Database Manager

This job is for you if you are data-driven, detail-oriented and enjoy working with teams to clean up, maintain and standardize Raiser’s Edge architecture. As a master of queries, imports, merges, and bulk uploads, your work will help maintain a clean and accurate alumni and donor database that enables the team to achieve its communications, engagement, fundraising, and stewardship goals.

About the Role

The Database Manager is a subject matter expert with 5-7+ years of hands-on experience who administers and manages the Raiser’s Edge constituent management database while maintaining established data entry guidelines and providing support to staff on Raiser’s Edge issues. This role manages all aspects of the Raiser’s Edge database and ensures data cleanliness and integrity, timely donor acknowledgement, and thorough reporting. This position creates, implements, and supports systems in Raiser’s Edge that will enable the entire Development and Alumni Engagement Team to perform with greater efficiency and accountability.

The Database Manager serves as the architect of the alumni and donor data infrastructure, aligning technology, data governance, and business strategy to drive established ROI goals, engagement, and operational efficiency. This role directly supports the university’s ability to build stronger relationships with its alumni and philanthropic community by ensuring the accuracy, accessibility, and integration of constituent data.

Responsibilities

• Create queries and exports for complicated lists for multiple internal teams
• Assist with data segmentation queries
• Manage data transfer process into/out of Raiser’s Edge, including multiple other online platforms
• Manage record merging on a weekly basis and keep updated
• Maintain and improve the overall integrity of the Raiser’s Edge database: updating records, merging constituents, and adding relevant information provided by donors, prospects, or alumni

Alumni & Donor Data Strategy

• Be part of a team that helps define and execute a multi-year alumni and donor data strategy aligned with university goals
• Establish the Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT Database as the single source of truth for alumni, donor, and prospect data
• Lead development of an alumni and donor 360 model to unify data across systems and touchpoints
• Translate business objectives into scalable CRM and data solutions supporting lifecycle alumni and donor engagement

Data Governance & Customer Insights

• Ensure advanced data quality, integrity, compliance (e.g., privacy, consent), and accessibility
• Enable advanced analytics, segmentation, and predictive insights using unified customer data
• Establish enterprise-wide advanced data governance, taxonomy, and standards
• Champion data-driven decision-making across teams

Integration & Architecture Leadership

• Ensure seamless data flow through APIs, middleware, and modern integration patterns
• Design and oversee database integration architecture across advancement systems (email, alumni engagement, brand, fundraising, reporting, data warehouse, etc.)
• Lead initiatives to eliminate data silos and create connected alumni and donor experiences

Alumni and Donor Engagement Enablement

• Support two key areas across the university: Alumni Engagement Team – alumni engagement initiatives, activity tracking, and list segmentation; Development Team – support annual giving solicitations, prospect pipeline development, relationship tracking, proactive analytics supporting a campaign, and major gift solicitation
• Partner with Advancement teams to:
  • Optimize campaigns, journeys, and segmentation
  • Improve conversion, retention, and lifetime value
  • Enable personalization and lifecycle marketing and engagement through integrated technology platforms
  • Ensure effective use of Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT Database to deliver targeted, personalized experiences

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Drive adoption, alignment, and standardized processes across functions
• Partner with fundraising, donor relations, alumni engagement, corporate relations, communications, and IT teams
• Lead data governance councils and executive steering committees

Operational Excellence & Performance

• Define KPIs for CRM and/or database effectiveness (adoption, data quality, pipeline visibility, engagement, ROI)
• Optimize workflows, automation, and operational processes
• Manage teams (indirect reports) including analysts, data engineers, etc.

Technology & Platform Ownership

• Own the full development and alumni engagement technology stack architecture, including CRM, CDP, automation, analytics, AI, and integrations
• Evaluate, select, and optimize platforms to drive ROI and scalability
• Develop and maintain a long-term “Advancement Systems” technology roadmap and ecosystem strategy

Core Platforms & Technology Stack

The Advancement Database Manager is expected to have deep, 5-7+ years of expertise across the following categories:

• Database Platforms: Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT; Salesforce Education Cloud or Microsoft Dynamics 365 experience is a plus
• Integrations, Scripting, Reporting, Data Infrastructure, Marketing Automation:
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Data warehouses (Snowflake, Redshift, BigQuery)
  • ETL / ELT pipelines
  • APIs, Python, middleware / iPaaS
  • Power BI, Looker, Tableau
  • GiveCampus, PeopleGrove, or Mongoose Cadence
• Bonus experience (not required): Slate, GSC, Google Analytics / Adobe Analytics, customer journey analytics tools, Marketo, Eloqua, Pardot, journey orchestration platforms

Skills & Competencies

• Highly detail-oriented with an acute degree of accuracy regarding data and ability to navigate data and spreadsheets
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, with the ability to pay close attention to detail
• Ability to work well with a team and manage competing priorities
• Strong organizational, time management, and problem-solving skills; ability to work accurately and meet deadlines
• Ability to work in a flexible way that allows for changes in assignments and priorities
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills; ability to be proactive
• Strategic & Executive Leadership: Enterprise CRM, data strategy, tech stack development, vendor and platform management, executive stakeholder influence, and cross-functional alignment
• Technical & Architectural Expertise: Deep understanding of database architecture and integration patterns (specifically Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT), data modeling, governance, and lifecycle management; ability to design scalable, future-proof technology ecosystems
• Data & Analytics Fluency: Customer segmentation, lifecycle modeling, attribution, analytics-driven decision-making, familiarity with AI/ML applications in user engagement
• Operational & Product Mindset: Agile product management for database platforms, process automation, optimization, change management, and user adoption
• Core Fundraising and Donor Tech Stack Competencies: System-level thinking across data flows and tools, architecture vision, platform selection, tool management, and integration planning

Requirements

• 5-7+ years in CRM and/or database management, fundraising technology, or customer data leadership roles
• Proven experience leading enterprise CRM and/or Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT implementations
• Experience managing large-scale integrations and data ecosystems
• Track record of driving measurable and documented growth through CRM and personalization

Success Metrics (KPIs)

• CRM and/or Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT adoption
• Data quality and completeness
• Donor and fundraising lifetime value (CLV), retention, engagement, revenue, conversion
• Campaign performance and personalization impact
• Donor and Fundraising ROI

Pay

The annual base salary range for this position is $98,000.00 - $133,933.33. This range represents the University’s good faith estimate of possible compensation at the time of posting. Stevens Institute of Technology determines compensation based on factors including the position’s scope and responsibilities, the candidate’s experience, education, skills, internal equity, market data, and organizational considerations. The final salary will be set considering departmental budget, qualifications, and relevant credentials.

Benefits

For a full overview of benefits offerings, please refer to the Stevens Institute of Technology Benefits Guidebook.