Alumni Manager in Chelmsford

About ARU: ARU is a global university transforming lives through innovative, inclusive and entrepreneurial education and research. ARU holds a Gold award for the quality of its education, awarded through the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF). ARU’s research institutes and four faculties bridge scientific, technical and creative fields. We deliver impactful research which tackles pressing issues and makes a real difference to our communities. Our academic excellence has been recognised by the UK’s Higher Education funding bodies, with 16 of our research areas assessed as world leading. We are the largest provider of Nursing, Midwifery, Health and Social Care students in the East of England, and we are also among the UK’s leading universities for degree apprenticeship provision, working with hundreds of employers across the UK.

Our alumni community is central to our mission—supporting students, shaping the future of the University and strengthening our impact in the places we serve.

About the Role: We are seeking an experienced and enthusiastic Alumni Manager to join ARU on a fixed-term maternity cover contract. This is an exciting opportunity to develop the delivery of our alumni engagement programme, helping to build a connected, engaged and supportive global alumni community. Managing a small team, you will oversee a diverse programme of alumni communications, events and engagement initiatives. You will be responsible for translating strategic priorities into effective operational plans, ensuring activity is delivered to a high standard and that alumni enjoy a positive experience of engaging with ARU. You will also lead the University's Honoraries programme and oversee alumni contact activity supporting the Graduate Outcomes Survey.

You will play a key role in maintaining high standards of CRM and data management, ensuring compliance with data protection requirements, and using insight and performance information to inform reporting and continuous improvement. Working closely with colleagues across the University and with external stakeholders, you will identify opportunities to strengthen alumni engagement and maximise the contribution alumni make to student success, institutional reputation and community impact.

The successful candidate will be educated to degree level or possess equivalent experience, with substantial experience in alumni relations, stakeholder engagement, communications, or a related field. You will have experience of managing staff, coordinating complex projects and delivering services to agreed deadlines and quality standards. Confident working with CRM systems and data, you will combine strong organisational skills with excellent judgement, attention to detail and a commitment to high-quality customer service.

You will be an excellent communicator with the ability to build productive relationships across a wide range of audiences, including alumni, students, senior colleagues and external partners. A collaborative and proactive approach, together with a genuine enthusiasm for the value and impact of alumni engagement, will be essential for success in this role. Experience of working within higher education alumni relations would be advantageous.

Informal enquiries can be made to Andrea Hilliard, Deputy Director of External Relations and Communications.

We have an agile working culture and offer an extensive range of benefits including generous holiday entitlement, occupational pension schemes, training and development opportunities, travel to work scheme and a competitive relocation package. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting welfare of our staff and students and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We value diversity at ARU and welcome applications from all sections of the community.