Associate Director, Alumni Career Development & Engagement

The University of Denver (DU) a private university is the oldest independent university in the Rocky Mountain region with approximately 12900 students in undergraduate and graduate programs. DU is classified as an R1: Doctoral University.

At the University of Denver were doing higher education our way: authentic to the Rocky Mountain Wests confident optimism and pragmatic independence. It sets us apart. Were preparing young people to be the solutions in their own stories empowering them to face uncertainty with confidence and uncommon sense.

Were fiercely ambitious and forward-thinking surpassing all expectations to redefine success and how to achieve it. And were true to our mission as a top-tier private institution dedicated to making the world a better place contributing to our communities and making positive change in the world.

About DU Advancement

The Denver Difference campaign is our most ambitious campaign yet. It marks a dramatic shift in conventional thinking about what the university experience can and should be. DU is setting the bar with our approach to higher education developing and preparing students to be successful in life in every way. The University of Denver is building an advancement enterprise that mirrors the excellence and innovation of our great institution. Inclusive of alumni relations development and student and alumni career services DU Advancement is building and fostering a culture of deep engagement and philanthropy in support of our bold vision.

The University of Denver and DU Advancement deeply value inclusive excellence recognizing that its success depends on how well it values engages and includes the rich diversity of constituents. As a part of that effort we are continuing to grow a team of inclusive collaborative inquisitive innovative ethical and transparent advancement professionals who possess deep mutual respect for one another and for our shared profession.

About Career & Professional Development
Career & Professional Development empowers students and alumni to explore prepare for and pursue meaningful careers through personalized guidance experiential learning and employer engagement. Its purpose is to bridge academic experiences with professional opportunities fostering lifelong career success and industry connections.

Alumni Career Development serves the evolving career needs of all degreed alumni of the University of Denver through a strategic scalable approach that prioritizes impact and engagement. With a focus on high-leverage activities Alumni Career Development empowers alumni at every stage of their professional journey especially recent graduates and mid-career professionalsthrough a dynamic mix of digital resources targeted coaching and community-building initiatives.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Executive Director of Employer & Alumni Career Engagement the Associate Director serves as a strategic leader in shaping and executing the University of Denvers vision for lifelong alumni career success aligning programming with institutional priorities and workforce trends. This position is responsible for designing and delivering high-impact scalable programs that promote the career success of DUs degreed alumni across all career stages with a primary focus on recent graduates and mid-career professionals.

Aligned with a tiered engagement strategy the Associate Director develops and curates digital resources facilitates group coaching and virtual events and cultivates alumni-to-alumni and employer connections to foster a robust and inclusive career ecosystem. The role emphasizes scalable solutionssuch as on-demand content webinars and digital toolkitsover high-volume individual coaching to ensure broad and sustainable impact.

Additionally the Associate Director manages the Coach Referral Network volunteer program expanding the reach and visibility of career support across the alumni community and oversees the marketing and communication of alumni career development initiatives.

Essential Functions

Strategic & Scalable Alumni Career Support

• Apply a systems-thinking approach to program design ensuring alignment with DUs long-term alumni engagement strategy and labor market insights.
• Design and implement scalable high-impact career development programs for alumni with a focus on recent graduates and mid-career professionals.
• Lead group coaching sessions webinars and virtual workshops on core topics such as job search strategy career transitions and personal branding in collaboration with internal and external partners.
• Provide limited high-impact 1:1 coaching for alumni navigating key career transitions with an emphasis on scalable delivery.
• Facilitate group coaching and virtual advising sessions to extend reach and efficiency.
• Curate and maintain a digital resource hub with essential self-service tools in partnership with Marketing and IT teams.
• Oversee the creation and promotion of on-demand content (e.g. videos toolkits articles) to ensure accessible asynchronous support.
• Collaborate with vendors and campus partners to integrate external tools and resources that enhance alumni career development offerings.

Alumni Career Engagement & Communications

• Collaborate with Marketing and Communications to develop integrated strategies that promote alumni career development and reinforce DUs brand as a lifelong career partner.
• Lead targeted outreach campaigns to increase awareness of career resources events and volunteer opportunities.
• Oversee ACPDs digital presence including the website (uConnect) email communications and social media in coordination with relevant campus partners.
• Partner with Alumni Engagement to leverage Crimson Constellation and other platforms to enhance alumni visibility and participation in career initiatives.
• Support alumni-to-alumni networking through virtual events and collaborative initiatives with alumni chapters and university partners.
• Manage the Coach Referral Network including volunteer engagement communications and continuous improvement in collaboration with Advancement and Career Services colleagues.

Strategic Program Partnerships

• Build and maintain cross-functional partnerships to co-create inclusive innovative programming aligned with DUs alumni engagement and career readiness goals.
• Manage vendor relationships to support the delivery of high-quality scalable career programming.
• Collaborate with Advancement to promote alumni volunteerism and philanthropic initiatives such as the Summer Internship Award Program.
• Serve as a strategic partner to Advancement Career Services and other campus units to ensure cohesive and collaborative alumni career engagement efforts.
• Build and maintain cross-functional partnerships to co-create inclusive innovative programming aligned with DUs alumni engagement and career readiness goals.
• Collaborate with Employer Connections and industry partners to identify and promote job opportunities and career-related programming for alumni.
• Manage vendor relationships to support the delivery of high-quality scalable career programming.
• Support alumni philanthropy by promoting volunteer opportunities and initiatives such as the Summer Internship Award Program.
• Serve as a strategic partner to Advancement Career Services and other campus units to ensure cohesive and collaborative alumni career engagement efforts.

Operations & Budget Management

• Oversee budget planning and financial stewardship for alumni career development initiatives in collaboration with Advancement operations and finance teams.
• Manage vendor contracts and monitor expenditures to ensure alignment with strategic priorities and fiscal responsibility.

