Working Title: Assistant Director of Career and Networking

State Role Title: Administrative and Professional Faculty

Position Type: Administrative & Professional (Non-teaching Faculty)

Position Status: Full-Time

FLSA Status: Exempt: Not Eligible for Overtime

College/Division: Constituent Engagement and Sustained Giving

Department: 100247 - Alumni Relations

Pay Rate: Commensurate with Experience

Specify Range or Amount:

Is this a JMU only position? No

Is this a grant-funded position? No

Is this a Conflict of Interest designated position? No

Beginning Review Date: 11/22/2025

About JMU:

Mission
We are a community committed to preparing students to be educated and enlightened citizens who lead productive and meaningful lives.

Vision
To be the national model for the engaged university: engaged with ideas and the world.

Who We Are
Situated in the heart of Virginia’s beautiful Shenandoah Valley, the city of Harrisonburg is a vibrant community with a population of approximately 52,000. Harrisonburg is conveniently located approximately 120 miles from Washington, D.C. and Richmond, VA.

JMU is a selective, public institution with a growing national reputation for offering experiences that lead to an outstanding education and supportive environment for students, faculty and staff. The student body includes approximately 21,000 undergraduate and 1,800 graduate students, with over 1,000 full-time instructional faculty.

JMU offers thriving programs in the liberal arts, science and technology, and professional disciplines at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels. JMU has achieved national recognition for the high quality of its academic programs, focus on maintaining strong student/faculty interaction, and innovative faculty research.

General Information:

The Assistant Director of Career and Networking is a member within the division of University Advancement with full-time responsibilities within the Office of Alumni Relations. The Assistant Director reports to and takes direction from the Director of Alumni Relations.

The position’s core responsibilities include:

• organizing professional development programs,
  
• facilitating mentorship opportunities, as well as recruiting and training volunteers to fulfill mentoring programming needs,
  
• promoting networking events sponsored by the JMUAA, Alumni Chapters, and the Office of Alumni Relations,
  
• serving as Alumni Relations’ liaison to campus partners, including the University Career Center and academic units, for career-focused or networking events and programs, and
  
• communicating with all alumni about our programs through LinkedIn, our website, Madison magazine and more.
  

A broader emphasis will be placed on overall ability to engage all alumni in the life of the university as volunteers, event participants, mentors, employers and donors in line with the strategic goals of the university; our division; and the Constituent Engagement unit, which includes Annual Giving and Family Engagement, as well as Alumni Relations and its connected 501(c)3, the more-than-170,000-member JMU Alumni Association.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Career and Networking focused programming and event planning:

• Design and implement innovative programming and events that support alumni career development and professional networking.
• Facilitate both online and in-person career/networking events and resources.
• Manage OAR-sponsored mentorship opportunities for students and alumni.
• Create and manage webinars with career or professional development content.
• Lead events and programming connecting students and young alumni to alumni career networks.
• Work with established resources to evaluate then refine or terminate existing offerings to benefit alumni professionally; create new ones; promote to alumni.
• Research best practices at universities across the country.

Relationship Development and Management:

• Implement an alumni mentor program through communication and stewardship of volunteers.
• Build relationships and sustainable partnerships with departments across campus focused on career networking and student involvement.
• Develop strategy and implement plan for collecting data for mentoring efforts happening campus-wide and not under the direction of OAR.
• Facilitate alumni business focus groups (as part of volunteer engagement).
• Develop strategy to support and grow the Alumni Small Business Directory.

Communication:

• Identify key alumni to interview and feature in content across platforms including Madison magazine.
• Develop exclusive communications, experiences, and promotional items for alumni engaged in Career, Networking and Mentoring programs.
• Manage content and engagement in JMU Alumni’s LinkedIn group.
• Function as a member of the Alumni Relations team
• Assist the Director of Alumni Relations and Assistant Vice President for Constituent Engagement in planning and implementing events and other initiatives based on the priorities of the university and JMUAA
• Attend department, unit and division meetings as requested
• Represent Alumni Relations and the JMU Alumni Association at University, community and professional functions, as requested

Qualifications:

Required:

• Bachelor's degree required, masters preferred
• Three or more years of professional experience in alumni relations, career services, higher education, or program management.
• Event planning and management experience, including virtual and in-person events, panels, and workshops.
• Proven interpersonal and organizational skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Proficiency with digital engagement tools (e.g., Zoom, LinkedIn, social media, online networking platforms).
• Comfortable with traveling independently and ability to work some nights and weekends.
• Ability to juggle multiple tasks and meet deadlines
• Experience with long and short-range plan implementation
• Proficiency with digital engagement tools (e.g., Zoom, LinkedIn, social media, online networking platforms).

Preferred:

• License to operate a motor vehicle
• Demonstrated experience with storytelling and marketing programs/events
• Experience with program development
• Data management and analysis skills, with experience using CRM, database, or alumni engagement platforms
• Proactive approach to customer service with the ability to work effectively with administration, faculty, volunteers, alumni and students

Additional Posting Information:

JMU’s Dual Career and Community Resources Program is available for candidates that will be relocating to the area. For more information, please visit https://bit.ly/2OTF1NG.

Conditions of Employment:  

Employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a criminal background check.

E-Verify Notice: After accepting employment, new hires are required to complete an I-9 form and present documentation of their identity and eligibility to work in the United States. James Madison University uses the E-Verify system to confirm identity and work authorization.

EEO Statement:

James Madison University is committed to creating and supporting a diverse and inclusive work and educational community that is free of all forms of discrimination. This institution does not tolerate discrimination or harassment on the basis of age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national origin, parental status, political affiliation, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or veteran status.

We promote access, inclusion and diversity for all students, faculty, staff, constituents and programs, believing that these qualities are foundational components of an outstanding education in keeping with our mission. The university is interested in candidates whose experience and qualifications support an ongoing commitment to this core quality.

Anyone having questions concerning discrimination should contact the Office for Equal Opportunity: (540) 568-6991.

Reasonable Accommodation:

If you are an individual with a disability and need assistance searching or applying for jobs please contact us at (540) 568-3597 or jobs@jmu.edu. You may also visit the JMU Human Resource Office, located at 752 Ott Street, Harrisonburg, VA 22807 and we will be happy to assist you.