Job Description

Position Summary

Reporting to the Executive Director, the Senior Associate Director, Network Engagement is responsible for leading the strategies, outreach, and operations for key Tamer Institute networks and engagement initiatives, including the Nonprofit Board Leadership Program (NBLP), Climate Practitioners Network, and connecting alumni and practitioner engagement for related Institute priorities.

In addition, the Senior Associate Director plays a central leadership function in expanding and activating leads and is responsible for strategic initiatives that involve high-impact programming including the Tamer Institute Awards Breakfast and Nonprofit Board Showcase. This individual expands and engages in programming that fosters connections between students, alumni and practitioners, with Institute programs and constituencies and conducts additional outreach working with Tamer Institute faculty, researchers, staff and students. This individual serves as the Institute’s ambassador for online alumni and community platform(s), looks for ways to improve access and make connections, manages inquiries, and sets strategies to increase engagement and impact of the community. The role works in close partnership with the Development and Alumni Relations department at the School and University level to support fundraising efforts and collaborates with the School’s Marketing and Communications team to ensure consistent, high-impact messaging, collateral, digital content, and engagement strategies are aligned with Columbia Business School’s priorities.

The mission of the Tamer Institute for Social Enterprise and Climate Change is to educate on the use of business tools, entrepreneurial skills, and management capabilities to address social and environmental challenges. We achieve this by supporting the creation and communication of new research ideas, and by providing curricular and extra-curricular opportunities for students to apply sustainable business practices that mitigate impact on the environment and expand access to resources for entrepreneurs, business leaders, and other stakeholders from communities or with backgrounds that have traditionally been overlooked.

About Columbia Business School:

For over a century, Columbia Business School (CBS) has helped develop leaders and builders of enterprises who drive value for their stakeholders and society at large through our MBA, MS, PhD, and Executive Education programs. We are equally committed to cultivating new scholars and teachers and to creating and disseminating pathbreaking knowledge, concepts, and tools that advance the understanding and practice of management through our faculty research and PhD programs. Our vision is simple: to develop ideas and leaders that transform the world, from the very center of business.

Our ever-evolving curriculum, featuring pioneering courses, STEM certification, and immersive experiential learning, prepares students to excel in key areas such as digital transformation, entrepreneurship, innovation, twenty-first-century finance, the intersection of business and society, and climate and sustainability. The CBS administration enables CBS’s educational and scholarly mission through strategic and operational guidance and support, optimizing School resources through well-designed, transparent processes with a culture of respect for all.

Responsibilities

Program and Events Management

Oversees the strategic operations of the Nonprofit Board Leadership Program (NBLP) including: liaising with a portfolio of NBLP mentors and organizations to ensure successful engagements, works with student organizers to monitor progress and report on outcomes of students matched to mentors, researches and identifies potential mentors and organizations that could participate in NBLP and manages NBLP events to cultivate this network.

Oversees Nonprofit Board Showcase events both on and off campus to connect organizations with alumni who are looking to join a nonprofit board, in collaboration with the Tamer Institute team.

Leads the strategic planning and cross-departmental collaboration for the Tamer Institute Awards Breakfast, the Institute’s keystone outreach and fundraising event, in partnership with Development & Alumni Relations, Marketing & Communications, and the Dean’s Office.

Manages all key aspects of the Awards Breakfast, including honoree selection; event programming (videos, speakers, and outreach); fundraising and sponsorship outreach; Advisory Board engagement related to the event, honorees, timing, and sponsorship; development of event collateral (program journal, invitations, presentations, etc.); and post-event follow-up with attendees and prospective donors.

Alumni Network Development & Engagement

Leads the strategic development and ongoing cultivation of the Climate Practitioners Network of alumni and professionals in collaboration with faculty, Tamer Institute staff, and Climate Knowledge Initiative team members.

Develops engagement strategies and programming in collaboration with faculty, students and staff, to connect alumni and practitioners to other Tamer initiatives and programs.

Collaborates with the Career Management Center to facilitate the sharing of employment opportunities among network members and hosts and facilitates networking events, forums and speaker events that leverage this network.

Manages database and communications platforms to support connections and the sharing of organization and industry challenges, opportunities and insights.

Outreach & Partnerships

Conducts outreach to individual and corporate contacts as needed for Tamer Institute events, such as the annual conference, research forums and other programs and initiatives at the Institute; triages connections from the School’s Development and Alumni Relations team.

Data Management & Reporting

Researches and analyzes data, reporting on metrics to senior leadership for Institute network building activities and contributes to benchmarking, strategic reviews, marketing, annual surveys, annual reports, and stewardship. Maintains up-to-date database of alumni and industry contacts and looks for opportunities to make connections across our programs and initiatives to better leverage the resources, talent and insights within and across our network.

Supervises work-study student workers as well as casual employees who are hired to support related programming and data work.

Other Duties

Works on additional projects as needed and offers back-up support to other staff members as a flexible team player. Other related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree required. Minimum 4-6 years related experience required, preferably in fundraising, network marketing, and/or client management/business development.
Familiarity with social enterprise and/or nonprofit sector required.
Must be a pro-active, flexible, team player with excellent organizational and inter-personal skills.
Excellent communication and writing skills are critical in order to liaise with senior executives and board members at a wide range of nonprofit and business organizations, as well as students and alumni from different backgrounds and with varied skill-sets.
Must exercise tact and discretion when interacting with faculty, staff, alumni and practitioners in industry, and with students.
Must have demonstrated experience in event planning and execution, ability to prioritize, and multitask with acute attention to detail when working with other team members developing marketing and social media materials.
Must be highly motivated to develop outreach strategies and execution plans, able to problem solve, and work independently as well as part of a team.
Familiarity with CRM/databases and relevant tech platforms an advantage.
Occasional early mornings and late evenings required. Position is primarily in-person, with the ability to work remotely up to two days per week.