Assistant Director of Engagement

Aurora University (AU) is committed to the transformative power of learning by creating a student-centered environment and an equity of experience and opportunity, to ensure that students, faculty, and staff of all backgrounds feel welcome and included. Our culture of collaboration, generosity, and belonging make it a special place for students, faculty, and staff.

AU is grounded in the transformative opportunity it provides to a diverse student body. As a private university with a public mission and a commitment to making a difference in peoples’ lives, AU has a long history of resilience and of providing access to an education that values innovation, focuses on continuous improvement, and has a positive impact on the communities we serve. We are proud of our service to and economic impact on the state of Illinois, where over 80% of our students stay to live and work, where 90% of our students come from, and where we foster strong community partnerships to develop the workforce in areas such as nursing, education, business, technology, and social work.

We are looking for passionate and purposeful individuals who represent the full diversity of Aurora and who demonstrate a sensitivity to and understanding of the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, ability, identity, and ethnic backgrounds present in our community. When you join the team at AU, you can expect to be part of an inclusive, innovative, and equity-focused community that approaches higher education as a matter of social justice requiring broad collaboration among faculty, staff, students, and community partners.

At AU we believe that continuous learning is a fundamental part of working life, and our goal is for all colleagues on our campus to feel supported and equipped to realize their full potential. We actively support our community by providing all employees with opportunities to engage in professional development activities, as well as a range of tuition and employee benefits that can be found here.

Position Purpose:

The Assistant Director of Engagement supports learning by helping to advance the goals of the Office of Advancement for growing and engaging AU’s corporate and community partners as well as young alumni. This position collaborates with internal and external constituents in support of presidential priorities and advancement initiatives.

Essential Job Functions:

Corporate and Community Engagement

  • Works directly with the Assistant Vice President for Development to support their work to identify, approach, and develop corporate and community partnerships that will support strategic growth of the university.
  • Initiate and strengthen corporate relationships with key donors and alumni through cultivation and stewardship.
  • Advances corporate and community engagement through faculty and student engagement, internship/experiential learning opportunities, network and recruiting activities, event sponsorships, corporate foundation gifts, and annual funding opportunities.
  • Support holistic coordination to bring together Advancement, Career Services, and deans to match corporate partner needs with student needs.
  • Utilize CRM system in providing a moves management approach to donors and prospects, supporting the Assistant Vice President for Development in summarizing face-to-face visits, outreach, communication, and proposal details.

Young Alumni Engagement

  • Works directly with the Assistant Vice President for Development to develop and cultivate relationships with young alumni.
  • Develop a targeted communication plan for young alumni including affinity groups, social media, networking opportunities, speaker panels, and social events to enhance young alumni involvement.
  • Foster a sense of community and belonging with young alumni as ambassadors to engage other young alumni for reunions, homecoming events, mentoring opportunities, and donating time/talent/treasure.
  • Collaborate with campus partners to involve young alumni.

Support

  • Develops and maintains system of analyzing and tracking corporate, community, and young alumni outreach efforts. Provide outcomes and measurement of engagement activities.
  • All other duties as assigned.

Core Competencies:

  1. Represents Aurora University in the most positive manner with prospective, former and current students, clients, suppliers, and the community we serve. Interacts effectively with a diverse group of faculty, staff, students and other customers of our service, learns and uses operating practices of the department and Aurora University.
  2. Upholds the Mission Statement: Aurora University is an inclusive community dedicated to the transformative power of learning. As a teaching-centered institution, we encourage undergraduate and graduate students to discover what it takes to build meaningful and examined lives. We empower our students to achieve lasting personal and professional success.
  3. Handles all information with tact and discretion and recognizes the confidential nature of university business.
  4. Supports learning through performance of essential job functions and performing other duties and functions as necessary or as assigned.

Essential Job Requirements:

Education:

  • Bachelor’s degree is required.

Experience:

  • At least 2-5 years of successful experience in cultivating relationships. AU alumni preferred. Experience in corporate environment, corporate development, fundraising, or non-profit experience is a plus.

Skills:

  • Knowledge of Raiser’s Edge or customer relationship management (CRM) software preferred.
  • Knowledge of fundraising principles, methods, and standards, with particular emphasis on corporate and/or community partnerships.
  • Ability to create and manage timelines and deadlines. Strong project management skills.
  • Strong interpersonal skills necessary to build relationships with internal and external constituents. Enjoy working on a team and face-to-face interactions with all types of people. Serve as an organizational ambassador at events.
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
  • Self-starter, highly organized, detail oriented, and able to handle multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.
  • Strong organizational and detail-orientation skills.

Physical Requirements:

  • Ability to move about campus. Ability to interact via telephone, in person, and via electronic media.

Benefit-eligible positions offer excellent benefits including health, dental, life, vision, long term disability, a 403(b) retirement plan through TIAA, and tuition remission.

To apply, please send resume, cover letter, and contact information for three references including name, telephone, and email address.

If you were referred by a current employee of Aurora University please include the name of the employee in your submission.

Aurora University
Human Resources
347 South Gladstone Ave
Aurora, IL 60506
jobs@aurora.edu - email

Aurora University is an Equal Opportunity Employer.