Director of Alumni Relations

POSITION SUMMARY:

Date application must be received for priority consideration by: October 9, 2026
Anticipated Appointment Begin Date: October 26, 2026
Closing Date or if blank, Open Until Filled:
Job Family Group: Administrative and Professional
Division/Department: University Advancement
Compensation Range (commensurate with experience): $79,283.10-$84,504.83 annually
FLSA Status: Exempt
Appointment Basis: 12-month
Time Type: Full-time
Benefits Eligible: Yes
Renewable/Non-renewable/Grants/Limited Duration: Renewable
This position must possess and maintain a current, valid Driver License: Yes
This position is designated as a critical, security-sensitive or safety-sensitive position; therefore, the incumbent must successfully complete a Criminal Background Check: Yes
Remote Work Type: On Campus
Work Hours: M-F (8:00a – 5:00p) Hours are subject to change with notice.

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS TO APPLICANT:

• Each applicant is required to provide (as attachments to the online application) the following supplemental documents: (1) a letter providing some detail of the applicant’s qualifications and interest in the position; and (2) current resume/CV. - PLEASE NOTE - during the application process, you will be prompted to attach these documents in the area titled "Resume." Please either combine ALL documents into ONE attachment, OR upload each item separately in this section. Failure to upload ALL of the required documents may disqualify application from consideration.
• For inquiries and additional information, please contact Human Resource Services via email at [email protected] or by phone at (541)552-8553.
• To view SOU’s very generous benefits and pension programs available to eligible positions, please visit https://inside.sou.edu/assets/hrs/Benefits/Benefit_Flyer/2024_Prospective_Candidate_Benefit_Overview_012024.pdf
• Our benefits package is an important complement to the offered salary and our Total Compensation Calculator, https://inside.sou.edu/hrs/comp-calc.html, demonstrates our value and commitment to our employees.

POSITION DESCRIPTION:

The Director of Alumni Relations provides strategic leadership for the design, implementation, and implementation of the university's comprehensive alumni engagement program. Operating with a small unit, this role balances high-level vision with direct, hands-on execution to connect a diverse alumni base with Southern Oregon University. Reporting to the Vice President of University Advancement and Director of the SOU Foundation, the Director is responsible for building lifelong affinity, increasing volunteerism, managing community traditions, and generating active support for the university.

This position requires a highly energetic, organized, and collaborative professional capable of working in tandem with the SOU Alumni Association and the Assistant Director of Engagement to integrate alumni engagement initiatives directly into broader university advancement and development goals.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university.
• At least four years of progressive, professional experience in alumni relations, higher education administration, admissions, public relations, fundraising, or nonprofit management.
• Demonstrated ability to build programs, manage complex projects independently, and execute major public events with minimal administrative support.
• Exceptional public speaking, presentation, writing, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Flexibility and willingness to work evenings and weekends for campus events, regional programs, and professional travel.
• Must possess and maintain a current, valid Driver License.
• Proficiency in managing social media platforms as well as in standard Microsoft 365 software.

Preferred Requirements

• Master's degree in higher education administration, communications, business administration, or a related field.
• Supervisory experience.
• Direct experience working within a university environment.
• Proficient working knowledge of advancement databases and donor management software (such as Raiser's Edge or Salesforce).

Essential Functions

Duties - The following examples are typical work activities that are meant to illustrate the general range of work functions and are not meant to be all-inclusive or restrictive:

(35%) Strategic Leadership and Administration

• Plan and execute an annual strategic alumni engagement operating plan aligned with University Advancement objectives.
• Plan, develop, and exercise budget authority over the Alumni Relations operational budget to maximize program return on investment.
• Utilize data analytics and assessment tools to evaluate the effectiveness of programming, develop and maintain alumni tracking metrics, and report trends to leadership.
• Partner with development staff to align alumni activity with the university's ongoing major giving priorities and philanthropic pipeline.
• Provide executive staffing and logistical support to the SOUAA Board of Directors; partner directly with the Board Development & Nominating Committee to manage board recruitment, facilitate regular elections, coordinate the orientation program for newly elected board members, and maintain oversight of bylaws and governing policies

(35%) Event Planning and Program Management

• Serve as chair and logistical lead for major high-visibility campus milestones, working alongside the SOUAA Alumni Engagement & Programming Committee to coordinate Homecoming, reunions, and family weekends.
• Identify, recruit, and guide volunteer leadership to develop and approve official charters for regional alumni chapters and industry-specific affinity networks across the state and country.
• Establish engagement opportunities tailored specifically to diverse subgroups, such as first-generation graduates, young alumni, and athletic or academic affinity cohorts.
• Partner with the SOUAA Career Services & Mentorship Committee and the campus career center to expand internship pipelines, promote professional development webinars, and mobilize the digital Raider Network platform to support student-to-alumni mentoring channels.
• Oversee the selection and distribution of institutional alumni distinction awards in collaboration with the SOUAA Awards and Recognition Committee.

(25%) Communications, Marketing and Data Integrity

• Design and deploy demographic-driven communication strategies through newsletters, web portals, targeted email marketing, and editorial content for The Raider alumni magazine.
• Direct the university's official alumni social media platforms to promote alumni programs, manage digital content, boost event registrations, and elevate campaign visibility in collaboration with the university's marketing department.
• Partner with Advancement Services to regularly update contact info, business records, and biographical fields within the central database; execute trace strategies with the committee to enrich missing information for "lost" alumni.
• Serve as an official face, liaison, and informational spokesperson for the university's alumni base, publicizing outstanding professional, civic, and philanthropic milestones to boost institutional pride.