Data Evaluation & Continuous Improvement

• Use data insights to inform strategic planning resource allocation and program innovation.
• Oversee tracking and evaluation of program engagement satisfaction and outcomes in partnership with Institutional Research and Advancement Services.
• Apply feedback and performance metrics to continuously refine and enhance alumni career services.

Partnerships & University Citizenship

• Serves as an active and collaborative partner to all central and unit-based Advancement staff and other campus colleagues to foster strategic effective and collaborative career and professional development practices.
• Models One DU leadership.

Knowledge Skills and Abilities

• Strategic Program Design: Demonstrated ability to design and implement scalable high-impact career development programs that serve diverse alumni populations across career stages with a focus on early- and mid-career professionals.
• Career Development Expertise: Strong knowledge of career coaching principles job search strategies and professional development topics such as personal branding career transitions and networking. Experience delivering both individual and group coaching in virtual and in-person formats.
• Digital Resource Development: Proficiency in curating and maintaining digital career resources (e.g. resume templates job boards interview prep guides) and creating on-demand content (e.g. videos toolkits articles) to support alumni at scale. Demonstrated ability to evaluate and utilize digital tools and platforms to deliver educational or career-related content at scale (e.g. webinars online learning modules resource hubs).
• Marketing & Communication: Skilled in developing and executing strategic communication plans to promote programs and resources. Experience managing digital platforms (e.g. websites email campaigns LinkedIn) and leveraging social media to engage alumni audiences.
• Volunteer & Stakeholder Engagement: Ability to manage volunteer programs (e.g. Coach Referral Network) build relationships with alumni and employer partners and collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to enhance program reach and relevance.
• Program Planning & Facilitation: Experience designing and delivering virtual and hybrid events that engage adult learners or alumni across a range of industries backgrounds and career stages. such as webinars industry panels and networking mixers. Comfortable facilitating group discussions and presenting to diverse audiences.
• Data-Driven Decision Making: Strong analytical skills to track engagement assess program effectiveness and use data to inform continuous improvement and demonstrate impact.
• Collaboration & Relationship Building: Proven ability to work cross-functionally with university departments alumni chapters and external vendors to co-create inclusive and relevant programming.
• Commitment to Equity & Inclusion: Deep understanding of and commitment to diversity equity inclusion and belonging in career development and alumni engagement work.
• Technology Proficiency: Familiarity with career services platforms (e.g. uConnect PeopleGrove/Crimson Constellation Piosphere) CRM systems and virtual event tools (e.g. Cvent Zoom Teams Eventbrite).

Required Qualifications

• Bachelors degree or an equivalent combination of education and professional experience. Veterans may substitute military certification/education and experience for the degree requirement.
• Demonstrated success designing and scaling career development programs that serve diverse alumni populations particularly through digital and hybrid delivery models.
• 3 years of experience in career coaching professional development adult education or a directly related field supporting diverse populations in navigating career transitions or growth.

Preferred Qualifications

• Masters degree in higher education counseling organizational development or a related field.
  Experience leading strategic communications or marketing campaigns that increased engagement with career services or alumni programming.
• Proven ability to curate and manage digital content ecosystems including resource hubs asynchronous learning tools and multimedia content tailored to adult learners.
• Track record of building cross-functional partnerships to co-create inclusive programming with advancement academic or employer stakeholders.
• Experience managing volunteer networks or alumni engagement initiatives especially those that support career development or mentorship.
• Comfort with data-informed decision-making including using engagement metrics and feedback loops to drive continuous improvement.
• Ability to facilitate group coaching or peer learning experiences that foster community and career growth among alumni.

Physical Activities

• Ability to use a computer for an extended period
• Occasionally required to move about the office/campus with the capability of transporting objects up to 20 lbs. with assistance

Work Schedule

Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 nights and weekends as required.

Application Deadline

For consideration please submit your application materials by 4:00 p.m. (MST) July 25 2025.

Special Instructions

Candidates must apply online through to be considered. Only applications submitted online will be accepted.

Salary Grade Number

The salary grade for the position is 12.

Salary Range

The salary range for this position is $75000 - $85000.

The University of Denver has provided a compensation range that represents its good faith estimate of what the University may pay for the position at the time of posting. The University may ultimately pay more or less than the posted compensation range. The salary offered to the selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as the qualifications of the selected candidate departmental budget availability internal salary equity considerations and available market information but not based on a candidates sex or any other protected status.

Benefits

The University of Denver offers excellent benefits including medical dental retirement paid time off tuition benefit and ECO pass. The University of Denver is a private institution that empowers students who want to make a difference. Learn more about the University of Denver.

Please include the following documents with your application:

1. Resume
2. Cover Letter

The University of Denver is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race color religion sex (including sex stereotypes sex characteristics sexual orientation gender identity and gender expression) marital family or parental status pregnancy or related conditions national origin disability or status as a protected veteran. The University of Denver does not discriminate and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race color national origin ancestry age religion creed disability sex (including sex stereotypes sex characteristics sexual orientation gender identity and gender expression) marital family and parental status pregnancy genetic information military enlistment or veteran status and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination under federal state or local law regulation or ordinance in any of the Universitys educational programs and activities and in the employment (including application for employment) and admissions (including application for admission) context as required by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; the Americans with Disabilities Act; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; the Age Discrimination Act of 1975; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967; the Equal Pay Act; the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act; the Colorado Protecting Opportunities and Workers Rights (POWR) Act; and any other federal state and local laws regulations or ordinances that prohibit discrimination harassment and/or retaliation. For more information please see the University of Denvers NonDiscriminationStatement.

All offers of employment are contingent upon satisfactory completion of a criminal history background check.