Executive Director of Advancement Information Services

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Job Summary

The Executive Director of Advancement Information Services (AIS) is a leader in the Advancement Services department within Caltech’s Office of Advancement and Alumni Relations (AAR). Reporting directly to the Assistant Vice President for Advancement Services (AVP for AS), the Executive Director is responsible for the management and oversight of four teams within the business intelligence function: Business Analysis and Reporting; Data Science/Analytics; Advancement Information Management and Information Management Systems and Services (IMSS). The scope of these teams includes: maintenance and security of the Institute’s main alumni and donor database and related platforms, business reporting, data science, analytics, training, gift processing and data management.

 

The Executive Director works closely with colleagues throughout AAR and is expected to establish, under the guidance of the AVP for AS, high-functioning, collaborative relationships with colleagues across campus, including but not limited to Budget and Finance, the Office of the General Counsel and all academic divisions, institutes and centers. With the goal of continuous optimization of our technology stack, combined with cutting-edge methods for data science, analytics, collection, integration and management used to secure philanthropic support for Caltech, the Executive Director will manage a highly-motivated team of skilled business intelligence data professionals.

Job Duties:

• Partner with the AVP for AS to develop and implement a creative, cutting-edge, holistic vision that allows for the strategic use and deployment of data and systems across AAR that increase efficiency, meet business needs, increase revenue and drive towards the creation of the ultimate donor experience
• Demonstrate leadership in the field of business intelligence, data science and/or advancement services with a focus on best practices in regards to technology, systems, analytics, modeling, artificial intelligence, reporting, data maintenance, data management and gift processing
• Drive Caltech towards the goal of becoming best-in-class in the area of dynamic data management and analysis in fundraising and alumni relations
• Provide dedicated leadership and management to AIS, with a focus on staff professional development
• Under the leadership of the AVP for AS, set annual strategic priorities for AIS including a plan of action to achieve AAR’s lofty goals; ensure individual and team resources are used optimally to achieve goals
• Direct and oversee the ongoing management and automation of Ellucian CRM Advance; serve as AAR’s “point person” for the Advance database and oversee the team that manages the applications, upgrades and security
• Maintain in-depth understanding of stakeholders’ businesses, which will allow for proactively offering business process improvements and solutions to improve efficiency within CRM
• Develop detailed project work plans, timelines and budget
• Maintain project assignments
• Monitor workloads and resources to meet project requirements
• Frequently reassess project scope to ensure projects are carried out according to established plan and budget
• Maintain a high level of Caltech enterprise systems knowledge and expertise
• Maintain a high level of philanthropy industry knowledge and product expertise
• Maintain professional growth and development
• Stay current on the latest trends in area of expertise through participation in educational programs, review of current literature and attending meetings and workshops; present work at conferences
• Perform other related duties as assigned

Staff Management :

• Actively promote a professional workplace culture of mutual respect that values diversity, inclusion and collegiality for all
• Build and nurture a culture and practice of continuous quality improvement, identifying and incorporating best practices when relevant and otherwise aspiring to be regarded as a top performing unit within AAR
• Design, establish and maintain an organizational structure and staffing including the use of external vendors and temporary staff to accomplish all goals and priorities effectively
• Provide leadership, mentorship, training and direction to direct reports and the larger AIS team
• Conduct periodic review, assess performance of units and implement strategic changes/enhancements as needed
• Prepare, administer, and monitor unit annual work plans, budgets and goals
• Ensure use of optimal project management systems/techniques for heightened efficiency, collaboration and communication amongst the team, partners and stakeholders at all times
• Encourage staff to take advantage of opportunities to present their work to colleagues nationally and globally through conferences and professional presentations

Systems Management, Improvement and Use :

