College Alumni Engagement Coordinator

Consortium of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Voluntary and Community Organisations Limited; North East; On-site; GBP 40,000 - GBP 60,000; Full time

Job description

Pay: £13,659.50 - £15,189 which is pro rata to the full-time salary of £27,319 - £30,378 per annum

Highlighted points for this job

Interim Alumni Engagement Co-ordinator role at Durham University’s oldest college

Support alumni engagement, communications, event and donation management

Salary and benefits include 27 days annual leave, travel discounts, and health and wellbeing support

Essential criteria include experience in alumni engagement and strong communication skills

Applications are invited from individuals committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion

The University
At Durham University we are proud of our people. A globally outstanding centre of educational excellence, a collegiate community of extraordinary people, a unique and historic setting – Durham is a university like no other.

Across the University we have a huge variety of roles and career opportunities, which together make us a large and successful community, which is a key hub of activity within our region and nationally. Whether you are at the very start, middle or end of your career, there is a role for you. We believe everyone has their own unique skills to offer.

We would be thrilled if you would consider joining our thriving University. Further information about the University can be found here .

Find out more about the benefits of working at the University and what it is like to live and work in the Durham area on our Why Join Us? - Information Page .

The Role and the Department

University College (Castle) is Durham University’s oldest college. Founded in 1832, the College is based in Durham Castle and is home to over 14,000 alumni. Durham Castle Society and University College Durham Trust provide outlets for dedicated alumni and friends to remain involved with and support the College financially. This opportunity comes in at a very exciting time for the College, and the post holder will have an opportunity to support the delivery of our renewed individual giving appeal as well as helping to shape 40 th anniversary of women joining the College in 2027.

In partnership with the DARO (Durham Alumni Relations Office) and supported by University College Durham Trust, we are seeking to appoint an interim Alumni Engagement Co-ordinator. This role will partially cover the parental leave of our Alumni & Development Manager, and will lead on alumni engagement, communications, event management, donation management and data entry as well as line managing two paid student interns. The post-holder will be an important part of the College team, involved in University College life and work directly with the College Principal and Vice-Principal to ensure consistent communications, outreach and programming designed to maintain lifelong connections between our alumni and both the College and the University.

Please note: Interviews are expected to take place on Thursday 12th March 2026

Working at Durham
A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University:

• You’ll receive 27 days annual leave per year in addition to 8 public holidays and 4 customary days per year - a total of 39 days. The University closes between Christmas and New Year. [Hiring Manager – to include or delete as appropriate to the post]
• No matter how you travel to work, we have you covered. We have parking across campus, a cycle to work scheme which helps you to buy a bike and discount with local bus and train companies.
• You can access exclusive discounts via our benefits portal including money off at supermarkets, high street retailers, IT products such as Apple, eating out and days out at various attractions.
• Our on-site nursery is rated Outstanding by Ofsted, and you can access holiday camps for children aged 5-16.
• We provide wide-ranging health and wellbeing support including discounted membership for our state-of-the-art sport and gym facilities and access to a 24-7 Employee Assistance Programme.
• We offer all staff the opportunity to take part in volunteering activities to make a difference to the local community.
• Our family friendly policies, including maternity and adoption leave, are among the most generous in the higher education sector (and likely above and beyond many employers).
• If you are keen on advancing in your role or career, we have a genuine passion for developing our colleagues from qualifications to IT skills, courses and apprenticeships.
• We offer generous pension schemes with varying contribution amounts to help you plan for your future.

Discover more about our total rewards and benefits package here .

Durham University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion

Our collective aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential and we believe our staff should reflect the diversity of the global community in which we work. As a University equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key part of the University’s Strategy and a central part of everything we do. We also live by our values and our Staff Code of Conduct. At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive.

We welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who are under-represented in our work force including people with disabilities, women and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. If you have taken time out of your career, and you feel it relevant, let us know about it in your application. If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role.

Person Specification

When you apply it is important that you let us know what skills/experience you have from a similar role and what skills/experience you have which would make you right for this role. Further information about the role and responsibilities is at the end of this job description.

