Regional Alumni Manager - South

Babson College•Wellesley, MA

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Regional Alumni Manager – South is responsible for executing the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses (10KSB) alumni program in the South region of the U.S. (focus on Dallas, TX, Little Rock, AR, and Miami, FL) to foster strong connections and relationships across the 10KSB alumni community—both in-person and virtually. This role involves actively engaging with individual alumni in their region and coordinating with program partners to achieve the national alumni program objectives and increase overall engagement of the 10KSB alumni community. The Regional Alumni Manager plays a crucial role in ensuring alumni community needs are met. There is a strong preference for this role to be based in Dallas, TX. The Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program is part of a national investment by the Goldman Sachs Foundation to unlock the growth and job creation potential of small businesses and is based on the broadly held view of leading experts that a combination of education, business support services, and access to capital best addresses the barriers to growth for small businesses. The Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program is comprised of three main components: business education, business support services (technical assistance and customized, one-on-one business advising) and the opportunity to access capital. The ultimate goal of the initiative is for the participating business owners to increase their revenues and create jobs in their community and surrounding areas. Babson College is the national education partner for 10,000 Small Businesses. Babson College created the program curriculum and oversees training and program delivery at community college partner sites across the country. This position sits within the education component of 10,000 Small Businesses and is based at Babson College.

Requirements

Master’s Degree in a related field (e.g. Communications, Business, Community Development, Social Sciences)
At least 7+ years of experience in community engagement, communications, or related roles, with a track record of successfully developing and implementing community engagement strategies.
Strong understanding of online community development and best practices for increasing engagement in this context.
Previous experience with organizational communication best practices.
Experience with or knowledge of the needs facing small business owners and how best to support their growth through educational opportunities, community building, networking, and other means.
Previous experience teaching or facilitating educational sessions (e.g. moderating panel discussions, facilitating an educational exercise, etc.) ideally in both in-person and online formats.
Must have strong interpersonal skills with the ability to present a positive and professional demeanor at all times.
Must have excellent business writing ability (e.g., professional email communications, creating professional presentations, etc.).
Ability to successfully perform multiple tasks and balance multiple priorities is essential along with strong organizational and time management skills.
Ability to work with ethnically, culturally, and socially diverse colleagues and other constituencies.
Ability to maintain confidentiality and utilize discretion when working with program materials.
Ability to work independently to solve problems; look for opportunities to take on responsibility; take thoughtful risks; and effectively act on new and ongoing initiatives, objectives, and solutions to gain sought-after results.
Ability to anticipate and effectively handle change; demonstrate willingness to develop new skills and take on challenging tasks; and is flexible in changing conditions.
Must have strong technology skills. A thorough knowledge of MS Office (Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook, etc.) is required.
Previous experience with email communication platforms such as Constant Contact is required.
Experience with online communication and meeting platforms such as WebEx, Zoom, Teams, etc. is required.
The ability to travel for in-person events throughout the region and to other program events is required. Trips are expected to be up to 10 per year and generally not longer than two days at a time.

Nice To Haves

Previous experience with databases/CRM strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Community Engagement: Implements a comprehensive alumni engagement strategy that increases participation and engagement in the region. This includes understanding the relative engagement of alumni in the region, developing and deepening relationships and connections with alumni in the region, and keeping accurate and detailed records in the program’s national CRM (Salesforce). Proactively reaches out to a defined number of alumni on a monthly basis (as defined by national program guidance) to develop and manage relationships with alumni.
Alumni Program Events Management: Plans, advertises, drives attendance, and hosts a variety of online and in-person events for alumni in this region in accordance with the national alumni program strategy. This includes events such as: 10KSB Exchanges, alumni ambassador meetings, 10KSB Socials, and twice annually 10KSB clinics. Plans and executes alumni events following 10KSB program guidance.
Site Team Coordination and Support: Adequately prepares for and attends relevant site management calls to address matters related to the alumni community for that site/region. Liaises regularly with site/regional executive directors regarding the alumni populations, programming, or any concerns related to alumni in a timely and collaborative fashion.
Digital Platform Management: Serves as a community manager for the groups that reside in this geographic region. This includes regularly monitoring the group for community standards, and increasing online activity and conversation in these groups. Responsible for achieving or exceeding quarterly activation and engagement goals for alumni in their region. Serves as primary person responsible for onboarding new program participants to the platform (e.g. onboarding scholars at specific times throughout the classroom experience). Notifying the Senior Manager for Community Engagement and Communications or designee on any technical or community standards issues.
Communications: Follows the national alumni program guidance for local and national communications standards. Prepares weekly Monday emails to alumni (as needed) to keep them informed of upcoming events and opportunities. Routinely updates information in the program CRM (Salesforce) including news, contact information, etc. Supports regular alumni communication through email, platform, texting, and calling as needed and as directed in the national program guidance.
Measurement & Evaluation: Responsible for the collection of measurement and evaluation (M&E) diagnostics from alumni in their region. This typically will include collecting 3-6 diagnostics, three times a year, in a 90-100 day cycle. Follows the national M&E collection guidance and schedule and direction from the national team on how and when to launch surveys, contact alumni, and how to conduct follow-ups with alumni who have not completed.
Assumes additional responsibilities as required at the direction of supervisor or the national team leadership.