Executive Director, Operations and Services, University Relations at University of Saskatchewan

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada -

Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

06 Jul, 26

Salary

155808.0

Posted On

07 Apr, 26

Experience

5 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

Skills

Strategic leadership, Operational management, Financial acumen, Change management, Data analysis, Stakeholder management, Fundraising, Performance reporting, Process improvement, Team leadership, Business intelligence, Customer service, Policy development, Systems evolution, Communication

Industry

Higher Education

Description

Executive Director, Operations and Services, University Relations Primary Purpose: The executive director (ED), operations & services provides strategic and operational leadership to support the vice-president, university relations in advancing the department’s strategic vision through operational efficiency. This role establishes direction, structure, priorities, policies, and procedures that enable effective and efficient delivery of university relations services and operations. The operations & services team delivers centralized, integrated systems and support across key university relations functions. Nature of Work: The executive director, operations & services, is a senior position reporting to the university’s vice-president, university relations, and is a member of the university relations senior management team. University relations encompasses alumni and strategic engagement; communications and marketing, development, operations and services, and huskie athletics; the ED leads a team of approximately twenty (20) professional staff to provide essential services that support these functions. The ED manages relationships with key internal and external stakeholders and the impact of decisions made is often university-wide. The ED is responsible for strategic planning, policy and procedure development, systems evolution and performance of the key services and operations that support the achievement of university relations and institutional goals. Areas within the portfolio include systems & data services, research & pipeline services, and donation & trust services Achieving best practice in customer-service is a key element of this role to both internal and external partners and stakeholders. The areas within the portfolio provide an integrated approach to the collection, storage, maintenance and distribution of knowledge and information contained in multiple systems and sources across the institution, providing a critical liaison function for all units that relate to university relations. This senior position is responsible for managing the service needs of key internal and external stakeholders including university relations team members, college staff, senior university leaders, external partner organizations and government agencies. The advice, decisions and actions of the ED may create contractual, legal, tax and ethical implications for the university. This role depends on diplomacy, foresight and sound judgment being effectively exercised by the ED to ensure continued goodwill, engagement and financial support. Typical Duties or Accountabilities: Oversee the university relations operations & services team and functions as described above. Develops and executes long term plans based on the identified philanthropic and constituent/stakeholder engagement needs of the various units within university relations. Develops annually a comprehensive, measurable operating plan and budget. Provides strategic vision and oversight of end user training for the delivery of information management, including biographical, gift, prospect, and stakeholder relationship management information that serves the university’s advancement and engagement functions and is used by all colleges/schools and administrative units on campus, as well as the president’s office and other members of the university’s senior management team. Accountable for the overall security of information and development of functionality within the advancement database to support the management of over 200,000 individual and organization records. Engage is the university’s current relationship management system for donations, alumni, donors and other current or potential supporters. Processes incoming donations (such as cash, pledge, stock transfers, estate gifts, gift-in-kinds) enables funding to be appropriately routed and ensures compliance with relevant legislation and the best ethical practices of philanthropy. Ensures that proper controls are in place to manage and efficiently and accurately process incoming donations to the university with respect to Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) regulations and all University policies. Oversee a comprehensive program of research on individuals, corporations and foundations to advance the fundraising objectives of university relations and the university. Facilitates the absorption of research by empowering the team to disseminate insights, leads and strategies to meet current fundraising goals and build a strong pipeline for the future. Oversee administration of prospect pipeline development and monitoring. Collaborates with the VP and AVP Development to implement activities and reports that build and sustain the health of the pipeline. Ensures the University relations team has the support, facilities, equipment and tools they need to function at full capacity. Ensure the Operations & Services team is well-resourced and equipped: Provides expertise to clients across campus and encourages interaction and the exchange of ideas from various stakeholders both within and external to university relations to facilitate solutions to administrative and operational challenges. Establishes advisory groups as required. Leads a team of professionals, managing the full employee life cycle. Works with staff to analyze