Director, Volunteer Experience

Director, Volunteer Experience

USC Alumni Association is seeking a strategic and relationship-driven Director, Volunteer Experience to design and lead a university-wide volunteer engagement strategy that inspires and empowers alumni to stay meaningfully connected to USC. Reporting to the Deputy Director, Strategic Initiatives, the Director will champion a volunteer experience rooted in service, leadership, and Trojan pride—ensuring alumni volunteers feel welcomed, supported, and celebrated throughout their entire engagement journey.

This role will develop and oversee onboarding and offboarding processes, volunteer leadership development programming, and recognition strategies. The Director will partner with teams across Advancement to support volunteer rotation, build a diverse and robust volunteer pipeline, and manage tools and resources that help volunteers thrive in their roles. 

A successful candidate will be an excellent communicator, a strategic thinker, and a passionate advocate for the power of volunteerism to strengthen the Trojan Family.

This is a hybrid-fixed position under our current work arrangement plan, with the expectation of an on-site presence for 3 days/week on the University Park Campus. Late nights, weekends, and travel are required for this position. 

University Advancement is committed to non-discrimination and equal opportunity for all, where all advancement staff and our stakeholders have the opportunity to connect, belong, and grow while supporting the University of Southern California’s mission, values, and goals.

Responsibilities

Strategic Direction (40%)

• Lead the full volunteer lifecycle, including recruiting, screening, orienting, and strategically matching highly skilled volunteers with appropriate opportunities. 

• Manage and produce the annual Volunteer Recognition Dinner and Alumni Leadership Conference. 

• Oversee all aspects of data reporting related to volunteer engagement, including regular internal reports, and annual impact/engagement reports. 

• Stay informed about current trends and best practices in higher education, volunteer engagement and management.

Volunteer & Program Management (40%)

• Actively recruit, manage, and train alumni volunteers for leadership positions within the regional networks that represent the full spectrum of the overall alumni body. 

• Develop and maintain relationships with key volunteer leadership, support the Board of Governors committees, and identify opportunities to grow the USCAA volunteer and engagement pipeline

• Establish policies, standard operating procedures, goals, metrics and other key performance indicators to measure the ongoing effectiveness and impact of the program. 

• Establish clear volunteer policies and procedures, including application forms, position descriptions, a comprehensive online handbook, and a code of conduct.

• Ensure all volunteers are stewarded and thanked appropriately for their level of service that is consistent across our programs. 

• Ensure all volunteers are coded in the database to ensure proper tracking and building of a volunteer pipeline. 

• Conduct end-of-year volunteer evaluations, including volunteer surveys, to ensure we are meeting the needs of our volunteers and goals of our program, and facilitate a campus-wide volunteer engagement meeting.

Partnerships (20%)

• Coordinate with alumni and campus departments/staff to identify needs, track engagement, and provide necessary volunteer resources. 

• Travel to network and group events as needed to provide on-site volunteer engagement support.

• Work closely with annual giving, major and planned giving to increase the donor pipeline through referrals and activation of alumni volunteers.   

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree.

• Combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education.

• Minimum of three - five years of professional experience in alumni engagement and program management, or related function/field. 

• Excellent written and oral communication skills. Ability to prepare clear and concise reports and deliver formal presentations to senior management and other audiences.

• Proven track record of successfully managing regional programs, events and volunteers

• Ability to juggle a vast quantity of incoming information, interruptions, and inquiries with a high level of professionalism and tolerance for ambiguity.

• Demonstrated ability to serve different audiences and to work to build consensus among team members; excellent skills to advise and consult management on all aspects of communications including dealing effectively with sensitive or complex issues of information. 

• Proficiency with Salesforce and the Microsoft suite of applications as well as other applications, programs and databases; demonstrated experience with web and new media technology.

• Late nights, weekends, and travel are required for this position. 

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree

• Advanced knowledge of current affairs and issues in higher education with ability to quickly and thoroughly understand the changing higher education landscape 

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills. Strong project/program management skills with demonstrated effectiveness in data analysis, critical thinking, creative problem solving, consulting, facilitation, negotiating, influencing, people leadership and strategic decision-making skills.

• Thorough knowledge of market research and of current/emerging marketing trends and best practices including digital strategies/technologies.

In addition, the successful candidate must also demonstrate, through ideas, words and actions, a strong commitment to USC’s Unifying Values of integrity, excellence, community, well-being, open communication, and accountability.

Required Documents 

Resume and cover letter required (may be uploaded as one file). Please do not submit your application without these documents.

Compensation and Benefits

The budgeted salary range for this position is $110,000 - $120,000. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer alignment, federal, state, and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

To support faculty and staff well-being, USC provides benefits-eligible employees with a broad range of benefits and perks to help protect their and their dependents’ health, wealth, and future. These benefits are available as part of the overall compensation and total rewards package. You can learn more about USC’s comprehensive benefits here.

Minimum Education: Bachelor's degree, Combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education Minimum Experience: 3 years Minimum Field of Expertise: Directly related professional and supervisory experience in area of program specialization