Job Summary

The Director of Advancement Analytics and Insights is a high-level strategist responsible for designing, deploying, and leading comprehensive business intelligence and analytics functions within University Advancement. This role serves as the primary architect of data-driven fundraising frameworks at San José State University, turning complex data into actionable insights, delivering dashboards, forecasting, and strategic analysis that guide leadership and teams across the division.

The Director oversees a comprehensive philanthropy analytics strategy to support fundraising performance, engagement metrics, and campaign success, and data-informed decision-making across the division. The incumbent acts as a critical bridge between data structure (Advancement IT), data collection (Gifts and Records Administration), and data application (Prospect Research and Management, Development, Alumni Engagement), successfully championing a culture of data literacy, evidence-informed engagement, and proactive analytics across University Advancement.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the multi-year roadmap for advancement analytics, aligning data initiatives with philanthropic and engagement pipelines, university campaigns, and divisional priorities and performance goals
• Serve as the division’s lead business intelligence analyst, leveraging data-driven insights to inform decision-making, identify opportunities, and drive strategic initiatives across departments
• Partners with teams on division-wide data operations, guiding divisional staff, partners, and vendors to ensure consistent, high-quality analytical standards in accordance with CASE, AASP, and industry best practices
• Design, implement, and standardize key performance indicators (KPIs), performance dashboards, and accountability frameworks for University Advancement teams and leadership
• Design, build, and continuously optimize a comprehensive institutional suite of interactive dashboards, reports, and data outputs that track philanthropic productivity, pipeline velocity, and fundraiser production
• Oversee the delivery of automated and self-service analytics reports to front-line gift officers and academic leaders, ensuring visual and data consistency
• Translate highly complex multivariate data sets and data science configurations into clear, narrative-driven business insights tailored for non-technical internal users and foundation boards
• Develop, deploy, and validate advanced predictive algorithms and statistical models (e.g., donor propensity, major gift affinity, and lifetime value modeling) to uncover untapped donor capacity
• Build data-driven revenue projection and multi-year forecasting models to determine target objectives and track pipeline gaps
• Integrate external wealth screening and relationship mapping data directly into automated internal scoring models

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Ability to communicate with constituents in a professional and respectful manner
• Working knowledge of, or the ability to develop proficiency in, the appropriate and ethical use of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), in higher education and administrative contexts
• Ability to apply emerging technologies to support operational effectiveness, data-informed decision-making, and service delivery to students, faculty, and staff
• Demonstrated ability to support continuous improvement and organizational learning through the responsible application of technology within assigned areas of responsibility
• Deep knowledge of predictive modeling, data mining, multivariate regression, and fundraising forecasting techniques within a higher education environment
• Mastery of visualization software (specifically Microsoft Power BI) and the ability to construct secure, scalable row-level security dashboard architectures
• Comprehensive knowledge of relational database structures and workflows inside complex advancement CRMs (such as Salesforce, Blackbaud CRM/NXT, Affinaquest, or Ellucian)
• Strong understanding of CASE Reporting Standards and AASP data metric models
• Superior capability to synthesize complex data matrices into narrative presentations and clear policy recommendations for university leadership
• Ability to apply emerging technologies to support operational effectiveness, data-informed decision-making, and service delivery to students, faculty, and staff
• Demonstrated ability to support continuous improvement and organizational learning through the responsible application of technology within assigned areas of responsibility
• Ability to evaluate potential applications, promote responsible, ethical, and equitable use, and ensure alignment with institutional policies, regulatory requirements, and strategic priorities
• Demonstrated ability to manage multi-phase analytics projects independently under tight deadlines while successfully driving tool adoption among resistant users
• Exceptional judgment regarding donor data privacy laws (FERPA, GDPR, CCPA) and an uncompromised commitment to professional ethics

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in Data Science, Business Intelligence, Statistics, Computer Science, Economics, or a related field
• Five (5) years of progressively responsible professional experience in data analysis, business intelligence, or institutional analytics
• Experience leading large-scale analytics initiatives or acting as a primary system analyst/strategist in a complex institutional or corporate environment

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree or higher in Data Science, Analytics, Business Administration (MBA), or an equivalent field
• Seven (7) or more years of experience in higher education advancement services, prospect development analytics, or public university foundation data systems
• Experience with fundraising principles and methods
• Direct experience supporting multi-million fundraising initiatives using predictive fundraising pipelines
• Experience with the California State University system, auxiliary organization models, and campus data compliance standards
• Experience with SQL for data extraction, Python or R for statistical data modeling, and experience utilizing generative AI plugins for prompt engineering and rapid analytics

Compensation

Classification: Administrator II
Anticipated Hiring Range: $9,167/month - $10,000/month
CSU Salary Range: $5,053/month - $16,221/month

The final hiring salary will be commensurate with experience.