policies, work procedures and operational methods as they relate to system development and evolution. Works with the university relations team in analyzing and defining elements related to system design and evolution, including input/output requirements, documents, forms and procedural flow between departments and/or divisions. With the objective to enhance efficiency and processes, determines if current policies, practices and internal controls are adequate to meet management objectives and makes recommendations for improvements. Establishes standards and develops procedures and strategies for all aspects of donation and biographical processing, research and prospect management tools, information management and day-to-day operational support. Brings sound management expertise to the university relations senior management team in regard to portfolio reviews, prospect management, systems redesigns and enhancement projects that will answer the demands of university relations and facilitate the achievement of its philanthropic and engagement goals which includes seeking out and coordinating efforts with Enterprise Architect to implement integrated systems to support the mission of university relations . Conducts analyses and statistical research to quantify giving and engagement trends and standards to achieve the long-term objectives of university relations and for institutional planning and reporting purposes. Helps staff understand and promote the use of models, scoring and other data analysis results in various fundraising, alumni engagement, and marketing activities. Stays up to date of current and emerging trends in philanthropy, fundraising, higher education and business intelligence to identify priorities for data improvement and enhancement consistent with industry best practices. Promotes a team environment committed to providing professional client service. Develops and monitors departmental performance indicators, prepares and provides regular reports to the office of the vice-president university relations, oversees performance audits and client satisfaction surveys to ensure expectations and service level targets are met and the portfolio areas are seen to be providing value. Communicate regularly, proactively and effectively with all stakeholders about ongoing initiatives and any changes to operations and services that will impact internal and externals customers. Ensures appropriate change management plans and procedures are in place where required to mitigate risk and support successful transition. Education: Post-secondary degree, preferably in Business or Finance. Master’s degree or professional accounting designation is an asset. Experience: Minimum 6 years of progressive experience in a large, complex organization, preferably in a post-secondary education advancement environment. Demonstrated success in supporting a high-impact customer-focused service environment. Knowledge and experience in the following areas are highly desirable: Advancement customer relationship management software and related systems Best practices for fundraising, prospect research and management, donation processing and tax receipting Best practices for alumni engagement and analysis Data modelling and analytics KPIs and performance reporting Navigating the regulatory environment pertaining to charitable donations and the collection and use of personal information Change management, business analysis and process improvement. Skills: Demonstrated ability to lead teams, including coaching, performance management, and workforce planning. Strong financial and business acumen with experience managing operation and services. Strong relationship building skills with the ability to collaborate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders in a diverse and inclusive environment. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills. Strong change leadership skills. Department: University Relations Status: Permanent Employment Group: Exempt Shift: 8:00am-4:30pm Full Time Equivalent (FTE): 1.0 Salary: The salary range, based on 1.0 FTE, is $93,004.00 - 155,808.00 per annum. The starting salary will be commensurate with education and experience. Salary Phase/Band: Salary Band 4 Posted Date: 4/7/2026 Closing Date: 4/13/2026 at 6:00 pm CST Number of Openings: 1 Work Location: On Campus The University of Saskatchewan aspires to be what the world needs and embraces equity, diversity and inclusion as foundational to excellence and innovation. We actively seek to create a welcoming environment where all individuals feel empowered to thrive, contribute, and grow. Applications from equity-deserving groups are encouraged as part of our ongoing efforts to reflect the diversity of the communities we serve: EDI Framework for Action. We continue to grow our partnerships with Indigenous communities across the province, nationally, and internationally and value the unique perspective that Indigenous employees provide to strengthen these relationships. Verification of Indigenous Membership/Citizenship at the University of Saskatchewan is led and determined by the deybwewin | taapwaywin | tapwewin: Indigenous Truth policy and the Standing Committee in accordance with the processes developed to enact the policy. Successful candidates that assert Indigenous membership/citizenship will be asked to complete the verification process of Indigenous membership/citizenship with documentation. The University of Saskatchewan provides an accessible and inclusive workplace. Should you require support through any stage of the recruitment process, please contact us for assistance.

Responsibilities

The Executive Director provides strategic and operational leadership to support the university relations department, overseeing systems, data services, and donation processing. This role manages a team of professional staff to ensure efficient service delivery, policy development, and the achievement of institutional philanthropic goals.