Program Administrative Specialist, Advancement Operations

Job Summary

Towson University (TU) has earned distinction as both a top-100 public university and one of the nation's great colleges to work for. Located north of Baltimore, TU currently enrolls over 19,000 students and is the second-largest university in the prestigious University System of Maryland. Towson University fosters a climate that is grounded in respect to cultivating the intellectual and personal growth of the entire university community.

Responsibilities

• Cook up the day-to-day administrative and operational functions of the University Advancement Operations department, providing comprehensive support to departmental leadership and professional staff to ensure the efficient execution of departmental priorities.
• Coordinate meetings and logistics; prepare correspondence, reports, presentations, policies, and other operational documents; maintain departmental records; support the onboarding of new employees through workspace, equipment, and access coordination.
• Coordinate assigned recurring annual and cyclical operational processes within Advancement Operations, ensuring projects are planned, documented, executed, and completed accurately and on schedule. Develop and maintain process documentation, timelines, operational checklists, and related procedures to promote consistency and continuity while communicating with internal stakeholders to meet established deadlines.
• Support the administration and ongoing maintenance of the university's constituent relationship management (CRM) system by performing data imports, maintaining constituent records, and entering contact reports and engagement activities in accordance with established data governance standards. Exercise independent judgment to ensure the accuracy, completeness, and consistency of CRM data by identifying and resolving data quality issues, collaborating with Advancement staff to obtain and verify constituent information, and assisting with the testing and validation of system updates and operational processes.
• Perform quality assurance reviews of donor communications, stewardship materials, gift agreements, reports, mailings, scholarship information, and other departmental documents to ensure accuracy, completeness, consistency, and compliance with university standards prior to distribution or publication. Support stewardship operations by reviewing scholarship documentation within Blackbaud Stewardship Management (or successor systems), assisting with donor-facing stewardship communications and portals, and coordinating other stewardship-related operational processes as assigned.
• Cook up departmental procurement and administrative support activities by managing supply inventories, forecasting and ordering operational materials, maintaining vendor information, and assisting with purchasing, contracts, and renewals. Process invoices and related financial documentation, support departmental budget tracking and reconciliation, monitor vendor performance, and compile financial and operational information to assist with budget development, project planning, and reporting.
• Support departmental planning and decision-making by collecting, compiling, organizing, and analyzing operational data to prepare reports, dashboards, spreadsheets, presentations, and other business materials. Coordinate departmental projects by tracking milestones, maintaining project documentation, monitoring progress, and following up on action items, while researching best practices, operational trends, and technology solutions to support continuous improvement initiatives.
• Identify, recommend, and implement improvements to administrative procedures, operational workflows, recordkeeping practices, and business processes to enhance efficiency, service quality, and operational effectiveness. Maximize the effective use of enterprise technology, reporting tools, and office automation solutions to streamline departmental operations and support continuous process improvement.
• Serve as a professional liaison with university departments, faculty, staff, vendors, consultants, donors, and other internal and external constituents by responding to inquiries, answering and directing the main office phone line, coordinating activities, and providing exceptional customer service with professionalism, discretion, and sound judgment. Maintain the confidentiality of personnel, donor, financial, and operational information in accordance with university policies and applicable regulations, and perform other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree.
• Four years of experience in administrative staff work. Except for qualifications established by law, additional related experience and formal education in which one has gained the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for full performance of the work of the job class may be substituted for the education or experience requirement on a year-for-year basis with 30 college credits being equivalent to one year of experience.
• Knowledge of data management principles and data quality best practices.
• Ability to exercise independent judgment when reviewing, validating, and maintaining confidential information.
• Strong organizational, project coordination, and time management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to accuracy.
• Ability to develop and improve administrative and operational processes.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Excel, Word, Outlook, and PowerPoint.
• Ability to learn and effectively utilize constituent relationship management systems, reporting tools, and other enterprise applications.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with a diverse range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with discretion and professionalism.

Preferences

• Experience working in higher education, nonprofit, or advancement/development operations.
• Experience using constituent relationship management (CRM) systems, such as Advance, Blackbaud CRM, Salesforce, Ascend, or similar fundraising databases.

Salary and Benefits

$51,069 annually and full University benefits that includes annual leave, up to 17 holidays, personal and sick days; excellent health, life, and retirement plans; and tuition remission. Applicants with TU or USM service may receive salary credit. When applicable, a 2.5% increase may be added to the annual salary, pending successful completion of the initial six-month probationary period, for this position. To learn more about our benefits, please click here. TU also offers a variety of great perks and discounts, which can be found here.