Assistant Vice President for Alumni Relations

Role Summary

The Assistant Vice President (AVP) for Alumni Relations is mainly responsible for developing and executing a comprehensive alumni engagement strategy that strengthens lifelong relationships between alumni and their alma mater (LAU, BUC, BCW), fosters a strong sense of belonging, and encourages alumni support for the University, its students, and fellow alumni. S/he supports alumni employability, increases visibility of alumni success, enhances alumni lifelong learning, facilitates alumni speaking opportunities on campuses and increases connections between alumni and students.

Reporting to the Vice President for Communication and Alumni Relations, the AVP leads initiatives that enhance alumni engagement through volunteerism, mentorship, lifelong learning, career development, networking, events and recognition of alumni achievements.

The AVP provides strategic leadership for alumni programs and regional chapters in Lebanon and internationally, establishes engagement goals and performance metrics, oversees volunteer leadership and alumni engagement operations, and optimizes the use of technology and resources. S/he develops and maintains collaborative relationships and programs with university units to advance institutional priorities. S/he also supports the President and VP Advancement, in close collaboration with the VP for Communication and Alumni Relations by identifying and cultivating prominent alumni in support of the University’s advancement objectives.

Main Duties & Responsibilities

• Shapes and executes a comprehensive long-term alumni and stakeholder engagement strategy that fosters a strong sense of belonging among LAU’s alumni community and inspires sustained support for the University, its students, and fellow alumni through meaningful engagement, philanthropy, mentorship, advocacy, and lifelong partnerships
• Develops, implements, monitors and reports on the Alumni Relations strategic plan, operating plan, key performance indicators, and regular board reports
• Leads the University’s long-term alumni engagement strategy to strengthen lifelong relationships, foster alumni loyalty and increase alumni support for the University, its students, and fellow alumni
• Assesses alumni needs and engagement through qualitative and quantitative research, analyzes trends, identifies key alumni segments, and develops data driven engagement strategies
• Oversees the planning and implementation of the University’s Connections program ensuring alumni are participating in events, providing their expertise to students and classes
• Designs and supervises the implementation of the Volunteering Program for alumni (in chapters, committees, mentoring programs) through planning committees, school councils, coordination with Admissions and Career Development, and alumni participation recruitment   
• Supports alumni employability by showcasing the university’s career services, building ties with alumni for alumni employability, making the necessary referrals to Career Development Services, supporting and/or organizing networking events
• Works closely with the Vice President for Communication & Alumni Relations on strategic initiatives, alumni engagement priorities, and cross-unit coordination
• Provides leadership on an LAU-wide alumni engagement strategy and identify shared roles and responsibilities to foster this collaborative effort
• Ensures high-level alumni engagement, especially volunteer efforts, are guided by a governance framework and/or policies; reviews chapter governance models, compliance and reputational risk management policies
• Provides strategic collaboration within LAU with key units, engaging senior leadership (including VPs, Deans, AVPs, and Directors) in cross-functional initiatives around global networks, reputation, or employability
• Collaborates closely with Schools to encourage, support and foster their alumni engagement and alumni recognition efforts
• Develops and maintains cooperative and collaborative relationships and programs with key university units, such as Admissions, Career Services, Advancement, Registrar, Athletics, Student Affairs
• Supervises major events such as the Annual Alumni Homecoming program, business networking events, continued education programs, and additional affinity group activities
• Serves as the institutional alumni voice. Represents LAU at high-profile alumni and external events. Acts as the key relationship manager with influential alumni, boards and partners
• Modernizes and keeps current LAU’s alumni digital engagement strategy
• Organizes and builds volunteer leadership in Chapter cities and supports chapters in organizing their activities. Oversees and reports on the overall operation of chapters including their finances. Works closely with the Alumni Advisory Board to design and implement a consistent alumni program
• Develops and supervises the implementation of the alumni recognition programs, namely its Alumni Achievement Award and Alumni Recognition Award
• Develops programs to enhance alumni visibility and pride, regularly keeps alumni aware of institutional news; champions and promotes alumni success
• Identifies key alumni segments, by needs, by demographics including geographies
• Establishes and builds relationships with a wide range of alumni, locally and internationally; maintains regular communication with alumni via direct contact, email blasts, alumni web pages, social networks, digital tools and publications
• Coordinates with the Vice President for Communication & Alumni Relations on sensitive alumni matters, high-level outreach, and representation in national and international events
• Prepares, oversees and balances the budget for Alumni Relations
• Supervises the Alumni Relations staff in the execution of the plans and activities; sets performance goals and regularly assesses performance and provides feedback; supports the team’s growth and effectiveness with training and development
• Channels alumni communications and needs to the adequate counterparts within the institution
• Develops and implements the alumni mentoring program to connect alumni with students and support student success, career readiness and employability, entrepreneurship
• Works closely with the President on alumni-related travel and meetings
• Collaborates with Advancement/Development to facilitate the university’s philanthropic strategy
• Identifies for the President and VP Advancement prominent community figures and major prospect donors in Lebanon and abroad and facilitates visits
• Works closely with Advancement Operations to solicit, maintain, and track accurate and up-to-date information for alumni files
• Collaborates closely with the development team in increasing support from alumni; routinely identifies and qualifies alumni prospects for gifts; refers potential alumni donors; communicates development-related activities
• Ensures the highest levels of a high-performing entity that focuses on talent strategy, succession planning, supportive culture, and workload planning
• Supports the relevant goals, actions and steps in the University’s strategic plans (SPIV/Renewed)
• Serves on committees formed by the President with specific tasks/situations
• Creates ad hoc alumni committees for specific tasks

Minimum Required Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Business Administration, Management, Marketing, or related field. LAU education is highly desirable
• Minimum 16 years of related work experience, ideally including 6 years in alumni relations (managing alumni programs, networks, or engagement initiatives), or experience in stakeholder engagement, donor cultivation, community outreach, events management, and engagement campaigns, with at least 6 years in a supervisory role
• Knowledge of Lebanese higher education landscape and alumni expectations
• Proven ability to design and implement alumni engagement strategies
• Experience organizing events, reunions, and networking programs
• Communication and marketing skills
• Management and planning skills
• Leadership, public speaking, problem-solving, negotiation skills
• Proficiency in using AI tools to enhance productivity and planning, and MS Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint…); familiarity with CRM systems for alumni databases
• Effective verbal and written communication skills in English and Arabic

Working Conditions

Extensive Travel: Frequent domestic and international travel (around 7 to 12 trips per year) to engage with alumni, attend conferences, and represent the university at external events.

Event Attendance: Regular participation in alumni-related events, networking functions, and formal dinners is expected, often during evenings and weekends.

Flexible Schedule: Irregular hours to accommodate events and travel, including nights and weekends.

Interested candidates should email their CVs with a letter of interest outlining the applicant’s relevant experience to ramzi@globalexecutivesearchservices.com, specifying the job title in the subject line. 

CVs should include the exact month and year while listing the candidate’s professional experience and educational background.

Closing date for accepting applications is Wednesday, August 05, 2026.

No applications will be accepted after this date, and only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

The Lebanese American University is an Equal Opportunity Employer.