Director, International Alumni & Travel

About the Job

The Director of International Alumni and Travel serves a critical role on the Strategic Engagement Team, driving engagement through international networks and the Minnesota Alumni Travel program.

This position is a high-impact individual contributor role who functions through a broad, organizational lens rather than a localized one, overseeing a portfolio with institutional impact and visibility around the world.

This position reports to the Sr. Director of Alumni Networks at the Alumni Association.

Minnesota Alumni Travel Program (60%):

• Portfolio Strategy & Portfolio Curation:
  Continually audit the travel program against national best practices. Design and execute an innovative annual schedule of roughly 55-65 itineraries that drive market demand, grow participant volume, and meet robust annual revenue targets.
• Demographic Innovation:
  Expand travel models to cultivate lifelong learning across diverse generations, piloting tailored program options for young alumni, graduating seniors, and others.
• Institutional Leverage:
  Create unique University of Minnesota connections within global travel itineraries, integrating touchpoints with faculty researchers abroad, study-abroad student initiatives, or international alumni network receptions.
• Vendor & Contract Management:
  Vet international tour providers and destination management companies (DMCs). Negotiate contracts to protect organization interests, maintain high quality control, and ensure portfolio profitability.
• Marketing & Communication Strategy:
  Partner with the internal communications team to design and execute multi-channel marketing campaigns (print catalog, social media, web, email, and targeted advertising) to drive brochure requests and bookings.
• Host Excellence:
  Recruit, brief, and train university travel hosts to enhance traveler experiences and elevate the U of M brand globally.
• Traveler Support & Issue Resolution:
  Provide outstanding customer service in partnership with Alumni Experience Coordinator to current and potential travelers to enhance a positive relationship between alumni and the UMAA. Manage complex issues as they arise.
• Financial Oversight & Impact Assessment:
  Drive performance metrics to meet or exceed revenue-share targets while managing operating expenses within budget. Utilize continuous post-trip feedback models to refine future offerings.

Supervise and mentor two part-time student employees:
Inform and initiate job postings, hire, train, monitor job performance, lead by providing support and guidance, set standards for professionalism and excellence in relation to administrative support for alumni travel programs.

International Alumni Engagement (35%):

• International Engagement Strategy:
  Partner with the Senior Director of Alumni Networks, GPS Alliance, and collegiate units to design and execute long- and short-term engagement strategies that increase the breadth, depth, and connectivity of our alumni population outside the United States.
• Network Cultivation & Longevity:
  Build, grow, and scale a global framework of international alumni networks. Recruit, orient, and develop international volunteer leaders, managing seamless leadership transitions to ensure network sustainability.
• Alumni Activation:
  Recruit and empower alumni and student volunteers to lead and deliver localized global programming, mentoring opportunities, and cross-cultural initiatives.
• Advisory Boards & Stakeholder Relations:
  Establish and cultivate relationships with advisory boards, international societies, and global stakeholders to retain alumni leaders in key volunteer capacities.
• Data Integrity & Lifecycle Tracking:
  Collaborate with UMF and campus groups to actively seek, improve, and maintain data collection methods for international contact information, addresses, and global employment trends.
• Programmatic Leverage:
  Guide and support international network leaders in the creation and implementation of programming and events with a special emphasis on leveraging UMAA programming and events.
• Impact Assessment:
  Continuously audit and evaluate network programming, implementing data-driven enhancements or introducing new networks based on alumni interest and organizational capacity.

General Alumni Engagement Activities (5%):

• Manage budget related to areas of responsibility.
• Represent the UMAA to alumni and campus partners as needed.
• Attend and support major UMAA events and look for ways to incorporate travel and international alumni into those programs as appropriate.
• Complete other department duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• BA/BS degree plus at least six years of relevant experience.
• At least five years of experience developing and managing relationships with people from diverse backgrounds and identities.
• Willingness and ability to travel internationally.
• Experience with and commitment to working with individuals from a variety of backgrounds, interests, and cultures.
• Proven ability to develop timelines, implement innovative…