Your application should cover the following criteria:

Qualifications/Experience

1. Five GCSEs at least Grade C or level four (or equivalent) including English Language and Mathematics or a Post-16 qualification or equivalent experience.

2. Experience in a similar role or environment: for example, alumni engagement, events management, fundraising, customer service

3. Experience of working collaboratively with other team members to ensure the delivery of high-quality alumni engagement.

4. Experience of line management.

Skills/Abilities/Knowledge

5. Excellent spoken and written communication skills and the ability to develop effective working relationships, both internally and externally.

6. Strong digital competence across a range of digital devices and apps including digital communication tools and Microsoft 365.

7. Committed to continuing professional development.

8. Ability to solve problems yourself and as part of a team and plan appropriate solutions.

9. Ability to participate in networks to share and discuss good practice and exchange information.

10. Ability to contribute to operational planning activities.

11. Experience of Alumni Engagement including communications, event planning and delivery, working with volunteers

12. Familiarity with data management systems to support alumni work e.g. Raiser’s Edge, Salesforce.

How to apply

To progress to the assessment stage, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification above. Where there are desirable criteria we would also urge you to provide any relevant evidence.

While some criteria will be considered at the shortlisting stage, other criteria may be considered later in the assessment process, such as questions at interview.

Submitting your application

We prefer to receive applications online. We will update you about your application at various points during the process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to ensure you receive all emails

What you are required to submit:
• A CV
• A covering letter which includes examples of how you meet all of the criteria within the Person Specification

Contact details
If you would like to have a chat or ask any questions about the role, please contact our Vice-Principal, Dr Ellen Crabtree: [e-mail] .

Role Requirements

Service Delivery

· Show a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, and the University’s and College’s values.

· Supervise the implementation of changes to procedures and practices relating to alumni engagement .

· Respond to alumni queries and provide information/advice, while raising more specialist or complex queries with more experienced team members.

· Use your experience and problem-solving skills to investigate and resolve issues relating to alumni engagement and donation management and make recommendations based on your findings.

· Monitor and analyse the use of resources to ensure efficiency and report your findings to College colleagues.

· Continually review what is required from the global Castle alumni community to make sure the best possible service is provided.

· Ensure that information used to analyse effective alumni engagement and donation activity is accurate and provide reports and analysis to College and University College Durham Trust colleagues.

· Ensure that data and information is accurate and share reports with internal networks including DARO and other College colleagues .

Planning and Organising

· Plan and organise your workload and the activities of student alumni interns to deliver the role.

· Organise and deliver planned University College alumni events in 2026. Help plan and advertise 2027 alumni reunion.

· Monitor processes and activities to ensure team priorities are met.

· Liaise with University College Durham Trustees and attend Trust meetings during 2026.

Teamwork and Team Development

· Supervise and delegate tasks to student alumni interns and make sure that they are completed.

· Explain systems and procedures to new interns and provide specialist advice and guidance (including any training)

· Contribute to performance review processes by providing feedback on individual and team objectives and expectations, considering any development needs.

· Provide specialist support and advice to team members on alumni engagement.

· Make changes to the services provided by your team in discussion with other members of University College.

· Identify opportunities and contribute to decisions on how to improve alumni engagement and communication being delivered by the College.

· Seek feedback from students, alumni and friends of the College on their requirements for alumni engagement and recommend improvements to senior colleagues.

· Use your knowledge and expertise to provide advice and guidance to resolve problems and respond to a wide range of queries.

· Update Castle Alumni website and provide regular content for social media.

· Create good working relationships with other College staff and student leaders as part of your role to work together on joint activities.

· Liaise with DARO to ensure that services are being delivered in an efficient and collaborative way

· Record information such as bookings for activities/events and share with internal partners.

· Create good working relationships with internal and external partners and suppliers to work together on joint initiatives.

· Build relationships with contacts to share good practice and exchange information.

· Use creative and engaging ways to communicate and promote information about [your service] to your stakeholders [such as events and presentations].

MATERNITY COVER
Appointment to this post is fixed term to cover the substantive post holder’s maternity leave and is not anticipated to be extended.

When appointing to this role the University must ensure that it meets any applicable immigration requirements, including salary thresholds which are applicable to some visas.

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