OUR MISSION

We in Boston University Development & Alumni Relations (DAR) harness the power of philanthropy to make an excellent education accessible and welcoming to all, and to advance BU’s global leadership in research, scholarship, artistic creation, and professional practice.  To support our work, we have built—and are continuing to build—an outstanding team of dynamic, mission-driven advancement professionals who constantly strive to create an environment where everyone belongs.  Where it’s not just about a job, but a career and a community.

Now, our STRATEGIC ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT team is looking for a DIRECTOR who will develop the strategy and lead high-quality, brand-consistent communications to engage Boston University’s 350,000+ living alumni worldwide on behalf of Development & Alumni Relations (DAR). 

ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT AT BOSTON UNIVERSITY

The Alumni Engagement team is dedicated to understanding alumni, strengthening pride and awareness, and facilitating ways to grow and sustain the base of alumni engaging with and supporting Boston University. The team has oversight of alumni digital strategy, alumni experience operations, and measuring engagement—through both attitudinal and behavioral dimensions—of more than 350,000 alumni across the globe. This team works in close collaboration with colleagues in the Office of Development & Alumni Relations, and across departments and schools at Boston University.

DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

The Director works closely with the Executive Director of Strategic Alumni Engagement; plus, directly and indirectly supervises digital alumni engagement staff (4 FTE).  The Director partners closely with counterparts in 1) university Marketing & Communications (MarCom), 2) Development Communications (DevCom), and 3) Annual Giving, to help ensure close coordination across these related functions.  The Director sets an overarching strategic direction for engagement marketing and communications, including defining audiences, overseeing message development, evaluating campaign performance in support of deepening engagement between Boston University and its alumni.  Finally, the Director liaises with colleagues across the University, sharing best-practices and advocating for alumni features throughout university channels, and sharing strategic university news—research, rankings, faculty, alumni, and student experiences—with alumni worldwide. 

RESPONSIBILITIES:

PLANNING AND STRATEGY

• Develop strategic goals for alumni communications based on DAR's alumni engagement goals and fundraising strategies. Plan and carry out projects, procedures, and communication systems to support alumni engagement. Create and facilitate an annual content calendar, guiding seasonal communication strategies, initiate schedules, deadlines, and project goals with colleagues to ensure coordination across the university.

LEADING CONTENT CREATION

• Identify and create layered campaigns for promoting alumni engagement that align with Boston University’s brand identity. Develop, manage, edit, and evaluate current marketing trends and campaigns to determine the effectiveness towards engage alumni and promoting awareness of alumni programs, events, volunteerism, services, and philanthropy. Develop target audiences for campaigns and monitor KPI’s of team’s marketing efforts and propose data-driven enhancements for future engagement.

MANAGEMENT

• Tracks, manages, and ensures the timely execution of high-quality projects. Hires, supervises, and stewards the professional development of directly reporting staff members, and assists in the recruitment and retention of indirect reports. Prepares and manages annual communications budget. Oversees professional development investments (e.g., attendance at conferences) of staff, and works with Executive Director on internal team-building efforts. Prioritizes projects and allocates team resources (people, time, budgets) for each.

EMERGING TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVES

• Stay abreast of emerging technologies and serve as a senior advisor for the implementation of CMS platforms, like Salesforce Marketing Cloud, plus alumni facing platforms to engage alumni, including websites, apps, social media, and new and emerging digital engagement pathways (e.g., video, virtual reality, social media, CRMs, fundraising, etc.) that contribute to BU’s larger engagement effort.

OUTREACH

• In coordination with the Executive Director, builds relationships with BU colleagues both within and outside of DAR, including counterparts in MarCom, DevCom, and college/departmental communication colleagues. Provide “educational outreach” within DAR to help and train colleagues on best practices regarding communications and impact measurement. As requested, provides services to other BU teams, including (for example) the offices of the President and Provost, and MarCom.

Required Skills

A cover letter is required for consideration.

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 8+ years of experience in marketing, communications, alumni relations, relationship management, preferably in a higher education or alumni services environment, including 5+ years of managing creative professionals.
• Excellent omnichannel communication skills, creating a variety of target audience-centric communications materials and familiarity with brand/identity development, integrated communications programs, digital communications, and advanced writing skills to include composition, proofreading, and editing.
• Commitment to curating diverse and inclusive writing and design to reach a variety of audiences.
• Proficient with content management systems and website maintenance. Competence in tools, software, and technologies to effectively complete assignments and job tasks.
• Strong interpersonal skills, to succeed in influencing a collaborative environment. Flexible, open, and receptive to new information, ideas, and approaches. Seeks and acts upon performance feedback.
• Ability to set priorities, meet deadlines, and juggle multiple demands in a complex and fast-paced work environment.
• Knowledge and implementation of best practices in data analytics utilizing current industry trends is preferred.
• Some evening and weekend work required; occasional travel.

