Senior Director of Data System

Senior Director of Data Systems

Title: Senior Director of Data System
Reports to: Vice President of Finance & Administratio
FLSA Status: Full Time, Exempt
Location: Union, New Jersey
Salary Range: $110,000-$150,000

Summary

The Senior Director of Data Systems will be a key member of the Kean University Foundation team, responsible for the comprehensive oversight and strategic management of the donor database and all related information systems. Reporting to the Vice President of Finance & Administration, this critical role ensures the highest levels of data integrity and accuracy, while providing essential data-driven insights and support to advance the Foundation's fundraising, outreach, and administrative objectives. The Director will lead a team including a Director of Reporting & Analytics and a Gift Processing Specialist, ensuring efficient data input, accuracy, robust reporting, and strategic data utilization across the organization.

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership of Donor Database & Information Systems: Lead the overall strategic management, optimization, and daily operations of the Foundation's donor database (Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT) and integrated systems. Ensure the system effectively supports all fundraising, communication, and administrative functions.
Cross-Functional Collaboration and Support: Work collaboratively with all Foundation departments to understand their data needs, provide customized support, and ensure data is leveraged effectively to meet organizational goals.
Team Leadership and Management: Recruit, supervise, mentor, and evaluate a team of two direct reports: the Director of Reporting & Analytics and the Gift Processing Specialist. Foster a culture of excellence, accuracy, and continuous improvement.
Oversee Data Output & Analytics: Oversee the Director of Reporting & Analytics, ensuring the timely and accurate provision of all data outputs, including complex queries, data downloads, reports, dashboards, and insightful data-driven recommendations.
Oversee Gift Processing & Data Input: Oversee the Gift Processing Specialist, ensuring the accurate, timely, and compliant processing of all incoming gifts, pledges, and other financial transactions. Ensure prompt creation and updating of donor records, accurate sending of acknowledgments/receipts, and meticulous organization of related files.
Data Policies, Procedures and Quality Control: Create and enforce comprehensive policies and procedures for all aspects of data entry, gift processing, data security, privacy, and reporting, ensuring compliance with relevant regulations and internal controls. Develop and implement rigorous quality control measures to ensure the highest level of data integrity, accuracy, and consistency across all records and systems, including data hygiene projects and regular audits.
System Enhancements and Training: Identify opportunities for system enhancements and integrations to improve efficiency and effectiveness. Lead information system projects, including but not limited to system conversions, implementation of hardware and software, software upgrades, system backups, importing data, and global changes. Plan and deliver training programs for Foundation staff.
Vendor Management: Manage relationships with external database vendors, consultants, and service providers to ensure optimal system performance and support
Stay Abreast of Industry Trends: Continuously research and evaluate new technologies, database functionalities, and best practices in data management, analytics, and fundraising operations to ensure the Foundation's systems remain cutting-edge.
Other Duties as Assigned

Education and Credentials

Required:

Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in a related field.

Preferred:

Master's degree in a relevant field.
Database administration or other relevant technical certifications.

Experience

Required:

A minimum of 8 years of progressive experience in database management, with 3 or more years in a leadership role.
Extensive expertise with Blackbaud Raiser's Edge or similar comprehensive fundraising CRM, including database administration, querying, reporting, and data imports/exports).
Proven experience in ensuring data integrity, developing data governance policies, and implementing quality control measures.
Demonstrated experience managing or supervising staff responsible for data entry, gift processing, and/or reporting.
Experience in a higher education or complex non-profit environment.

Preferred:

Experience with financial reconciliation processes in a non-profit setting.
Experience with financial and fundraising auditing processes.

Skills

Required:

Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to non-technical staff and collaborate effectively across all levels of the organization.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify issues, troubleshoot, and implement effective solutions.
Proven leadership and team-building skills, with the ability to motivate and develop staff.
Excellent organizational and project management skills.
Meticulous attention to detail and a commitment to data quality and integrity.
Proficiency in Blackbaud Raiser's Edge and NXT, and Microsoft Suite, especially MS Access and Excel.
Understanding of basic accounting principles related to gift processing/reconciliation.
High ethical standards and a commitment to data privacy and confidentiality.

Preferred:

Knowledge of advanced reporting techniques and dashboard creation.
Understanding of fundraising principles and information needs of a development office.

Candidates: Ardú Advisors is assisting the Kean University Foundation with this search. Interested and qualified candidates should send a cover letter and resume to SrDirDataKUF@arduadvisors.com.

Social Media Community Guidelines

The Kean University Foundation manages several social media channels. Through these channels, we aim to facilitate supportive conversations and share informative, engaging content. But please note—if you post to one of our social media channels, send us messages, reply to our tweets or comment on any of our posts, you are agreeing to follow and adhere to these Social Media Community Guidelines.

Additionally, please remember that the comments and responses you read on our channels from other community members come from them, not us. The content of other peoples’ comments, opinions and statements, even if they’re posted on our channels, do not necessarily reflect our views—they are the responsibility of the members of the public who choose to post them.

In order to help us keep our Kean University Foundation and Kean Alumni social media channels as supportive places to discuss shared topics of interest, please abide by the following Social Media Community Guidelines:

Be Respectful
1. Respect is a core part of being a Kean Cougar. Although we welcome your comments and feedback, you must take the responsibility to share both in a way that is respectful to Kean University, our team members and our overall community.
2. We will not tolerate comments, replies, messages or posts that are inappropriate, harassing in nature, or otherwise abusive.
3. We do not welcome comments, replies, messages or posts that are promoting or soliciting a third-party site. This includes third-party products and initiatives.
4. Social media is not the proper forum to send us feedback about our services. Please email kuf@keanfoundation.org for help with those topics.
5. We reserve the right to remove comments/replies/message that do not adhere to our policies, or any content that we believe does not comply.
6. We reserve the right to block or ban anyone who violates our policies.

Comment Moderation and Responses
1. We monitor our social media channels on weekdays, during normal business hours. We try to respond as soon as we are able.
2. Although we are moderating our social media channels to ensure that those commenting are complying with our guidelines, we are not responsible for anything posted by members of the public.

Your Posts May Become Our Future Content
1. When tagging us on social media platforms, please keep in mind that you are consenting to us potentially resharing your content in the future as User Generated Content. By posting on our channels and tagging us in your content, you agree that your posts may be freely used by us on our social media channels, and possibly on our website or in our newsletter.
  1. Knowing this, please do not post any information that you prefer to keep confidential.
  2. Do not share any information from which you expect to receive compensation.
2. When you post on or interact with any of our social media channels, remember that your name, likeness and social media handle will be visible to us and associated with your post/reply/message. If we reshare or use your post/reply/message elsewhere, we may display your name, likeness and social media handle when we do so.

May 2021

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