Operations & Systems Manager, Corporate and Foundation Relations

About the role

The Operations & Systems Manager for Corporate and Foundation Relations is a member of the Philanthropy and Engagement division. The Operations & Systems Manager reports to the Senior Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations. All duties are carried out in accordance with the policies and procedures of Philanthropy and Engagement, the Development Office, and the Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations.

Duties And Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary administrator for the JMU Corporate Partnership Hub (Microsoft Teams platform), including structure, permissions, organization, and ongoing maintenance.
• Ensure the Hub functions as the central system for coordinating corporate engagement activity across campus.
• Support Relationship Managers and engagement teams in effectively utilizing the platform for communication, tracking, and collaboration.
• Maintain consistency in how engagement teams document activity, manage opportunities, and share information.
• Identify opportunities to improve Hub usability, adoption, and effectiveness across the institution; flag gaps and recommend solutions to the Senior Director.
• Conduct prospect research for corporate partners and private foundations in close partnership with the Office of Prospect Development to support pipeline development.
• Affiliate with the CFR team across Affinaquest (Salesforce) and the Corporate Partnership Hub to maintain organized and up-to-date prospect and opportunity records.
• Support the tracking and movement of opportunities through defined pipeline stages and flag stalled prospects for the CFR team.
• Coordinate data entry, tracking, and reporting in Affinaquest (Salesforce) and the Corporate Partnership Hub.
• Ensure consistency, accuracy, and integrity of corporate and foundation engagement data across platforms.
• Develop and maintain reports, dashboards, and analytics related to engagement activity and pipeline performance; distribute to the CFR team on a regular cadence.
• Document and maintain processes for data sharing, tracking, and reporting to ensure continuity and scalability.
• Manage the grants and proposal calendar, tracking all submission and reporting deadlines across CFR activity and sending proactive reminders to the team.
• Track campus partner engagement metrics (workshop attendance, Hub usage, proposal requests) as part of Hub and team reporting.
• Manage CFR office and Madison Trust budget processes, including purchasing, contracts and renewals, reconciliation, and tracking.
• Oversee Madison Trust project accounts, ensuring accurate fund disbursement and tracking in coordination with the Associate Director, Philanthropic Operations, and the JMU Foundation.
• Maintain the CFR and Madison Trust websites in Cascade, publishing approved content provided by the CFR team.
• Manage the CFR team’s digital workspace, including Microsoft Teams organization and digital file storage infrastructure.
• Maintain and distribute the shared proposal content library, including compiling content from the CFR team, managing version control, and ensuring team accessibility.
• Maintain CFR knowledge management systems, including process documentation, onboarding materials, institutional history on key funder relationships, and succession planning materials to ensure operational continuity.
• Provide general office management support to ensure efficient day-to-day operations.
• Support coordination of meetings, events, and internal CFR processes, anticipating operational needs and managing logistics proactively.
• Contribute to the development and refinement of CFR workflows and operational systems.
• Manage vendor relationships, support CFR events logistics, and handle team correspondence as directed.

Qualifications

• Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information with discretion and in compliance with institutional data privacy standards.
• Experience working with databases, CRM systems, project coordination, or data management tools in an operational or administrative context.
• Strong organizational and project management skills with high attention to detail.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex, multi-system workflows in a collaborative institutional environment.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel, and collaboration platforms such as Microsoft Teams.

Additional Considerations

• Experience in higher education or advancement operations.
• Familiarity with Affinaquest (Salesforce) or similar CRM systems.
• Experience with web content management systems such as Cascade.
• Experience supporting prospect research or fundraising operations.
• Familiarity with budget tracking and Virginia state procurement, purchasing, or contract administration processes.
• Experience with onboarding, process documentation, or knowledge management systems.