Development Analytics Specialist

Job Description

Special Instructions to Applicants :

All interested applicants should attach a cover letter and resume in the Supporting Documents section of the application, preferably in a PDF format to avoid any formatting issues.

About Rice:

Boasting a 300-acre tree-lined campus in Houston, Texas, Rice University is ranked among the nation’s top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has a 6-to-1 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio, and a residential college system, which supports students intellectually, emotionally and culturally through social events, intramural sports, student plays, lectures series, courses and student government. Developing close-knit, diverse college communities is a strong campus tradition, which is why Rice is highly ranked for best quality of life and best value among private universities.

Rice is also a wonderful place to work. Rice faculty, staff and students share values that are essential to our success as a healthy community. Those values guide our decisions and behaviors and shape Rice’s culture. They come through in the way we treat each other and the welcome we extend to our visitors. These values can be recalled simply by our name — RICE — Responsibility, Integrity, Community and Excellence.

Position Summary:

Under the direction of the Senior Director of Business Analytics, the Development Analytics Specialist supports Development and Alumni Relations (DAR) by delivering reporting, dashboards, analytics, and business intelligence solutions that advance fundraising, donor engagement, prospect management, and campaign performance. The role partners with business stakeholders to translate operational needs into data-driven insights, analyze trends and performance metrics, develop forecasts, and support strategic decision-making. This position also promotes data quality, KPI governance, and effective use of analytics tools, including emerging AI-enabled technologies, while ensuring compliance with university data governance and security standards.

Ideal Candidate Statement:

The ideal candidate is an analytical and collaborative professional with experience in business intelligence, reporting, and data analytics who can translate complex data into actionable insights, partner effectively with diverse stakeholders, and leverage reporting tools, databases, and emerging technologies to support strategic decision-making and operational excellence.

Workplace Requirements:

This position is offered as a hybrid role, combining both in-office and remote work to provide flexibility and support collaboration. Per Rice policy 440 , work arrangements may be subject to change.

*Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime .

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s Degree with emphasis in Data Analytics, Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Information Systems, Business Analytics, Finance, or a related field.
• 2+ years of experience in business intelligence, data analytics, reporting, statistical analysis, or a related field

Skills:

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Strong written, verbal, and presentation communication skills.
• Ability to communicate technical concepts to non-technical audiences.
• Strong organizational and time management skills.
• Attention to detail and accuracy.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and projects.
• Ability to work collaboratively across departments.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite.

Preferences:

• 3+ years of related experience described above.
• Experience in higher education, healthcare, nonprofit, or advancement organizations.
• Experience with data visualization tools such as Tableau or Power BI.
• Experience working with CRM systems, preferably Blackbaud CRM.
• Strong SQL skills and experience querying relational databases (Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, or similar).
• Experience developing dashboards, KPIs, and performance metrics.
• Knowledge of fundraising operations, advancement services, or prospect development.
• Experience working with data warehouses and business intelligence platforms.
• Familiarity with AI-enabled analytics tools and automation technologies.

Essential Functions:

• Develops, maintains, and enhances dashboards, reports, visualizations, and analytics solutions that support fundraising, donor engagement, prospect management, and campaign strategy.
• Partners with stakeholders to gather business requirements and translate them into actionable reporting, analytics, and business intelligence solutions.
• Analyzes fundraising, constituent, portfolio, campaign, and engagement data to identify trends, measure performance, develop forecasts, and support strategic decision-making.
• Defines, develops, and maintains key performance indicators (KPIs), reporting standards, business rules, and documentation to support consistent and sustainable reporting practices.
• Writes SQL queries and leverages CRM, data warehouse, and business intelligence platforms to extract, validate, integrate, and analyze data from multiple sources.
• Ensures data quality, accuracy, integrity, and compliance with established data governance and reporting standards.
• Evaluates fundraising initiatives, portfolio performance, campaign progress, and operational effectiveness, providing data-driven recommendations for improvement.
• Develops and supports self-service reporting capabilities and provides guidance to users on analytics tools and resources.
• Evaluates and supports the implementation of emerging analytics technologies, including AI-enabled tools, in accordance with university policies and governance standards.
• Manages multiple analytics projects and priorities while maintaining awareness of industry trends, business intelligence tools, and fundraising analytics best practices.
• Performs all other duties as assigned

Additional Functions:

• Collaborates regularly with Development and Alumni Relations staff through meetings, email, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and other communication platforms.
• Participates in departmental and university committees, meetings, and professional development activities as appropriate.

Rice University HR | Benefits: https://knowledgecafe.rice.edu/benefits-overview

Rice Mission and Values: Mission and Values | Rice University

Rice University is committed to ensuring Equal Employment Opportunity and welcoming the fullness of diversity into our candidate pools. Rice considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status. Rice also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities. If an applicant requires a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, please get in touch with Rice University’s Human Resources Office via email at facstaffada@rice.edu for support.

If you have any additional questions, please email us at jobs@rice.edu . Thank you for your interest in employment with Rice University