Director of Advancement Services

University of Arkansas•Little Rock, AR

2d•Onsite

About The Position

As the University's fundraising continues to grow through record levels of donors, gifts, and endowment growth, the Director of Advancement Services provides operational leadership that ensures the University's advancement infrastructure continues to evolve to meet increasing organizational complexity and opportunity. The Director leads the daily operations of Advancement Services while continuously improving business processes, technology, data governance, financial stewardship, and customer service that support fundraising success. Working closely with the Associate Vice Chancellor of Advancement Services, the Director provides day-to-day operational leadership for Advancement Services while ensuring the division maintains the organizational capacity, continuity, and operational resilience necessary to support the University's fundraising mission. Through effective leadership, staff development, comprehensive documentation, sustainable business practices, and continuous process improvement, the Director ensures Advancement Services delivers exceptional service, adapts to changing organizational needs, and remains resilient through leadership transitions, personnel changes, and institutional growth. This operational leadership enables senior leadership to focus on strategic initiatives, development performance, organizational planning, technology advancement, and long-range organizational priorities. The Director continually evaluates Advancement Services operations against emerging technologies, industry best practices, and peer and aspirational institutions to identify opportunities that improve efficiency, strengthen data integrity, increase scalability, and enhance the University's fundraising infrastructure. Through innovation, operational excellence, leadership development, and succession planning, the Director strengthens the systems, people, and processes that sustain a high-performing advancement organization and position the University for continued fundraising success. Success in this position is measured by the Director's ability to execute the strategic vision of Advancement Services while maintaining the highest standards of operational integrity, customer service, collaboration, and continuous improvement. The Director is expected not only to maintain operational excellence, but to make Advancement Services stronger by improving systems, developing people, fostering innovation, and building the organizational capacity, resilience, and operational excellence that advance the University's fundraising mission and position the division for long-term success. This position is governed by state and federal laws, and agency/institution policy.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Finance, Accounting, Information Systems, Management Information Systems, Higher Education Administration, Data Analytics, or a related field
Three (3) years of progressively responsible experience in Advancement Services, business operations, finance, information systems, higher education administration, nonprofit management, or a related field
Experience managing complex operational processes, enterprise systems, financial reconciliation, reporting, or business operations
Demonstrated ability to provide responsive, high-quality service and solutions to internal and external constituents
Demonstrated ability to execute strategic priorities through effective operational leadership, project management, and successful implementation of organizational initiatives
Broad knowledge of Advancement Services operations and a comprehensive understanding of how business operations support successful fundraising and donor engagement
Strong understanding of financial management, internal controls, reconciliation processes, gift administration, and donor stewardship
Working knowledge of constituent relationship management (CRM) systems, reporting tools, workflow automation, business process improvement, and data management principles
Ability to perform basic system configuration and troubleshoot routine system issues while collaborating effectively with Information Technology staff on more complex technical requests
Ability to analyze operational challenges, identify practical solutions, and implement improvements that strengthen efficiency, customer service, and organizational effectiveness
Demonstrated ability to document complex business processes, operational procedures, and institutional knowledge to support continuity and succession planning
Ability to communicate technical concepts to non-technical audiences and translate operational needs into clear business requirements
Excellent analytical, organizational, problem-solving, interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills
Must have a valid driver's license
Ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, exercise sound judgment, maintain confidentiality, and adapt to changing organizational needs
Persons must have proof of legal authority to work in the United States on the first day of employment.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in Business Administration, Higher Education Administration, Information Systems, Public Administration, or a related field
Experience with Affinaquest, Salesforce, or comparable advancement CRM platforms
Experience with reporting and business intelligence tools such as Power BI, Tableau, SQL, SOQL, or comparable reporting technologies
Experience implementing technology solutions, systems integrations, workflow automation, or business process improvements
Experience in higher education advancement, nonprofit fundraising, or a related philanthropic environment
Experience working with Foundation accounting, charitable gift administration, financial reconciliation, donor database management, and regulatory compliance
Demonstrated experience leading operational change, documenting business processes, and supporting organizational growth through technology and process improvement