San José State University offers employees a comprehensive benefits package typically worth 30-35% of your base salary. For more information on programs available, please see the Employee Benefits Summary.

Application Procedure

Click Apply Now to complete the SJSU Online Employment Application and attach the following documents:

• Resume
• Letter of Interest

All applicants must apply within the specified application period: July 30, 2026 through August 13, 2026. This position is open until filled; however, applications received after screening has begun will be considered at the discretion of the university.

Contact Information

People and Culture
jobs@sjsu.edu

CSU Vaccination Policy

The CSU strongly recommends that all individuals who access any in-person program or activity (on- or off-campus) operated or controlled by the University follow COVID-19 vaccine recommendations adopted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) applicable to their age, medical condition, and other relevant indications and comply with other safety measures established by each campus. The system wide policy can be found at https://calstate.policystat.com/policy/9779821/latest/ and questions may be sent to jobs@sjsu.edu.

Additional Information

Satisfactory completion of a background check (including a criminal records check) is required for employment. SJSU will issue a contingent offer of employment to the selected candidate, which may be rescinded if the background check reveals disqualifying information, and/or it is discovered that the candidate knowingly withheld or falsified information. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may affect the continued employment of a current CSU employee who was offered the position on a contingent basis.

The standard background check includes: criminal check, employment, and education verification. Depending on the position, a motor vehicle and/or credit check may be required. All background checks are conducted through the university's third-party vendor, Accurate Background. Some positions may also require fingerprinting. SJSU will pay all costs associated with this procedure. Evidence of required degree(s) or certification(s) will be required at time of hire.

SJSU IS NOT A SPONSORING AGENCY FOR STAFF OR MANAGEMENT POSITIONS. (e.g. H1-B VISAS)

All San José State University employees are considered mandated reporters under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and are required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment. Incumbent is also required to promptly report any knowledge of a possible Title IX related incident to the Title IX Office or report any discrimination, harassment, and/or retaliation to the Office of Equal Opportunity.

Education Code 89521 Requirements: Applicants will be required to disclose whether they have received a final administrative decision or final judicial decision determining that they have committed sexual harassment within the last 7 years only after a determination is made that they meet the minimum qualifications for the position, and before an offer of employment is extended. Applicants who reach the final stages of the application process must also sign a release form that authorizes the release of information by the applicant’s current and/or former employers to the CSU concerning any substantiated allegations of misconduct.

Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act and Campus Housing Fire Safety Notification: 

Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, the Annual Security Report (ASR) is also now available for viewing at https://www.sjsu.edu/clery/docs/SJSU-Annual-Security-Report.pdf. The ASR contains the current security and safety-related policy statements, emergency preparedness and evacuation information, crime prevention and Sexual Assault prevention information, and information about drug and alcohol prevention programming. The ASR also contains statistics of Clery crimes for San José State University locations for the three most recent calendar years. A paper copy of the ASR is available upon request by contacting the Office of the Clery Director by phone at 408-924-1501 or by email at clerycompliance@sjsu.edu.

Pursuant to the Higher Education Opportunity Act, the Annual Fire Safety Report (AFSR) is also available for viewing at https://www.sjsu.edu/clery/docs/SJSU-Annual-Fire-Safety-Report.pdf. The purpose of this report is to disclose statistics for fires that occurred within SJSU on-campus housing facilities for the three most recent calendar years, and to distribute fire safety policies and procedures intended to promote safety on Campus. A paper copy of the AFSR is available upon request by contacting the Housing Office by phone at 408-795-5600 or by email at uhs-frontdesk@sjsu.edu.

Campus Security Authority - In accordance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act) and CSU systemwide policy, this position is subject to ongoing review for designation as a Campus Security Authority. Individuals that are designated as Campus Security Authorities are required to immediately report Clery incidents to the institution and complete Clery Act training as determined by the university Clery Director.

Equal Employment Statement

San José State University is an equal opportunity employer. The university prohibits discrimination based on age, ancestry, caste, color, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military status, nationality, race, religion, religious creed, sex, sexual orientation, sex stereotype, and veteran status. This policy applies to all San José State University students, faculty, and staff, as well as university programs and activities. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, and certain other federal and state laws, prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex in all education programs and activities operated by the university (both on and off campus). Reasonable accommodation is made for applicants with disabilities who self-disclose. San José State University employees are considered mandated reporters under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and are required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment.