Department: University Advancement
Appointment Type and Duration: Regular, Ongoing
Salary: $79,000 – $91,000 per year
Compensation Band: OS-OA08-Fiscal Year 2022-2023
FTE: 1.0
Application Review Begins
June 29, 2023; position open until filled
Special Instructions to Applicants
Please submit the following with your online application:
A cover letter in which you clearly describe how your knowledge, skills, and abilities prepare you for the job responsibilities and requirements outlined in the job announcement.
A resume of your educational and professional work experience.
Please Note: We may contact applicants who meet the minimum requirements in the job posting to request additional information for the next stage of review.
Department Summary
University Advancement (UA) supports the University of Oregon’s (UO) mission of providing exceptional teaching, discovery, and service by strategically positioning the university to create awareness, build long-term relationships, and secure resources that increase understanding and further its aims. The division consists of approximately 200 employees primarily working out of Eugene, with offices in Portland and Bend. We are committed to fostering equity and inclusion in a welcoming, safe, and respectful environment that recognizes the value of all members of our community.
The University of Oregon Alumni Association (UOAA) fosters lifelong relationships, deepens engagement, and advocates on behalf of the university and Duck alumni around the world. Launched in 1879, the UOAA is proud of its long history of keeping alumni connected to the university and to one another, offering a wide array of opportunities for service and engagement. With a membership of over 20,000, the UOAA serves as an important connection to the university for more than 260,000 alumni worldwide. Our vision is to be among the very best alumni relations programs in the world, uniting and engaging Ducks in all stages of flight.
Position Summary
The Director of Alumni Communications (director) is responsible for telling stories of powerful impact of engagement at the University of Oregon (UO) by creating and executing a comprehensive communications and marketing strategy to support the entire UOAA team.
The director reports to the Executive Director, UOAA and Associate Vice President, Alumni Relations (ED-AVP) with a secondary reporting line to the Senior Director, Advancement Communications (senior director), and leads a team of three.
The director is a key member of the UOAA Leadership Team and is responsible for creating and implementing communications strategies and outreach across a variety of channels and platforms (traditional and emerging) to a variety of alumni constituents. This position partners with colleagues within UA (e.g., development staff) and across campus to meet the overarching goals of expanding the university’s community of alumni, family, and friends; increasing levels of engagement and recognition of UO alumni; and increasing philanthropic support of UO’s priorities.
The director is also a member of the Advancement Communications team and will collaborate across the division to create content and work on marketing initiatives that will support UA’s mission.
The director is the primary liaison between the UOAA and University Communications (UC). In this role, the director is responsible for ensuring that the priorities, communications, and marketing strategy and objectives are shared with UC leadership while working to identify opportunities for coordination, collaboration, and amplification. The director will work with UC to ensure compliance with University of Oregon brand standards and consistent messaging on university initiatives.
This position works closely with staff who produce content that has the potential to serve alumni. Building strong working relationships, the director will help focus and amplify the effectiveness, consistency, and visibility of messaging to and of alumni of the University of Oregon.
This position can be located in Eugene or Portland and is eligible to work a hybrid schedule (approximately 3 days in person per week). If the position is located in Portland, travel to Eugene will be necessary for a few days each month.
Minimum Requirements
• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, journalism, public relations or related fields OR five years’ equivalent experience.
• Five years of experience in communications or a closely related field.
Professional Competencies
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to craft clear messages for broad audiences from a variety of academic source content.
• Ability to distill complex issues into clear and persuasive messages for these different constituents.
• Ability to think and act strategically, understanding the needs of different constituents, and the ability to think creatively to address those needs.
• Strong project and intake management skills, with the ability to take creative ideas from conception to execution.
• Demonstrated abilities in, and a strong commitment to, using data analytics as part of strategy formulation.
• Demonstrated ability to work with print, digital and social media strategies, tools, and platforms and knowledge of current and emerging best practices.
• Demonstrated ability to work with content experts such as faculty in representing their work and research in ways that will encourage different constituents to understand the impact of philanthropy in relation to this work.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate with colleagues from different departments and units to deliver successful projects.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment managing a variety of projects at once while simultaneously always searching for operational efficiencies.
• An entrepreneurial, problem-solver mindset.
• Ability to interact, communicate, and work effectively with individuals, recognizing and respecting the many and varied identities of each person.
• Commitment to promoting and enhancing diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Preferred Qualifications
• Experience in higher education alumni communications.
• Strong understanding of a research university.
• Advanced degree in marketing, communications, journalism, or public relations.
• Experience in annual giving, mass marketing, and/or membership programs.
• Supervisory experience.
FLSA Exempt: Yes
All offers of employment are contingent upon successful completion of a background inquiry.
The University of Oregon is proud to offer a robust benefits package to eligible employees, including health insurance, retirement plans and paid time off. For more information about benefits, visit http://hr.uoregon.edu/careers/about-benefits .
The University of Oregon is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution committed to cultural diversity and compliance with the ADA. The University encourages all qualified individuals to apply, and does not discriminate on the basis of any protected status, including veteran and disability status. The University is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. To request an accommodation in connection with the application process, please contact us at uocareers@uoregon.edu or 541-346-5112.
UO prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national or ethnic origin, age, religion, marital status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression in all programs, activities and employment practices as required by Title IX, other applicable laws, and policies. Retaliation is prohibited by UO policy. Questions may be referred to the Title IX Coordinator, Office of Civil Rights Compliance, or to the Office for Civil Rights. Contact information, related policies, and complaint procedures are listed on the statement of non-discrimination .
In compliance with federal law, the University of Oregon prepares an annual report on campus security and fire safety programs and services. The Annual Campus Security and Fire Safety Report is available online at https://clery.uoregon.edu/annual-campus-security-and-fire-safety-report .
Advertised: June 6, 2023 Pacific Daylight Time
Applications close: