Manager, Alumni Communications

Location: London, Ontario

Position Type: Full-time, temporary contract of 22 months with a target start date of December, 2024

Hiring Range: $ 74,800- $ 93,551

Application Deadline: Wednesday, October 22, 2024 at 11:59 pm

About Ivey Business School:

Ivey Business School acknowledges and respects the traditional lands of the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, Lunaapéewak, and Attawandaron peoples, where Western University and Ivey Business School are located. This land continues to be home to diverse Indigenous peoples, whom we recognize as contemporary stewards of the land and vital contributors of the community.

Ivey Business School (www.ivey.ca) at Western University (www.uwo.ca) is Canada’s leading provider of real-world, case-based business education. Drawing on extensive research and business experience, Ivey’s faculty provides the best classroom experience, equipping students with the knowledge, skills, and capabilities they need to confidently take on today’s leadership challenges and opportunities through Case-Method Learning. Ivey offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs, as well as Executive Education at campuses in London, Toronto, and Hong Kong.

The Advancement department plays a pivotal role in nurturing enduring relationships which foster meaningful engagement, financial support, advocacy and leadership among alumni and other stakeholders globally. The development team, within the Advancement department, raises philanthropic and sponsorship support for Ivey, generally raising over $15 million annually.

Position Overview:

As the Manager of Alumni Communications, they hold an integral role within the Advancement team, playing a critical part in managing alumni relationships and engagement through strategic, informative, and impactful communications that forge meaningful connections with the School. A purposeful and professional communicator, strategic thinker, and extremely organized project manager, the Manager is comfortable providing direction, delegating tasks, and driving deadlines. They bring experience in collaborating with executive-level volunteers to plan, implement, and deliver successful end products that enhance brand reputation.

Possessing a strong editor’s eye, exceptional attention to detail, and leadership experience in both print and digital publishing, the Manager is a creative and visual thinker. They also value and leverage data analysis, audience segmentation, and tailored content for strategic communications planning that supports key stages of an alumnus’ life cycle and increases reader engagement. Highly collaborative, the Manager quickly builds rapport with both internal and external stakeholders across the Ivey community and Western, as well as with numerous outside vendors. Efficiently managing conflicting communications requests, they facilitate and coordinate with various departments throughout the organization.

The Manager of Alumni Communications is enthusiastic about working for Canada’s most prestigious business school, collaborating with the brightest staff, students, and globally-recognized faculty. They take pride in being a part of the broader Western University community. 

Responsibilities:

Managing Editor of Intouch magazine and @Intouch digital newsletter. Manage all aspects of the award-winning magazine and newsletter, which are delivered to all contactable alumni (26,000+) including content, development, editing, production, and delivery 

• Manage the complex production of Intouch magazine, published twice per year with a $245,000+ budget.  This includes managing the relationship with the magazine design firm, providing direction and ongoing feedback to the Strategist, Senior Designer and photographers; managing all freelance copywriters, assigning projects with clear objectives and deadlines; managing all contract service providers for printing and shipping of over 26,000 magazines globally; taking lead editing role and writing; driving deadlines to ensure on-time delivery and a successful end product that meets alumni needs and strengthens their connection with Ivey.    
• Collaborate with the Marketing and Communications teams on its recurring sections of Intouch to ensure content is aligned with the Editorial Board’s vision
• Collaborate with alumni Editorial Board on strategies and content planning for the magazine; drive the agenda and facilitate bi-annual Board meetings with Editor-in-Chief. Implement Board strategies and recommendations to innovate to ensure continuous improvement in both content and design for future issues.   
• Develop, edit, and deliver 12 issues of @Intouch, Ivey’s monthly digital alumni newsletter, working with colleagues across the School on content to balance requests and optimize readership. 
• Produce and deliver Ivey Academy @Intouch newsletter with tailored content targeting Academy audience

Design, manage, and execute an effective Alumni Relations communications plan, including Intouch, @Intouch, and marquee events, through social media, websites, and digital communications 

