Full Job Description
This position is not eligible for work visa sponsorship at this time.
The Senior Director of Advancement Technology and Intelligence leads the data, technology, analytics, prospect development, gift administration, and operational infrastructure that powers DePauw University's Development and Alumni Engagement (DAE) program.
This position joins DePauw at a pivotal moment as the University selects and implements its next customer relationship management (CRM) platform. The Vice President for Development and Alumni Engagement will serve as executive sponsor of the CRM transformation; the Senior Director will serve as the primary DAE leader responsible for driving its successful implementation and adoption. The goal is not simply to replace a database, but to use the CRM transition to redesign how DAE manages relationships, information, workflows, and decision-making.
Beyond CRM implementation, this position is charged with building the next generation of advancement intelligence and operations at DePauw. The Senior Director will transform constituent, philanthropic, engagement, financial, and external data into actionable intelligence that improves fundraising performance, strengthens alumni engagement, informs resource allocation, and supports institutional decision-making.
The Senior Director will lead the thoughtful adoption of artificial intelligence, predictive and prescriptive analytics, automation, data visualization, and emerging technologies while ensuring strong data governance, ethical data practices, sound business processes, and reliable systems.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Reasonable Accommodations Statement
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable Accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
CRM Transformation, Implementation and Adoption
• Serve as DAE's functional leader for the selection, implementation, launch, and optimization of DePauw's next advancement CRM, working in close partnership with the Vice President as executive sponsor, Information Services, implementation partners, vendors, DAE leadership, and campus stakeholders.
• Use the CRM transition as an opportunity to examine and redesign business processes rather than simply reproducing legacy practices in a new system with the support of CRM consultants.
• Lead the mapping of current and future-state processes and determine where workflows should be simplified, standardized, automated, redesigned, or discontinued.
• Establish expectations for system use, data entry, relationship management, portfolio management, reporting, and other core practices necessary for successful adoption.
• Measure adoption after launch and identify where additional training, process changes, system configuration, or management intervention is needed.
Data Readiness, Validation and Migration
• With the help of outside consultants, lead a comprehensive assessment of existing constituent, gift, fund, relationship, engagement, prospect, and other advancement data to determine what should be migrated, transformed, consolidated, archived, or retired.
Advancement Intelligence, Analytics and Decision Support
• Build an advancement intelligence function that moves DAE from primarily descriptive reporting toward diagnostic, predictive, and prescriptive analysis.
• Translate complex data into clear insights, recommendations, and actions for DAE leadership, fundraisers, alumni engagement professionals, University leadership, and governance bodies.
• Develop segmentation, scoring, forecasting, propensity, pipeline, portfolio, and other analytical models that improve fundraising and engagement strategies.
• Create a culture in which data is used to generate questions, challenge assumptions, test strategies, evaluate results, and continuously improve performance through the use of dashboards and analytical models.
• Move routine reporting toward appropriate self-service tools so analytical capacity can increasingly focus on higher-value questions and strategic decision support.
Artificial Intelligence, Automation and Innovation
• Lead DAE's exploration and responsible adoption of artificial intelligence, machine learning, automation, and emerging technologies.
• Identify and prioritize practical applications of AI that can increase staff capacity, improve personalization, accelerate research, enhance prospect identification, surface patterns in constituent behavior, improve data quality, and reduce repetitive administrative work.
• Integrate AI and advanced analytics into DAE workflows and the new CRM environment where they can demonstrably improve performance or constituent experience.
Advancement Systems and Data Strategy
• Provide strategic leadership for DAE's complete advancement technology ecosystem, including CRM, reporting and business intelligence tools, research platforms, digital engagement tools, integrations, and related technologies.
• Ensure technology architecture supports a holistic view of the constituent relationship across fundraising, alumni engagement, communications, stewardship, events, volunteer activity, and other interactions. Support this work across the enterprise.
• Partner with Information Services and campus colleagues to develop effective integrations and shared data structures across University systems.
• Manage vendor relationships and evaluate technology investments based on utilization, strategic value, effectiveness, and return on investment.
Data Governance, Quality and Institutional Integration
• Ensure the post-migration accuracy, integrity, accessibility, security, and appropriate use of advancement data.
• Establish clear data definitions, governance standards, documentation, ownership, quality controls, and accountability.
• Represent DAE in University-wide data governance, administrative computing, and enterprise technology discussions.
• Establish sustainable processes for identifying and correcting data-quality problems.
• Ensure that DAE data practices support donor intent, effective stewardship, institutional accountability, and trust.
• Reduce manual reconciliation, duplicate data structures, shadow systems, and unnecessary administrative complexity wherever possible.
Prospect Development and Relationship Management
• Provide strategic leadership through systems support for prospect research, prospect identification, portfolio management, and relationship management.
Gift and Financial Operations
• Provide leadership and oversight for gift processing, receipting, gift administration, reconciliation, and related financial operations.
• Ensure philanthropic gifts are recorded accurately, efficiently, and consistently with donor intent, University policy, accounting requirements, and industry standards.
• Partner with Finance, Donor Relations and other University colleagues to create appropriate visibility into gift activity, fund use, balances, commitments, and donor restrictions.
• Maintain strong controls while continually evaluating whether processes can be simplified, automated, or redesigned.
• Manage the department budget, a cost center within the Development & Alumni Engagement Division.
