Executive Director of Engagement Strategy and Systems

About the University

The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education, all influenced by Penn’s distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer, Penn has been ranked nationally, including being named one of America’s Best Large Employers by Forbes in 2023.

The University offers a unique working environment within Philadelphia, situated on a beautiful urban campus with easy access to educational, cultural, and recreational activities. Philadelphia is known for its historical significance, lively cultural offerings, and diverse atmospheres.

The University provides a competitive benefits package, including excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, and a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources.

About the Role

The Executive Director of Engagement Strategy and Systems serves as a Development and Alumni Relations (DAR) senior leader responsible for digital engagement strategy. This role draws on constituent research, behavioral insights, and cross-advancement collaboration to create coordinated experiences that deepen alumni relationships and donor participation. As the senior functional and strategic owner of Penn’s engagement technology ecosystem, this position bridges DAR’s communications and engagement strategy with the technical expertise required to manage digital engagement systems.

The role requires specialized understanding and skills in effective constituent engagement supported by strategic data and technology decisions. Success depends on knowing how platforms should advance alumni and donor relationships, supporting user adoption, evaluating effectiveness, and continuously improving the constituent experience. The Executive Director ensures DAR’s engagement work and supporting systems are well governed and strategically applied to achieve communications, engagement, and fundraising goals.

The Executive Director leads digital transformation and innovation across DAR’s engagement systems and serves as a strategic liaison to University technology partners. Under the guidance of the Senior Executive Director of Marketing and Communications, the role provides leadership across governance, operating standards, data stewardship, architecture, integrations, and vendor strategy. It establishes department-wide frameworks supporting secure, scalable, and user-centered experiences across schools and centers, exercising significant influence over decisions that advance engagement outcomes, donor pipeline development, and the global Penn alumni experience.

Embedded within DAR Communications and Marketing, the Executive Director serves as a strategic advisor to University and DAR leadership, partnering closely with colleagues across central DAR and the schools and centers to advance institutional engagement priorities. The position leads a specialized team responsible for improving communications and marketing strategy through platform administration, optimization, training, adoption, and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of an enterprise digital engagement strategy that aligns communications, alumni relations, annual giving, events, volunteer engagement, and development priorities across DAR.
• Partner with DAR Marketing and Communications, Alumni Relations, Annual Giving, development teams, analytics, and schools and centers to identify constituent needs, establish shared engagement priorities, and translate those priorities into coordinated digital experiences.
• Determine alumni engagement strategies and provide strategic counsel to DAR senior leadership and ISC on resource prioritization, operational sustainability, and the responsible adoption of emerging technologies—including AI and automation—to strengthen constituent engagement and organizational effectiveness.
• Develop and execute a multi-year digital engagement systems roadmap that supports DAR’s priorities and advances Penn’s mission.
• Use audience research and engagement data to identify unmet needs, participation barriers, communication preferences, and opportunities to strengthen alumni relationships and giving.
• Lead strategies for audience segmentation, personalization, communication preferences, and coordinated multichannel engagement across email, web, events, communities, mentoring, volunteer programs, and fundraising outreach.
• Lead governance committees responsible for establishing and enforcing standards, ensuring execution of communications and engagement tactics are compliant and effective.
• Support systems users by establishing standards and best practices for each tool to increase engagement; reviewing data analytics of engagement performance and fundraising outcomes; offering training and ongoing support; and conducting continuous audits of systems use for measurable engagement outcomes.
• Provide strategic and operational oversight for the selection, implementation, integration, and lifecycle management of communications and engagement platforms to support DAR’s engagement goals, including:
  • Constituent engagement through marketing automation and CRM systems (including Salesforce Marketing Cloud)
  • Event registration and program management
  • Mentoring and volunteer management
  • Alumni communities and websites (MyPenn, Club/SIG Communities)
• Ensure systems are user-friendly, scalable, accessible, and continuously optimized.
• Serve as the primary liaison to ISC Security and Compliance teams to ensure all engagement systems and practices align with University policies, privacy standards, and current cybersecurity requirements.
• Ensure institutional compliance with global and federal data privacy regulations—including GDPR, CAN-SPAM, CCPA, and other emerging standards—through oversight of consent management, data protection practices, email compliance, and privacy-related workflows.
• Oversee implementation and administration of engagement platforms, guiding system architecture, data integrations, accessibility, and continuous improvement.
• Stay current on trends in strategic communications, digital engagement for alumni relations and fundraising, engagement technologies, user experience, and data governance.
• Identify opportunities for automation, AI-driven engagement, enhanced analytics, and improved alumni and donor experience.
• Recommend and implement innovative tools that strengthen alumni and donor engagement and staff effectiveness.
• Lead and develop a team to drive strategic digital engagement, support related platform governance and administration, user training, support, and compliance, and engagement data analytics.
• Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Develop and maintain strong cross-functional relationships across DAR to drive consistent alumni and donor engagement strategies.
• Lead strategic planning and stewardship of engagement technology investments in service to DAR’s engagement and fundraising goals.
• Partner closely with ISC and teams across DAR to develop system strategy and ensure alignment, compliance, and interoperability.
• Lead vendor relationships, contract negotiations, RFP processes, and service-level monitoring of DAR’s engagement tools.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science and 5 to 7 years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum of 7–10 years of progressively responsible experience in advancement communications, digital engagement strategy, constituent experience, and marketing technology deployment preferred.
• Experience working in higher education, nonprofit advancement, alumni relations, fundraising, or mission-driven organizations strongly preferred.
• Experience using Salesforce technologies for constituent engagement, including Experience Cloud, Marketing Cloud, Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP), and related engagement or CRM platforms.
• Understanding of platform governance, cybersecurity best practices, identity and access management, audit processes, and institutional risk mitigation.
• Knowledge of data privacy regulations and digital compliance standards, including GDPR, CAN-SPAM, CCPA, accessibility standards, and emerging digital governance requirements involved in marketing and constituent engagement.
• Experience working with technology vendors, contract negotiations, procurement processes, and strategic technology partnerships.
• Proven leadership and staff management experience, including the ability to mentor teams, manage performance, and foster collaboration and innovation.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills with the ability to balance strategic planning and operational execution.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present technical concepts and strategic recommendations to executive leadership and non-technical audiences.
• Familiarity with emerging technologies related to AI-enabled engagement, automation, analytics, and digital constituent experience strategies preferred.

Location

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Pay

$122,100.00 - $160,000.00 Annual Rate. Salary offers are made based on the candidate’s qualifications, experience, skills, and education as they directly relate to the requirements of the position, and in alignment with salary ranges based on external market data for the job’s level. Internal organization and peer data at Penn are also considered.

Benefits

• Health, Life, and Flexible Spending Accounts: Comprehensive medical, prescription, behavioral health, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits. Flexible spending accounts for eligible health care and dependent care expenses with pre-tax dollars.
• Tuition: Exceptional tuition benefits for you, your spouse, and your dependent children at Penn. Dependent children are also eligible for tuition assistance at other institutions.
• Retirement: Generous retirement plans to help save for the future, including Basic, Matching, and Supplemental options.