklin Field to name just a few examples. As a member of the Penn community, you’re right in the middle of the excitement—and you and your family can enjoy many of these activities for free.

+ Discounts and Special Services : From arts and entertainment to transportation and mortgages, you'll find great deals for University faculty and staff. Not only do Penn arts and cultural centers and museums offer free and discounted admission and memberships to faculty and staff. You can also enjoy substantial savings on other goods and services such as new cars from Ford and General Motors, cellular phone service plans, movie tickets, and admission to theme parks.

+ Flexible Work Hours: Flexible work options offer creative approaches for completing work while promoting balance between work and personal commitments. These approaches involve use of non-traditional work hours, locations, and/or job structures.

+ Penn Home Ownership Services: Penn offers a forgivable loan for eligible employees interested in buying a home or currently residing in West Philadelphia, which can be used for closing costs or home improvements.

+ Adoption Assistance: Penn will reimburse eligible employees on qualified expenses in connection with the legal adoption of an eligible child, such as travel or court fees, for up to two adoptions in your household.




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To learn more, please visit: https://www.hr.upenn.edu/PennHR/benefits-pay



The University of Pennsylvania's special character is reflected in the diversity of the Penn community. We seek talented faculty and staff who will constitute a vibrant community that draws on the strength that comes with a substantive institutional commitment to diversity along dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, disability, veteran status, interests, perspectives, and socioeconomic status. Grounded in equal opportunity, nondiscrimination, and affirmative action, Penn's robust commitment to diversity is fundamental to the University's mission of advancing knowledge, educating leaders for all sectors of society, and public service. The University of Pennsylvania prohibits unlawful discrimination based on race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected class.