Senior Data Analyst, University Advancement (1416)

Idaho State University•Pocatello, ID

36d•$65,000 - $75,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Data Analyst plays a key role in shaping Idaho State University's fundraising and engagement strategy through clear, accurate, and timely data insights. This position designs and maintains the data sets, reports, and dashboards that inform campaign planning, prospect strategy, and leadership decisions. Working closely with the Director of Foundation Data & Research, the Senior Data Analyst helps ensure the Foundation's data systems are reliable, well-structured, and aligned with fundraising goals. The role focuses on building and automating reports, maintaining documentation, and helping staff confidently use self-service dashboards. The Senior Data Analyst supervises two part-time team members - a Data Specialist and a CPI intern - and models high standards of accuracy, practicality, and collaboration across the Foundation's data work. This position is not eligible for new visa sponsorship at this time. Candidates who already hold valid U.S. work authorization may be considered.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in a relevant field (e.g., Data Science, Information Systems, Business Analytics, Statistics, Finance, or a related discipline) and at least three years of progressively responsible experience, OR in lieu of a Bachelor's degree, nine years total relevant professional experience (six years substitute for the degree and at least three years role specific experience).
At least one year mentoring and supervisory experience.
Demonstrated expertise in data visualization tools such as Power BI or Tableau.
Experience with SQL, relational databases, and data modeling concepts.
Ability to translate complex business questions into analytical deliverables.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including documentation and executive reporting.

Nice To Haves

Experience with advancement CRMs such as Raiser's Edge NXT or Salesforce NPSP.
Familiarity with CASE Global Reporting Standards and advancement metrics such as LYBUNT/SYBUNT and proposal pipeline health.
Experience with Python or R for data cleaning, automation, or statistical analysis.
Experience with predictive modeling, donor segmentation, or clustering techniques.
Experience supporting comprehensive fundraising campaigns.
Experience working in philanthropy in a higher education and/or non-profit setting.

Responsibilities

Manage and maintain the Foundation's core reporting datasets, ensuring accuracy, governance, and fiscal-year-alignment for major, annual, and planned giving.
Build and maintain dashboards and scorecards to monitor directors of development portfolio activity, prospect progress, and gift projections.
Provide standardized lists and reports to support fundraising appeals, events, stewardship, and research.
Partner with the Senior Prospect Research Analyst to support director of development portfolio reviews, document decisions, and follow-through.
Build and maintain data models that integrate information from CRM, financial, and engagement systems.
Design and maintain simple, reliable dashboards and reports that show fundraising, prospect, and engagement performance.
Conduct regular deduplication checks and validation audits to ensure data integrity.
Work with the Director to define how data is organized and documented so that reporting is consistent, transparent, and easy to maintain.
Recommend improvements to data workflows that make reporting more efficient and reliable.
Develop donor and alumni segmentation models that inform targeted outreach and campaign design.
Support exploratory and predictive modeling (e.g., likelihood to give, engagement scoring, pipeline forecasting) using appropriate statistical or machine-learning techniques.
Collaborate with Alumni Engagement, Annual Giving, Communications, and other teams within advancement to operationalize segments for solicitation, stewardship, and engagement efforts.
Collaborate with directors of development and Foundation leadership to identify needs and design solutions that inform strategic decisions.
Supervise and coach two part-time staff; assign priorities and review deliverables to ensure accuracy and consistency.
Promote data literacy by creating clear documentation and offering training on dashboards, metrics, and data definitions.
Evaluate existing reporting workflows and propose automation or redesign to improve efficiency.
Research emerging BI and analytics tools and implement enhancements as appropriate.
Participate in professional learning through CASE, Apra, or other peer analytics networks, incorporating new best practices.