Director Of Alumni Relations (Office of Development)

Mount Sinai Health System seeks an exceptional alumni relations professional to strengthen the connections between our alumni and the institution.  As Mount Sinai prepares to enter into a new fundraising campaign, our educational programs will be a top strategic priority.  These include the various degrees and training programs of the Icahn School of Medicine, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, the Phillips School of Nursing, the Department of Graduate Medical Education, the Department of Graduate Education, and other possible future programs. 

At Mount Sinai, alumni are defined as individuals who have completed any of the following: MD, PhD, and Masters degrees (approximately 10,000), nursing degrees (approximately 4,000), a postdoctoral training program (approximately 5,000), medical Residencies or Fellowships (approximately 17,000), and past or current faculty members.

The Director of Alumni Relations will build an annual strategic plan, coordinate various communications and engagement activities (such as reunion and regional events), and help identify and build the pipeline of alumni major gift prospects in close coordination with the Senior Directory of Education and Alumni Relations. The Director of Alumni Relations will work closely with the Mount Sinai Alumni President, the Alumni Board of Governors and its related subcommittees.  He/she will need to build strong partnerships with all our academic leaders as well as Development Officers who staff specific Departments in order to provide guidance on Department-specific alumni engagement activities.  The position has a primary reporting relationship to the Senior Director for Education and Alumni Relations.  In addition, the role supports key strategic priorities of the Dean through a collaborative dotted-line relationship to the Dean’s Chief of Staff, and manages one Alumni Relations Officer.  The goal is to grow the team to meet developing opportunities throughout the next campaign. 

This role operates within a hybrid work model, with on-site expectations established in alignment with departmental priorities and evolving organizational guidelines.  Employees must reside within a commutable distance of the 42^nd Street Midtown NYC office.  The role may also require occasional evening and weekend hours. 

• Create alumni engagement opportunities for all alumni in collaboration with all of our education Deans, but especially the Dean of Medical Education and the Dean for the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. These efforts should foster greater affinity within the Mount Sinai community, increasing philanthropic support from alumni. 
• Plan, implement, and supervise a broad array of programs and events, requiring sophisticated planning and meticulous execution, including reunions and local, regional, and national events
• Work with Communications team to develop a comprehensive approach to effectively communicate with Alumni, including: website, social media presence and newsletter, etc. 
• Cultivate relationships with alumni that inform and grow a major gift pipeline for the Senior Director of Development, Education and Alumni Relations. 
• Maintain an active relationship with the Alumni President, the Alumni Board of Governors and its various subcommittees, setting meeting schedules and creating interesting, robust agendas for each respective audience.
• Collaborate with Clinical Department Liaisons to implement individual department strategies to engage past department trainees- i.e. residents and fellows.
• Assist in the management and preparation of annual budgets for alumni activities
• Maintain an updated strategic plan focusing on programs that engage and serve alumni & students fostering a culture of philanthropy.
• Ability to track activity in a timely manner to ensure the donor/alumni database is current  to effectively track KPIs
• Provide outstanding leadership for support staff; serve as a role model for managerial excellence.

• Maintain a strong working knowledge of campaign fundraising priorities, goals, key messages, and progress.

• Align individual responsibilities, team processes, and functional expertise with broader campaign objectives, collaborating across the department to advance shared institutional success.

• Perform other duties as assigned

• Bachelors Degree required, Masters degree preferred

• 5 years’ work experience with direct alumni relations experience or nonprofit event experience in sophisticated and complex organizations preferred. He/she will have demonstrated success in supporting annual campaigns, planning events, managing volunteer boards, and exposure to a comprehensive development operation. The ideal candidate is a self- starter who will show evidence of setting and achieving goals, a successful track record of working with internal and external constituents, as well as volunteer and committee management. 

  Preferred experience in an academic medical setting and /or complex nonprofit fundraising environment and experience with capital campaigns, volunteer management, and alumni relations.

• Knowledge of Raisers Edge or other fundraising related databases. 
  Knowledge of Microsoft Office.
• Knowledge of web-based alumni databases encouraged

General Skills

• Self-Starter and strategic thinker who leads by example and measures success by results;
• Superb organizational skills; 
• Good listener who is intuitive, perceptive and insightful;
• Excellent communication (oral and written) skills;
• Familiarity with fundraising databases and knowledge of medical institutions, including typical academic, administrative, and financial infrastructures;
• Superior drive, enthusiasm, a sense of urgency, and a desire to create and build;
• Experience initiating and implementing many demanding projects, preferably in a decentralized environment where coordination with many constituencies is required
• Adaptability to a fast paced environment; and
• Appreciation of the mission of Mount Sinai Health System.