Assistant Director, Student and Alumni Connections

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Salary Range: $63,700 - $70,000

Position Summary

Reporting to the Associate Dean of Alumni Relations and Engagement, the Assistant Director plays an integral role on the Alumni Relations team and is responsible for leading student-alumni programs and engagement for the Columbia College Alumni Association (CCAA), including the Student Ambassadors for Columbia College Alumni (SACCA) student group who serve as ambassadors of Columbia College, and aim to build connections between students and alumni, and Columbia College's primary mentoring initiative, the Odyssey Mentoring Program, which connects current students and young alumni with the alumni community through a variety of virtual and live programs and experiences as well as digital tools and resources.

This individual establishes short and long-term plans for mentoring as a major initiative that can engage students early on, creating meaningful experiences for students and alumni and strengthening the pride and connectivity of the overall Columbia College community. This strategy includes continually refining the mentoring system and user experience, defining the program goals and vision, partnering to develop a clear communication strategy for multiple segments and audiences, and developing new opportunities that help reinforce mentoring as a cultural pillar of the community.

In addition to the Odyssey Mentoring Program, this individual will co-lead the CCAA's Student-Alumni Journey committee and collaborates with alumni leaders and staff in various offices to develop new and innovative student-alumni programs.

Responsibilities

• Drives student and alumni engagement through the Odyssey Mentoring Program, including events, digital resources, and communications that facilitate meaningful connections within the Columbia College community.
• Establishes partnerships to develop meaningful events and programs that inspire diverse and enthusiastic participation by students and alumni.
  
  
  
  • Additionally, develop support materials and communications that motivate, activate, and inspire students and alumni to participate in the mentoring community.
  • Furthermore, this individual works with College administrators to facilitate student-alumni interaction through small and large-scale programming efforts, including on and off campus events to support students and young alumni. Such experiences include but are not limited to: supporting the Summer Sendoff Programs, New Student Orientation program, Senior Dinner, My Alumni Journey Chats, Diversity Roundtables, Odyssey Leadership Series, etc.
  
  
  
  
• Continuously seeks to enhance the user experience of the mentoring platform by monitoring and refining the backend of the platform and by liaising directly with tech teams. The incumbent also pulls and analyzes data to make informed decisions about the program's growth and evolution.
  
  
  
  • In partnership with marketing colleagues, this individual also manages the platform's online resources and communications to current users (both students and alumni), through such things as digital tools and resources, activation emails, newsletters, event invitations, Mentor and Mentee of the Month initiative, website updates, etc.
  
  
  
  
• Identifies, recruits, stewards, motivates, and manages alumni and student volunteers, including board and committee members, who support the development and growth of the mentoring community and student-alumni programs.
  
  
  
  • This individual will manage the Student Ambassadors for Columbia College Alumni (SACCA) in planning events independently and in collaboration with alumni groups to foster student-alumni interaction and collaboration.
  • Furthermore, the Assistant Director creates strong partnerships with colleagues across the school and represents the Columbia College Alumni Relations and Development team at meetings, events, working groups, and through ongoing inter-departmental communication within the University.
  
  
  
  
• Plans and implements engagement experiences for alumni through regional initiatives.
  
  
  
  • The individual will coordinate with internal partners, including the development team, to produce experiences that increase engagement for alumni in new ways and expands participation opportunities beyond the tristate.
  • Will track and analyze data to assess the successes of these initiatives in order to develop a dynamic pipeline of opportunities.
  
  
  
  
• Creates, monitors and reconciles budget for the Odyssey Mentoring Program and student-alumni programming as well as assigned events.
• Additional related duties as assigned, including but not limited to assisting with team-wide projects and events (such as reunions, homecoming, signature events, etc.).

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or its equivalent required.
• A minimum of 3 years of direct experience in alumni relations, volunteer management, program management, student services or related fields.
• High level of experience and comfort working in technology systems, with a curiosity to follow industry trends to identify new tools and innovations.
• The candidate must possess excellent oral and written communication and organizational skills and demonstrate the ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously.
• The ideal applicant will be self-motivated, creative and work well in a group setting.

*This position will often require long hours, including evenings and weekend assignments. Some travel may be required.*

**Applications submitted without a resume and cover letter will not be reviewed.**

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in higher education or a similarly complex institution is preferred.
• Experience with Microsoft Office suite is preferred.
• Some experience with relational databases, design software and Web-based event tools is a plus.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

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