Senior Alumni Relations Officer

The Wits Business School (WBS) is an internationally recognised business school in Africa. It has over 40 years of experience in business education and has over decades ’ spearheaded innovation, teaching and research excellence in South Africa.

The School invites talented, qualified and self-driven individuals to apply for this vacant position in the Marketing department.

In accordance with our Employment Equity goals and plan, preference will be given to suitable applicants from designated groups, as defined in the Employment Equity Act, 55 of 1998 and subsequent amendments thereto.

Brief Description

The main purpose of this position is to plan and implement an alumni outreach strategy and take responsibility for programs and projects that strategically connect and engage alumni to WBS by providing tangible benefits to alumni and current students.

Serving as an ambassador, the Senior Alumni Relations Officer is charged with connecting WBS alumni to the institution. Additionally, the Senior Alumni Relations Officer will work with current students building alumni program interest with them. Also, they will work with alumni to take advantage of the many alumni opportunities offered by WBS. They will collaborate with colleagues in Marketing, Admissions, Advancement, Communications and Student Affairs to create and maintain pathways for alumni participation that advance the goals of the WBS. They will also partner with Development and Fundraising colleagues to identify, cultivate, solicit and steward alumni giving; and serve as the liaison between the WBS Alumni Association and the academic and administrative leadership.

Detailed Description

Key responsibilities

– Plan, implement and promote alumni programs that support WBS’s strategic plan as well as creating campaigns in collaboration with colleagues within the Advancement office, marketing, the director of Executive Education and Academic Programs to create a closer, trusted relationship between alumni and WBS;

– Ensure accurate and complete alumni database records; capture contact, biographical and career information of alumni via forensic surveys, projects (e.g. alumni directory), correspondence, website, postal returns, etc;

– Establish and build relationships with a wide range of alumni, locally, regionally, nationally and internationally; maintain regular communication with alumni via social media, alumni web pages, print publications and other communication channels;

– Work closely with the WBS Alumni Association in arranging its meetings, staffing its committees and ensuring strong and productive relationships between its members and the academic and administrative leadership; serve as ex officio member of the WBS Alumni Association;

– Partner with the Admissions Office to spearhead the introduction of alumni involvement in the admissions process; partner with Student Services to plan the growth and accessibility of career networking services for students and alumni;

– Collaborate closely with development colleagues in increasing support from alumni; routinely identify and qualify alumni prospects for fundraising; communicate development-related activities via written contact reports filed in a monthly newsletter, WBS Journal and periodic attendance at prospect management meetings.

Job Requirements

Minimum academic requirements and experience

– Bachelor’s degree;

– A minimum of five years of solid experience in the alumni relations and external affairs with demonstrated accomplishment in fostering productive relationships with volunteers ;

– Experience and/or interest in contemporary business concepts across all disciplines;

– Extensive experience with building, maintaining and maximizing constituent database

Knowledge, Skills and Attitude

– Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, together with the ability to work collaboratively and courteously with colleagues throughout WBS, alumni, other constituents and the public;

– Demonstrated ability to strategize, implement and build constituency programs and activities, along with a talent for motivating volunteers;

– Demonstrably strong writing, planning and organizational skills

– Flexibility and initiative, as well as the ability to work independently, combined with the skills for thriving in a team environment to achieve institutional goals;

– Highly professional, excellent character, poised, sense of humour with high ethical standards for handling confidential information;

– Ability to organize and complete multiple tasks simultaneously with close attention to detail and prioritization to meet deadlines;

– Ability to travel and work evenings and weekends as needed;

– Basic fund raising skills.

Additional Details

Knowledge of the university systems and policies.