Shape the Future of Philanthropy at WashU!
Are you a visionary gift operations leader ready to bring modern strategy, curiosity, and high-level execution to a world-class institution?
Washington University in St. Louis is seeking a Senior Associate Director of Gift Operations to lead our talented team into 2027 and beyond. If you have a deep background in non-profit or higher education gift processing, love looking three to five steps ahead, and thrive on turning complex operational challenges into streamlined success, this role is for you.
What You’ll Do
- Lead & Elevate the Team: Supervise, mentor, and inspire a dedicated team of full-time gift operations professionals, fostering a culture of high performance, accountability, and continuous learning.
- Drive Strategic Vision & Innovation: Look beyond day-to-day processing to modernize workflows, automate manual CRM systems, and champion forward-thinking operational improvements.
- Ensure Accuracy & Quality Control: Oversee complex gift processing, adjustments, and reporting in our CRM (Affinaquest/Salesforce), setting rigorous standards for quality, consistency, and compliance with IRS and CASE guidelines.
- Collaborate Across Campus: Serve as a trusted partner to stakeholders, University Advancement leadership, and Gift, Endowment & Investment Accounting to optimize financial management, internal controls, and banking relationships.
What We're Looking For
- Experience: Bachelor’s degree and at least 5 years of relevant experience, including hands-on background processing gifts for a non-profit or higher education institution coupled with team supervision.
- Strategic & Analytical Mindset: Demonstrated ability to anticipate future needs, build metrics dashboards, address work quality head-on, and execute long-term strategic plans.
- Technical Acumen: Strong proficiency with non-profit CRM platforms, fundraising technologies (Salesforce/Affinaquest experience a plus), and data quality initiatives.
- Curiosity & Drive: An eagerness to learn, a passion for process improvement, and the readiness to bring innovative, modern solutions to our gift operations.
Position Details
- Location: St. Louis, MO; relocation assistance is available
- Targeted Hiring Range: $78,000 – $88,000
Ready to leave your mark on WashU's advancement ecosystem? Apply today to lead a high-impact team where your strategic vision and operational expertise will directly fuel the university's mission.
Are you ready to take the next step in your advancement services career with this role?