• Ensure AAR’s technology stack is optimal and utilizing the best-in-class systems
• Lead efforts to develop, deploy and maintain a modern data architecture including but not limited to Data Warehousing, Data Lakes, etc. for AAR
• Manage data integrations between AAR, other campus data sources, plug-ins, apps and other technology products creating a seamless and uniform structure
• Provide leadership for initiatives to optimize AAR’s CRM functionality
• Manage and develop solutions for business process improvements and CRM system enhancements
• Facilitate solution review and sign-off from stakeholders.
• Ensure development of the proper documentation of new business processes
• Oversee CRM design and validation sessions; ensure CRM has capabilities to collect and capture data necessary to run AAR operations effectively
• Lead the planning and coordination of all upgrades, enhancements, issue resolution and other significant changes to the CRM and other technology products carries out by IMSS
• Create elegant CRM solutions that allow for the optimal user experience; accurate tracking; creation of metrics and reporting
• Maintain complete knowledge of the files, fields and structure of CRM and other tech products
• Implement automations that reduce burdensome and time-consuming manual processes
• Ensure quality assurance checks are optimal at both technical and procedural levels
• Troubleshoot and resolve problems, including the resolution of technical problems as needed, on an ongoing basis as they relate to the execution of project or program objectives and CRM.
• Ensure training program is robust, that resources are deployed optimally and user needs are regularly addressed

Data Science, Analytics and Reporting :

• Partner with the AVP for AS and the Director of Analytics to create a state-of-the-art data science program that utilizes cutting edge programming, modeling and data visualization techniques to ensure the optimal use of data for informing decision making and achieving goals
• Utilize artificial intelligence, NLP, machine learning, etc. to solve business challenges, increase revenue and create efficiencies; ensure proper infrastructure is in place for the development and deployment of analytics and reporting
• Manage special data/analytics projects for campus executive leadership as directed by the AVP for AS and Vice President for AAR
• Translate data into usable information for AAR and the entire Institute community
• Ensure that implementation of analytical tasks and data modeling supports the goals of AAR
• Manage a multi-platform reporting/data visualization infrastructure that optimizes report creation, functionality and usage
• Work closely with AAR leadership and use national trends to design and deliver analytic reports that will support data-driven decision making
• Identify key reporting needs and develop the data capacity to meet those needs
• Provide leadership for the development and execution of reports for tracking and reporting on new commitments and cash flow projection; monitor progress against annual fundraising and advancement goals, reporting on various performance metrics throughout AAR, etc.
• Produce reports that answer most critical reporting needs; develop the data capacity to meet those needs

Data Quality and Management :

• Ensure the integrity, reliability and confidentiality of alumni, donor and other constituent records through cutting-edge data maintenance techniques including audits, automations, data visualization, etc.
• Provide leadership to Gift Processing to ensure all charitable contributions are recorded in a prompt manner and in compliance with Internal Revenue Service rules, Council of Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) guidelines and all internal policies and procedures
• Develop suite of visualizations that monitor data flow and indicate database health; proactively lead projects that ensure a high degree of data health
• Under the direction of the AVP for AS, execute a data strategy that ensures optimal data capture and recording
• Respond to audits as they relate to the gifts and pledges recorded in the system

Basic Qualifications

• A bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and work experience
• Five or more years of experience working within business intelligence, advancement services, data management, data science, business analysis and/or analytics
• Demonstrated experience in the strategic deployment and use of systems, applications and data to support large-scale programs
• High degree of creativity and a track record of utilizing creative methods for problem solving and product creation
• A strong proficiency working with and managing information within complex databases
• Experience with data visualization and reporting software such as Tableau and/or Power BI
• Experience with employing analytics, building models and programming languages such as SQL, Python and R
• Progressively strong supervisory experience. Demonstrated working knowledge of the attributes and practices of high-performing employees and teams
• Ability to make decisions involving time-sensitive and confidential information
• Ability to use independent judgment and impart information to a range of clientele
• Demonstrated skills in examining and re-engineering operations and procedures, formulating policy and developing and implementing new strategies and procedures
• Experience leading projects using management principles, practices, techniques and tools
• Superior communication skills
• Ability to practice and adhere to organizational mission and values

Required Documents

• Resume
• Cover Letter