Advancement Operations

The Chronicle Of Higher Education, Inc.; Salt Lake City (UT); On-site; USD 55,000 - 58,000; Full time

Job summary

The Chronicle of Higher Education, Inc. is seeking an Advancement Operations & Scholarships Specialist to provide essential operational, financial, and scholarship management support for the Colleges of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

This role ensures accuracy, compliance, and timely execution across scholarship tracking, reporting, donor data, and stewardship. Reporting to the Senior Advancement Director, the specialist collaborates with LAS Advancement Services, finance teams, scholarship

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree (or equivalency) required; 4 years related experience for Development Specialist or 2 years with master's.
• Equivalency: 1 year of higher education may substitute for 1 year related work experience.
• Development Specialist: bachelor's (or equivalent) + 4 years or master's (or equivalency) + 2 years of directly related experience.
• Preferences include degree areas and ability to manage multiple deadlines and high-volume workflows.

Responsibilities

• Draft, route, and finalize gift acknowledgment letters; ensure accuracy, tone, and timeliness per LAS/University standards.
• Prepare weekly and monthly gift reports for senior leadership and department chairs.
• Maintain CRM donor records and prepare data-driven fundraising reports.
• Coordinate with finance managers to confirm eligibility, award amounts, and disbursement timelines.
• Support donor relations events and stewardship activities; identify workflow gaps and implement improvements.

Skills

Scholarship administration

CRM/donor databases

Excel/data management

Writing/proofreading/document control

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Master's degree or equivalent

Tools

CRM/donor databases

Excel

Job description

Advancement Operations & Scholarships Specialist

Job Summary

The Advancement Operations & Scholarships Specialist providesessential operational, financial, and scholarship managementsupport for the Colleges of Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS). Thisrole ensures accuracy, compliance, and timely execution acrossscholarship/award tracking, financial reporting preparation, donordata maintenance, and stewardship operations.

The Specialist may report to the Senior Advancement Director (ordesignee) and collaborates closely with LAS Advancement Services,finance teams, scholarship coordinators, Central Advancement, LASfrontline fundraisers, and the LAS Advancement Senior Director tomaintain seamless operations supporting donor stewardship andstudent impact. This role is critical to ensuring that donor-fundedscholarships are awarded, tracked, documented, and reported withaccuracy and institutional integrity.

Development Specialist AdvancementOperations & Administrative Support (45%)

• Draft, route, and finalize gift acknowledgment letters;coordinate review and signatures; ensure accuracy, tone, andtimeliness aligned with LAS and University standards.
• Prepare weekly gift reports for the Senior AdvancementDirector, Vice Provost/Senior Dean, and college deans.
• Prepare monthly gift reports for department chairs and centerdirectors.
• Develop targeted outreach lists; maintain accurate donorrecords in the CRM; prepare giving and activity reports to supportdata‑driven fundraising.
• Maintain team operating budgets; track expenditures; supportP‑card and invoice reconciliation; prepare budget status reports;manage ordering of supplies and materials.
• Provide administrative support to the LAS Advancement team,including calendar coordination, meeting preparation, note‑taking,agenda development, action tracking, and document management.
• Support LAS and college Advisory Board operations, includingscheduling, agenda development, meeting materials, documentation,and coordination to align board activity with collegepriorities.
• Identify workflow gaps and recommend or implement processimprovements to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and constituentexperience.
• Collect, analyze, and summarize operational and stewardshipdata to assess effectiveness, identify trends, and support informeddecision‑making.

Scholarship & Award Administration (30%)

• Maintain comprehensive, audit‑ready stewardship records for LASscholarships and awards, including fund criteria, recipients, awardcycles, stewardee assignments, and financial activity.
• Coordinate with LAS finance managers and scholarshipadministrators to confirm eligibility, award amounts, anddisbursement timelines; proactively resolve discrepancies.
• Collect, review, and quality‑check student materials (thank‑youletters, bios, photos, releases) to ensure timely, brand‑aligneddonor communications.
• Liaise with department chairs and faculty to gather impactstories, data, and quotes for donor stewardship and reporting.
• Compile scholarship narratives, student content, and summarizedfinancial data for stewardship plans and donor reports; archivefinal materials for continuity and compliance.
• Track and report scholarship stewardship metrics to supportassessment and continuous improvement.

Additional Responsibilities (20%)

• Support donor‑related events, including scholarship receptions,student‑donor gatherings, and recognition ceremonies.
• Provide flexible operational support during peak cycles such asscholarship season, campaigns, and year‑end stewardship.

Other duties as assigned (5%)

• Complete additional responsibilities at the direction of theSenior Director of Donor Relations or LAS Senior AdvancementDirector.

Minimum Qualifications

EQUIVALENCY STATEMENT: 1 year of higher educationcan be substituted for 1 year of directly related work experience(Example: bachelor's degree = 4 years of directly related workexperience).

Development Specialist: Requires a bachelor's (orequivalency) + 4 years or a master's (or equivalency) + 2 years ofdirectly related work experience.

Preferences

• Bachelor's degree in marketing, communication, finance,accounting, business, humanities or social sciences, or a relatedarea.
• 6 years of directly related work experience or a master's (orequivalency) + 2 years of directly related work experience.
• Ability to manage multiple deadlines and high‑volume workflowswith accuracy.
• Strong editing, organizational, and project managementskills.
• Ability to collaborate across teams and manage multipledeadlines.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail;maintains confidentiality.
• Strong collaboration and customer‑service orientation
• Experience with CRM-style database.
• Experience in a higher education advancement unit
• Experience in external communications going to donors,foundations and corporate partners

Key Skills and Competencies

• Experience with scholarship administration, financial tracking,or advancement operations.
• Proficiency with CRM/donor databases and strong Excel/datamanagement skills.
• Strong writing, proofreading, and document‑coordinationabilities.
• Experience supporting events or stewardship activities (e.g.,student-donor gatherings, scholarship receptions).

Requisition Number: PRN45766B

Full Time or Part Time? Full Time

Work Schedule Summary: Mon–Fri, 8:00 am–5:00 pm; occasionalnights and weekends

Department: 00289 - Development

Location: Campus

Pay Rate Range: $55,000 – $58,000

Close Date: 09/15/2026

Open Until Filled: