Assistant Vice President, Alumni Engagement

Assistant Vice President, Alumni Engagement

USC University Advancement is seeking a strategic, collaborative, and mission-driven Assistant Vice President, Alumni Engagement to lead and evolve our alumni engagement efforts across the Trojan Family. This senior leader will oversee a comprehensive portfolio and team who creates meaningful opportunities for alumni to connect through volunteerism, service, personal and professional development, and signature events.

With a focus on regional, generational, and career engagement, as well as reunions and milestone programming, the AVP will provide vision and direction to a dynamic team of alumni engagement professionals. Reporting to the Senior Associate Vice President for Alumni Relations, this role will shape the university's strategy for deepening alumni relationships, fostering lifelong connections, and advancing philanthropic pathways.

This is a unique opportunity for a relationship-builder and strategic thinker to lead one of the most vibrant alumni communities in higher education, working to strengthen the legacy and impact of the Trojan Family around the world.

This is a hybrid-fixed position under our current work arrangement plan, with the expectation of an on-site presence for 3 days/week on the University Park Campus. Late nights, weekends, and travel are required for this position.

University Advancement is committed to non-discrimination and equal opportunity for all, where all advancement staff and our stakeholders have the opportunity to connect, belong, and grow while supporting the University of Southern California's mission, values, and goals.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Direction (70%)

  • Provide strategic direction for the teams within their portfolio to include generational programs, reunions, career and regional engagement, and events, that deepen engagement with each life stage of our alumni base and strive towards achieving uninterrupted engagement from student to alumni

  • Ensure each programmatic area of their portfolio has clearly outlined goals, operating plans, and measures of success that are tracked in a way that shows growth and depth of engagement.

  • Manage the budgets for each area of responsibility

  • Demonstrate mature judgement, impeccable integrity and excellent skills to establish an environment of confidentiality and handle sensitive matters in a discreet manner.

  • Represent the university and the alumni association professionally both internally and externally.

  • Perform other duties, as assigned.

• Leadership & Program Management (30%)

  • Create protocol and procedures that ensure the continuity of service delivery to our alumni across our team

  • Establish policies, standard operating procedures, goals, metrics and other key performance indicators to measure the ongoing effectiveness of the programs under their leadership.

  • In partnership with the leadership team, establish and maintain new and current alumni traditions

  • Create and lead an innovative outreach effort that accelerates growth in alumni volunteerism and engagement within their scope of responsibility.

  • Collaborates across all areas of the USCAA team to provide leadership and opportunities for shared growth in programs and engagement.

  • Ensures that volunteers and their respective leadership structures are representative of the breath of the Trojan Family, have strong succession planning, and are aligned with the strategic direction of the USC Alumni Association.

  • Develop and maintain relationships with key volunteer leadership, support the Board of Governors committees, and identify opportunities to grow the USCAA volunteer and engagement pipeline

  • Lead, mentor, and inspire new and existing staff members through a combination of transparency, effective communication, and modeling of collaborative behavior.

Minimum Qualifications

• Master's degree or combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education.

• Minimum of twelve years of professional experience in alumni engagement and program management, or related function/field with progressive management and leadership responsibilities.

• Excellent written and oral communication skills. Ability to prepare clear and concise reports and deliver formal presentations to senior management and other audiences.

• Possess a strong track record of working with teams to envision and execute strategic initiatives that will increase engagement and philanthropic support.

• Ability to juggle a vast quantity of incoming information, interruptions, and inquiries with a high level of professionalism and tolerance for ambiguity.

• Demonstrated ability to serve different audiences and to work to build consensus among team members; excellent skills to advise and consult management on all aspects of communications including dealing effectively with sensitive or complex issues of information.

• Proficiency with Salesforce and the Microsoft suite of applications as well as other applications, programs and databases; demonstrated experience with web and new media technology.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree

• Advanced knowledge of current affairs and issues in higher education with ability to quickly and thoroughly understand the changing higher education landscape

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills. Strong project/program management skills with demonstrated effectiveness in data analysis, critical thinking, creative problem solving, consulting, facilitation, negotiating, influencing, people leadership and strategic decision-making skills.

• Thorough knowledge of market research and of current/emerging marketing trends and best practices including digital strategies/technologies.

In addition, the successful candidate must also demonstrate, through ideas, words and actions, a strong commitment toUSC's Unifying Valuesof integrity, excellence, community, well-being, open communication, and accountability.

Required Documents

Resume and cover letter required (may be uploaded as one file). Please do not submit your application without these documents.

Compensation and Benefits

The budgeted salary range for this position is $210,015 - $250,000. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate's work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer alignment, federal, state, and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

To support faculty and staff well-being, USC provides benefits-eligible employees with a broad range of benefits and perks to help protect their and their dependents' health, wealth, and future. These benefits are available as part of the overall compensation and total rewards package. You can learn more about USC's comprehensive benefitshere.

Minimum Education: Master's degree
Additional Education Requirements: Combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education
Minimum Experience: 12 years
Minimum Skills: Excellent written and oral communication skills. Ability to prepare clear and concise reports and deliver formal presentations to senior management and other audiences. Strong track record of working with teams to envision and execute strategic initiatives that will increase engagement and philanthropic support. Ability to process a vast quantity of incoming information, interruptions and inquiries with a high level of professionalism and tolerance for ambiguity. Demonstrated ability to serve different audiences and to work to build consensus among team members. Excellent advisory and consultative skills. Experience advising senior management on all aspects of communications, including dealing effectively with sensitive or complex issues of information. Proficiency with Salesforce and the Microsoft suite of applications as well as other appropriate applications, programs and databases. Demonstrated experience with web and new media technology.
Preferred Education: Master's degree
Preferred Experience: 15 years