About the Department:

The Office of Advancement and Alumni Relations division is a comprehensive development and alumni relations enterprise with a staff complement of approximately 135 FTE. Functional units within Advancement include development/fundraising, alumni relations, stewardship and donor relations, advancement communications, special events, gift processing, research, prospect management, gift planning, corporate and foundation relations, information systems and management, and infrastructure services.

Advancement's mission is to build strong, lifelong relationships with George Mason University's alumni and constituents, while matching their philanthropic interests with the university aspirations and priorities. The division is committed to serving the needs of the university, our alumni, and the greater community by providing access to quality education and lifelong learning. Respect, service, integrity, collaboration, transparency, and creativity are the values that guide our work and culture.

About the Position:

The Business Analyst/CRM Specialist position involves setting up new users, customizing Salesforce to meet business needs, designing flows, providing comprehensive training, and maintaining data integrity. Additionally, the position will support users in MicroStrategy, assist with querying and data analysis, and collaborate with various departments to tailor Salesforce solutions. Finally, this position will gather data, conduct research, and ascertain situations for improvement, and implement such improvements with flows, new objects and/or fields, and reports.

Please Note: Due to the nature of the confidential information this position works with, current Mason students CAN NOT be considered for this position.

Responsibilities:

Salesforce Administration 

• Set up new users, manage user permissions, and perform password resets in Salesforce;
• Collaborate with Director of CRM Data Management on data integrations from external sources;
• Work with Director of CRM Administration to configure page layouts, picklists, and validation rules to meet business requirements;
• Identify gaps and provide analysis and solutions for overcoming them. Work with appropriate users to ascertain needs, and liaison between stakeholders, and other departments to deliver solutions:
  • Develop solutions using tools available, or research potential new tools;
  • Implement solutions, using appropriate tools;
  • Oversee testing and training of new solutions;
• Design and implement Salesforce flows to streamline processes and improve user efficiency. Collaborate with users to achieve best results;
• Ensure data integrity and accuracy within Salesforce. Import data using tools like Data Loader and Data Import Wizard;
• Write and execute queries to extract and analyze data, providing insights to support business decisions;
• Identify and resolve issues related to Salesforce functionality and the user experience;
• Manage cases logged within Salesforce; and
• Work closely with other departments to understand their needs and customize Salesforce accordingly.

Report Development 

• Work with stakeholders to gather, document, and prioritize business requirements;
• Translate business needs into clear functional and technical specifications;
• Conduct data analysis and validation to support decision-making and solution design;
• Assist in creating and modifying MicroStrategy reports and dashboards based on user requirements;
• Support analysis of data sources and help validate report outputs for accuracy;
• Help translate the data analysis and translate them into MicroStrategy objects;
• Build simple schema objects (attributes, facts) and application objects (metrics, filters, prompts) under guidance;
• Participate in unit and system testing of MicroStrategy reports and dashboards;
• Maintain clear documentation for reports, dashboards, and changes made;
• Assist in identifying and resolving basic issues in existing reports and dashboards;
• Build requirements and reports using MicroStrategy or Salesforce reports; and
• Collaborate with the Data Integrity Manager to create dashboards and reports highlighting data issues, and work together to develop solutions. 

Training 

• Offer continuous support and training to Salesforce and MicroStrategy users, ensuring they can utilize the platforms effectively;
• Develop comprehensive training plans, including videos and written guides, and provide specialized training tailored to specific units or processes; and
• Design comprehensive training plans for users at all levels. Provide training to end-users in navigation and use of PatriotForce (Salesforce CRM with Affinaquest application) and MicroStrategy (reporting system).

Other duties as assigned within the scope of the role

Required Qualifications:

• Some experience (generally one to three years) training others on the basics of Salesforce;
• Strong knowledge of Salesforce with some experience troubleshooting the program;
• Experience in eliciting and documenting business requirements;
• Experience using cases, and process flows;
• Experience supporting user testing;
• Knowledge of MicroStrategy;
• Skill in writing queries to extract and analyze data;
• Skill in report development;
• Excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail;
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team;
• Ability to interpret data, identify trends, and recommend data-driven strategies;
• Clear communication with both technical teams and non-technical stakeholders;
• Strong presentation and documentation skills; and
• Strong customer service skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience;
• Salesforce Administrator preferred;
• Experience working within a fundraising environment;
• Experience preparing reports in Salesforce, or MicroStrategy; and
• Knowledge of Oracle SQL or similar tools.

Instructions to Applicants: 

For full consideration, applicants must apply for Business Analyst/CRM Specialist at https://jobs.gmu.edu/. Complete and submit the online application to include three professional references with contact information, including your current supervisor, and provide a Cover Letter/Letter of Intent with Resume for review.

Posting Open Date: October 2, 2025

For Full Consideration, Apply by:  October 16, 2025

Open Until Filled:  No