Senior Director/Executive Director, Alumni Relations (6301U), Haas School of Business - #79033

At the University of California, Berkeley, we are dedicated to fostering a community where everyone feels welcome and can thrive. Our culture of openness, freedom and belonging make it a special place for students, faculty and staff.

As a world-leading institution, Berkeley is known for its academic and research excellence, public mission, diverse student body, and commitment to equity and social justice. Since our founding in 1868, we have driven innovation, creating global intellectual, economic and social value.

We are looking for applicants who reflect California's diversity and want to be part of an inclusive, equity-focused community that views education as a matter of social justice. Please consider whether your values align with our Guiding Values and Principles, Principles of Community, and Strategic Plan.

At UC Berkeley, we believe that learning is a fundamental part of working, and provide space for supportive colleague communities via numerous employee resource groups (staff organizations). Our goal is for everyone on the Berkeley campus to feel supported and equipped to realize their full potential. We actively support this by providing all of our full-time staff employees with at least 80 hours (10 days) of paid time per year to engage in professional development activities. Find out more about how you can grow your career at UC Berkeley.

Departmental Overview

UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business offers a unique opportunity to champion new ideas, collaborate across boundaries, and continually learn in a workplace committed to creating a welcoming environment for all. Our distinctive culture is captured within our four Defining Leadership Principles: Question the Status Quo, Confidence Without Attitude, Students Always, and Beyond Yourself. These principles distinguish Berkeley Haas as a unique environment, conducive to teamwork, collaboration, and career growth.

For more information about the Haas School of Business visit: https://haas.berkeley.edu/about/

The Development and Alumni Relations (DAR) team at Berkeley Haas engages and cultivates alumni, parents, friends, corporations and foundations to advance the vision and mission of the school, inviting these key constituencies to provide volunteer leadership and make philanthropic investments in support of the school's students, faculty, and programs. The Development team cultivates prospective donors, both nationally and internationally, to inspire gifts in support of Berkeley Haas and provides staff support for high-level volunteer groups, such as the Berkeley Haas Advisory Board. With over 45,000 living alumni, the Alumni Relations team develops and builds greater awareness for career services, lifelong learning, and networking resources to support the engagement, learning, and connectedness of Berkeley Haas alumni.

The Haas School of Business embraces flexible working arrangements for its employees. Exact arrangements are determined in partnership with your supervisor to meet role responsibilities and department needs, and are subject to change.

Position Summary

We are seeking a dynamic and experienced leader to join our team in a role that will be designated as either Senior Director or Executive Director, based on the selected candidate's qualifications and experience.

Application Review Date

The First Review Date for this job is: 07/04/2025.

Responsibilities

The Senior Director/Executive Director, Alumni Relations at the Haas School of Business plays a critical role in advancing the school's mission by fostering a deeply engaged and supportive alumni network. Reporting into the Vice Dean for Development and Alumni Relations (DAR), this role is a key member of the Senior Leadership Team within DAR and sets the strategic vision for alumni engagement, ensuring that Haas' 45,000+ alumni worldwide remain meaningfully connected to the school and each other. The role collaborates closely with partners across the school-including Marketing & Communications, Degree Program Offices, Career Management Group, Faculty, etc.-to create opportunities that strengthen alumni ties, enhance lifelong learning, and deepen connections between students, alumni, and the broader Haas community. The role has two direct reports and leads an overall team of seven alumni relations professionals overseeing broad alumni engagement, volunteer management and development, benefit delivery, student-alumni relations, and special initiatives. Through this leadership, the role strengthens Haas' vibrant alumni network, enhancing the school's reputation, community, and philanthropic support.

Alumni Engagement Strategy

• Directs and oversees comprehensive engagement strategies for Haas' alumni network, encouraging connections by degree program, industry, region, life stage, and affinity groups.
• Develops and implements innovative alumni engagement initiatives, from digital platforms and benefit fulfillment to in-person events and virtual programming.
• Ensures engagement efforts align with DAR and Haas' broader mission and values, fostering a lifelong connection between alumni and the Haas School, and deepening the culture of philanthropy.
• Contributes to alumni magazine strategic focus, including alumni engagement stories, alumni profiles, and alumni network strength highlights.
• Contributes to the development of cross-department long-term strategies that support the School's priorities and enhance alumni engagement on a global scale.
• Leverages a data-driven approach to inform strategic decisions, collaborating closely with cross-functional partners-particularly the Information Strategy and Analytics (ISA) team-to identify trends, evaluate performance, and drive impactful business outcomes.

Partnership Development

• Builds and maintains strong partnerships across the School and the University, including with Marketing & Communications, Career Management, Executive Education, Admissions, Degree Programs, DEIJB, Centers & Institutes, etc. to appropriately represent and integrate alumni into the overall strategic goals of the school.
• Maintains relationships with key faculty for the purpose of involving alumni in the educational mission of the University, and delivering lifelong learning programming.
• Liaises with alumni engagement colleagues within schools and colleges across the University as well as the central alumni relations team within University Development and Alumni Relations (UDAR) to share best practices, and inform and align on University wide programs and services.

Team Management and Leadership

• Serves as a member of the Senior Leadership Team within Development and Alumni Relations (DAR), collaborating to develop and implement strategic initiatives that strengthen the ecosystem between network engagement and philanthropy.

Manages two direct reports with indirect supervision over an overall team of seven alumni relations professionals responsible for:

• Alumni Communications
• Alumni Programming & Engagement
• Volunteer Management & Development
• Alumni Benefit Delivery
• Student-Alumni Relations

External Relations and Development

• Build and strengthen relationships with alumni locally, nationally, and globally.
• Engage key alumni volunteers and champions to enhance fundraising efforts.
• Identify, cultivate, and refer alumni prospects for annual and major giving.
• Represent Berkeley Haas at key school events, industry and community gatherings, and networking functions, to expand the school's visibility and philanthropic and alumni network.
• Partner strategically with the Development team on principal and major gift strategies for key alumni.

Other duties as assigned.

Professional Learning and Growth

• Actively contributes to a team environment that fosters and promotes a culture of belonging for all, within the unit and at Haas. Exemplifies Haas' four Defining Leadership Principles: (1) Question the status quo; (2) Confidence without attitude; (3) Students always; and (4) Beyond yourself.
• Completes required training on time and engages in opportunities for learning pertinent to the position or at the suggestion of the supervisor.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of 7 years of experience in alumni relations or a related field (Higher Education Administration, Events Management, Program Development) with a demonstrated record of strong leadership and innovative programming.
• Over 12 years' experience, with majority of experience in direct higher education alumni relations or fundraising for Executive Director title consideration.
• Knowledge of fundraising/philanthropy and donor relations concepts, principles, and practices.
• Demonstrated application of knowledge through direct experience soliciting individual gifts within a higher education context for Executive Director title consideration.
• Proven skill as a relationship builder and collaborator with success in managing and organizing others, particularly volunteers.
• Excellent strategic planning, critical thinking, analytical, problem-solving, persuasion/negotiation and marketing skills.
• Proven skill in interpreting and leveraging data trends to influence strategic business initiatives and drive measurable outcomes.
• Demonstrated direct experience developing significant cross-school initiatives involving multiple departments outside of Alumni Relations for Executive Director title consideration.
• Excellent knowledge of leadership/management concepts, procedures, techniques and best practices.
• Strong interpersonal skills and proven ability to work across a complex organization, and to provide leadership and coaching to staff members.
• Demonstrated 10+ years of direct experience leading complex, high-performing, multi-layered teams for Executive Director title consideration.
• Excellent leadership/management skills to select, train, mentor, and evaluate staff.
• Ability to set clear expectations and goals for a team and provide feedback that improves performance and motivates a team.
• Critically strong written, oral and interpersonal communications skills, including strong political acumen in order to build and maintain effective working relationships within all organizational levels and with outside constituencies.
• Skill in exercising a high degree of initiative, judgment, discretion, and decision-making to achieve organizational objectives and the ability to work independently and collaboratively in a goal-oriented team environment.
• Excellent skills to advise and consult management on all aspects of alumni communications, including dealing effectively with sensitive or complex issues or information.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, demonstrating a desire to establish and maintain positive & professional working relationships with colleagues, students and team members.
• Exemplifies Haas' four Defining Leadership Principles: (1) Question the status quo; (2) Confidence without attitude; (3) Students always; and (4) Beyond yourself.

Education/Training:

• Bachelor's degree in related area and/or equivalent experience/training.

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge of or can quickly learn about UC Berkeley's and the Haas School's vision, mission, goals, objectives, achievements and infrastructure.

Salary & Benefits

For information on the comprehensive benefits package offered by the University, please visit the University of California's Compensation & Benefits website.

Under California law, the University of California, Berkeley is required to provide a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role and should not offer a salary outside of the range posted in this job announcement. This range takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, analysis of internal equity, and other business and organizational needs. It is not typical for an individual to be offered a salary at or near the top of the range for a position. Salary offers are determined based on final candidate qualifications and experience.

The budgeted annual salary range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position is $150,000.00 - $175,000.00, up to $184,000.00 with maximum experience and qualifications.

• This is a full-time (40 hours/week), career position that is eligible for UC Benefits.
• This is an exempt monthly-paid position.

How to Apply

• To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter.

Other Information

• This is not a visa opportunity.

Conviction History Background

This is a designated position requiring fingerprinting and a background check due to the nature of the job responsibilities. Berkeley does hire people with conviction histories and reviews information received in the context of the job responsibilities. The University reserves the right to make employment contingent upon successful completion of the background check.

Misconduct

SB 791 and AB 810 Misconduct Disclosure Requirement: As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts a conditional offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; received notice of any allegations or are currently the subject of any administrative or disciplinary proceedings involving misconduct; have left a position after receiving notice of allegations or while under investigation in an administrative or disciplinary proceeding involving misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of misconduct with a previous employer.

"Misconduct" means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer. For reference, below are UC's policies addressing some forms of misconduct:

UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy

UC Anti-Discrimination Policy

Abusive Conduct in the Workplace

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law.