Senior Director, Data Strategy and Marketing Technology

Department

ADV Analytics & Technology Solutions

About the Department

The Advancement Office engages alumni (~220k), current students, parents, and friends of the University through intellectual, professional and social activities on campus, around the world and online. Advancement raises $600 Million annually to support faculty and researchers, practitioners and patients, and students and programs across the University. Our work supports priorities in every division, school, department, and institute.

The Advancement Technology team delivers the data, systems, tools, and technology strategy that power UChicago Advancement’s ambitious fundraising and engagement goals. Taking an enterprise approach to data and systems, the team develops and supports systems and tools that are consistent, scalable, and adaptable. In close collaboration with stakeholders across Advancement and the broader University, Advancement Technology translates program strategies into innovative, integrated solutions that enable, enhance, and accelerate fundraising and engagement outcomes. The team is committed to continuous innovation, centralized governance, and building partnerships that ensure technology investments are secure, future facing, and optimized for Advancement goals.

Job Summary

The Senior Director will lead a dynamic and growing team of data and technology professionals, to spearhead the development of reporting and data tools that equip UChicago’s 400+ fundraisers and Advancement professionals to meet the bold goal of raising over $1B annually. They will foster a culture of collaboration, curiosity, and accountability, empowering teams across a complex matrix organization to fully leverage data to engage more alumni, strengthen relationships, and increase philanthropic impact.

This role may manage multiple teams of managers and/or professional staff responsible for developing analytic programs and supporting the use of analytic platforms and administrative data across the University. Reviews administrative data for joint analyses across multiple domains. Partners with functional stewards, business units, and user partners to develop reporting and analytic solutions with appropriate data governance and secure access.

Responsibilities

• Under guidance and direction from the Executive Director of Advancement Technology, designs and proposes comprehensive vision and strategy for how new/improved reporting, data management, and marketing automations strategies can further Advancement goals.
• Champions and drives adoption of the data strategy and culture of data-driven decision-making, and innovation throughout the organization.
• Recruits, develops, and leads a high-performing team of technology professionals, fostering a culture of innovation, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Drives team success by ensuring work aligns with critical business initiatives, providing clear direction and prioritization of projects.
• Strengthens the team’s knowledge of Advancement business priorities and processes, fostering active engagement with colleagues across Advancement and the University community.
• Advances and sustains a developing data governance program that boosts data quality, speeds and standardizes data sharing, and ensures privacy and security across all systems and processes.
• Designs and executes strategies that equip Advancement business groups with timely, intuitive reporting solutions that enable smarter, data-driven decisions and maximize the value of technology tools.
• Launches and leads a marketing automation program that drives measurable results across multiple channels, leveraging controlled experiments, advanced segmentation, and attribution analysis to generate insights and increase conversion rates.
• Proactively engages with leaders of partner business units to understand their objectives and align data strategies with their needs and goals.
• Oversees a portfolio of projects to bring the vision and strategy to life. Drives planning, timelines, resource allocation, and clear communication with stakeholders.
• Monitors emerging technologies and leverages AI and automation to continually enhance efficiency and increase capacity.
• Seeks opportunities for professional development that will enhance job performance, including building networks within the University and with colleagues at peer institutions and with an eye towards broadly diversifying the advancement profession.
• Manages managers and professional staff. Establishes performance goals, allocates resources and assesses policies for direct subordinates.
• Develops departmental plans to maintain administrative data. Ensures that the data is accessible, easy-to-use, flexible, and suitable for various analytical