Application Open:
Full-Time
Job Purpose:
To administer the operations of the Alumni Relations department managing the alumni database, analyzing and reporting on alumni data, executing the alumni volunteer engagement strategy, carrying out the daily administration of the department, and organizing and administering alumni activities and events.
The Alumni Relations Specialist (Marketing/Communications) (ARSMC) produces engaging content across multiple channels including social media, website, stakeholder e-newsletters and MBZUAI communications, and video production, writing content for invitations and writing feature stories of alumni. While your primary reporting line is within Alumni Relations, working at the direction of the Associate Director, Alumni Relations, you’ll collaborate across the University (particularly with Marketing and Communications) and the MBZUAI Alumni Advisory Board.
As ARSMC you’ll bring the experience of writing for online, digital and print, enabling you to engage and inform our community of alumni, students and the community. You’ll have an eye for a good alumni story, experience developing content and an eagerness to get stuck in an interview with alumnus, informing them of the latest University news and events, and communicating about unique benefits and services.
Key Responsibilities:
Communications:
- Proactively source and write engaging content on and about alumni for web, print, video, social media and University publications.
- Produce original content for the alumni social media channels to build engagement and increase their respective reach.
- To maintain and regularly update the alumni website.
- Coordinate content, design, production and distribution of e-newsletters.
- Manage Alumni Relations’ online presence via social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, X and Instagram), and provide analytics on their engagement.
- To source and edit photos, create content plans for publications and liaise with designers to produce effective communications materials to agreed timescales and standards.
Marketing and Communications:
- Develop and implement–always in consultation with Marketing & Communications — Alumni Relations’ digital engagement strategy.
- Coordinate storytelling about alumni, briefing Marketing & Communications about objectives, events, and achievements of the department and alumni.
- Manage and administer the alumni LinkedIn group and other virtual alumni associations, ensuring they support MBZUAI’s strategic and operational objectives, remain active, and contain engaging content.
- Ensure Alumni Relations and its activities are represented in MBZUAI’s communications and advertising channels, and in a manner that supports Alumni Relations’ strategic and operational objectives.
- Market MBZUAI events to key audiences.
- Create and implement campaigns to encourage alumni engagement and promote alumni achievements in a manner consistent with strategic and operational objectives and MBZUAI’s communications, marketing, and branding strategies.
- Coordinate electronic direct mailing sent via the CRM, ensuring communications and campaigns conform to MBZUAI marketing and communications standards, and regulatory requirements.
- Design, manage, analyze, and report on alumni surveys in collaboration with Marketing and Communications and other key internal stakeholders.
Data Keeping, Analysis, and Reporting:
- Support maintenance of MBZUAI’s alumni CRM, including updating contact and alumni employment information that arise from interactions with alumni; and researching, recording and reporting–via LinkedIn and other sources–alumni promotions, career moves, awards, and other achievements through digital channels.
- Utilize the CRM to prepare timely and accurate data reports and analysis (e.g. from coordinating focus groups with alumni and students and running surveys) for management.
- Analyze alumni data to identify alumni trends, identify data gaps, and make recommendations on the continuous improvement of alumni data gathering and management systems.
Administration:
- Draft and prepare reports, briefings, and presentations utilizing the full suite of MS Office products, incorporating data visualizations, ensuring all outputs serve intended operational and strategic purposes, and that outputs align with MBZUAI marketing, branding, and communications standards.
- Provide efficient and effective financial administration support relevant to communications and marketing activities for Alumni Relations.
Events:
- Design, plan, and organize Alumni Relations’ role in key University activities including Commencement and Orientation, including the preparation of marketing materials and post-event communications.
- Support the MBZUAI Alumni Advisory Board with their marketing of activities and marketing materials.
- Develop events proposals and plans including budgets, timelines, and logistics plans, ensuring events serve their intended purpose, and comply with relevant MBZUAI policies including budgeting, procurement, resource allocation, and security policies.
- Coordinate with Marketing and Communications to ensure event promotion reaches the intended audience and is consistent with MBZUAI branding and communications standards.
- Coordinate with General Services to ensure physical and attendee security at events, including that requisite arrangements are made for the security of VIPs and special guests.
- Staff and volunteers, ensuring efficient and effective execution of events.
- Manage post-event communications and marketing, creating reports for management that measure and identify successful outcomes and areas for improvement.
Other Duties:
- At the direction of the Associate Director of Alumni Relations, execute other duties commensurate with these functional responsibilities.
Academic Qualifications:
- A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in communications or marketing.
Professional Experience:
Essential
- At least four years’ experience supporting the communications and marketing functions of a university or other client services organization.
- Excellent people skills and an ability to work constructively within a professional partnership with other staff and students, and to establish a good rapport with a range of alumni.
- Demonstrable experience producing high-quality content for storytelling and marketing materials, website development or maintenance, communications and social media content in a business environment.
- Good technical skills in designing, creating and uploading content to websites, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and other online digital/video platforms including PowerPoint for high-tech presentations.
- Superior computing skills, ideally in design (e.g. Canva, others) and with MS Excel, Word, PowerPoint.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills with excellent attention to detail.
- Excellent proof-reading
- Experience in managing databases and optimizing the utility of CRM systems to achieve marketing and communications objectives.
- A high level of discretion and confidentiality when dealing with sensitive data held in the databases and associated systems.
- Demonstrated success operating in a multicultural environment and adapting systems and processes to meet diverse expectations and needs.
- Exposure to and understanding of Middle Eastern business and cultural practices.
