Associate Director, Alumni Engagement

Department: Alumni Relations & Development
Salary/Grade: EXS/8

The target budgeted salary for this position is $70,017 to $75,000 annually. Offers will be based on candidate experience and education, as well as equity within Northwestern University.

Please note: This role is eligible for a hybrid work arrangement, up to two days remote and three onsite.

Job Summary:

The Associate Director is responsible for collaborating across departments to advance alumni engagement and relationship management efforts for Northwestern University, with a particular focus on virtual professional development and industry-based engagement. Reporting to the Director, Alumni Engagement on the Career and Mentorship team within the Northwestern Alumni Association (NAA), this role oversees the planning, execution, and growth of strategic engagement initiatives designed to meaningfully connect alumni, cultivate volunteers, and strengthen pathways to philanthropy.

This position serves as a functional expert in the development and delivery of career and professional development programs, including virtual programming such as webinars and podcasts. As a webinar and podcast host, the role includes researching topics, preparing interview questions, developing program content, and producing lead-in copy in collaboration with alumni and campus partners. The Associate Director leads the strategy, development, and growth of the Northwestern Alumni Industry Networks, manages associated volunteer committees, and supports virtual and in person event planning for the groups. This role also liaises with the Northwestern University Dental Society (NUDS), partnering with alumni leaders to plan annual programs and events

The Associate Director is responsible for the following:

• Coordinates and hosts the NAA Career Webinar Series and Northwestern Intersections podcast
  • Develop annual calendar of speakers and themes
  • Coordinate recruitment of webinar and podcast guests from staff and volunteer recommendations and manage relationships with hosts
  • Responsible for promotion and marketing of all NAA virtual career events
  • Interview, record, and post-production for podcasts/webinars
  • Follow-up duties (upload recordings, transcriptions, code data in CRM, and program analytics)
  • Partner with stakeholders to build and sustain successful virtual content, including periodic check-ins with communications, engagement, and editorial teams for assessment
• Manages the Northwestern Alumni Industry Networks.
  • Lead the strategy, development, and growth of this new initiative
  • Manage volunteer committees
  • Support LinkedIn groups and other online community spaces
  • Help plan industry-focused events in collaboration with the alumni volunteers
• Supports the Northwestern University Dental Society
  • Staff liaison for the alumni group
  • Lead planning, marketing, and execution of annual programming
• Creates ROI reports and analyses to continuously assess programming success.

Specific Responsibilities:

Strategic Planning

• Develops, implements, and periodically refines strategic plans for alumni engagement initiatives with a focus on virtual professional development and industry-based engagement
• Leads the long-term strategy, growth, and sustainability of the Northwestern Alumni Industry Networks, aligning programming with NAA goals and institutional priorities.
• Establishes annual calendars and thematic frameworks for virtual content (e.g., webinars, podcasts, industry events) to maximize alumni participation, value, and impact.
• Uses data, feedback, and analytics to inform continuous improvement and strategic decision-making.

Collaboration

• Involves moderate level of collaboration with internal department partners and low level of collaboration with University partners in implementing and expanding existing relationships to accomplish strategic goals.
• Key partnerships include, but are not limited to:
• Northwestern Alumni Association (strategy, content development, analytics)
• Marketing and communications team (promotion, messaging, branding)
• Major gift officers, directors of development, and professional school colleagues
• Alumni volunteers and industry leaders serving on committees or as program hosts
• Faculty and cross-campus staff contributors to career and industry programming

Prospects & Gifts

• Partners with development colleagues to align engagement initiatives with stewardship and fundraising strategies, strengthening donor readiness through meaningful involvement.
• Accurately records alumni interactions, participation, and outcomes in CRM systems to support prospect strategy and institutional reporting.

Volunteers

• Recruits, manages, and supports alumni volunteers serving on Industry Network and affinity-based committees.
• Maintains volunteer rosters, reports, and communications to ensure consistency and sustained engagement.
• Travels, as needed, to support in-person events, planning meetings, or leadership gatherings.

Events

• Leads the planning, execution, and evaluation of virtual and in-person alumni engagement programs, including webinars, podcasts, industry-focused events, and NUDS programming.
• webinars and podcasts, including topic development, speaker coordination, and production planning.
• Develops and manages event timelines, production plans, and run-of-show documents to ensure high-quality execution.
• Oversees event promotion and marketing in collaboration with marketing and communications team.
• Conducts post-event follow-up, including uploading recordings, managing transcriptions, coding data in CRM, and analyzing engagement metrics.
• Assesses program outcomes and identifies best practices for continuous improvement.

Administration

• Oversees administrative processes related to the production, promotion, and assessment of alumni engagement initiatives.
• Manages timelines, workflows, and project documentation for multiple concurrent programs.
• Tracks and documents participation, volunteer involvement, and engagement outcomes in relevant databases and systems.
• Develops dashboards, ROI reports, and analytics that assess program effectiveness and inform strategic planning.

Budget

• Implements & administers approved budget for designated programs &/or events.
• Uses budget data alongside engagement metrics to evaluate return on investment and guide future resource allocation.

Miscellaneous

Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree; OR appropriate combination of education and experience.

• 4 years development, marketing, sales or the equivalent experience is required.

Minimum Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities.)

• Organization, detail oriented, exemplary written and verbal communication skills

• High level of intellectual curiosity and creativity

• Able to work cross-functionally with internal and external partners

Preferred Qualifications:

• Volunteer and/or program management experience

Preferred Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities)

• Familiarity with CRMs and/or Microsoft Suite (including Excel, PowerPoint, and Word)

• Experience serving as a virtual host or interviewer

• Familiarity with using Zoom Webinar

• Knowledge of career or professional development programming

Benefits:
At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful, competitive, high-quality health care plans, retirement benefits, tuition discounts and more! Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html to learn more.

Work-Life and Wellness:
Northwestern offers comprehensive programs and services to help you and your family navigate life's challenges and opportunities, and adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles.
We support flexible work arrangements where possible and programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior/adult care. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/work-life/index.html to learn more.

Professional Growth & Development:
Northwestern supports employee career development in all circumstances whether your workspace is on campus or at home. If you're interested in developing your professional potential or continuing your formal education, we offer a variety of tools and resources. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/learning/index.html to learn more.

Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics, including disability and veteran status. View Northwestern's non-discrimination statement. Job applicants who wish to request an accommodation in the application or hiring process should contact the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance. View additional information on the accommodations process.