Job Description

Our Mission

We in Boston University Advancement harness the power of philanthropy to make an excellent education accessible and welcoming to all, and to advance BU’s global leadership in research, scholarship, artistic creation, and professional practice.  To support our work, we have built—and are continuing to build—an outstanding team of dynamic, mission-driven advancement professionals who constantly strive to create an environment where everyone belongs.  Where it’s not just about a job, but a career and a community.

Now, our  Business Intelligence team is looking for a Business Analyst who will drive data-informed decision-making across BU Advancement and related University units.

Business Intelligence & Prospect Strategies at Boston University

The mission of Business Intelligence & Prospect Strategies is to uncover and provide data, information, knowledge, insight, and wisdom that will maximize impact for stakeholders and decision-makers within Advancement , within Boston University, and beyond.

As such, Business Intelligence & Prospect Strategies is comprised of three teams: Business Intelligence, which leverages state-of-the-art machine learning, artificial intelligence, and interactive data visualization to provide tailored prospect identification and reporting solutions for BU Advancement; Prospect Research, which provides key wealth-, relationship-, and inclination-related details on individual constituents; and Prospect Management, which oversees prospect-, portfolio-, and pathway-related processes, leading to developing strategies for its clients within Advancement .

Leveraging industry best practices in computational philanthropy and prospect development, Business Intelligence & Prospect Strategies aims to support the engagement and fundraising efforts of Advancement to not only meet but exceed its engagement and philanthropic goals.

Business Intelligence Business Analyst

The Business Intelligence (BI) Business Analyst plays a critical role in driving data-informed decision-making across BU Advancement and related University units. This role specializes in leveraging domain expertise in fundraising and institutional operations to deliver tailored data insights, predictive models, and advanced reporting that address the unique complexities of diverse Advancement functions. By serving as a strategic partner to unit leaders and frontline staff, the Business Analyst ensures that analytics solutions are directly aligned with business needs, enabling effective strategy execution and helping the University meet philanthropic, engagement, and operational goals.

Responsibilities:

Domain-Specific Analytics & Modeling:

• Develop, implement, and maintain customized data visuals, insights, segmentation, and predictive models that reflect the nuanced goals and workflows of Advancement units such as Principal Gifts, International Giving, Foundation Relations, Major Gifts, Parent & Family Philanthropy, Athletics, Planned Giving, Stewardship & Donor Relations, Campaign, School Development, University Centers & Institutes, Alumni Engagement, Advancement Events, and Annual Giving.
• Extend data analytics support to other divisions, including Industry Engagement, General Accounting, Analytical Services & Institutional Research, ensuring cross-functional alignment and shared data understanding.

Strategic Partnership & Advisory:

• Collaborate closely with senior leaders, fundraisers, and operational staff to translate strategic objectives into actionable analytics solutions.
• Act as strategic advisor, providing prescriptive recommendations based on data analysis to optimize fundraising performance, donor engagement, operational efficiency, and campaign effectiveness.
• Bridge gap between complex data systems and non-technical users through effective communication and education.

Data Quality & Infrastructure Collaboration:

• Partner with Advancement Applications team and central Information Services & Technology (IS&T) to help maintain data integrity, validate source systems, and optimize data pipelines and architecture for Advancement analytics.
• Support documentation, testing, and rollout of new tools or data models ensuring adherence to best practices and data governance policies.

Develop Domain Specialty & Infrastructure:

• Contribute to building and maintaining BI subject matter domain, developing knowledge base, accumulating institutional knowledge, serve to enhance client data and analytical sophistication.
• Help design and implement long-term data strategy initiatives, focused on sustaining talent retention and future-proofing data analytics capabilities that meet evolving University fundraising and engagement goals.

Required Skills

A cover letter is required for consideration.

• Bachelor’s degree required, master’s degree preferred with demonstrated work experience substituted for advanced degree
• 5+ years of experience in computer science, CRM, data warehousing, data analytics or similar field required
• Self-directed and an analytical, creative, and strategic thinker
• Proficiency using a SQL dialect is required, as is experience in SQL relational database management systems (RDBMS) such as PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle, or SQL Server
• Experience with Application Programming Interfaces (API) and File Transfer Protocols (FTP) is required
• Experience with Power BI or Tableau preferred. Experience with R or Python preferred
• Understanding of the University’s goals and objectives for fundraising campaigns and the division’s activities and strategy

But that’s not all we’re looking for; we want someone who embodies our values:

• Teamwork, transparency, and mutual respect , because we value every member’s contributions and know that leadership can come from anywhere.
• Diversity, equity, inclusion , and a commitment to ensuring that each of us knows we belong here.
• Integrity in how we work and how we treat one another.
• Strategic thinking and curiosity in the relentless pursuit of fresh approaches and measurable results.
• Continuous growth and improvement , both as individuals and as a team.
• Joy and shared appreciation for working hard toward goals that matter.

If this resonates with you and you want to help us in our ambitious next campaign—and maybe do some of your best work as an advancement professional— we encourage you to apply. If you are hesitant to apply because you have not previously performed every responsibility listed in the description, but you do possess transferable skills and the defined qualifications, we still want to hear from you and welcome your application as well.

To learn more about Development & Alumni Relations at Boston University, and other job opportunities, please stop by the Advancement Talent website:  .

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, natural or protective hairstyle, religion, sex, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military service, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, or because of marital, parental, or veteran status. We are a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.

If you require a reasonable accommodation in order to complete the employment application process, please contact the Equal Opportunity Office at 617-358-1796.

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