Advancement Application Developer

Company: Western Governors University

Job Location: Salt Lake City Office

Category: Software Engineer/Programmer

Type: Full-Time

Job Type: Full time

Job Number: JR-023254

Location: Salt Lake City Office

If you're passionate about building a better future for individuals, communities, and our country-and you're committed to working hard to play your part in building that future-consider WGU as the next step in your career.

Driven by a mission to expand access to higher education through online, competency-based degree programs, WGU is also committed to being a great place to work for a diverse workforce of student-focused professionals. The university has pioneered a new way to learn in the 21st century, one that has received praise from academic, industry, government, and media leaders. Whatever your role, working for WGU gives you a part to play in helping students graduate, creating a better tomorrow for themselves and their families.

The salary range for this position takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs.

At WGU, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their position, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is:

Grade: Technical 408 Pay Range: $116,000.00 - $174,100.00

Job Description

The Advancement Application Developer designs, develops, and maintains technology solutions that support WGU Advancement's fundraising and constituent engagement efforts. This role focuses on CRM platforms and related applications, ensuring reliable integrations, data integrity, and optimized workflows. The position serves as a technical liaison between Advancement and IT teams, translating business requirements into scalable solutions and leading complex development tasks. This role requires strong coding skills, expertise in CRM systems, and the ability to balance configuration and custom development.

Primary Responsibilities

• Designs, develops, tests, and implements CRM enhancements and related applications.
• Leads complex coding tasks, API integrations, and advanced system architecture design.
• Writes, reviews, and executes unit tests to ensure high-quality code delivery.
• Performs performance tuning and optimization for reliability and efficiency.
• Integrates third-party products with existing infrastructure and optimize for high utilization.
• Conducts quality control audits for data integrity and system processes.
• Diagnoses and resolves system interface and data integration issues.
• Identifies and corrects inconsistent data and process errors impacting user experience.
• Analyzes data trends and provide actionable insights for process improvements.
• Evaluates current business processes and recommend changes to improve efficiency and reduce costs.
• Plans and presents proposals for system upgrades and new architectures aligned with strategic goals.
• Implements configuration-based changes to uphold business processes and procedures.
• Creates and maintains comprehensive technical documentation for systems and projects.
• Develops training materials and provides guidance to internal users on system functionality and data interpretation.
• Ensures documentation and training content is accurate and approved by stakeholders.
• Gathers and validates project requirements from multiple departments.
• Manages multiple projects concurrently using Agile or Waterfall methodologies.
• Maintains strong relationships with technology teams, project managers, and other stakeholders.
• Collects and analyzes user feedback to enhance staff and student experiences.
• Oversees system interfaces between key departmental programs and software.
• Monitors system performance and implements improvements for navigation and usability.
• Researches emerging technologies and recommends solutions to enhance Advancement systems.
• Performs other job-related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Solid understanding of when to apply configuration and when to apply custom code.
• Write clean, scalable, and efficient code following best practices and coding standards.
• Up to date knowledge of latest releases in customer relationship management (CRM) system, especially those commonly used in higher education and philanthropy such as Ascend, Salesforce, Raiser's Edge, Ellucian Advance, Excel, ServiceNow and/or other database management programs and processes.
• A deep knowledge and understanding of system administration and architecture.
• Ability to vet, select, and implement new CRM systems or other data related technology solutions.
• A knowledge and understanding of workflow automation platforms.
• Technologically competent with data analysis, database navigation, data interpretation and MS Office suite programs.
• Proficiency in coding languages and software development practices.
• Strong understanding of unit testing and performance tuning techniques.
• Strong analytical skills
• Excellent leadership and project management skills.
• Self-starter with a strong ability to use initiative and work autonomously under tight deadlines.
• Works well in a team environment.
• Excellent verbal and writing communication.
• Skilled in analyzing and interpreting data trends, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts for non-technical stakeholders.
• Strong customer focus.
• Strong verbal and written communications abilities.
• Strong technical and problem-solving skills.

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field.

Experience

• 5 years of related experience
• Strong working knowledge of information services, database administration, and software development in higher education advancement (fundraising), alumni relations, or other constituent engagement.

Experience in lieu of education

Equivalent relevant experience performing the essential functions of this job may substitute for education degree requirements. Generally, equivalent relevant experience is defined as 1 year of experience for 1 year of education and is the discretion of the hiring manager.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in operations research, data analytics, business administration, business technology, or a related field
• Salesforce Administrator Certification (ADM - 201 or ADM-211) / Platform Developer I certifications.