Director of Application Management

Northeastern University•Boston, MA

About The Position

The Director of Application Management provides strategic leadership, governance, and continuous improvement for Advancement’s technology applications and platforms. Reporting to the Vice President of Advancement Resources, the Director serves as Product Owner for Advancement applications and translates business needs into technology solutions that support fundraising, engagement, stewardship, and operational effectiveness. The role oversees the Advancement technology roadmap and application portfolio, serves as the primary liaison between Advancement and Information Technology Services (ITS), and leads the Application Management team. The Director collaborates with stakeholders across Advancement, ITS, external vendors, and university partners to deliver scalable, sustainable solutions. The role aligns technology investments with Advancement priorities, strengthens business processes, improves user experience, and maximizes the value of enterprise platforms. The position leads technology strategy and roadmap development, application governance, project delivery, and partnerships with ITS and technology vendors. It also provides leadership to Application Management staff and supports continuous improvement, user adoption, and operational excellence.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree required.
Seven or more years of experience in advancement technology, CRM administration, enterprise application management, business systems, or a related field.
Experience managing enterprise applications and technology projects.
Demonstrated ability to translate business requirements into technology solutions.
Experience supervising professional staff and managing competing priorities.
Strong understanding of CRM systems, application governance, and software lifecycle management.
Expertise in CRM, advancement technology, and enterprise application management.
Strong product management and project prioritization capabilities.
Ability to balance business needs, user experience, and technical constraints.
Effective collaboration with IT, vendors, and business stakeholders.
Strategic planning and technology governance capabilities.
Change management and stakeholder engagement capabilities.
Leadership and team development capabilities.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree preferred.
Experience in higher education advancement or nonprofit fundraising environments.
Experience with Salesforce, Marketing Cloud, Experience Cloud, Cvent, Shopify, or similar engagement platforms.
Experience working with Agile methodologies, product ownership, or technology governance frameworks.
Experience partnering with central IT organizations and external vendors.

Responsibilities

Lead the development and execution of the Advancement technology roadmap.
Establish priorities for system enhancements, evaluate technology opportunities, and ensure applications support fundraising, engagement, stewardship, and operational goals.
Partner with Advancement leadership to align technology investments with organizational strategy.
Serve as Product Owner for Advancement applications.
Establish governance processes for intake, prioritization, and evaluation of enhancement requests.
Manage application portfolios and ensure technology solutions align with business requirements, user needs, and institutional standards.
Oversee application enhancement projects and technology initiatives from planning through implementation.
Coordinate project resources, timelines, testing, training, and stakeholder communications.
Monitor project outcomes and ensure successful adoption of new capabilities.
Serve as the primary liaison between Advancement and ITS.
Translate Advancement business needs into technical requirements and advocate for Advancement priorities.
Coordinate with developers, architects, and vendors to ensure effective delivery of technology solutions.
Provide leadership and direction to Application Management staff.
Foster a service-oriented culture focused on continuous improvement, user adoption, and operational excellence.
Monitor application performance and identify opportunities to improve user experience and efficiency.
Directly supervise the Salesforce and Marketing Cloud Associate Director, Business Systems Analyst, and additional Application Management staff as assigned.