Assistant Director, Advancement Operations

University of Chicago; United States; Hybrid; USD 60,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy seeks an Assistant Director of Advancement Operations to support the Alumni Relations and Development team. The role focuses on project management, data stewardship, communications, and event operations to strengthen engagement with alumni, parents, and friends.

Reporting to senior leaders, you will manage CRM data in Phoenix/Salesforce, design HubSpot emails, coordinate donor acknowledgments, and help run fundraising programs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• 2–5 years in a related field.
• Nonprofit experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Project management across Advancement programs.
• Data management in Salesforce; maintain constituent records.
• Enter contact reports, prospect strategies, and proposals.
• Oversee event management and registration processes.
• Design, write, and deploy emails via HubSpot.
• Coordinate donor communications and gift acknowledgments.
• Support volunteer and annual giving programs.
• Prepare ad hoc and standard reports for planning.

Skills

Verbal communication

Written communication

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Salesforce (Phoenix)

HubSpot

Cvent

Microsoft Office

Job description

Department

Harris School Alumni Relations About the Department Why policy? For a better world. Why Harris Public Policy? Because when it comes to better policymaking, evidence matters. We work at the frontiers of data collection and analysis, using the latest technology and social science methods to design policies that work for society. We conduct rigorous inquiry in an environment of innovation and risk taking, fearlessly questioning the status quo. We collaborate across the private, public, and nonprofit sectors, adopting new methodologies to drive better solutions. We engage with our city, our world, and our leaders every day to evaluate and test our ideas. And we lead with our passion for driving social change, knowing that passion alone does not equal impact. With passion and precision, we figure out what’s best for society—and get it done. This is Harris Public Policy: Social impact, down to a science.

Job Summary

Reporting to both the Senior Director of Alumni Relations and the Director of Development, the Assistant Director of Advancement Operations will support the Advancement team at the Harris School of Public Policy. Harris Advancement is dedicated to building lifelong relationships to maximize the intellectual, social, professional, and financial engagement of all Harris Public Policy alumni, parents, and friends to advance the strategic objectives of the school. Our work has a transformative impact on Harris students and faculty, driving significant contributions of time, talent, and resources back to Harris. The Assistant Director will provide critical support to the operations and functions of the entire Advancement team, including project management, data management, communications functions, and event operations.

Responsibilities

• Project management: Serves as project manager across Advancement programs, including event technology initiatives and projects that improve management operations.
• Data management: Serves as the in-house Phoenix (Salesforce-based) power user, extracting and analyzing data and maintaining constituent records. Creates and implements an annual data management calendar to keep alumni and donor records current.
• Prospect Management: Maintains accurate record of communications-related activity in the CRM. Enters contact reports, prospect strategies, and proposals on behalf of the Dean and Harris leadership.
• Event management: Manages the full event cycle for Advancement events, including building and maintaining Cvent registration forms and event websites, managing RSVP reporting and registration changes, and tracking attendees. Oversees production of event materials such as nametags and seating materials, and oversees onsite registration and operations.
• Digital communications: Designs, writes, and deploys email communications in HubSpot, including event invitations, newsletters, stewardship materials, and solicitations. Develops content for the Advancement pages of the Harris website and manages graduate student assistants who maintain website data.
• Fundraising writing: Coordinates written materials supporting fundraising, including donor correspondence such as acknowledgments, prospect strategy briefings, event remarks, talking points, and gift proposals.
• Gift acknowledgment: Manages the gift acknowledgment process for alumni, parents, and friends, including personalized thank-you messages on behalf of the Dean and Advancement leadership. Oversees a weekly deployment schedule and uses technology to ensure timeliness and efficiency.
• Volunteer and annual giving programs: Collaborates with colleagues to execute volunteer, such as but not limited to Inspire, and annual giving programs (such as giving day) that increase alumni participation, revenue, and engagement.
• Reporting and analysis: Prepares custom and ad hoc reports to support planning and operational decisions across events, volunteer programs, annual giving, and donor and prospect management. Synthesizes data on the Development team's fundraising progress, pipeline, and prospect pool, and organizes materials related to fundraising and campaign operations.
• Seeks opportunities for professional development that will enhance job performance, including building networks within the University and with colleagues at peer institutions.
• Supports business activities during staff vacancies, ad hoc projects or other duties as assigned.
• Has a moderate/solid understanding of fundraising operations for a school or department of the University.
• Identifies budget requirements and staffing needs on a project or event basis.
• Plans somewhat complex activities of volunteer and support groups.
• Recruits members and provides guidance and support to leadership activities.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

• Education: Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.
• Work Experience: Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline.
• Certifications: ---

Preferred Qualifications Experience

• Experience in a job discipline such as nonprofit management, development, alumni relations, marketing, or similar work Experience with fundraising, database management, or contact management preferred. Experience working with volunteers preferred. Experience with event logistics management preferred.

Preferred Competencies

• Strong verbal and writing skills with high attention to detail.
• Flexibility and adaptability to new programs in a quickly changing environment needed.
• Emotional intelligence and the ability to work collaboratively in a team setting.
• Willingness to serve as a brand ambassador for the Harris School of Public Policy and University of Chicago.
• Ability to foster partnerships across teams.
• Demonstrated skill and knowledge of, or ability to learn quickly, the internal workings of the University as well as the technology tools available to the Office of Advancement, including Phoenix (the University's Donor Relationship Management System), HubSpot, Cvent, Microsoft Windows computer environment, Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Adobe products including design software, and project management software.
• Willingness and ability to travel to campus and/or non-campus locations for University business.
• Willingness and ability to work evenings and weekends as needed.
• Demonstrated track record of personal initiative and excellent organizational skills.

Mental demands

Self Motivation and ability to take initiative. Ability to prioritize multiple projects and independently follow through with detail.

Working Conditions

Hybrid role – 3 days in-person weekly

Job Family

Alumni Relations & Development Role Impact Individual Contributor Scheduled Weekly Hours 37.5

Drug Test Required No Health Screen Required No Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required

Pay Range $60,000.00 - $70,000.00 The included pay rate or range represents the University’s good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.

Benefits Eligible Yes The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook.

Posting Statement

The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination. Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773‑702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form. All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history. A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment. Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case‑by‑case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

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The University of Chicago is an urban research university that has driven new ways of thinking since 1890. Our commitment to free and open inquiry draws inspired scholars to our global campuses, where ideas are born that challenge and change the world. We empower individuals to challenge conventional thinking in pursuit of original ideas. Students in the College develop critical, analytic, and writing skills in our rigorous, interdisciplinary core curriculum. Through graduate programs, students test their ideas with UChicago scholars, and become the next generation of leaders in academia, industry, nonprofits, and government.

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