Assistant Director, Student​/Young Alumni Engagement; HR Alumni Relations Officer II

Salary Range

Salary commensurate with experience and qualifications

This role is an on-campus, in-person position.

• Strategic Program Leadership & Pipeline Development:
  Develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to increase philanthropy from student, young alumni (0–10 years), and next-generation alumni (11–20 years). Design, execute and optimize a series of annual programs and events that intentionally move constituents along the donor engagement continuum. Establish and monitor annual goals for participation (donor) and dollar growth, and pipeline development in collaboration with AGAR leadership. Use benchmarking, analytics, and industry best practices to continuously refine program effectiveness and ROI.

  Portfolio Management & Front-line Fundraising:
  Manage a portfolio of approximately 50–75 leadership-level prospects drawn primarily from young alumni and next-generation cohorts. Develop and execute tailored cultivation and solicitation strategies in partnership with fundraising colleagues. Identify and qualify new prospects through engagement activities, volunteer networks, and events.

  Manage Young Alumni Board (YAB):
  Recruit, train & manage the YAB as a high-performing volunteer body focused on engagement, advocacy & annual giving. Design & execute board meetings, strategic plans & annual expectations aligned with DEA priorities. Coach YAB members to serve as ambassadors, peer solicitors & connectors to emerging leadership donors. Align with broader alumni volunteer structures.

  Student Philanthropy Council Leadership (Union):
  Provide strategic oversight and day-to-day management of the Union, building a strong culture of philanthropy among undergraduate students. Lead recruitment, training and goal-setting for student leaders; facilitate regular meetings and programming. Design and implement campaigns to meet and increase student giving and awareness. Create pathways for student leaders to transition into engaged young alumni volunteers and donors. Partner with campus stakeholders (Student Affairs, Athletics, Admissions, etc.)
  
  to integrate philanthropy into the student experience.

  Engagement Programming & Campaign Activation:
  Lead the strategy, planning, and execution of signature student and young alumni programs, including SMU Giving Day, the Official SMU Ring Program, Senior and Young Alumni Toast, and Celebration of Lights. Develop opportunities focused on networking, traditions, career development, and philanthropy education while using innovative digital and in-person engagement strategies to increase participation and strengthen connections to SMU.

  Communications, Marketing & Digital Engagement:
  Collaborate with campus marketing and AGAR teams to deliver targeted, multi-channel communications that resonate with younger audiences. Leverage social media, digital platforms, and peer‑to‑peer outreach to amplify engagement and giving, creating copy and assets if required. Provide strategic input on messaging, segmentation and campaign execution for student and young alumni audiences.

• Collaboration, Data & Operations:
  Partner across Advancement to align engagement efforts with broader fundraising priorities and donor strategies. Track, analyze and report on key metrics including participation rates, donor retention & pipeline progression. Manage program budgets, timelines and logistics to ensure effective execution of all initiatives. Regularly update university leadership and AGAR colleagues on efforts, making recommendations to support development and engagement goals.

• Support additional Advancement initiatives and special projects as assigned. The position requires regular evening or weekend work.

Education and Experience: Bachelor’s degree is required. Master’s preferred. Degree in Higher Education, communications, fundraising, program management, highly preferred.

Experience Requirements: A minimum of two years of professional work experience in one or more of the following is required: higher education, direct marketing, fundraising, alumni relations, volunteer management or program management.

Professional work experience that…