Assistant Director for Leadership Recognition & Engagement

The Assistant Director for Leadership Recognition & Engagement plays a pivotal role in cultivating, deepening, and sustaining relationships with Northeastern University’s most distinguished leaders, including alumni and current students recognized through Academic Honors, Huntington 100, Laurel & Scroll 100, the Compass Awards program, and other honors. These honorees represent the university’s most accomplished community members, and the Assistant Director serves as their primary champion, relationship manager, and dedicated advocate, ensuring their voices and experiences inform engagement activities and initiatives.

The Assistant Director leads strategic planning, relationship building, event coordination, and the continuous development of engagement strategies that reflect the leadership potential and contributions of this exceptional constituent group. The role also documents and analyzes data from engagement activities to inform ongoing work and enhance strategies that lead to sustainable engagement.

The Assistant Director must represent the university, the Advancement division, and the Alumni Relations team in a professional and enthusiastic manner, with a customer service and team focus. As a member of the Advancement division, the Assistant Director must understand and actively support the role philanthropy plays in engaging the Northeastern community.

This position is in person on the Boston campus. Evening and weekend work is required as events, programs, and activities dictate, along with occasional local and regional travel.

• Activate and deepen lifelong relationships between honorees and the university by creating meaningful pathways for alumni and current student honorees to connect with the university’s strategic goals, leadership initiatives, and alumni community
• Conduct in-person meetings with alumni and student honorees to understand their interests, learn more about their experiences, and connect them with opportunities to continue building their relationships with Northeastern
• Build a network of engaged alumni and student leaders who champion the university’s engagement and philanthropic vision and serve as ambassadors for Northeastern’s mission
• Identify and curate exclusive opportunities, access points, and leadership experiences for honorees that reflect the distinction of their recognition and advance their connection to the university

• Plan and coordinate the annual Societies of Distinction events for Huntington 100 and Laurel & Scroll 100, including all aspects of the programs, particularly the nomination and selection process for each honor
• Identify unique opportunities and access points for honorees that are not available to others
• Collaborate with internal partners on selection, stewardship, and recognition strategies, collateral, and events that honor the leadership of current student honorees and connect them to a broader community of Northeastern leaders

• Track and analyze activity participation and outcomes, using data to inform continuous improvement efforts
• Prepare regular reports on activity effectiveness and alumni engagement metrics for benchmarking and awareness

• Ensure administrative responsibilities, including meeting follow-up, post-visit call reports, data tracking and entry, inquiries, and information updates, are completed accurately and responded to in a timely manner
• Perform other duties and special projects as assigned, including assisting with university, Advancement, Alumni Relations, and Annual Giving activities and initiatives throughout the year

• Bachelor’s degree
• At least three years of experience in a combination of alumni relations, student affairs, fundraising, or event management
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Word
• Excellent coordination, organization, and written and oral communication skills, including a strong phone presence
• Ability to work independently and productively with minimal supervision, as well as collaboratively in a team environment, while managing several projects at a time
• Detail-oriented approach with strong customer service and interpersonal skills
• High level of self-confidence and enthusiasm
• Proficiency with virtual communication platforms and online learning tools

• Experience working in higher education with students and alumni
• Experience with Ascend and Cvent
• Self-starter who is flexible in response to changing priorities, adaptable to new systems, and able to interact professionally and diplomatically with students, alumni, volunteers, parents, staff, faculty, vendors, and external entities

• Resume

Northeastern University considers factors such as candidate work experience, education and skills when extending an offer.  

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

With the pay range(s) shown above, the starting salary will depend on several factors, which may include your education, experience, location, knowledge and expertise, and skills as well as a pay comparison to similarly-situated employees already in the role. Salary ranges are reviewed regularly and are subject to change.