Job Summary
The Alumni Association of the University of Michigan is seeking a creative and strategic leader to be the Director of Events. This person will be responsible for the overall strategic vision, planning, and implementation of events and athletic programs for the Alumni Association.
In addition to the responsibilities and qualifications listed below and most importantly, candidates must share and hold to the highest regard, the same values that are uniquely inherent to the Alumni Association:
ALL IN
Believe in our mission
Be trustworthy and loyal to the Alumni Association and each other
Be passionate about what we're doing and be proud to be a part of it
Be an employee who goes above and beyond the call of duty
SERVING HEART
Be open and willing to listen to others and help in whatever way possible
You're dedicated to selflessly following the Platinum Rule: treat others the way they want to be treated
SOLUTION SEEKER
You're a creative problem solver
You're never satisfied with the status quo
You find a way to say yes
You embrace new ideas and approaches from different perspectives
You're collaborative, flexible and adaptive
Who We Are
We enrich the University of Michigan's impact by serving as an independent gateway for alums of all identities, backgrounds, and experiences across the globe and in our neighborhoods in order to create and deepen belonging to the Michigan Family, the Leaders and Best.
Join the Alumni Association in fostering a global community of belonging. We aim to create spaces where every stakeholder feels connected and valued. Through programs such as clubs, affinity groups, and student support initiatives, we are dedicated to building strong, supportive networks among alumni worldwide. We invite you to explore our impactful work and become a part of our commitment to nurturing a worldwide network of belonging. Discover more about our efforts here: Community of Belonging.
Responsibilities*
- Develop and implement a comprehensive, multi-year strategic plan for providing alumni with relevant and innovative opportunities for engagement through events and athletic programs.
- Create milestones and metrics for team alignment and empower your team's execution of the strategic plan goals.
- Work closely with tech and data teams to continuously improve the participant experience and engagement data tracking.
- Establish collaborative and productive relationships with essential faculty, staff, and alumni participants for events and athletic programs.
- Investigate, evaluate, and select current and new athletic programs for alumni in targeted market segments.
- Partner with the marketing and communications team to promote Alumni Association events and athletic programs.
- Oversee the selection, coordination, evaluation, and development of partnerships with vendors.
- Ensure high customer satisfaction for event participants.
- Oversee the events and athletic programs budgets and be financially responsible (e.g., managing monthly spending, forecasting, and stewarding) for the Alumni Association's resources by aligning programs with organizational goals.
- Effectively lead, manage, and supervise the team by communicating expectations, setting work schedules and priorities, providing opportunities for personal and professional growth through regular performance reviews, guidance, and encouraging training while presenting new techniques, and recruiting/hiring staff as needed.
General Responsibilities:
- Provide organizational leadership by demonstrating AAUM core values: All In, Serving Heart, and Solution Seeker, and helping other staff members demonstrate those values.
- Value and embrace different identities and perspectives recognizing that everyone has unique and different experiences that contribute to the best solution seeking and success for AAUM.
- Work with AAUM staff members to gain a clear and consistent understanding of the details of the strategic plan and feel equal ownership of every piece of it, including pieces for which there is no direct responsibility.
- Be collaborative with all AAUM staff and teams. Operate as a critical contributing member of the staff to complete objectives in many different areas in order to move the whole organization toward the strategic plan.
- Support University Relations efforts by demonstrating AAUM value to campus units/partners (i.e., schools/colleges, campuses).
- Continually build digital skill sets in order to implement into work.
- Staff and participate in team meetings, Alumni Association events that may be during evenings or weekends, and staff retreats including offsite, overnight staff retreats at Camp Michigania.
- Provide staff support to the Alumni Association's Board of Directors, its committees, and other volunteers as needed.
- Coordinate special projects as assigned or required.
- Participate in Alumni Association and other University committees as required.
- Share knowledge through internal communication.
- Support the Alumni Association's vision of creating a place of belonging for all alumni.
- Remain current with respect to technology and the University's educational resources.
Supervision Received
Direct supervision is received from the Executive Director of Development
Supervision Exercised
Supervision exercised over the Events Coordinator
Required Qualifications*
- 8-10 years of event execution experience and program development experience
- Proven ability to execute complex events individually and within a team
- Experience managing complex vendor relationships and negotiating contracts
- Ability to work flexible hours including early mornings, evenings and weekends.
- This position requires ability to travel domestically and internationally throughout various times of the year.
- Routinely lifts/moves equipment and supplies weighing up to 25 pounds to event venues for event execution needs; Must be able to remain in a stationary position during entire shift and move throughout event venues to execute events.
- Must be able to meet flexible deadlines consistently and work well under pressure.
- Punctuality, great attention to detail, and excellent organizational skills are required.
- Ability to think and develop strategically sound plans, including analyzing data, extracting trends and applying findings to improve alumni engagement
- Must be highly pro-active and have a 'can-do' attitude managing projects and the team as an enterprise leader with an entrepreneurial spirit.
- Understanding and demonstrated project management skills and the ability to deliver a project from concept to completion.
- Strong partnership skills being able to develop these relationships internally across functions, the university, and externally with vendors and corporate partners.
- Ability to utilize Google suite including mail, sheets, docs, slides, chat, etc.
- Team player and a strong attitude for collaboration across different functions and programs to build consensus around plans.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills and demonstrated ability to develop working relationships with internal and external constituent groups.
- Ability to work effectively with leaders and colleagues in a multicultural and diverse environment.
Work Locations
This is a hybrid position is located at the Alumni Center in Ann Arbor, MI with two required days a week in the office, including Tuesday. Starting September 3rd, staff will be required to be in the office 3 days a week.
Modes of Work
Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes.
U-M EEO Statement
The University of Michigan is an equal employment opportunity employer.