Business Analyst, Sr.(hybrid)

About the Company

The University of Massachusetts Amherst Foundation (UMAF) is a private nonprofit organization established in 2003 to raise philanthropic support for the University of Massachusetts Amherst. UMAF supports the University's mission through fundraising strategy, implementation, and advancement operations while serving as a best-practices resource for the university community.

About the Team

The Senior Director of BI & Analytics joins the Advancement Operations division and works within a small team responsible for data infrastructure, reporting, and business intelligence. The team primarily uses Snowflake, Tableau, and Salesforce Education Cloud (UMAX) to support data-driven decision-making across the Foundation.

About the Role

The Senior Director of Business Intelligence & Analytics will lead UMAF's business intelligence and analytics function, overseeing the full data lifecycle from architecture and data pipelines to reporting and dashboard delivery. The role will establish technical direction, maintain data quality and governance standards, develop self-service reporting capabilities, and translate business questions into actionable insights. The position is full-time and hybrid, with eligibility for employees located in Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, and New Hampshire.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain Snowflake reporting views, data pipelines, ETL processes, and data warehouse architecture.
• Partner with IT and UMAX administrators to maintain reliable and auditable data flows between systems.
• Establish data quality standards and reconciliation processes to ensure accurate reporting.
• Develop and maintain Tableau dashboards and reports covering fundraising performance, donor engagement, and advancement operations.
• Translate analytical findings into clear recommendations for technical and non-technical audiences.
• Establish and monitor KPIs and benchmarks in partnership with organizational leadership.
• Lead the BI & Analytics team by setting priorities, managing workloads, reviewing deliverables, and supporting professional development.
• Support hiring, performance management, and team planning.
• Build and maintain data dictionaries, reporting documentation, and self-service reporting resources.
• Establish and enforce data governance standards, including data definitions, stewardship responsibilities, and change management processes.
• Document reporting logic and methodologies so results can be independently traced and reproduced.
• Collaborate with Gift & Donor Services and Prospect Development to align data definitions and reporting standards.
• Evaluate data tools and infrastructure to support current and future organizational needs.
• Incorporate AI tools into analytical and documentation workflows and encourage effective use across the team.
• Support additional data, analytics, and organizational projects as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, information systems, data analytics, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• At least 5 years of experience in business intelligence, data analytics, or a closely related field.
• Strong SQL skills and experience with data warehouse platforms, preferably Snowflake.
• Experience designing and developing Tableau dashboards and data visualizations.
• Experience working with CRM systems and fundraising or advancement databases.
• Strong investigative, analytical, and problem-solving skills with the ability to identify and investigate data inconsistencies.
• Demonstrated ability to document analytical logic and methodologies clearly.
• Experience using AI tools such as Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot, or Cortex in analytical and documentation workflows.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to present data insights to diverse audiences.
• High degree of integrity and professionalism.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively as part of a team.
• Experience with Salesforce Education Cloud or a comparable higher education CRM is preferred.
• Experience in higher education advancement, nonprofit fundraising, or a mission-driven organization is preferred.
• Familiarity with Snowflake architecture, data dictionaries, self-service reporting, data governance, or master data management is preferred.
• Experience managing a CRM migration or major data platform transition is a plus.