Working Title: Assistant Director, Family Engagement

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: 100245 - Parent Relations

Pay Band: N/A

Pay Rate: Pay Range

Specify Range or Amount: $60,000 - $68,484 

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: 10/05/2026

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 Office of Family Engagement is responsible for planning and executing programs and projects that strategically engage parents and families of JMU students through institutional support and service. Engagement includes volunteering, event attendance, communication, and giving. The Assistant Director, in collaboration with campus colleagues, will develop and implement leadership annual giving opportunities, college families’ programming and communication initiatives that promote all four aspects of engagement.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Event, Relationship and Data Management (67%):

• Maintain accurate and up-to-date records of all participant and donor interactions in the system of record, Salesforce.
• Events: Chair the Family Weekend Committee of campus partners and oversee the coordination and organization of weekend activities. Work closely with OFE colleagues on event promotion and communication strategies. Use the university event management systems and processes to secure annual space reservations for major on-campus events (i.e., Family Weekend and Parents Council meetings). Partner with the OFE Director to coordinate four annual First-Year Send Off events held in July and August including identifying key geographic regions based on incoming student populations, assigning Parents Council hosts, securing venues and catering, developing communication plans with Council members and campus partners, and managing registration details.
• Contracts and Finance: Coordinate all contractual and financial agreements with internal and external vendors. Work with Procurement to ensure that external contractual agreements align with university policies.
• Volunteers: Support the Parents Council by coordinating fall and spring meetings and activities and identifying volunteer engagement opportunities. Organize efficient and effective meetings, including taking minutes during summer planning meetings. Work with the Director to create and maintain policies and procedures governing the board. Collaborate with the development team to identify and implement strategies for cultivating members and connecting them with philanthropic opportunities aligned with their interests. Collect and utilize members' knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) to identify additional engagement opportunities across campus.
• Assessment and Analysis: Develop and implement evaluation standards for all programs to improve effectiveness and inform future planning. Research and develop new initiatives and services that enhance the parent and family experience and support student success. Develop, administer, and analyze engagement surveys for current JMU parents and families, and share results with key campus partners.

Fundraising (33%):

• Support parent and family philanthropic engagement efforts by partnering with the OFE Director and Director of Annual Giving to implement targeted communications and solicitation initiatives for parents and families.
• Increase the number of leadership-level parent and family donors.
• Increase the number of donors within family constituencies.
• Increase membership in the Parent & Family Leadership Society.
• Increase overall dollars raised for the Parents & Families Fund.
• Collaborate with Development, Principal Relationships and Philanthropic Operations to identify prospective parent and family donors.
• Develop peer-to-peer fundraising strategies and materials for Parent & Family Leadership Society members in close collaboration with the OFE Director.
• Assessment & Analysis: Maintain a working knowledge of annual fundraising strategies targeted toward parent and family giving. Analyze giving trends, both within JMU and across higher education, to establish annual fundraising goals and objectives. Make strategic and tactical adjustments to fundraising plans to achieve parent and family giving goals.

Qualifications:

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree.
• Minimum of two years of experience in fundraising, philanthropy, or a related field.
• Experience working in higher education, nonprofit organizations, or a related field.
• Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends.

Preferred:

• Demonstrated success in developing and implementing fundraising and engagement strategies.
• Strong organizational, planning, and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, highly collaborative environment.
• Strong attention to detail and the ability to work independently.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with people from a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives.
• Sound judgment, strong decision-making skills, and the ability to maintain confidentiality.
• Outstanding interpersonal and relationship-building skills.

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.