Senior Director of Advancement Technology and Intelligence

DePauw University•Greencastle, IN

11d•Onsite

About The Position

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. The role joins the University as it selects and implements its next customer relationship management (CRM) platform. The Vice President for Development and Alumni Engagement is the executive sponsor of the CRM transformation, while the Senior Director is the primary DAE leader responsible for driving successful implementation and adoption. The CRM transition is intended to redesign how DAE manages relationships, information, workflows, and decision-making, not simply replace a database. The Senior Director will build the next generation of advancement intelligence and operations at DePauw. The role transforms constituent, philanthropic, engagement, financial, and external data into actionable intelligence to improve fundraising performance, strengthen alumni engagement, inform resource allocation, and support institutional decision-making. It leads 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. The position provides strategic leadership for CRM transformation and the broader advancement technology ecosystem; data readiness, migration, governance, analytics, and decision support; AI and automation; prospect development and relationship management; and gift and financial operations. It advises DAE leadership, leads cross-functional initiatives, manages the department budget, and recruits, coaches, and develops a high-performing team across these functions. The position works closely with Information Services, Finance, University colleagues, vendors, implementation partners, and campus stakeholders. The role is based in an office environment, with flexibility consistent with University policy, extensive collaboration across departments and with external partners, and limited travel as needed. The position is not eligible for work visa sponsorship at this time.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree from a four-year college or university, or an equivalent combination of education and significant relevant professional experience.
Minimum seven years of experience; ten 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 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 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.
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 modeling, setup, and Crystal Reports reporting design, implementation, and support.
Ability to demonstrate accountability, analytical skills, coaching and development, effective oral and written communication, creativity, diversity orientation, interpersonal skills, management skills, organization, problem solving, and technical aptitude.
Ability to perform the essential duties satisfactorily, with reasonable accommodations available for qualified individuals with disabilities.

Nice To Haves

Ten years of experience is preferred.
Significant relevant professional experience may be considered as part of an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Responsibilities

Serve as DAE's functional leader for the selection, implementation, launch, and optimization of DePauw's next advancement CRM, in partnership with the Vice President, Information Services, implementation partners, vendors, DAE leadership, and campus stakeholders.
Use the CRM transition to examine and redesign business processes rather than merely reproduce legacy practices.
Map 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 and portfolio management, reporting, and other practices needed for successful CRM adoption.
Measure post-launch CRM adoption and identify needs for training, process changes, configuration, or management intervention.
Lead an assessment of advancement data to determine what should be migrated, transformed, consolidated, archived, or retired, with assistance from outside consultants.
Build an advancement intelligence function that expands from descriptive reporting to diagnostic, predictive, and prescriptive analysis.
Translate complex data into clear insights, recommendations, and actions for DAE staff, University leadership, and governance bodies.
Develop segmentation, scoring, forecasting, propensity, pipeline, portfolio, and other analytical models to improve fundraising and engagement strategies.
Promote data-informed questioning, testing of strategies, evaluation of results, and continuous performance improvement using dashboards and analytical models.
Move routine reporting toward appropriate self-service tools so analytical capacity can focus on higher-value questions and strategic decision support.
Lead DAE's exploration and responsible adoption of artificial intelligence, machine learning, automation, and emerging technologies.
Identify and prioritize practical AI applications that increase staff capacity, improve personalization, accelerate research, enhance prospect identification, surface constituent behavior patterns, improve data quality, or reduce repetitive administrative work.
Integrate AI and advanced analytics into DAE workflows and the new CRM where they demonstrably improve performance or constituent experience.
Provide strategic leadership for DAE's technology ecosystem, including CRM, reporting and business intelligence, research platforms, digital engagement tools, integrations, and related technologies.
Ensure technology architecture supports a holistic view of constituent relationships across fundraising, alumni engagement, communications, stewardship, events, volunteer activity, and other interactions, and support this work across the enterprise.
Partner with Information Services and campus colleagues to develop 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.
Ensure advancement data accuracy, integrity, accessibility, security, and appropriate use after migration.
Establish 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 DAE data practices support donor intent, effective stewardship, institutional accountability, and trust.
Reduce manual reconciliation, duplicate data structures, shadow systems, and unnecessary administrative complexity.
Provide strategic leadership and systems support for prospect research, prospect identification, portfolio management, and relationship management.
Lead and oversee gift processing, receipting, gift administration, reconciliation, and related financial operations.
Ensure 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 provide appropriate visibility into gift activity, fund use, balances, commitments, and donor restrictions.
Maintain strong controls while continually evaluating whether financial processes can be simplified, automated, or redesigned.
Manage the department budget, a cost center within the Development & Alumni Engagement Division.
Advise 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 integrating fundraising strategy, technology, data, operations, and organizational change.
Set Advancement Technology and Intelligence priorities 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 data and analytical fluency across DAE through training and documentation standards.
Foster a culture of curiosity, experimentation, accountability, collaboration, service, and continuous improvement, and ensure team members understand the business purpose behind their work.
Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

Medical insurance for full-time benefits-eligible employees.
Dental insurance for full-time benefits-eligible employees.
Vision insurance for full-time benefits-eligible employees.
Basic life insurance paid for by DePauw University.
Accidental Death & Dismemberment insurance paid for by DePauw University.
Long-term disability insurance paid for by DePauw University.
Optional additional voluntary life insurance for full-time employees and their dependents.
Additional voluntary benefits.
Tuition Remission and Exchange.
Relocation Allowance.
Retirement savings plan participation for all employees.
Employee discounts and access to University resources.
Vacation, personal, and sick time according to University policies.
Cigna Employee Assistance benefit for all employees and their households.
Access to Welch Fitness Center and wellness classes.
Access to the Indoor Tennis and Track Center.
Access to University Libraries.
Access to Peeler art galleries.
Access to Green Center for the Performing Arts events and programs.
Access to the Ubben lecture series.
Free athletic events.
Bookstore and Starbucks discounts in Greencastle.
Employee-discounted meal plan.
Free parking.
Access to the nature park, including walking and biking trails.
Personal duplicating and printing discounts.