Advancement Operations Specialist

Society for Science•Washington, DC

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Society for Science is hiring an Advancement Operations Specialist to support its Advancement team. The role serves as the operational link between Advancement and Finance, ensuring gift revenue is accurately recorded, reconciled, and reported across both systems. It is responsible for gift processing, fund coding, monthly reconciliation, and grant financial reporting across a portfolio of more than 30 active institutional grants. The position requires technical precision, attention to detail, systems fluency, and effective collaboration across departments. Strong performers may be considered for advancement to a higher-level position as they develop technical, operational, and relationship-management capabilities. The position is based at Society for Science’s Washington, D.C. headquarters and follows a hybrid schedule requiring two days per week in the office. Standard hours are Monday through Friday during normal business hours, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern, with core hours from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Light travel and occasional evening or weekend work are required to support major events such as ISEF. The salary range is $61,800 to $69,400. Employees coming into the office or attending Society events are subject to the Society’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement, with possible exceptions for religious beliefs or medical reasons.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
One to three years of experience in nonprofit advancement operations, gift processing, or a finance support role in a nonprofit setting.
Experience with a CRM or database; Microsoft Dynamics is preferred, and Raiser's Edge, Salesforce, or an equivalent system is accepted.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Excel, for financial data management and reporting.
Strong attention to detail and a track record of accuracy in data entry and financial record-keeping.
Ability to manage multiple deadlines simultaneously and flag issues proactively.
Clear written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain financial data to colleagues without a finance background.
Demonstrated affinity for Society for Science’s mission.
Ability to develop rapport with colleagues and external clients.
Ability to meet the physical demands of regularly using hands and fingers to operate a computer and other office equipment.
Compliance with the Society’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement for employees coming into the office and attending Society events, subject to possible religious or medical exceptions.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting grant financial reporting for foundation, corporate, or government awards.
Familiarity with fund accounting principles and nonprofit chart of accounts structures.
Exposure to CASE reporting standards or AFP ethical guidelines for gift processing.
Experience with workplace giving programs, including CFC or state giving campaigns.
Experience in growing or restructuring advancement operations.

Responsibilities

Process incoming gifts, including cash, checks, credit cards, wire transfers, stock, in-kind gifts, and pledge payments, accurately and on schedule in Microsoft Dynamics.
Assign fund codes in alignment with Finance’s chart of accounts and identify and resolve coding discrepancies before they reach the general ledger.
Manage pledge schedules and installment tracking for multi-year commitments, generate reminders, and match payments to pledge records.
Process gift adjustments, reversals, and corrections with appropriate documentation and authorization.
Manage matching gift submissions and tracking.
Generate IRS-compliant gift receipts within established turnaround standards.
Maintain documentation for quid pro quo gifts, stock contributions, in-kind gifts, and other non-cash gifts requiring special acknowledgment language.
Maintain accurate donor recognition data, including naming preferences, recognition levels, and cumulative giving totals.
Support year-end tax documentation and coordinate receipting for payroll deduction and workplace giving programs, including the Combined Federal Campaign and State Giving Campaigns.
Stay current on IRS regulations, CASE standards, and AFP guidelines affecting gift recording, receipting, and reporting.
Serve as the primary Advancement liaison to Finance for gift-related matters, including fund establishment, restricted fund tracking, and reconciliation of donor commitments and payments; provide backup coverage for the Director of Advancement Operations.
Prepare monthly reconciliations between the Advancement CRM and Finance general ledger under the Director’s oversight, investigating and resolving variances with Finance.
Produce monthly and quarterly gift revenue reports for Advancement leadership and maintain reporting continuity when the Director is unavailable.
Coordinate with Institutional Giving and Finance to produce financial reports for foundation and corporate grants across a portfolio of more than 30 active awards and sponsorships.
Maintain the grant financial reporting calendar and meet deadlines in accordance with established workflow SLAs.
Support preparation of grant budgets for new proposals with Institutional Giving and Finance.
Draft grant award memos for review by the Director of Institutional Giving, ensuring financial data is accurate and fund codes are active before distribution.
Maintain data quality in Microsoft Dynamics by merging duplicate records, correcting miscoded gifts, and resolving incomplete or missing gift documentation.
Develop and maintain gift-processing procedure documentation and support training of Advancement staff on gift entry and data standards.
Contribute to process improvement initiatives that reduce manual work and improve accuracy across the gift-to-finance pipeline.
Maintain a repository of advancement operational resources and templates for team use.