Assistant Director, Advancement Information Systems

Come join a team of dedicated staff at an exceptional time in the Smithsonian’s history as we prepare for the Smithsonian Campaign for Our Shared Future. This ambitious fundraising campaign’s public phase will run from 2024 to 2026, culminating with the nation’s 250th anniversary. It will expand the Smithsonian’s reach and impact, empowering the institution to find solutions to today’s most pressing challenges. The Smithsonian is also planning two exciting new museums. The National Museum of the American Latino and the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum share the experiences and perspectives of Latinos and women across history and deepen our shared understanding of what it means to be an American. The Smithsonian has built a model fundraising organization, driven by talented staff across our many museums, research centers and cultural centers. This position offers exciting opportunities for the successful candidate to make a significant impact on the future of the Smithsonian. There is no better time to join this amazing Institution.

About The Position

The Assistant Director for Advancement Information Systems, reporting to the Director of Advancement Information Systems, oversees report production, data analysis, and systems programming for the institution’s donor systems. The Assistant Director uses project management, data analysis and programming tools in conjunction with fundraising business acumen to deliver information that will assist management in meeting the philanthropic objectives of the Smithsonian. This is an exceptional opportunity for a mission-driven professional with demonstrated success analyzing user requirements, writing, and developing reports in SQL, SSRS and Tableau. This team leader will add value by:

• Managing the delivery of complex system development projects from design through to deployment
• Working with colleagues to identify trends and develop reporting tools
• Leveraging new technologies to increase operational, coding and reporting efficiency
• Leading a team of systems analysts, and cultivating career paths for team members while ensuring that team meets the needs of the business
• Assist in planning efforts to migrate existing system to a new SI-wide CRM platform

Qualified candidates will have: 

• Strong proficiency and working knowledge of SQL, PL/SQL, stored procedures, indexes, triggers, and other advanced features. Ability to write complex queries and optimize their performance.
• Experience with large and complex databases – preferably fundraising, membership or sales databases – and specific technologies and best practices in data integration, query design, data validation/automation, analytic functions, electronic data warehouses, ETL (extract, transform, load) and relational database structure
• Expertise in business intelligence tools such as Tableau, Python and their open-source equivalents, sufficient to build tables, custom views, scripts, fields and formulas, and experience with Microsoft 365
• Proven leadership skills and the ability to train, mentor, direct, and validate the work of team members; previous experience as a technical team leader preferred
• Strong written and oral communication skills, presentation skills
• Demonstrated success in building relationships and inspiring teamwork
• Curiosity for problem-solving and a creative and collaborative approach to resolving challenges

Ten years of experience, demonstrating increasing responsibility and technical acumen is required. Experience in the fundraising space and the following systems/skills are preferred: Ellucian Advance, JIRA, SharePoint, PL/SQL.

About the Office of Advancement and Smithsonian Institution

The Office of Advancement oversees and guides the fundraising efforts of the entire Smithsonian and is home to the central advancement organization for the Institution. In addition to raising significant support for a variety of Smithsonian initiatives, the Office of Advancement provides support services to advancement offices across the Institution. The office engages with staff throughout the Smithsonian in accomplishing their goals.

The Smithsonian Institution is a unique complex of 22 museums and galleries, the National Zoo, and eight research centers. The Smithsonian is a national and world treasure and is dedicated to its founding mission, “the increase and diffusion of knowledge.” Its exhibitions, programs, collections, and outreach touch the lives of millions of Americans every year, as well as many who visit us from abroad.  

Benefits Information and Application Instructions

The Smithsonian Institution offers a competitive salary and a comprehensive package of benefits. This is not a federal position but has similar requirements and benefits. Interested candidates should submit their resumes and a cover letter to oastaffing@si.edu by April 5, 2023. Please include the position title in your e-mail subject line. Resumes should include a description of your paid and non-paid work experience that is related to this job; starting and ending dates of job (Month and year); average number of hours worked per week; and salary requirements.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The Smithsonian Institution is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We believe that a workforce comprising a variety of educational, cultural, and experiential backgrounds support and enhance our daily work life and contribute to the richness of our exhibitions and programs. See Smithsonian EEO program information.

The Smithsonian Institution provides reasonable accommodation to applicants where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation should contact the Human Resources Specialist listed. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. To learn more, please review the Smithsonian’s accommodation procedures.