Senior Director of Advancement Services

Chatham University; Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); On-site; USD 81,000 - 109,000; Full time

Job summary

Chatham University seeks a collaborative, strategic Senior Director of Advancement Services to oversee operations and infrastructure supporting fundraising and alumni engagement. You will lead a team responsible for gift processing, data management, reporting, prospect research, stewardship, and communications.

Reporting to the Vice President for Advancement, this role focuses on improving processes, analytics, and an integrated donor experience to foster philanthropic growth and long-term

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Minimum five years of progressively responsible experience in advancement services, development operations, donor relations, prospect research, or related advancement functions.
• Experience overseeing gift processing, data management, reporting, stewardship, and advancement operations.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day advancement services operations with effective systems, workflows, and processes.
• Help create and execute strategic plans and objectives for the department.
• Develop and implement best practices related to data integrity, gift processing, stewardship, donor communications, prospect research and management, and reporting.
• Serve as a key resource on policies, procedures, and database management.
• Oversee database management, data entry standards, record maintenance, reporting, and data hygiene.
• Ensure accuracy and integrity of donor, alumni, and prospect information; oversee gift processing activities and reconciliations.
• Produce regular reports, dashboards, and analytics to support fundraising strategy and leadership decisions.
• Oversee acknowledgement processes, donor recognition, impact reporting, and stewardship communications.

Skills

Data management

Gift processing

Reporting

Prospect research

Donor relations

CRM systems

Staff supervision

Project management

Analytical skills

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Chatham University welcomes your interest in employmentopportunities and encourages you to review open positions. Pleasenote that Chatham does not accept unsolicited applications.

Senior Director of Advancement Services

Chatham University seeks a collaborative, strategic, and focusedprofessional to oversee the operations and infrastructure thatfacilitate and support the University’s fundraising and alumniengagement efforts. Reporting to the Vice President forAdvancement, the Senior Director of Advancement Services will lead an advancement services team responsible for giftprocessing, data management and reporting, prospect research andmanagement, stewardship and donor relations, advancementcommunications, and strategic planning. The Senior Director willplay an important role in the Advancement Office’s evolution overthe next several years, improving processes, enhancing reportingand analytics, and creating an integrated donor experience thatenables philanthropic growth and long-term engagement.

Duties and Responsibilities

Advancement Operations and Strategy

• Lead the day-to-day advancement services operations, ensuringeffective systems, workflows, and processes that supportAdvancement unit goals.
• Help create, refine, and execute strategic plans and objectivesfor the department.
• Develop and implement best practices related to data integrity,gift processing, stewardship, donor communications, prospectresearch and management, and reporting.
• Serve as a key resource and authority for Advancement staff onpolicies, procedures, and database management.

Data Management and Gift Processing

• Oversee database management, including data entry standards,record maintenance, reporting, and data hygiene.
• Ensure the accuracy and integrity of donor, alumni, andprospect information. Oversee all gift processing activities,including gift entry, acknowledgements, reconciliation, andreporting in close coordination with business office partners.Establish and maintain policies and procedures that ensure timely,accurate, and confidential handling of donor information andcontributions.
• Produce regular reports, dashboards, and analytics to supportfundraising strategy, campaign tracking, and leadership decisionmaking.

Stewardship and Donor Relations

• Oversee acknowledgement processes, donor recognition, impactreporting, and stewardship communications.
• Develop systems to ensure timely and meaningful engagement withdonors. Support donor recognition programs and stewardshipinitiatives.

Advancement Communications

• Oversee Advancement-related communications in partnership withUniversity colleagues and Advancement leadership.
• Help develop and coordinate donor and alumni communications,campaign materials, and impact messaging.
• Ensure communications align with institutional priorities andsupport engagement and fundraising objectives.

Team Leadership

• Supervise and mentor the Advancement Services team.
• Foster a collaborative, service-oriented, and solutions-focusedculture.
• Support professional development and continuousimprovement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Minimum of five years of progressively responsible experiencein advancement services, development operations, donor relations,prospect research, or related advancement functions.
• Demonstrated experience overseeing gift processing, datamanagement, reporting, stewardship, and advancementoperations.
• Experience with prospect research, portfolio management, anddonor analytics preferred.
• Experience supervising staff and managing projects acrossmultiple functions.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem solving skillswith exceptional attention to detail.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to manage confidential information with discretion andprofessionalism.
• Experience with advancement CRM systems and reportingtools.

Preferred Characteristics

• Strategic yet highly execution oriented.
• Collaborative and service-minded
• Comfortable balancing operational detail with broaderinstitutional goals.
• Interested in helping strengthen and modernize advancementinfrastructure in a growing and mission-driven environment.
• Committed to fostering meaningful donor and alumnirelationships through strong, efficient systems and thoughtfulstewardship practices.

Salary Range

$95,000 annually. 40-hour work week.

Exact compensation based on candidate skills and experience.

Chatham University strives to promote a campus environment thatunderstands and embraces multiculturalism while increasingindividuals' intercultural competence. We actively work to buildand sustain a diverse and culturally vibrant campus, which promotesemployee and student success and retention.

Chatham University is an Equal Opportunity Employer with astrong commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equity. ChathamUniversity does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed,color, religion, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sex(including pregnancy, childbirth, reproductive health decisions, orrelated medical conditions), sexual orientation, age, nationalorigin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status,marital or family status, political affiliation, or any othercharacteristic protected by applicable law.