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Approval of remote and hybrid work is not guaranteed regardless of work location. For additional information on remote work at Penn State, see .
This position is funded for 10 months; continuation past 10 months will be based on university need, performance, and/or availability of funding.
POSITION SPECIFICS
This position is funded through June 30, 2027; continuation past June 30, 2027 will be based on availability of funding.
The CRM Analyst serves as the primary administrator and business systems expert for the Office of Entrepreneurship's Salesforce environments.
This position is responsible for the administration, configuration, maintenance, security, governance, optimization, and ongoing support of multiple Salesforce organizations supporting entrepreneurship, innovation, technology commercialization, and economic development initiatives. The CRM Analyst partners with University stakeholders, Information Technology teams, and external vendors to improve business processes, enhance data quality, develop reporting solutions, and implement scalable Salesforce capabilities that support strategic objectives while ensuring compliance with institutional standards, security requirements, and data governance practices.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Salesforce Platform Administration
Administer, configure, maintain, and optimize Salesforce environments supporting Office of Entrepreneurship business operations and strategic initiatives.
Configure and maintain Salesforce objects, fields, record types, page layouts, Lightning pages, permissions, validation rules, flows, reports, dashboards, and other declarative platform features.
Monitor platform performance, storage utilization, system health, and operational metrics; proactively identify, troubleshoot, and resolve issues impacting system reliability and user experience.
Manage Salesforce environments, including sandbox strategy, refreshes, release validation, environment governance, and deployment activities.
Administer user accounts, roles, profiles, permission sets, sharing rules, authentication methods, and security controls while supporting least-privilege access principles.
Partner with Information Technology and security teams to implement and maintain audit controls, platform security measures, compliance requirements, and governance standards.
Maintain data quality and integrity through validation rules, duplicate management processes, governance practices, and data stewardship activities.
Manage and develop integrations such as Formstack, Outlook, and Marketing Cloud.
Business Analysis and Solution Design
Collaborate with Office of Entrepreneurship leadership and stakeholders to gather, document, analyze, and validate business requirements for Salesforce solutions.
Facilitate discovery sessions, interviews, workshops, and process reviews to understand business operations, identify improvement opportunities, and evaluate existing workflows.
Translate business needs into functional requirements, user stories, acceptance criteria, configuration specifications, and implementation plans.
Evaluate configuration versus customization approaches and recommend scalable, maintainable solutions using Salesforce best practices.
Collaborate with developers, architects, integration teams, vendors, and business stakeholders to design and implement Salesforce solutions aligned with organizational objectives and enterprise architecture standards.
Reporting, Analytics, and Data Governance
Develop, enhance, and maintain Salesforce reports, dashboards, key performance indicators, and analytical tools supporting executive leadership, program evaluation, grant reporting, and data-driven decision-making.
Analyze business and operational data to identify trends, opportunities, risks, and performance outcomes across programs and initiatives.
Partner with stakeholders to establish reporting requirements, performance metrics, and data quality standards that support organizational goals and accountability measures.
Promote data quality standards and support continuous improvement of CRM data governance practices.
Testing, Release Management, and Continuous Improvement
Support enterprise roadmap planning, project prioritization, backlog refinement, and continuous platform improvement initiatives.
Collaborate with technical teams to implement, test, validate, and deploy Salesforce enhancements in accordance with established change management and change control processes.
Develop and execute functional testing, user acceptance testing, regression testing, release testing, and quality assurance activities to ensure solution quality and business requirements are met.
Evaluate Salesforce releases, new features, and emerging capabilities and recommend implementation opportunities that enhance business operations and organizational effectiveness.
User Support, Training, and Change Management
Provide ongoing functional support by resolving user inquiries, troubleshooting Salesforce-related issues, and coordinating resolution of complex technical problems with appropriate technical resources and vendors.
Develop and maintain system documentation, including business process maps, configuration documentation, operating procedures, user guides, security documentation, and support materials.
Develop and deliver user training, onboarding materials, demonstrations, communications, and adoption resources to ensure effective use of Salesforce solutions.
Support organizational change management efforts by assessing impacts, communicating system changes, and facilitating successful adoption of new Salesforce capabilities and business processes.
Strategic Initiatives
Lead or participate in CRM implementation projects, data migrations, integrations, and technology initiatives supporting Office of Entrepreneurship programs and operations.
Research, evaluate, and recommend Salesforce capabilities, related CRM technologies, and business process improvements that support future organizational growth and expansion.
Maintain current knowledge of Salesforce technologies, higher education trends, and industry best practices and pursue relevant Salesforce certifications.
QUALIFICAITONS
Candidates should have significant professional hands-on experience working with the Salesforce platform. Including requirements gathering, business process analysis, system configuration, testing, deployment, reporting, and end-user support.
Experience serving as a Salesforce Business Analyst, Salesforce Administrator, Salesforce Consultant, or a similar Salesforce-focused role is strongly preferred.
MINIMUM EDUCATION, WORK EXPERIENCE & REQUIRED CERTIFICATIONS
If filled as CRM Analyst - Senior Professional, this position requires:
Bachelor's Degree
6+ years of relevant experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience accepted
Required Certifications:
None
If filled as CRM Analyst - Advanced Professional, this position requires:
Bachelor's Degree
3+ years of relevant experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience accepted
Required Certifications:
None
APPLICATION MATERIALS
Applicants are encouraged to submit both a resume and cover letter for full consideration. In the cover letter, candidates should address the following:
Experience working with the Salesforce platform.
Any Salesforce certifications currently held.
The Salesforce products or clouds they have supported.
Their experience gathering and documenting business requirements, configuring solutions, testing, reporting, and supporting user adoption and training.
LOCATION
This position can operate fully remote (restrictions apply) or in a hybrid model of both in-person and remote. Standard working hours are in the eastern time zone.
BACKGROUND CHECKS/CLEARANCES
Employment with the University will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies.
Penn State does not sponsor or take over sponsorship of a staff employment Visa. Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S.
SALARY & BENEFITS
The salary range for this position, including all possible grades, is $65,508.00 - $108,444.00.
Salary Structure - Information on Penn State's salary structure
Penn State provides a competitive benefits package for full-time employees designed to support both personal and professional well-being. In addition to comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, employees enjoy robust retirement plans and substantial paid time off which includes holidays, vacation and sick time. One of the standout benefits is the generous 75% tuition discount, available to employees as well as eligible spouses and children. For more detailed information, please visit our Benefits Page.
CAMPUS SECURITY CRIME STATISTICS
Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act and the Pennsylvania Act of 1988, Penn State publishes a combined Annual Security and Annual Fire Safety Report (ASR). The ASR includes crime statistics and institutional policies concerning campus security, such as those concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters. The ASR is available for review here.
