Director for Advancement Operations, Parkland Foundation

Director for Advancement Operations, Parkland Foundation

This position is an on-campus, full-time, 12-month, exempt, administrative appointment based in Champaign, Illinois with an annual salary in the range of $80,214.31-$100,267.88 dependent upon experience and qualifications.

Application Close Date/Time: Wednesday, July 22nd at 11:59PM CT

The Director of Advancement Operations leads the systems, processes, and operational functions that support the Parkland College Foundation's fundraising and donor stewardship work. This position oversees advancement services, financial operations, scholarship administration, donor data systems, and compliance activities. Working closely with the Associate Vice President/Executive Director (AVP/ED), this role manages and analyzes operational and financial functions to support planning and decision-making. The AVP/ED provides overall direction and is accountable to the Foundation Board. This position focuses on building and maintaining effective systems and processes that support fundraising success. Donor relationships and communications are led by fundraising staff.

The Director exercises independent judgment in
managing operational systems, financial processes, scholarship
processes, compliance functions, and stewardship. The role regularly
interacts with donors' college leadership, Foundation board members,
auditors, and campus partners. This position is a member of the Foundation
leadership team and contributes to planning, policy development, and
cross-functional coordination.

Applicants must submit:

• An online employment application
  
• Cover letter
  
• Resume or CV
  

Essential Job Functions:

Leadership and Operations

• Lead advancement operations including systems, processes, and workflow management
• Oversee advancement services, financial processes, scholarship administration, and donor data systems
• Supervise staff supporting advancement operations
• Identify and implement process improvements to increase efficiency and accuracy

Financial Operations

• Manage and analyze financial processes including endowments, receivables, payables, and reconciliations
• Prepare financial reports and analysis for leadership and board use
• Support budget development, fund management, and financial planning led by the AVP/ED
• Ensure accurate reporting, internal controls, and compliance in coordination with the Business Office
• Coordinate audit preparation and serve as primary operational contact for auditors

Advancement Services and Data

• Oversee donor database management, data integrity, and reporting
• Manage gift processing, acknowledgements, and stewardship tracking systems
• Ensure compliance with regulations and institutional policies
• Provide reporting and analysis to support fundraising performance

Scholarship Administration

• Oversee scholarship processes including application, awarding, tracking, and compliance
• Manage scholarship budgets and reconciliation
• Coordinate with Financial Aid and Student Services
• Maintain compliance with donor intent and institutional policies
• This role is responsible for administration, stewardship, and compliance only and does not include fundraising

Governance and Compliance

• Prepare documentation to support board governance and reporting
• Support audits and compliance requirements
• Assist in maintaining policies and procedures

Additional Responsibilities

• Support planning and continuous improvement efforts
• Assist with Foundation initiatives and events as needed
• Perform other duties as assigned

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree
• Five or more years of relevant experience in advancement operations, nonprofit administration, finance, or related field
• Experience with financial processes, fund administration, or similar operational work
• Experience with CRM or database systems and reporting
• Strong organizational, analytical, and communication skills
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office or Office 365, including Teams and Outlook, and the ability to learn the Parkland systems and adapt to new programs as technologies are implemented.
• Prospective new hires will successfully complete a post offer, pre-employment criminal background check with fingerprinting. The background check review includes, but is not limited to, exclusionary offenses per the Illinois School Code and Title IV of the Higher Education Act
• In an effort to comply with SURS return-to-work restrictions for employers (40 ILCS 5/15-139.5), candidates for employment at Parkland College must either not be a SURS annuitant or must be willing to suspend his/her SURS annuity upon employment. This applies to all SURS annuitants except those receiving their annuity under either the Self-Managed Plan (SMP) or by lump sum payment

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in a higher education or nonprofit foundation environment
• Experience with advancement services functions, including donor database systems and reporting
• Experience supporting audits, financial reporting, or fund administration
• Experience with CRM systems such as Blackbaud Raiser's Edge, Salesforce, or similar platforms
• Experience leading or supporting system improvements or implementations
• Strong skills in data analysis and reporting tools such as Excel
• Experience supervising staff or leading cross-functional collaboration
• Familiarity with advancement, best practices, and donor data management

Robust benefits, including medical insurance with no monthly premiums, dental, life, disability, retirement plans, flexible spending, dependent care, EAP, work/life balance with generous paid time off, and tuition waiver. More information on the benefits package may be found online at our Benefits page.

Please monitor your email, including spam or junk mail folders, for future correspondence from Parkland College Human Resources.
For further information on the application process, please contact Parkland College Human Resources at 217-351-2220.

Applicants with disabilities may request a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (2008) to complete the application and/or interview process.

Requests may be submitted by contacting Human Resources at 217-351-2220 or by emailing hr@parkland.edu.

Sponsorship for work authorization is not available for this position.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may be used in some portions of the candidate review process for this position; however, all employment decisions will be made by a person.

Equal Opportunity Employer