Director of Alumni Relations, Executive Director of the W Club

Universities of Wisconsin • Madison, WI

8d • $130,500 • Onsite

About The Position

Join Wisconsin Athletics in leading one of the most passionate and proud letterwinner groups in college sports — the W Club, home to over 10,000 living alumni. We’re seeking a strong, seasoned strategic leader who can connect across generations, turn ideas into action, and bring initiatives to life. This leader will guide traditions like the Wisconsin Athletics Hall of Fame, Homecoming, and lead the W Club board by engaging alumni in target markets, and welcoming them back to Madison to celebrate and honor the enduring legacy of being a Badger. This position is about turning vision into reality through storytelling, relationships, and creating meaningful opportunities for letterwinners to stay connected for life. You’ll help alumni celebrate their history while building a shared vision for the future, advancing priorities such as supporting a life changing student-athlete opportunity and building the brand of Wisconsin Athletics nationally. If you can inspire pride, foster connection, and carry forward the belief that Once a Badger, Always a Badger, we want you on our team.

Requirements

• 5–10 years of progressive leadership experience in alumni relations, donor relations, athletic administration, professional sports, nonprofit leadership, or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated success leading strategic initiatives, programs, or campaigns from concept to execution with measurable results.
• Proven ability to lead and inspire staff, boards, and volunteers toward shared goals.
• Track record of developing and executing strategic plans that align with organizational mission and priorities.
• Interpersonal skills with the ability to connect authentically with a broad range of constituents, including alumni, donors, student-athletes, coaches, and community leaders.
• Skilled in fostering and maintaining long-term relationships with diverse audiences, including individuals with differing perspectives on organizational change.
• Outstanding written, verbal, and presentation skills, with the ability to represent the organization in high-profile settings.
• Strong organizational and project management skills with the ability to prioritize and manage multiple initiatives simultaneously.
• A confident leader who can both develop big-picture strategy and drive day-to-day execution.
• High degree of professionalism, integrity, and discretion.
• Experience in budgeting and resource allocation
• Familiarity with NCAA regulations and the shifting landscape in collegiate athletics.
• Bachelor’s degree required with a preference in business, communications, sports management, nonprofit administration, or related field

Nice To Haves

• Former Intercollegiate Student-Athlete
• Experience managing advisory boards, councils, or committees, including governance, engagement, and succession planning.
• Experience developing and implementing multi-channel communication strategies to reach diverse alumni audiences.
• Strong network-building skills with an understanding of how to connect current student-athletes with alumni for mentorship, career opportunities, and lifelong engagement.
• Advanced degree preferred in sports leadership

Responsibilities

• Exercises supervisory authority, including hiring, transferring, suspending, promoting, managing conduct and performance, discharging, assigning, rewarding, disciplining, and/or approving hours worked of at least 2.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees
• Assists in the development of strategic planning initiatives and objectives to ensure appropriate use of financial, administrative, and staffing resources and alignment with the strategic plan
• Assists in the development and implementation of alumni relations goals and operating policies and procedures to promote alumni impact and fundraising activities in alignment with the strategic plan
• Serves as the subject matter expert regarding alumni campaign strategies and performance goals
• Develops, implements, and monitors communication and branding campaigns and programs
• Identifies, develops, and monitors staff performance and goals

Benefits

• Generous vacation, holidays, and paid time off
• Competitive insurances and savings accounts
• Retirement benefits
• Badger gear & season tickets for Badger football, men's basketball and men's hockey, and/or the varsity sports pass

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive