Executive Director - Alumni Outreach and Engagement

Job Requisition:

JR102188 Executive Director, Alumni Outreach and Engagement (Open)

Job Posting Title:

Executive Director, Alumni Outreach and Engagement

Department:

CC00308 WM001 | WMUA | Alumni Success

Job Family:

Staff - Alumni Affairs

Worker Sub-Type:

Regular (benefited)

Job Requisition Primary Location:

Alumni House

Primary Job Posting Location:

Posting Location - William & Mary

Job Description Summary:

Mission Statement
University Advancement creates the conditions for opportunity – human, financial, and experiential – by stewarding the resources that advance William & Mary (W&M).

Alumni Engagement ensures that all W&M alumni are engaged, connected, represented, welcomed, and encouraged to be active with, informed about, and supportive of William & Mary.

Job Description:

Special Instructions

Lindauer, a global search and talent firm, has been retained to conduct this search on behalf of William & Mary. Interested candidates should submit their materials directly to Lindauer at this link: https://www.lindauerglobal.com/searches/open-searches/executive-director-alumni-outreach-engagement-william-mary/

For full consideration, please submit a cover letter as well as a resume with your application.

Position Summary

The Executive Director for Alumni Outreach & Engagement is the senior leader responsible for developing and executing W&M’s comprehensive alumni engagement strategy. The Executive Director is accountable for the design, integration, and performance of the comprehensive alumni engagement portfolio, including decisions related to program prioritization, resource allocation, and long-term sustainability. This role reflects a maximized scope of responsibility and complexity, including oversight of multiple functional areas and increased accountability for enterprise alignment and fiscal management.

Serving as the institution’s chief alumni program architect, the Executive Director will integrate the Alumni Success and Alumni Inclusive Excellence programs to lead all regional, affinity, identity, and generational engagement efforts and create a seamless, relationship-centered experience for alumni. The Executive Director will also be responsible for innovating and implementing new engagement strategies. This role ensures the staff structure provides one high-quality engagement experience that acknowledges each constituent’s university experience, identity, location, and interests. The Executive Director will play a critical role in William & Mary’s next campaign, acting as a strategic thought partner for university and Advancement leadership, driving progress toward campaign goals, and articulating program impacts.

The Executive Director brings a strong orientation toward financial stewardship, operational discipline, and change leadership. This role aligns programs and resources to institutional priorities, using data and insights to continuously refine strategy and guide decision-making. The Executive Director must demonstrate a track record of innovating and restructuring programs based on available resources, new data, and evolving enterprise-wide goals.

The Executive Director must bring demonstrated success building trust-based relationships with diverse and identity-based alumni communities, translating those relationships into inclusive, meaningful, and high-impact engagement strategies. This position regularly interacts with the William & Mary Alumni Association Board of Directors, working with Directors to develop strategies and providing ongoing visibility into programs and initiatives.

This position reports to the Associate Vice President for Alumni Engagement/ WMAA Chief Executive Officer and collaborates extensively with Strategic Events, University Development, Marketing & Alumni Communications, Student Affairs, Career Development & Professional Engagement, schools and units, and other campus partners. The role manages a multi-functional staff team and oversees the strategic deployment of university and Alumni Association resources.

The Executive Director will help foster a culture of belonging that embraces all people and perspectives. This position is based in Williamsburg, VA with a flexible work arrangement.

Learn more about University Advancement and view the full position description for this job on the University Advancement recruitment website: Open Positions | University Advancement - William & Mary

