Alumni Relations Assistant, Engagement Marketing and Communications

25-Mar-2024

Alumni Affairs and Development

65283BR

Job Summary

Alumni Affairs and Development (AA&D)
Alumni Affairs and Development is a dedicated team supporting Harvard’s advancement activity through front-line fundraising, alumni and volunteer engagement, technology, prospect management and research, business process, events, communications, and many other areas.

Our goal is to create an environment of respect that leverages the many talents, perspectives, and experiences of our employees; to deliver the strongest possible results by incorporating diverse perspectives into our daily work; and to make AA&D a great place to work for everyone. We strive to live our values of respect, inclusion, trust, collaboration, continuous improvement and innovation; and open communication and effective information sharing in our daily interactions and our work.

AA&D is comprised of the University Development Office (UDO), Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) Development, AA&D Resources, the Harvard Alumni Association (HAA), and the Office of the Vice President (OVP).

The Harvard Alumni Association (HAA) is the University-wide alumni association for Harvard University. It is also the home to the Harvard College and Radcliffe College alumni/ae association and the staff that support them. In its University-wide capacity, the HAA serves alumni of all eleven schools at Harvard in a manner supportive of and complementary to the work of the individual school alumni offices. Harvard University alumni span the globe at nearly 400,000 strong – more than 327,000 are in the USA, with 204 international countries represented.

This Alumni Relations Assistant role provides supports work across Harvard Alumni Association’s (HAA) Engagement Marketing and Communications (EMC) team. Key aspects of the position include supporting the work of the Marketing Strategist in the creation of email newsletters; providing support and back-up coverage for the Digital Content Strategist’s work managing the HAA’s four social media channels, including social posting, scheduling, and some content creation; regularly updating monthly data reports; and providing  primary administration support to all members of the EMC team, especially the Senior Director and Senior Associate Director.

Position Description

• In support of the Marketing Strategist, plays a key role in curating content and events from across Harvard for the EMC team’s weekly and monthly newsletters;
• Regularly monitors four HAA social media networks, which includes tracking replies, retweets, and communicating regularly with the Digital Content Strategist about any issues or flags that arise. This position also manages responding to direct messages across a variety of social networks to ensure alumni outreach receives a timely response;
• Provides writing support for Twitter, Instagram, Threads, LinkedIn, and Facebook content;
• Manages regular social listening and reporting tools, creating and sharing reports on social media trends and sentiment on a regular basis.
• Manages moving pieces on most team email projects including submitting projects with complete information to our email queue, supporting or managing the email testing process, and running point on all email proofreading.
• Pulls all data and analytics across email, web, and social media channels in advance of the EMC team’s monthly reporting meetings;
• Provides back-up social media coverage at key HAA and Harvard events in support of the Digital Content Strategist;
• Performs archival and other research to support the marketing efforts of the EMC team; 
• Provides regular administrative support to the Senior Director and Senior Associate Director and other team members as needed;
• Manages the EMC team’s proofreading queue;
• Makes updates and build pages on alumni.harvard.edu on an as needed basis;
• As needed, manages  vendor who provides captioning for all HAA video content and regularly manages YouTube uploads of videos to the HAA YouTube channel;
• Provides back-up support for HAA phone line as needed;
• Manages and updates the EMC team’s section on the Alumni Affairs and Development intranet (“The Source”);
• Other duties as assigned.

Basic Qualifications

• At least 1 year of related experience in marketing/communications. Education beyond high school may count towards experience;
• Experience with Microsoft Office (i.e. - PowerPoint, Word, Excel, Outlook, etc.) required;
• Evening and weekend work required at least once or twice monthly throughout the academic year that will require an on-site presence in Cambridge; this role is also required to be on-site covering Harvard Class Day, Commencement, Reunions, and Harvard Alumni Day events in Cambridge office for most days from the last full week of May through the first Saturday in June. Provides social media coverage at events that may occur outside of standard office hours.

Additional Qualifications and Skills

• BA/BS from accredited institution preferred;
• Excellent written communication skills;
• Experience with social media preferred;
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail; ability to manage multiple competing priorities at once;
• Demonstrated ability to work both independently and collaboratively;
• Team-oriented mindset, demonstrated interest and openness to collaborating closely with team members from across the EMC team and HAA broadly;
• Must have cultural sensitivity and awareness of diversity issues regarding the internal and external Harvard community;
• Strong customer service skills and an interest in helping and supporting others;
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment with an ability to be flexible and nimble and quickly adapt to new directions and approaches under deadline pressure;
• Possess a learning mindset with an interest in staying up to date on marketing best practices;
• Level of comfort working in Excel is helpful. 

Additional Information

• This position requires a 3 month orientation and review period.
• Please include a cover letter with your application.

To learn more about the AA&D team, please visit our Careers site at 

https://alumni.harvard.edu/careers

To learn more about how Harvard supports diversity and inclusion throughout the University please visit the Office for Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging at https://dib.harvard.edu/ .

Accommodations: Harvard University welcomes individuals with disabilities to apply for positions and participate in its programs and activities. If you would like to request accommodations or have questions about the physical access provided, please let your recruiter know.

COVID 19 Vaccination Information: The health of our workforce is a priority for Harvard University.  With that in mind, we strongly encourage all employees to be up to date on CDC-recommended vaccines.

Work Format Details

This is a hybrid position that is based in Massachusetts. Additional details will be discussed during the interview process. All remote work must be performed within one of the Harvard Registered Payroll States, which currently includes Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, Washington, and California (CA for exempt positions only). Certain visa types and funding sources may limit work location. Individuals must meet work location sponsorship requirements prior to employment.

Benefits

We invite you to visit Harvard's Total Rewards website (https://hr.harvard.edu/totalrewards ) to learn more about our outstanding benefits package, which may include:

• Paid Time Off: 3-4 weeks of accrued vacation time per year (3 weeks for support staff and 4 weeks for administrative/professional staff), 12 accrued sick days per year, 12.5 holidays plus a Winter Recess in December/January, 3 personal days per year (prorated based on date of hire), and up to 12 weeks of paid leave for new parents who are primary care givers.
• Health and Welfare: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefits, disability and life insurance programs, along with voluntary benefits. Most coverage begins as of your start date.
• Work/Life and Wellness: Child and elder/adult care resources including on campus childcare centers, Employee Assistance Program, and wellness programs related to stress management, nutrition, meditation, and more.
• Retirement: University-funded retirement plan with contributions from 5% to 15% of eligible compensation, based on age and earnings with full vesting after 3 years of service.
• Tuition Assistance Program: Competitive program including $40 per class at the Harvard Extension School and reduced tuition through other participating Harvard graduate schools.
• Tuition Reimbursement: Program that provides 75% to 90% reimbursement up to $5,250 per calendar year for eligible courses taken at other accredited institutions.
• Professional Development: Programs and classes at little or no cost, including through the Harvard Center for Workplace Development and LinkedIn Learning.
• Commuting and Transportation: Various commuter options handled through the Parking Office, including discounted parking, half-priced public transportation passes and pre-tax transit passes, biking benefits, and more.
• Harvard Facilities Access, Discounts and Perks: Access to Harvard athletic and fitness facilities, libraries, campus events, credit union, and more, as well as discounts to various types of services (legal, financial, etc.) and cultural and leisure activities throughout metro-Boston.

Job Function

Alumni Affairs and Development, General Administration

Department Office Location

USA - MA - Cambridge

Job Code

403033 Staff Assistant III

Work Format

Hybrid (partially on-site, partially remote)

Department

Alumni Affairs and Development

Union

55 - Hvd Union Cler & Tech Workers

Pre-Employment Screening

Identity

Commitment to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging

Harvard University views equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging as the pathway to achieving inclusive excellence and fostering a campus culture where everyone can thrive. We strive to create a community that draws upon the widest possible pool of talent to unify excellence and diversity while fully embracing individuals from varied backgrounds, cultures, races, identities, life experiences, perspectives, beliefs, and values.

EEO Statement

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, or any other characteristic protected by law.

LinkedIn Recruiter Tag (for internal use only)

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