Application Developer

Department: Advancement Services, a pivotal unit within the Institutional Advancement division supporting fundraising, alumni engagement, and donor stewardship initiatives through strategic data management, system integrations, and technology solutions.

About the role

The Application Developer for Advancement Services serves as the technical expert responsible for the design, development, maintenance, and optimization of the University's enterprise Advancement CRM systems (currently Advance*) and related technologies, supported by an Oracle Database environment. This role combines advanced programming expertise with leadership experience and a strong understanding of advancement systems to ensure technical solutions align with departmental strategic goals. The position requires strong communication and collaboration skills, working closely with university executives, fundraisers, gift administration, and prospect services staff to support reporting needs, data analysis, and the delivery of accurate and actionable advancement information.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and optimize complex reports and reporting frameworks; conduct comprehensive data audit processes, establish validation standards, and ensure consistency and accuracy across reporting outputs.
• Lead the department in report development, testing, and documentation; support advanced data analysis initiatives to identify trends and inform strategic decisions.
• Design and deliver dashboards and visualizations tailored to diverse stakeholders; promote effective use of analytical tools in data interpretation and presentation.
• Manage data import processes from internal and external sources, including third-party screenings; define standards for data mapping, transformation, and validation.
• Develop and maintain integrations between internal systems and third-party vendor applications/software to ensure reliable and timely data exchange; establish monitoring, alerting, and error-resolution protocols.
• Troubleshoot synchronization issues, reconcile discrepancies, and improve overall integration reliability.
• Define and enforce data standards, business rules, and quality controls; perform data cleansing, deduplication, and validation efforts.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to promote best practices and ensure long-term data reliability.
• Manage user access, roles, and permissions to ensure appropriate and secure access to sensitive data; lead the implementation of data security protocols within the Ellucian Advance system.
• Ensure compliance with relevant regulations and institutional privacy policies across all technical solutions and system customizations; collaborate with the security team to enforce data access controls and conduct periodic security audits.
• Perform database performance tuning, maintenance, and optimization; develop and review queries, stored procedures, and scripts; support backup and recovery planning, system upgrades, and long-term technical strategy.

Job Functions and Percentages of Time

• 50% Systems Development, Integration & Database Engineering
  • Design, develop, maintain, and enhance the Advancement CRM (Advance*) and related enterprise applications supporting fundraising and alumni operations.
  • Develop and maintain integrations between internal systems and third-party/vendor platforms, ensuring accurate and reliable data exchange.
  • Manage data import processes from internal and external sources, including wealth screening and enrichment vendors.
  • Define and implement data mapping, transformation, and validation rules for system integrations and imports.
  • Design, code, and deploy custom .NET applications to automate data workflows and bridge gaps between CRM and external systems.
  • Develop and optimize SQL queries, stored procedures, and automation scripts supporting operational and reporting needs.
  • Perform Oracle database tuning, performance optimization, and maintenance activities.
  • Support system upgrades, backups, recovery procedures, and lifecycle maintenance.
  • Establish monitoring, alerting, and troubleshooting processes to resolve integration and data flow issues.
  • Perform root cause analysis and implement fixes for system synchronization or integration failures.
• 40% Data Management, Reporting & Analytics
  • Design and maintain enterprise reports and reporting frameworks for advancement operations.
  • Lead report development lifecycle including requirements gathering, testing, validation, and documentation.
  • Conduct routine and ad hoc data audits to identify inconsistencies, duplication, or quality issues.
  • Develop dashboards and visualizations for leadership and operational stakeholders.
  • Perform data analysis to identify trends and support fundraising and engagement strategies.
  • Define and enforce data quality standards, business rules, and governance practices.
  • Perform data cleansing, deduplication, and normalization to maintain a reliable dataset.
  • Establish and enforce rigorous data integrity standards; develop automated scripts to identify and resolve duplicate records or formatting inconsistencies.
  • Ensure alignment between reporting outputs and source systems for consistency and accuracy.
  • Translate data into actionable insights for institutional decision-making; promote effective use of analytics tools and data literacy across stakeholders.
• 10% Data Governance, Security & Compliance
  • Manage user access, roles, and permissions within Advancement CRM systems.
  • Implement and maintain data security controls to protect sensitive donor and alumni information.
  • Ensure compliance with institutional policies, privacy regulations, and data governance standards.
  • Conduct periodic access reviews and security audits.
  • Collaborate with IT and campus security teams on cybersecurity and governance alignment.
  • Monitor systems for unauthorized access or data misuse risks.
  • Support investigation and resolution of data access issues or anomalies.
  • Provide guidance on secure data handling and governance best practices.
  • Maintain comprehensive documentation for custom code, database schemas, and standard operating procedures to ensure institutional knowledge retention.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Data Science, or a related field (or equivalent work experience).
• 4-6 years of expertise and working knowledge in Oracle PL-SQL, Oracle DBA, ASP.net, Visual Basic, C#, C++, Crystal Reports, MS Access, IIS, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Perl, XML, and PHP.
• 4-6 years of experience and proficiency with web development, security, maintenance, and interfacing complex web reporting and web applications.
• Deep knowledge of database management, optimization, and reporting tools.
• Proven experience in coordinating complex projects, working with cross-functional teams, and delivering high-quality solutions.

Preferred Qualifications

• 4-6 years of technical working knowledge and expertise in Advancement enterprise CRM systems such as Ellucian, Blackbaud, Salesforce, etc.
• 4-6 years of experience with system integrations, APIs, and data synchronization across multiple platforms.
• 4-6 years of experience with data visualization and reporting tools such as Tableau, Power BI, or similar.
• 4-6 years of experience in programming, system administration, or data management within higher education or nonprofit advancement environments.
• Experience with data security regulations such as PCI-DSS, GDPR, FERPA, and other privacy standards.

Pay

The budgeted salary range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position is $83,165 to $111,000/year. Salary offers are determined based on final candidate qualifications and experience, the budget for the position, and the application of fair, equitable, and consistent pay practices at the University. The full salary range for this position is $83,165 to $150,565.68/year.

Schedule

Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Benefits

Full benefits eligibility, including excellent retirement and health plans. Hybrid work arrangement (both UC and non-UC locations).