Associate Director of Advancement Operations

Summary:
Provides high-level consultation and administrative decision-making on behalf of the Division of Advancement and the UIS Vice Chancellor for Advancement/UIF Senior Vice President. Responsible for helping with the management of the Division of Advancement infrastructure, including budget, human resources, and operations. Represents UIS and UIF when needed to both internal and external constituents. Responsibilities require exercising complex critical thinking, acting with absolute discretion, making independent judgments, and exercising discretionary actions for the benefit of the University and its supporters.

Duties & Responsibilities:

Provides strategic advice and guidance to the Vice Chancellor for Advancement consistent with University Administration, UIS, and UIF policies and best practices impacting all operations with a special focus on major gift development. Maintains records of departmental responsibilities and deadlines, manages confidential donor files, and assists DOSIO with reviewing, updating, and evaluating departmental policies and operational procedures; manages and controls confidential documents including institutional and historical documents.

Subject matter expert providing guidance and counsel to complex gift- and account-related inquiries from units, donors, and other constituents; researches and resolves complex issues surrounding financial and legal matters with the Division of Advancement, interacting extensively with UIS, University Administration, UIF financial personnel, and legal counsel.

Division of Advancement HR lead; manages personnel functions, processes all HR transactions, manages performance evaluations, manages hiring and separation of staff. Serves as the primary contact/liaison for UIF, UIS units, other staff for questions from donors, staff, and units regarding gift transactions; follow-up on gift transaction changes.

Manages gift funds, expert in gift fund restrictions/policies/guidelines to ensure compliance, provide payment processing back up to Advancement Operations when necessary, oversees all aspects of the gift process from ensuring gifts are processed correctly, to making sure they are spent appropriately, and working with units to resolve fund issues, such as accumulations or deficits. Respond to unit questions about gift funds, and processes financial data updates in TED. 

Develops and provides recommendations and manages multiple Division of Advancement annual budgets through analysis of current/past operating budgets. Also works with all UIS units that have fundraising budgets to provide required accountability and reporting per University policy. 

Work with Office of Financial Assistance and IT to set up and configure the annual donor-funded scholarship application - add new scholarships; update changed scholarships; upload and set criteria; determine and update award amounts for each scholarship; provide current scholarship detail updates to Lisa and MGOs; verify ready to award and verify receipt of thank you letters so that awards will be processed in the Fall, manage balance, determine awards, resolve deficits, etc. 

Demonstrates high standards of professional ethics by skillfully administering the set-up, processing, and distribution of private gift funds while monitoring for compliance with the regulatory environment, including complex Internal Revenue Service standards. 

Assists with drafting/editing of major gift proposals and gift agreements on behalf of the Vice Chancellor for Advancement and all major gift officers.