Assistant Director, Careers and Mentorship

Department: Alumni Relations & Development
Salary/Grade: EXS/6

Please note:

The target budgeted salary for this position is $60,000 to $64,000 annually. Offered salary will be determined by the applicant's education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.

Location: Evanston, Illinois

Job Summary

The Assistant Director is responsible for collaborating across departments to advance alumni engagement and relationship management efforts for Northwestern University, with a particular focus on career and industry-based engagement. Reporting to the Director, Alumni Engagement on the Career and Mentorship team within the Northwestern Alumni Association (NAA), this role supports the planning, execution, and growth of strategic engagement initiatives designed to meaningfully connect alumni, cultivate volunteers, and strengthen pathways to philanthropy.

This position serves as a functional expert in the coordination and management of career and professional development programs, including virtual and in-person events. As the operational lead, the role includes researching topics, outreach to speakers, developing program content, and producing marketing in collaboration with alumni and team partners. The Assistant Director will partner on the strategy, development, and growth of the Northwestern Alumni Industry Networks, managing associated volunteer committees and supporting virtual and in-person event planning for the groups.

The Assistant Director will support the following:

• Northwestern Alumni Industry Networks
  • Assist in the strategy, development, and growth of this new initiative with the team's Associate Director
  • Manage volunteer committees
  • Support Linked In groups and other online community spaces
  • Help plan industry-focused events in collaboration with the alumni volunteers
• Virtual and in-person career programming
  • Support the development of the annual calendar of speakers and themes
  • Assist the Associate Director in the research and recruitment of speakers
  • Responsible for promotion and marketing of career events
  • Coordinate event logistics including venues, catering, etc.
  • Pre- and post-production for podcasts/webinars
  • Lead event follow-up duties (upload recordings, transcriptions, code data in CRM, and program analytics)
  • Partner with stakeholders to build and sustain successful virtual content, including periodic check-ins with communications, engagement, and editorial teams for assessment

Please note:

This role is eligible for a hybrid work arrangement, up to two days remote and three onsite.

• Develops, implements, and periodically refines strategic plans for alumni engagement initiatives with a focus on professional development and industry-based engagement
• Co-leads the long-term strategy, growth, and sustainability of the Northwestern Alumni Industry Networks, aligning programming with NAA goals and institutional priorities.
• Uses data, feedback, and analytics to inform continuous improvement and strategic decision-making.

• Involves moderate level of collaboration with internal department partners and low level of collaboration with University partners in implementing and expanding existing relationships to accomplish strategic goals.
• Key partnerships include, but are not limited to:
• Northwestern Alumni Association (strategy, content development, analytics)
• Marketing and communications team (promotion, messaging, branding)
• Major gift officers, directors of development, and professional school colleagues
• Alumni volunteers and industry leaders serving on committees or as program hosts
• Faculty and cross-campus staff contributors to career and industry programming

• Partners with development colleagues to align engagement initiatives with stewardship and fundraising strategies, strengthening donor readiness through meaningful involvement.
• Accurately records alumni interactions, participation, and outcomes in CRM systems to support prospect strategy and institutional reporting.

• Recruits, manages, and supports alumni volunteers serving on Industry Network and affinity-based committees.
• Maintains volunteer rosters, reports, and communications to ensure consistency and sustained engagement.
• Travels, as needed, to support in-person events, planning meetings, or leadership gatherings.

• Supports the planning, execution, and evaluation of virtual and in-person alumni engagement programs, including webinars, podcasts, and industry-focused events.
• Coordinates in-person and virtual events, including topic development, speaker coordination, and production planning.
• Develops and manages event timelines, production plans, and run-of-show documents to ensure high-quality execution.
• Oversees event promotion and marketing in collaboration with marketing and communications team.
• Conducts post-event follow-up, including uploading recordings, managing transcriptions, coding data in CRM, and analyzing engagement metrics.
• Assess…