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education, experience, and training.
• Significant experience (7+ years) in alumni engagement, non-profit leadership, volunteer management, higher education advancement, community-building, or related fields.
• Proven ability to lead – in close collaboration with staff and Board leadership – and implement change within complex organizations, including experience guiding teams through evolving priorities or structural shifts.
• Significant experience using data and insights to redesign or refine programs, improve outcomes, and align work with organizational goals.
• Experience building authentic relationships with diverse, identity-based communities, with a strong commitment to the principles of inclusion and belonging.
• Demonstrated experience managing budgets and financial resources, with a strong commitment to fiscal responsibility and strategic stewardship.
• Demonstrate experience managing staff, with a strong commitment to professional development and exceptional constituent experiences.
• Exceptional relationship-building and executive skills, including active listening, communication, trust-centered leadership, and emotional intelligence.
• Strong project management and organizational abilities; ability to balance multiple priorities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with demonstrated customer service orientation.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in a related field.
• Experience leading program or organizational transformation efforts, including restructuring initiatives or portfolio optimization.
• Experience in a highly networked or volunteer-centric environment (alumni relations, associations, non-profits, higher ed).
• Familiarity with emerging alumni engagement trends such as lifelong learning ecosystems, digital community-building, and ambassador programs.
• Strong knowledge of W&M’s mission, culture, traditions, and alumni demographics.
• Experience using CRM systems, online event tools, and digital engagement platforms.
• Experience resolving on-site program, event, or staffing challenges.

Conditions of Employment:

• This position requires working outside of normal business hours, including evenings, weekends, and holidays.

Job Duties:

35% - Strategic Alumni Engagement Leadership:

• Build and execute a unified, relationship-centric alumni engagement strategy that integrates regional, identity, affinity, class, generational, and digital engagement pathways via live, virtual, and innovative strategies.
• Create a modern, scalable framework for “deep and wide” alumni connection, expanding the number of engaged alumni while deepening relationships with those who are most connected to W&M.
• Lead the strategic evolution of identity-based and affinity communities, ensuring programs foster belonging and reflect diverse alumni perspectives.
• Make leadership level decisions regarding program prioritization, investment, and resource trade-offs to ensure alignment with institutional goals and long-term sustainability.
• Strengthen the Full Engagement strategy by designing and embedding intentional, documented pathways to advance alumni engagement, measuring ROI, implementing population segmentation, and conducting actionable analytics.
• Lead continuous evaluation and refinement of programs based on performance data, emerging trends, and university priorities.
• Drive a culture of continuous improvement, encouraging experimentation, learning, and adaptation across the Alumni Engagement team.

20% - Program Innovation, Experience Design & Emerging Models:

• Develop scalable, alumni-driven program models that are responsive to resource constraints, informed by data, and aligned with enterprise priorities.
• Evaluate, restructure, and optimize the alumni engagement portfolio, including making decisions to scale, redesign, or sunset programs based on impact, resource availability, and alignment with institutional priorities.
• Create next-generation alumni experiences that emphasize belonging, authenticity, purpose-driven programming, and two-way communication with university leaders.
• Expand the ambassador ecosystem—recruiting and empowering alumni leaders to support engagement and mission-focused storytelling.
• Expand the portfolio of programs that integrates career, mentorship, professional engagement, student–alumni interaction, and cross-generational connections.
• Leverage digital platforms and emerging technologies to expand reach and accessibility.

15% - Program Architecture & Content Strategy:

• Define and steward the overall alumni outreach and engagement framework to ensure consistency and quality across all engagement efforts.
• Establish standards for inclusive, belonging-centered programming that reflect diverse identities and experiences.
• Evaluate existing programs and reallocate resources as needed to ensure a high-impact, sustainable portfolio of engagement offerings.
• Develop content strategies and engagement principles that shape how alumni connect with one another and with W&M.
• Coordinate with Strategic Events, Development, and Communications to ensure that engagement priorities are integrated into shared initiatives.
• Ensure all engagement experiences align with the Full Engagement strategy.

15% - Strategic Partnerships & Enterprise Alignment:

• Collaborate with the Alumni Engagement team, Advancement and campus partners to ensure alumni engagement programs align with institutional goals, priorities, and community values.
• Build and sustain strong partnerships with Finance to align engagement strategy with financial planning, support effective resource allocation, and ensure responsible stewardship and transparency across all programs.
• Provide strategic insight on alumni needs, identity-based engagement, and community-building approaches.
• Ensure alignment between engagement strategy and institutional resource allocation, advocating for investments that drive measurable impact.
• Support enterprise-wide change initiatives by aligning alumni engagement programs with evolving institutional priorities and structures.
• Contribute expertise on alumni needs and engagement trends to colleagues across the institution, promoting alignment, clarity, and consistency.