• Develop and implement an overall communications strategy for Alumni Relations publications and programs, including Intouch magazine, @Intouch newsletter, Global Ivey Day, Homecoming, and the Ivey Business Leader Dinner, to engage alumni, build and deepen their relationship with the School. 
• Determine timing, content, layout, and mode of communications to alumni and use judgement to ensure that communications are reflective of the School brand and reputation, as well as serve to engage as many alumni as possible (and minimize unsubscribes from email communications).
• Lead the Advancement and Alumni Relations teams in planning, designing, implementing, editing, and deploying email communications; advise on donor communications content and timing. 
• Advise and execute on Ivey Academy communications targeting degree alumni to promote their programming. Report metrics and provide recommendations to team members for future planning. 
• Advise the Director of Alumni Relations on content, timing and mode of communication for messages drafted on behalf of the Dean.
• Oversee and manage the Ivey alumni and the Ivey Advisory Board websites, implementing strategies and analyzing data and trends to maximize the impact of all sections of the site, including Intouch, Global Ivey Day, Ivey Alumni Network Chapters, and Homecoming, seeking input and collaborating with Advancement and Marketing team members. 
• Develop and implement social media strategy for Alumni Relations to further market/promote alumni programs, publications, and services, working collaboratively with Marketing and Communications department. 

Develop & manage data strategy for alumni communications to build engagement and effectively support key stages of an alumnus’ life cycle 

• Drive data analysis and reporting on alumni emails, websites, and social media posts to inform and guide future alumni communications strategies to grow readership and audience engagement. Leverage trends and insights to develop opportunities for enhanced interaction and engagement, optimizing the alumni digital experience.
• Manage email campaign testing to generate increased alumni engagement through tailored content for segmented audiences and higher open rates and more click-throughs to the Ivey alumni website leading to more traffic on the site. 
• Manage unsubscriber management process, ensuring all alumni communications adhere to Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation. 
• Collaborate with Advancement Operations team on data integrity projects for alumni, including yearly requests for updated alumni contact information to targeted audience segments with strong response rate.
• Manage, track, and report on alumni actions in relation to various communications that contribute to alumni engagement metrics and meeting yearly engagement goal. 

Manage alumni communications clearance processes across Ivey and Western to ensure coordinated mass communications to alumni audience 

• Manage alumni communications calendar to best serve the alumni audience by efficiently addressing conflicting and overlapping communications requests, facilitating with many departments throughout the organization, and coordinating with Advancement Operations on related alumni data requests for corresponding communications.  

Qualifications: 

Education & Experience

University degree required – English, communications, or media preferred.

Minimum of 4+ years’ experience in a communications role. Publishing experience preferred 

Skills & Abilities 

• Excellent organizational, planning, and time management skills, extreme attention to detail, and a proven ability to manage multiple conflicting priorities effectively. Demonstrated skills and experience in complex project management.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills and proven ability to build effective relationships and collaborate across all levels of an organization and with senior-executive volunteers.
• Demonstrated initiative, effective leadership skills, and experience providing direction and supervision to meet deadlines and deliver results.  
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills. 
• Team player, enjoys supporting colleagues.
• High degree of technical and data analysis experience required with demonstrated ability to adapt quickly to new technologies (graphic design software, CMS, databases and customer relationship management tools, and email marketing and social media platforms). 
• Appreciation of the mission, purpose and values of a comprehensive university, and more particularly, a leading business school and responding to educational and research requirements of an international business environment. 

What We Offer:

• A bright, inclusive, and modern eco-friendly working environment
• Flexible or hybrid work plans for many roles
• A collaborative and engaging work culture
• Opportunity to join a community of people-focused professionals
• Market competitive compensation 
• Benefits package with employer-paid premiums and no waiting period
• Enhanced mental health benefits coverage and resources
• 15 days per year vacation plus 2 paid Ivey Personal Days
• Paid time off during the School’s December holiday closure
• Numerous campus-wide arts, culture, and sport events
• Employee Assistance Program with family coverage

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at Ivey

Ivey Business School is committed to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. Please explore Ivey’s EDI homepage for more information on Ivey's commitment to EDI, to read about Ivey’s progress in the EDI Update, and to meet Ivey’s EDI Advisory Council members.

Ivey Business School invites applications from all qualified individuals. Ivey is committed to employment equity and diversity in the workplace, and welcomes applications from women, members of racialized groups/visible minorities, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, persons of any sexual orientation, and persons of any gender identity or gender expression.

Accommodation
Prior to the next step in the recruiting process, we welcome you to inform us confidentially if you may require any accommodations in order to participate fully in our recruitment experience. Please contact us at careers@ivey.ca to notify us of any needs related to completing the job application, and/or throughout the recruitment process.

Application:

If you're excited about joining Canada's leading business school and meet the qualifications, please submit your resume and cover letter via the Ivey Careers page by the application deadline.

*Please note only selected candidates will be contacted.


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