The Senior Digital Engagement Officer leads the Digital Engagement Officer (DXO) program to build a scalable pipeline of annual, leadership annual, and major-gift prospects across alumni, parents, students, faculty/staff, and friends. Reporting to the Senior Director of Annual Giving, this role both (1) manages and develops the DXO team—owning hiring support, onboarding, coaching, performance management, standards, and analytics—and (2) personally carries an individual portfolio similar in size and rigor to other DXOs. By combining team leadership with hands-on fundraising, the position advances Pepperdine’s mission through measurable growth in discovery, qualification, meetings, solicitations, and revenue, and by improving the donor experience across digital, phone, and video channels.

Duties

• Personal Fundraising Portfolio (Equal to a DXO):
  • Manage a personal portfolio with the same volume, stage mix, and goals as other DXOs (discovery→qualification→cultivation→solicitation→stewardship).
  • Execute high-velocity, high-touch outreach via phone, email, video, text, and social to secure meetings and close gifts at leadership annual levels and early major-gift pipeline.
  • Craft personalized proposals and impact messaging.
  • Close gifts aligned to donor interests and University priorities.
  • Document all activity and outcomes in CRM promptly and accurately. 
• DXO Program Leadership, Management, and Enablement:
  • Lead, coach, and supervise the DXO team; conduct weekly 1:1s, call coaching, and quarterly performance reviews.
  • Establish and maintain playbooks, outreach cadences, video/email templates, and stewardship standards.
  • Set weekly activity and outcomes targets (touchpoints, meaningful contacts, meetings set/held, solicitations, dollars) and manage to goals with transparent dashboards through EverTrue.
  • Partner with Prospect Development to design prospect pools and refresh cycles; ensure balanced coverage across schools, regions, affinities, class years, and campaigns.
  • Own onboarding/training and a continuous-improvement roadmap (A/B testing, message optimization, channel mix, and conversion funnel health).
  • Collaborate with IMC/Advancement Communications to align campaigns (e.g., Pepperdine Gives/Waves Give) with DXO workflows and post-campaign cultivation plans.
  • Coordinate with Major Gifts, Annual Giving, and Alumni Engagement to define lead-handoff SLAs and feedback loops; track downstream outcomes. 
• Campaign & Initiative Execution:
  • Plan and staff digital outreach sprints supporting Pepperdine Gives, Waves Give, crowdfunding, reunions, and micro-campaigns; align team capacity, lists, and scripts to campaign goals.
  • Coordinate vendor relationships (digital engagement platforms, calling/video tools) and ensure brand and data standards. 
  • Produce after-action reports with insights and next-step cultivation tracks for newly engaged prospects. 
• Data Integrity, Systems, and Insights:
  • Serve as a business owner for DXO workflows in CRM and engagement tools; ensure clean data, reason codes, and stage moves.
  • Build and maintain dashboards for activity, pipeline, and revenue; identify bottlenecks and implement corrective actions with the team.
• Perform other duties as assigned. 
• Uphold University mission through work performed.

The above information has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job.

Skills and Qualifications

Required:

• Bachelor's degree (business or related field preferred).
• 2+ years of experience in prospect research and major gift solicitation in an advancement or fundraising office.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills for building and maintaining relationships.
• Proficiency in time management, project organization, and attention to detail.
• Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information with discretion.
• Prior supervisory experience. 

Preferred:

• A master's Degree.
• Experience with continual improvement project management.
• Proficiency with Google Office Suite.
• Experience with donor databases, preferably Raiser's Edge and Vanilla Soft.
• Goal-oriented, self-motivated, and adaptable to evolving environments.

This is a Regular, Exempt, 40 hour per week position that may be eligible for remote or hybrid work in accordance with the University Policy Manual.

Expected Pay Range: $70,304 - $74,000 per year 

The above pay range reflects what Pepperdine University reasonably expects to pay for this position at time of posting. Actual compensation may vary based on relevant factors such as work experience, market conditions, education/training, and skill level. In addition to base pay, Pepperdine offers a robust and highly competitive benefits package.

Pepperdine is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of any status or condition protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. Pepperdine is committed to providing a work environment free from all forms of unlawful discrimination and harassment. Engaging in unlawful discrimination or harassment will result in appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal from the University.

Pepperdine is religiously affiliated with the Churches of Christ. It is the purpose of Pepperdine to pursue the very highest employment and academic standards within a context that celebrates and extends the spiritual and ethical ideals of the Christian faith. While students, faculty, and staff represent many religious backgrounds, Pepperdine is permitted under applicable law and reserves the right to seek, hire, and promote persons who support the goals and mission of the institution, including the right to prefer co-religionists who support Pepperdine's Christian mission.

Qualified individuals should be able to show respect for workplace differences, and have the ability to work effectively with individuals from different backgrounds.

Offers of employment are contingent upon successful completion of a criminal, education, and employment screening. The University conducts such screenings in compliance with applicable laws and with the objectives of evaluating risk and supporting a safe environment for students, faculty, staff, and guests; safeguarding key University assets including people, property, information, and the University’s reputation; and providing comprehensive job-related information to University leaders to enable them to make prudent hiring decisions. Individuals will be required to disclose any criminal convictions on a designated form after receiving a conditional offer of employment; failure to disclose accurate information may result in withdrawal of the offer or termination of employment. Qualified individuals with criminal histories will be considered for employment in compliance with applicable laws, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance.