Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering (Olin), a recognized leader in the transformation of engineering education, seeks a relationship-focused and highly collaborative Director of Constituent Relations (Director) to provide an innovative yet purposeful approach to cultivating mutually reinforcing relationships with Olin alumni, students, parents, and key stakeholders, enlisting them in authentic and delightful ways as broadcasters, life-long learners, champions, active participants, and financial supporters of the College’s transformational work as it broadens its ambitions to advance engineering as a bridge to equity, opportunity, and progress for humanity on a global scale.
Founded by a visionary $460 million grant from the F.W. Olin Foundation in 1997, with the first class of students matriculating in 2002, Olin College of Engineering was always “intended to be different…to be a constant contributor to the advancement of engineering education in America and throughout the world, and through its graduates, to do good for humankind.” These foundational goals remain paramount as Olin evolves in its third decade of existence. Recently ranked number two in the nation for undergraduate engineering education by U.S. News & World Report, the College’s new strategic plan outlines a clear vision: Engineering for Everyone, meaning that engineering education needs to be for everyone and that engineering as a profession must serve everyone. As the College launches a series of new strategic initiatives, reinvigorating Olin’s fundraising and constituent relations are key components of Olin’s new strategy. A relatively young College with a gender diverse alumni base of 1,300 people, the oldest of whom is 40 years old, Olin has the potential for outsized impact as it fosters a values-driven spirit of innovation that is embraced by a vibrant community of thinkers and doers including leadership, faculty, students, parents, alumni, and friends who serve as enthusiastic ambassadors for the College.
Olin is educating the next generation of engineering innovators and shifting the definition of engineering. Not only do Olin students ask, “Who are we designing this for, and what are their values?” They also ask questions about the impact of their work on society. As Olin evolves under the leadership of President Gilda Barabino, it seeks to become a more diverse and aware community, a place where everyone is a learner and where everyone is an educator. Olin will become a place where experimentation—including making and learning from mistakes—will be embraced across the institution, not just in the classroom. Olin is a very small community, characterized by collaboration, experimentation, and interdisciplinarity across the institution. Collaboration is key to Olin’s curriculum and culture, and everyone works intentionally to reinforce the core values and culture to which the Olin community aspires. Olin is a community that thrives on being together; mutual trust is a shared value and a constant practice. The College supports teams to collaboratively decide how they can best do their work, display a commitment to the community, all while providing individuals with overall work-life flexibility.
It’s time to further accelerate this vision. In support of these bold endeavors, the Director will have primary responsibility for designing and implementing a yearly plan for constituent engagement that takes a data-driven approach to developing and achieving key performance indicators (KPIs) with clearly stated goals and objectives for alumni, parents, and friends. Taking an innovative approach to creating experiences for Olin’s constituencies that inspires connection and motivates a philanthropic mindset is central to this role. Meaningful constituent engagement fuels positive impact across the College from enrollment to student experience, to the development of new revenue and strengthened partner relationships, and elevation of the Olin brand. The Director, as a member of the Office of Strategic Communications, will work collaboratively within this team and across campus to help create alignment of efforts in building strong, lifelong relationships with Olin’s constituent groups while matching their philanthropic interests with the College’s aspirations and priorities. This position will work closely with the Office of External Programs and Partnerships, which has a role in developing alumni programming, to coordinate relationship building efforts. The Director of the Olin Fund will be a close partner to this person to ensure that annual giving and engagement communications are coordinated, consistent, and encourage meaningful, personalized opportunities and modes of connection and support at all levels. This is a unique opportunity to be at the intersection of all the facets of Olin’s community while having a significant impact in achieving institutional goals.
Successful candidates will understand how to create contextually relevant content and experiences for segmented audiences (e.g., families, alumni, donors, volunteers, affinity stakeholders) that inspire action and philanthropic support, as well as experience in employing analytics and omnichannel platforms to identify trends or new audiences, pilot new programs, improve operating performance, and evaluate success.
This position requires at least seven years of relevant leadership experience in a fundraising or resource generation frame with value-driven membership or affinity-based outreach, programming, and stewardship in a mission-driven environment. Exemplary interpersonal skills, the ability to work in a complex and rapidly evolving environment, and a deep understanding of how to orchestrate the activities of staff and volunteers are critical.
A collaborative and accessible leadership style, well-suited to working within a distributed model of institutional advancement, is a prerequisite, as is the creativity, energy, and political savvy needed to prioritize and champion new ideas. In accordance with its core values and mission, Olin is especially interested in recruiting members of diverse communities and individuals with a commitment to anti-racism.
Application Instructions
Olin College of Engineering has partnered with Talent Citizen to assist in this recruitment. Please reach out to President Tracy D. Welsh and Senior Associate Eva Kotilinek to share your resume and cover letter via email at: ocoe-dcr@talentcitizen.com.
Olin College is dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace. If you’re excited about the role and have relevant experience, but your work history doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we would nevertheless welcome hearing from you.
We especially welcome applications from candidates belonging to groups that have been historically underrepresented in higher education, including women, racial and ethnic minorities, LGBTQIA people, and people with disabilities. Olin College is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