(5%) Supervisor responsibility and other duties as assigned

Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities

• Excellent communication skills; demonstrated ability to effectively communicate information in a clear and understandable manner, both verbally and in writing.
• Demonstrated customer service experience requiring a very high level of diplomacy and professionalism to effectively handle a broad range of sensitive interpersonal situations.
• Demonstrated ability to interpret and consistently apply a wide variety of complex policies and procedures where specific guidelines may not always exist.
• Expressed ability to work with frequent changes in policies and procedures, under pressure of deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong analytical and research skills; demonstrated ability to gather, evaluate, and to develop well-reasoned conclusions and recommendations.
• Demonstrated ability to proactively assess work operations and anticipate potential problems; ability to develop and implement strategies for preventing/resolving problems.
• Great ability to effectively perform work of a highly sensitive and confidential nature that requires access to information. Must be able to exercise sound judgment and discretion, tact, and diplomacy.
• Takes initiative in independently planning, organizing, and performing work assignments within broadly defined parameters
• Demonstrated ability to work with a high level of productivity and accuracy/attention to detail.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills with the demonstrated ability to set own priorities to coordinate multiple assignments with fluctuating and time-sensitive deadlines.
• Expressed skill to independently analyze software functionality through technical documents, and design and document efficient/effective work processes; ability to independently analyze software problems, test probable causes, and recommend sound solutions.
• Excellent computer skills and proficiency with a variety of computer applications including word processing, spreadsheets, databases, online systems, social media platforms, Internet as well as online calendaring and email.
• Demonstrated ability to initiate, establish, and foster communication and teamwork by maintaining a positive, cooperative, productive work atmosphere in and outside the University with the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships within a diverse population and with those from various cultural backgrounds.
• Willingness to and work effectively in a heavily bureaucratic environment which requires regular interaction with a number of levels within the organization and multiple outside agencies.
• Working knowledge or ability to quickly learn, university infrastructure, policies, and procedures.
• Demonstrated skills in an institutional/educational environment utilizing a customer-oriented and service-centered attitude.

Physical Demands

• Normal office activities such as sitting/standing at a desk, using a computer, answering phones, and communicating in person both in writing and via phone with others.
• Event setup, including but not limited to move/transport trade show type equipment .
• Travel to and from events.

Special Conditions

• Must be willing to travel and attend training programs off-site for occasional professional development.
• Must be able to work additional hours and adjust working hours to meet special jobs. May be called back periodically to perform work as needed on an emergency basis.
• Must be able to successfully pass a pre-employment background check.
• This position classification has been defined as exempt and is not subject to the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
• The person holding this position is considered a mandatory reporter under the Oregon Revised Statutes and is required to comply with the requirements set forth by the Oregon Department of Human Services.
• This position requires driving for university business. Final candidates will be contacted by Human Resources to complete the university’s driver clearance process. Candidates who hold driver’s licenses issued outside the State of Oregon will be required to provide a certified driving record from their state of residence during the assessment phase.

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SOU is an equal access AA/EOE committed to achieving a diverse and inclusive workforce

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Southern Oregon University will provide, if requested, reasonable accommodation to applicants in need of accommodation in order to provide access to the application, interviewing, and selection process. You are not required to note the presence of a disability on this application. If, however, you require a reasonable accommodation in the application and/or interview process due to disability, requests must be made in a timely manner to Human Resources.

Diversity Statement:
Southern Oregon University is a welcoming community committed to inclusive excellence and the celebration of diversity. Without diversity, our educational process is diminished. Working together in support of our commitment to diversity, we strengthen and enrich our role as learners, educators, and members of a tightly connected global community. We encourage those who share in our commitment to diversity, to join our community and we expect all our employees to demonstrate an ability and desire to create an inclusive campus community.

SOU Land Acknowledgement
We want to take this moment to acknowledge that Southern Oregon University is located within the ancestral homelands of the Shasta, Takelma, and Latgawa peoples who lived here since time immemorial. These Tribes were displaced during rapid Euro-American colonization, the Gold Rush, and armed conflict between 1851 and 1856. In the 1850s, the discovery of gold and settlement brought thousands of Euro-Americans to their lands, leading to warfare, epidemics, starvation, and villages being burned. In 1853 the first of several treaties were signed, confederating these Tribes and others together – who would then be referred to as the Rogue River Tribe. These treaties ceded most of their homelands to the United States, and in return, they were guaranteed a permanent homeland reserved for them. At the end of the Rogue River Wars in 1856, these Tribes and many other Tribes from western Oregon were removed to the Siletz Reservation and the Grand Ronde Reservation. Today, the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon (www.grandronde.org) and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians (www.ctsi.nsn.us) are living descendants of the Takelma, Shasta, and Latgawa peoples of this area. We encourage YOU to learn about the land you reside on and to join us in advocating for the inherent sovereignty of Indigenous people.

Notice to Prospective Employees
Section 485 of the Higher Education Act, and The Federal Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act of 1990 (now referred to as the “Clery Act”), require that prospective employees be notified of the availability of SOU’s Annual Security and Fire Safety Report. The report provides the annual statistics and campus policies for the reporting of and responding to campus crimes and fires; access to campus facilities; conduct code and campus policies on the use, possession, and sale of drugs/alcohol; and educational/information programs to inform the campus community about campus security procedures and crime prevention.

An electronic copy of the Annual Security Report (ASR) can be accessed at the following link: https://cps.sou.edu/clery-act-annual-security-report/.  A physical copy of the ASR is available at no charge upon request. To request a copy, please visit the Office of the General Counsel located in Churchill Hall, 1250 Siskiyou Boulevard, Ashland, Oregon 97520.  For more information, call 541-552-7095, or email [email protected].