Director of Alumni, Parent and Family Relations

Date: July 27, 2026
Title: Director of Alumni, Parent and Family Relations

Description:  As a key member of the Institutional Advancement leadership team, the Director of Alumni, Parent & Family Relations provides strategic and visionary leadership to deeply engage Hartwick College’s extended community. This role is responsible for designing and executing a comprehensive, integrated approach to cultivating lifelong relationships with alumni, parents, and families. The ultimate goal is to inspire deep connection, institutional pride, and sustained philanthropic investment through innovative, scalable engagement strategies.

The role reports to the Vice President of Advancement & External Relations, supervises the Assistant Director of Alumni, Parent & Family Relations and collaborates closely with offices across campus.

Responsibilities:

• Provide vision, leadership, and oversight to the Office of Alumni, Parent & Family Relations.
• Leverage alumni, parent, and family success and expertise to connect constituencies with each other and the college to enhance the student experience, elevate the college’s profile and strengthen connections among alumni, students, parents, families and the institution.
• Design, execute, and evaluate innovative virtual and in-person engagement initiatives tailored to alumni, parents, and families with the goal of increasing engagement.
  • Division liaison to the Office Campus Vibrancy and College Events for key events such as True Blue Weekend.
  • Lead the strategic planning and execution of off campus alumni and donor events, ensuring alignment with engagement and cultivation goals.
  • Collaborate with faculty and staff colleagues to design and support experiences that:
    • Advance relationship-building and stewardship
    • Incorporate alumni, parent, family talent and leadership
    • Are scalable and accessible to a geographically dispersed audience
  • Use data and feedback to continually assess and reimagine events, refining or discontinuing activities that no longer meet strategic goals.
• Bring a creative, tech-forward, relationship driven mindset to the role, leveraging storytelling, emerging tools and digital platforms to scale engagement and modernize outreach.
• Foster a culture of connection and pride that seamlessly transitions constituents into active stakeholders and donors.
• As a representative of the College, must comport oneself in a professional manner at all times, both on and off campus.
• Comply with all applicable College, Federal, State, local and associational regulations
• Participate in significant campus activities including Welcome Weekend, True Blue Weekend, and Commencement Weekend.
• Willingness to travel to offsite events as needed.

Skills and Qualifications:  Minimum requirements for this position are a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with 5+ years of experience in a staff leadership role managing people, programs and events with a successful track record for building engagement, social capital, and systems to support institutional goals. Experience in alumni relations, donor relations, advancement, advancement communications, or a related field and a Master’s degree are preferred.

Must have a valid driver’s license and be insurable by the College.

• Creative, cross-functional, and collaborative leadership skills with demonstrated ability to recruit, train, and motivate teams, boards or advisory groups and volunteers.
• Demonstrated success designing and executing engagement strategies and programs.
• Proven experience with event planning and execution (virtual and in-person).
• Able to delegate, cooperate, and collaborate with cross-campus partners.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills as well as excellent public speaking skills.
• Ability to build relationships, capacity, and accountability with individuals and teams.
• Ability to define, communicate, and assess program purpose, objectives and outcomes.
• Ability to effectively handle a broad range of interpersonal contacts, including those at a higher level and those sensitive in nature.
• Ability to develop and manage budgets.
• Must be a good storyteller who can synthesize information about the College’s programs and key initiatives to share with various audiences.
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage several projects simultaneously.
• Ability and willingness to travel and work occasional nights and weekends.
• Proficient in the Google Suite and comfort leveraging CRM systems, digital platforms, and data to inform engagement work.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and implement programs.
• Ability to maintain a high degree of confidentiality.
• Ability to provide exemplary customer service.

Salary Range: $65,000 - $70,000

Hartwick operates as a community of learners where there is a very real sense of belonging and connection. By joining Hartwick, you become part of a group of people who work together, share in our successes, and celebrate our accomplishments. All positions at Hartwick contribute to the education and development of students with the opportunity to see the impact on future leaders—what you do at Hartwick really matters.

An independent, residential liberal arts college enrolling approximately 1,100 full-time undergraduates, The College features a general education curriculum designed to give every student a flexible, individualized learning experience that integrates coursework, co-curricular activities, and work experience to cultivate their distinctive strengths and prepare them for the future.  

Our beautiful 425-acre campus is located in the scenic Susquehanna River valley in Oneonta, New York—a charming town near the northern foothills of the Catskill Mountains. Hartwick offers health benefits to domestic partners of employees, flexible scheduling, opportunities to engage in athletic and cultural events (concerts, exhibits, and lectures) and tuition benefits for eligible employees and their dependents.

Hartwick College prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation/preference and gender identity/expression and is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to broadening “the understanding, awareness, and appreciation of diversity among all members of the Hartwick community.” Women, minorities, and other underrepresented groups are especially encouraged to apply. 

Hartwick College is committed to providing a safe and secure educational and employment environment. Employment at Hartwick College is therefore contingent upon a successful background check on every new employee. Candidates to whom an offer of employment is made will be required to sign a Release of Information Form authorizing the College to conduct a thorough background check.

Hartwick College is committed to a diverse candidate pool, values an inclusive workforce and workplace environment, and wishes to minimize or eliminate the impact of implicit bias during the search and hiring process. 

All applicants are asked to submit the following materials with their online applications:

• A cover letter;
• A resume; and
• The names and contact information for three references, with annotation regarding how the reference is related to you and your work (at least one of your references must be from a current and/or previous supervisor).

Review of applications will continue until the position is filled.