Performance, Planning and Organizational Leadership
• Serve as a strategic advisor to the Vice President for Development and Alumni Engagement and DAE leadership on fundraising performance, constituent strategy, operational capacity, technology, data, and resource allocation.
• Provide senior leaders and boards with clear, decision-oriented analysis of advancement performance, trends, risks, and opportunities.
• Lead cross-functional projects requiring the integration of fundraising strategy, technology, data, operations, and organizational change.
• Establish priorities for Advancement Technology and Intelligence based on strategic impact rather than simply responding to incoming requests.
• Develop service models, workflows, and self-service capabilities that distinguish routine operational needs from higher-value analytical and strategic work.
• Recruit, lead, coach, and develop a high-performing team spanning data, analytics, systems, prospect development, gift administration, and financial operations.
• Build analytical and data fluency across DAE so staff can effectively interpret information and translate it into action through training and documentation standards.
• Create clear expectations that team members understand the business purpose behind their work by fostering a culture of curiosity, experimentation, accountability, collaboration, service, and continuous improvement.
Other dutie as assigned.
POSITION QUALIFICATIONS
Competency Statement(s)
• Accountability - Ability to accept responsibility and account for his/her actions.
• Analytical Skills - Ability to use thinking and reasoning to solve a problem.
• Coaching and Development - Ability to provide guidance and feedback to help others strengthen specific knowledge/skill areas.
• Communication, Oral - Ability to communicate effectively with others using the spoken word.
• Communication, Written - Ability to communicate in writing clearly and concisely.
• Creative - Ability to think in such a way as to produce a new concept or idea.
• Diversity Oriented - Commitment to valuing a variety of different experiences, encouraging input and collaboration from campus stakeholders, including being mindful of experiences related, but not limited to: age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, socio-economic status, LGBTQ, and/or job type.
• Interpersonal - Ability to get along well with a variety of personalities and individuals.
• Management Skills - Ability to organize and direct oneself and effectively supervise others.
• Organized - Possessing the trait of being organized or following a systematic method of performing a task.
• Problem Solving - Ability to find a solution for or to deal proactively with work-related problems.
• Technical Aptitude - Ability to comprehend complex technical topics and specialized information.
SKILLS & ABILITIES
Education: Bachelor's Degree (four-year college or university) required or an equivalent combinatio of education and significant relevant professional experience.
Experience: Minimum seven (7) year's experience; ten (10) years preferred:
• Significant professional experience in and understanding of advancement operations, CRM implementation, data strategy, business intelligence, analytics, fundraising operations, technology transformation, or another complex, data-dependent environment.
• Demonstrated experience leading a significant CRM, enterprise system, data migration, digital transformation, or comparable organizational change initiative.
• Demonstrated ability to design, manage, and troubleshoot system integrations using APIs and other integration methods to ensure reliable, secure data exchange across enterprise platforms.
• Demonstrated ability to lead work across data preparation, migration, validation, testing, business-process redesign, training, and user adoption.
• Demonstrated ability to translate data and analysis into strategic recommendations and organizational action.
• Experience leading professional staff and complex cross-functional initiatives involving both technical and nontechnical stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of relational data, data structures, reporting and visualization, integrations, and contemporary information systems.
• Demonstrated ability to understand complex business problems and determine how data, technology, process improvement, automation, or analytics can address them.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate between technical experts, functional users, senior leaders, and external partners.
• Demonstrated curiosity, strategic thinking, and willingness to challenge assumptions and established practices when better approaches are available.
Computer Skills:
• Proven computer systems experience, knowledge and technical abilities to manage complex information systems and electronic databases in multi-user, campus and networked personal computer environments.
• Systems experience working with and directing staff in data management, report writing tools and data modeling, systems management, and personal computer hardware and software support.
• Experience and training in systems such as Oracle, SQL, PL/SQL, Unix, structured programming, data model, setup, and Crystal Reports reporting design, implementation and support.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS
Physical Demands Lift/Carry
Stand O (Occasionally)
Walk O (Occasionally)
Sit F (Frequently)
Handling / Fingering F (Frequently)
Reach Outward O (Occasionally)
Reach Above Shoulder O (Occasionally)
Climb O (Occasionally)
Crawl O (Occasionally)
Squat or Kneel O (Occasionally)
Bend O (Occasionally)
10 lbs or less O (Occasionally)
11-20 lbs O (Occasionally)
21-50 lbs O (Occasionally)
51-100 lbs N (Not Applicable)
Over 100 lbs N (Not Applicable)
Push/Pull
12 lbs or less O (Occasionally)
13-25 lbs O (Occasionally)
26-40 lbs N (Not Applicable)
41-100 lbs N (Not Applicable)
N (Not Applicable) Activity is not applicable to this occupation.
O (Occasionally) Occupation requires this activity up to 33% of the time (0 - 2.5+ hrs/day)
F (Frequently) Occupation requires this activity from 33% - 66% of the time (2.5 - 5.5+ hrs/day)
C (Constantly) Occupation requires this activity more than 66% of the time (5.5+ hrs/day)
Other Physical Requirements
• Vision (Near, Distance, Peripheral, Depth Perception)
• Hearing (Auditory perception, or audition)
WORK ENVIRONMENT
Office environment with flexibility consistent with University policy. The position requires extensive collaboration across DAE, Information Services, Finance, other University divisions, external vendors, and implement