BUT THAT’S NOT ALL WE’RE LOOKING FOR; WE WANT SOMEONE WHO EMBODIES OUR VALUES:

• TEAMWORK, TRANSPARENCY, AND MUTUAL RESPECT, because we value every member’s contributions and know that leadership can come from anywhere.
• DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, and a commitment to ensuring that each of us knows we belong here.
• INTEGRITY in how we work and how we treat one another.
• STRATEGIC THINKING AND CURIOSITY in the relentless pursuit of fresh approaches and measurable results.
• CONTINUOUS GROWTH AND IMPROVEMENT, both as individuals and as a team.
• JOY AND SHARED APPRECIATION for working hard toward goals that matter.

If this resonates with you and you want to help us in our ambitious next campaign—and maybe do some of your best work as an advancement professional— we encourage you to apply.  If you are hesitant to apply because you have not previously performed every responsibility listed in the description, but you do possess transferable skills and the defined qualifications, we still want to hear from you and welcome your application as well.

To learn more about Development & Alumni Relations at Boston University, and other job opportunities, please stop by the DAR Talent website: https://www.bu.edu/dar-talent/.

Please note all newly hired staff and faculty will need to be in compliance with Boston University’s COVID-19 Vaccination and Booster Requirement within 30 days of date of hire. You must upload your vaccine documentation or request a medical or religious exemption (instructions). For further information on the University’s response to COVID-19, please visit the COVID-19 Resources site. 

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military service, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, or because of marital, parental, or veteran status. We are a VEVRAA Federal Contractor. 

Required Experience

A cover letter is required for consideration.

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 8+ years of experience in marketing, communications, alumni relations, relationship management, preferably in a higher education or alumni services environment, including 5+ years of managing creative professionals.
• Excellent omnichannel communication skills, creating a variety of target audience-centric communications materials and familiarity with brand/identity development, integrated communications programs, digital communications, and advanced writing skills to include composition, proofreading, and editing.
• Commitment to curating diverse and inclusive writing and design to reach a variety of audiences.
• Proficient with content management systems and website maintenance. Competence in tools, software, and technologies to effectively complete assignments and job tasks.
• Strong interpersonal skills, to succeed in influencing a collaborative environment. Flexible, open, and receptive to new information, ideas, and approaches. Seeks and acts upon performance feedback.
• Ability to set priorities, meet deadlines, and juggle multiple demands in a complex and fast-paced work environment.
• Knowledge and implementation of best practices in data analytics utilizing current industry trends is preferred.
• Some evening and weekend work required; occasional travel.

BUT THAT’S NOT ALL WE’RE LOOKING FOR; WE WANT SOMEONE WHO EMBODIES OUR VALUES:

• TEAMWORK, TRANSPARENCY, AND MUTUAL RESPECT, because we value every member’s contributions and know that leadership can come from anywhere.
• DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, and a commitment to ensuring that each of us knows we belong here.
• INTEGRITY in how we work and how we treat one another.
• STRATEGIC THINKING AND CURIOSITY in the relentless pursuit of fresh approaches and measurable results.
• CONTINUOUS GROWTH AND IMPROVEMENT, both as individuals and as a team.
• JOY AND SHARED APPRECIATION for working hard toward goals that matter.

If this resonates with you and you want to help us in our ambitious next campaign—and maybe do some of your best work as an advancement professional— we encourage you to apply.  If you are hesitant to apply because you have not previously performed every responsibility listed in the description, but you do possess transferable skills and the defined qualifications, we still want to hear from you and welcome your application as well.

To learn more about Development & Alumni Relations at Boston University, and other job opportunities, please stop by the DAR Talent website: https://www.bu.edu/dar-talent/.

Please note all newly hired staff and faculty will need to be in compliance with Boston University’s COVID-19 Vaccination and Booster Requirement within 30 days of date of hire. You must upload your vaccine documentation or request a medical or religious exemption (instructions). For further information on the University’s response to COVID-19, please visit the COVID-19 Resources site. 

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military service, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, or because of marital, parental, or veteran status. We are a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.