10% - Staff Leadership & Organizational Development:

• Integrate the Alumni Success and Alumni Inclusive Excellence teams, establishing expanded shared goals, processes, and expectations.
• Lead the team through change with clarity and transparency, helping staff navigate evolving priorities, structures, and expectations.
• Foster a culture that embraces innovation, accountability, and adaptability, ensuring the team is equipped to respond to new data, opportunities, and constraints.
• Model and reinforce “executive skills” (active listening, emotional intelligence, accountability, relationship leadership) as core competencies for the team.
• Serve as a strategic thought partner and advisor to the WMAA Board of Directors by regularly reporting on alumni engagement strategy, performance, and outcomes, and collaborating with the Engagement Strategy Committee to develop engagement strategies, identify priority audiences, and align initiatives with institutional goals.
• Ensure staff have the necessary tools, data, training, and cross-functional alignment to execute programs effectively.
• Support team’s professional development in areas that directly impact their job performance and their career ambitions.

5% - Data, Measurement, Reporting & Budget Strategy:

• Oversee the creation and regular assessment of annual engagement goals, KPIs, dashboards, and scorecards that track participation, belonging, connection depth, and volunteer impact.
• Use data insights to tailor programming, segment audiences, and drive hyper-personalized engagement strategies.
• Oversee and manage the team’s operating budget and Alumni Association funds with a high degree of accountability, transparency, and strategic intent.
• Align financial resources with program priorities, ensuring efficient allocation and responsible stewardship of institutional funds.
• Use financial and programmatic data to inform decision-making, optimize resource deployment, and demonstrate return on investment.

Equal Opportunity Statement 

EEO is the Law. Applicants can learn more about William & Mary’s status as an equal opportunity employer by viewing the "Know Your Rights" poster published by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. https://www.eeoc.gov/know-your-rights-workplace-discrimination-illegal

Background Check Statement

William & Mary is committed to providing a safe campus community. W&M conducts background investigations for applicants being considered for employment. Background investigations include reference checks, a criminal history record check, and when appropriate, a financial (credit) report or driving history check.

Benefits Summary Statement

William & Mary offers our employees a full array of benefits including retirement, health insurance with options for expanded dental and vision along with group and optional life insurance with coverage for spouse and children, flexible spending accounts, and an EAP (Employee Assistance Program). Our employees enjoy additional university benefits such as educational assistance, professional development, wellness benefits, and a robust holiday schedule. All employees have access to fitness facilities on campus. Staff members also have access to the university libraries, and much more. To learn more, go to:  https://www.wm.edu/offices/uhr/benefits/index.php?type=none

Additional Job Description:

Job Profile:

JP0718 - Chief Alumni Relations Administrator - Exempt - Salary - S18

Qualifications:

Compensation Grade:

S18

Recruiting Start Date:

2026-10-30

Position Restrictions:

Continuing E&G funded position and not term-limited

EEO is the Law. Applicants can learn more about William & Mary’s status as an equal opportunity employer by viewing the "Know Your Rights" poster published by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. https://www.eeoc.gov/know-your-rights-workplace-discrimination-illegal

Background Check: William & Mary is committed to providing a safe campus community. W&M conducts background investigations for applicants being considered for employment. Background investigations include reference checks, a criminal history record check, and when appropriate, a financial (credit) report or driving history check.

Applicant Notice: By applying for this position, you consent to William & Mary's use, review, and retention of your application materials for recruitment and employment purposes. Materials may be shared with authorized individuals participating in the hiring process and will be managed in accordance with applicable laws and university policies.

Probationary Period Notice: Individuals selected for full-time staff positions will be required to complete a twelve (12) month probationary period in accordance with university policy.

Remote Work Disclaimer: Remote work eligibility is not guaranteed and is subject to approval. Employee eligibility depends on the likelihood of the employee succeeding in a remote work arrangement and the supervisor’s ability to manage remote workers. Departments and/or Human Resources may amend, alter, change, delete, or modify eligibility.