Job Description

Duke University was created in 1924 through an indenture of trust by James Buchanan Duke. Today, Duke is regarded as one of America’s leading research universities. Located in Durham, North Carolina, Duke is positioned in the heart of the Research Triangle, which is ranked annually as one of the best places in the country to work and live. Duke has more than 15,000 students who study and conduct research in its 10 undergraduate, graduate and professional schools. With about 40,000 employees, Duke is the third largest private employer in North Carolina, and it now has international programs in more than 150 countries.

 

Executive Director, Alumni Engagement The Fuqua School of Business

 

The Executive Director, Alumni Engagement provides strategic direction, vision, and leadership of the alumni relations function at The Fuqua School of Business.

The Executive Director supervises a team of alumni relations professionals and collaborates with the Development and Alumni Relations department (DAR) and other Fuqua and Duke University departments to engage more than 28,000 alumni worldwide. The Executive Director reports to the Associate Dean for Development and Alumni Relations.

Job Duties

Leadership and Strategy

• Provide leadership and strategic vision for Fuqua’s:
  • Alumni Relations program that serves to strengthen the alumni network through volunteer development, alumni services, educational programming, and events with the goal of continuous and meaningful involvement and engagement of alumni.
  • Alumni Relations promotion, communication, and marketing efforts including alumni relations initiatives, event registrations sites, event communication, and volunteer recognition.
  • Alumni volunteer boards, including the Alumni Council, Minority Alumni Advisory Board, and Health Care Alumni Advisory Board.
  • Alumni engagement reporting including volunteer coding and event registration in support of university-wide campaign.
  • Development and Alumni Relations initiatives that facilitate student-to-alumni transition.
  • Alumni engagement with current students across all programs.
  • Corporate Relations initiatives
  • Alumni volunteer stewardship and recognition
• Serve as a member of the DAR leadership team that advises the Associate Dean on strategic and administrative matters.
• Work with the Executive Director, Annual Fund and Communication and Director, Advancement Services to maximize coordination among DAR staff and meet team goals.
• Provide management and oversight for budgets related to alumni relations, events, Fuqua Reunions, and board management programs and initiatives.
• Implement strategic initiatives to support ongoing information collection to understand the interests and needs of Fuqua alumni, including alumni surveys, focus groups, and 1:1 discussions.
• Develop staff members, including providing professional coaching, advocating for resources for continuous learning, and articulating a path for promotion within the institution.
• Attend cross-functional meetings in place of the Associate Dean as needed at Fuqua and within the Duke development community.

Board Management

• Manage team that supports the management of three alumni boards, including the planning and implementation of bi-annual meetings and sub-committee meetings between sessions.
• Organize board membership pipeline and nominations process, working with Fuqua colleagues to keep the pipeline of members strong. Coordinate with the Council/Board Chairs and Co-Chairs to manage membership selection process, including identification, nomination, selection, training, and staffing members, ensuring representation from Fuqua’s multiple degree programs.
• Coordinate with Fuqua’s dean to maximize the Council/Board engagement with Fuqua’s strategic vision and major initiatives.
• Support communication and programming to engage former Fuqua board members with the school and university.

Alumni Engagement, Communication and Events

• Conceptualize and create an alumni relations strategy to engage alumni and volunteers around the world.
• Plan and execute domestic, international, and virtual alumni events, in partnership with the Dean’s Office and departments across Fuqua and Duke.
• In partnership with front-line fundraisers, guide the process for securing donor sponsorship for events and work directly with donors on event planning, logistics, and providing gift-in-kind credit as needed.
• Oversee comprehensive timelines for event planning and execution.
• Participate in the development and review of promotional materials including event websites, print materials, and digital communication.
• Measure and report out progress towards alumni engagement goals and provide insight into improving the effectiveness of alumni relations activities.

Alumni Student Engagement & Corporate Relations

• Support opportunities for Fuqua’s Development & Alumni Relations staff to interact with students through formal and informal programming and events including orientation, board engagement, regional programming, and graduation.

• Manage programming to support the transition from student to alumni, working to educate students and recent graduates about the power and importance of lifelong engagement with Fuqua.
• Manage Director of Student and Corporate Relations. Support efforts to advise and coordinate students’ interactions with key corporate partners and facilitates alumni involvement in the student experience.

Campus partnerships and collaborations

• Serve as a strategic partner for implementing Fuqua Alumni Career Services. Collaborate with the Program Director, Alumni Career Services & Working Professionals to establish and implement clear, consistent procedures and communications so that alumni understand alumni career services and programs.
• Collaborate with Duke Alumni Engagement team to ensure Fuqua’s voice is represented in u-wide programming.
• Partner with other areas of Fuqua and Duke (e.g., executive MBA operations, regional teams, admissions, career center, faculty, Duke Alumni Affairs) to continuously enhance alumni programming and services.
• Serve on University committees and participate in business school consortiums pertaining to alumni relations, alumni engagement, and volunteer management.
• Communicate and benchmark with staff in similar roles at peer institutions to learn about their development and alumni relations program successes and best practices.

 

 

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; graduate degree preferred.
• Five to seven years’ experience successfully managing multiple direct and indirect reports, including performance management.
• Superior communication and relationship management skills.
• Successful volunteer management experience, including identifying, cultivating, training and stewarding individuals and providing clear incentives for involvement.
• Exceptional strategic thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills
• The ability to develop and sustain a high-performing team
• Creativity and stamina to drive dynamic results
• Decisiveness, self-confidence, a strong sense of purpose, a tolerance for ambiguity, and a sense of humor.
• Experience and comfort in interacting with senior level executives.
• Strong work ethic in a fast-paced, results-oriented team environment.
• A commitment to and passion for the issues and values of a business school education in a research university setting.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, sound judgment, and experience handling confidential information.
• Knowledge of The Fuqua School of Business and/or Duke University preferred.

Note: The above job description is not to be construed as a complete listing of assignments that may be given to any employee, nor are such assignments restricted to those precisely listed in this description.

 

Duke is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

 

Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.

 

Essential Physical Job Functions: Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essentialjob functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.

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