To make our vision of ending educational inequity a reality, Teach For America must connect and engage our 3000 alumni. In order to maximize on the leadership of our full alumni base, we must provide spaces and experiences for our alumni to come together to feel connected, valued, and empowered. Our alumni are critical agents of change in the Chicago-Northwest Indiana region, and we know their ability to stay in Chicago and continue to impact change is hinged on the extent to which they feel valued, connected, and tapped for their unique leadership potential.
The Manager, Alumni Support & Engagement will play an integral role in ensuring that we are executing on a strong vision and direction for network-wide connectivity, culture, and engagement. The Manager, Alumni Support & Engagement is responsible for managing an annual experiences calendar that includes our annual alumni awards and our large scale alumni induction at the end of each year. Additionally, they will partner with each member of the alumni leadership team to ensure we have a connected and strategic year-long plan to value and honor the impact of our alumni network. This role is our liaison to the national team in rolling out major annual platforms such as our alumni survey and our alumni CONNECT database. They will support us in our recruitment and marketing efforts for major programs and strategies. This role will support our efforts to ensure we are living into targeted rituals on our member arc of experience (alumni reunions, networking events, etc.). This role will play an execution and support role in ensuring that we are cultivating stewards in our non-education based alumni by managing tools and opportunities for those alumni to get involved in volunteering, mentoring, etc. and act as a point person for any non-education alumni connections or events. Finally, the person in this role will support with a select number of special projects to drive the broader work of our alumni strategy.
The Manager, Alumni Support & Engagement is a member of the Program Team and reports to the Director, Alumni Network Strategy.
The Manager, Alumni Support & Engagement will be responsible for:
Community Building and Culture Activation (65%)
- Alongside the D, Alumni Network Strategy, create and execute on a vision for annual network=wide events and programs that increase alumni to alumni connectivity (CONNECT Networking series, BREAKDOWN events, holiday party, etc.)
- In partnership with Coordinator, Alumni Leadership Operations, set vision for and manage our annual alumni induction in partnership with our 2nd year Corps Member (2CM) team
- Support the development of online community building with our national platform CONNECT and managing social media communities
- Coordinate events and collaborate with regional communications team to develop effective and inclusive marketing/communication initiatives which celebrate the work of our alumni team
- In partnership with all three directors of talent, manage the vision, annual marketing, planning, and selection of annual alumni awards (org leadership, teacher, school leader)
- In partnership with the Coordinator, Alumni Leadership Operations, develop annual marketing materials to mail and distribute to our alumni base
- In partnership with the External Affairs team, set vision and direction and manage the annual alumni giving campaign and alumni engagement and involvement in this process
- Act as the liaison to 2CM team and manage the onboarding experience for our rising alumni and new to region alumni
Special Projects (15%)
- Alongside the D, Alumni Network Strategy, execute on special project needs including but not limited to supporting our 20th Anniversary summit and creating connectivity strategies responsive to ongoing alumni feedback
- Alongside the SMD, Alumni Leadership, support special projects related to our alumni talent support and career pathwaying
Team Responsibilities (10%)
- Prepare for and lead check-ins with your manager around progress toward your goals and your ongoing development
- Coordinate with members of the Program team to ensure clarity of vision and alignment across corps members and alumni experience milestones and outcomes
- Collaborate with members of the Program team to execute against collective team goals and support the administration of regional and national initiatives (alumni survey, etc.)
- Consistently track and maintain updated data in our TFACT database to ensure accuracy of information about alumni instructional leaders and clear reporting on programmatic outcomes
- Partner with Teach For America’s national organization to leverage leadership development opportunities for alumni teachers facilitated by the national organization
Collective Responsibilities (10%)
- Fulfill foundational responsibilities that allow our region to do our work, make decisions, grow as professionals, and strengthen our team culture, including but not limited to attending regional meetings, operating with our Core Values and commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness, completing our performance management cycle, and upholding our data management, office operations, and fiscal responsibilities
- Make a direct impact on the organizational mission of enlisting, developing and mobilizing leaders to strengthen the movement for educational equity by participating in corps member selection (6-10 days total plus preparation and close out time), matriculation (up to six windows across the year), member facing events (corps member Induction), alumni survey, and other initiatives that impact our members and partners
- Experience managing large cross-team projects
- Experience managing relationships with multiple stakeholders
- Experience designing and executing strong, outcomes-based programming and large-scale events
- 4+ years of relevant work experience
Building Relationships and Influencing Others
- Building Relationships & Networks: Ability to manage key relationships to set mutual goals and pilot and implement programming for our alumni
- Influencing Others to Achieve Outcomes: Ability to collaborate with and enlist colleagues in the delivery of excellent, effective programming aimed at advancing alumni culture and connectivity
- Communicating Effectively: Ability to persuasively articulate objectives of alumni programming, verbally and in writing, using a variety of media, to drive attendance and participation of members
- Communicating Effectively: Demonstrate a growing ability to engage with alumni, via phone, email, and in-person meetings, in order to assess current leadership opportunities and make strong referrals on behalf of members
Operating and Managing
- Operating, Planning, & Executing: Ability to organize, plan, and execute high quality programming for alumni within stated program timelines and objectives. Able to maintain up-to-date program data and monitor progress toward collective deadlines.
Reasoning and Strategic Thinking
- Making Decisions & Demonstrating Judgement: Demonstrate an ability to utilize available data and context to channel and refer alumni to the appropriate program, person, organization, or resources
- Conducting Analysis: Ability to gather and analyze data in order to monitor program outcomes and to inform or adjust strategy related to advancing regional strategic priorities
- Synthesizing, Integrating, & Developing Strategies: Ability to organize and develop resources, tools, and strategies connected to the engagement of our broader alumni community. Ability to design and implement events and activities that will foster a robust and inclusive member culture and network
Work Demands
- Occasional evening and weekends are required
- Limited overnight travel required to attend Teach For America conferences (expenses paid for by Teach For America)