Location:
Office of Development and Alumni Relations, Penn GSE
Modality:
In-Person
Position Length:
Academic Year (Fall - Spring)
Work Hours and Commitment:
20 hours/week
Application Deadline:
Pay Rate:
$23.00/hr
Additional Compensation:
None
Federal Work Study Eligible
Overview
With more than 17,000 graduates, Penn GSE has a diverse and robust alumni community of innovators and leaders across the field of education and around the globe. Penn GSE’s Office of Development and Alumni Relations (DAR) works with more than 700 colleagues across Penn and with GSE senior leadership, faculty, volunteers, students, and alumni to capture and communicate the work of faculty and initiatives, recognize and share the impact of our community, and maintain and promote the impact of the School. Through the twice-yearly Penn GSE Magazine, print collateral, web stories, news features, social media platforms, email communication, and more, the Development Communications Graduate Assistant (GA) will work collaboratively with DAR staff members to provide support for specific communications and stewardship efforts to reach tens of thousands of students, alumni, supporters, and friends annually.
Supervisor/Contact
Rebecca Raber - Associate Director, Communications and Strategic Marketing
rraber@upenn.edu
Required Duties
Given the scope of this position, this person reports to the Director of Development and Alumni Relations in DAR and the director of content strategy in Marketing and Communications at Penn GSE.
The Development Communications GA will work to:
- Support efforts to identify, capture, and share the work of Penn GSE and its alumni community.
- Contribute to content management, researching, editing, writing, and fact-checking for outlets including but not limited to The Penn GSE Magazine, email newsletters, event and initiative promotion, and the web presence for Penn GSE Development and Alumni Relations (DAR).
- Compile and edit mailing lists.
- Compile, edit, and fact-check Alumni Notes magazine section.
- Contribute to DAR social media initiatives.
- Organize photo database resources and contribute to a project to combine our photo database with the larger one maintained by the Communications Office.
- Contribute to ongoing maintenance and integrity of alumni database.
- Contribute to weekly acknowledgement process to thank and recognize donors to different funds at Penn GSE.
- Work collaboratively across the DAR team on event planning related to alumni engagement and stewardship.
- Other duties as assigned.
Preferred Qualification and Essential Skills
The ideal candidate will have:
- A strong interest in working with alumni, students, friends, and volunteers of Penn GSE.
- Strong writing, editing, and organizational skills.
- Familiarity working with web and social media platforms.
- Prior experience engaging a diverse constituency, ideally in a higher education or not-for-profit setting.
- Strong and demonstrated skills in the following areas: time management, oral communication, written communication, interpersonal relations, and data management.
- Attention to detail.
- An open and creative mind.
- The ability to work both independently and collaboratively to successfully carry out multiple projects simultaneously with limited supervision.
- The ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment with energy, enthusiasm, and positivity.
- Proficiencies with Microsoft Office Suite, with prior experience with Adobe Suite, data management platforms (e.g. Salesforce), Canva, and online communication platforms (e.g. MailChimp, Constant Contact, Marketing Cloud) a plus.
At the conclusion of this assistantship, the Development Communications GA will have gained an understanding of the processes, objectives, and strategies for effective development and alumni relations communication through significant experience in and exposure to content creation and management, target marketing and segmentation, strategic storytelling, alumni and donor relations, stewardship, and more.
Other Notes:
This position deals with highly confidential information; discretion and professionalism are essential.
Application Instructions
Currently accepting applications for the 2025–26 academic year (open until filled).
This GA position is open to all Penn GSE M.S.Ed. students. To apply for this position, please send an email with your resume attached to alumni@gse.upenn.edu. In your email message, please express your interest in the position and request an interview.
Interviews will be held remotely by appointment/inquiry. Questions can be addressed to alumni@gse.upenn.edu