Responsibilities

Supervise Advancement Services staff by establishing expectations, coordinating workloads, coaching employees, fostering professional growth, and promoting a culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation, customer service, and continuous improvement.
Foster a proactive, solutions-oriented service culture by encouraging responsiveness, collaboration, professionalism, and a customer-focused mindset that removes barriers and supports the success of donors, development officers, alumni, and campus partners.
Coordinate work across Advancement Services to ensure operational consistency, timely service, and efficient support for fundraising activities.
Collaborate closely with the Associate Vice Chancellor to execute approved operational priorities, implement organizational initiatives, and advance the goals of the Office of Alumni and Development.
Work collaboratively with development officers, University leadership, the University of Arkansas Foundation, Central Information Technology, Finance and Administration, Communications and Marketing, and other campus partners to ensure Advancement Services effectively supports the University's fundraising mission.
Oversee financial reconciliation between the Affinaquest CRM and the University of Arkansas Foundation financial records to ensure the accuracy and integrity of all gift-related transactions.
Oversee gift administration processes to ensure gifts are accurately documented, receipted, acknowledged, reconciled, and administered in accordance with donor intent, University policy, and Foundation requirements.
Design, monitor, and continuously improve gift processing workflows that provide exceptional donor service while striving to complete the gift process from receipt through posting, acknowledgment, and reconciliation within three business days whenever practical.
Assist the Associate Vice Chancellor in developing, monitoring, and managing the Office of Alumni and Development operating budget.
Ensure compliance with University policies, University of Arkansas Foundation policies, IRS regulations, PCI standards, and other applicable financial and regulatory requirements.
Provide financial guidance, reports, and operational support to development officers, campus partners, University leadership, and the University of Arkansas Foundation.
Evaluate and maintain standards for data governance, documentation, reporting, and data quality to ensure reliable and consistent information across Advancement systems.
Evaluate, Design and maintain executive dashboards, reports, analytics, and key performance indicators that support fundraising management, operational planning, and organizational decision-making.
Coordinate preparation and submission of the annual Voluntary Support of Education (VSE) Survey and other required institutional reports.
Serve as the division lead for PCI compliance and related data security initiatives.
Review, maintain, and periodically update Advancement Services policies, procedures, and operational standards while collaborating with the Associate Vice Chancellor to develop new policies and procedures as organizational needs evolve.
Ensure Advancement Services business processes remain aligned with University policies, Foundation requirements, industry best practices, and the operational priorities established by the Associate Vice Chancellor.
Develop and maintain documentation of Advancement Services business processes, Affinaquest functionality, workflows, reporting procedures, system configurations, financial reconciliation processes, and institutional knowledge.
Cross-train staff and maintain succession and continuity plans that reduce single points of failure, preserve institutional knowledge, and support uninterrupted operations.
Regularly review documentation and operational procedures to ensure they remain current with evolving technology, policies, regulations, and business practices.
Serve as the functional business lead for Affinaquest, Salesforce, and related Advancement technologies.
Collaborate with the Associate Vice Chancellor, Systems Specialist, Central Information Technology, and software vendors to evaluate, prioritize, and implement technology solutions that support fundraising operations.
Execute the operational vision, priorities, and initiatives established by the Associate Vice Chancellor of Advancement Services.
Manage approved projects from planning through implementation, ensuring initiatives are completed efficiently, effectively, and with measurable results.
Build and strengthen the operational infrastructure necessary to support continued growth in fundraising, donor engagement, charitable gifts, and endowment activity while ensuring timely, accurate, and customer-focused service to donors, development officers, alumni, and campus partners.
Identify opportunities to improve operational effectiveness through technology, automation, artificial intelligence, business process improvement, and innovation, and present recommendations to the Associate Vice Chancellor for consideration.
Coordinate the successful implementation of approved technologies, operational initiatives, and business process improvements that advance the priorities established by the Associate Vice Chancellor.
Evaluate existing workflows and recommend practical improvements that increase efficiency, improve customer service, strengthen internal controls, and remove operational barriers for development officers.