Attain Partners is an innovative consulting firm dedicated to disrupting the status quo to change the world and improve the lives of those we touch. From strategy to technology and everywhere in between, our experts use their unique skills to advance the important missions of education, nonprofit, healthcare, and state and local government clients.
People are at the center of all we do, and that’s why we empower career growth, provide industry-leading benefits packages, encourage a flexible work environment, and foster a culture of inclusion to support the needs of our team. We share a collective passion for our mission and our people. Guided by our seven core values, The Attain Way, our vision is the foundation of our culture—to be and attain the best.
Job Description
We are seeking an experienced advancement professional and consultant who combines deep knowledge of higher education fundraising and alumni engagement with the strategic instincts to help institutions transform how their advancement operations are structured, staffed, and run. This role is ideal for someone who has worked inside or alongside advancement organizations and is ready to advise clients on how to design more effective advancement functions — aligning organizational structure, roles, workflows, and systems to support ambitious fundraising goals. This is not a technical implementation role. It is about understanding the business of advancement deeply and helping leadership make better decisions about how their organization operates. Your domain expertise is what opens the door; your strategic and organizational thinking is what drives impact.
Job Responsibilities
- Lead Advancement Organizational Design Engagements: Advise clients on how to structure, staff, and evolve their advancement functions — including org design assessments, role clarity and accountability frameworks, and operating model recommendations for development, alumni relations, and advancement services teams.
- Drive Business Process Improvement: Lead current-state assessments and future-state redesigns across core advancement workflows including gift processing, prospect management, donor relations, stewardship, and campaign operations — with a focus on operational effectiveness and alignment to institutional strategy.
- Shape Advancement Strategy: Collaborate with VP- and AVP-level advancement leaders to define operational vision, prioritize improvement initiatives, and build roadmaps that connect organizational capability to fundraising and engagement goals.
- Facilitate Stakeholder Alignment: Lead workshops, working sessions, and executive briefings to surface priorities, navigate competing perspectives, and build the internal consensus needed to drive meaningful organizational change.
- Advise on Technology Fit and Process Enablement: Help clients evaluate how their advancement platforms — such as Salesforce Education Cloud / NPSP, Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT, or Ellucian Colleague Advancement — can better support redesigned processes and organizational structures, without leading from a technology-first perspective.
- Collaborate Across Practices: Partner with Attain’s change management, training, ERP, and technology teams to deliver integrated solutions that address the full scope of institutional transformation.
- Contribute to Practice Development: Support methodology development, thought leadership, proposal efforts, and internal capability building within the higher education advancement practice.
- Lead and/or support business development efforts
- Lead and/or support proposal development and solution design in support of new and expanded client work
Required Skills
- 6–10 years of experience in higher education advancement, with meaningful exposure to organizational design, operational strategy, or process improvement — whether from within an advancement shop, a consulting role, or both.
- Strong understanding of how advancement organizations are structured and operated, including the interplay between central advancement, unit-based development, alumni relations, and advancement services functions.
- Demonstrated ability to lead organizational assessments, facilitate strategic planning, and develop actionable recommendations for advancement leadership.
- Familiarity with major advancement platforms (e.g., Salesforce Education Cloud / NPSP, Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT, Ellucian Colleague Advancement) at a functional level sufficient to advise on process-system alignment.
- Strong facilitation, communication, and executive presence; able to credibly engage with VPs, AVPs, and other senior advancement leaders.
- Consulting experience or demonstrated comfort operating in a client-facing advisory capacity strongly preferred.
- Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree or certifications (e.g., CFRE, PMP, Prosci) a plus.
Additional Information
Attain Partners values your mental, emotional, and physical health and wellbeing. Our comprehensive benefits package starts on your first day of employment and includes benefits such as:
- Competitive health, dental, and vision coverage, HSA and FSA accounts, life and disability insurance, fertility and family planning benefits, and employee assistance and discount programs
- 11 paid federal holidays and flexible unlimited time off (UTO)
- Generous 401(k) matching with immediate vesting
- Flexible career paths – our career tracks provide advancement, mobility, and flexibility as you continue to grow with us
- A healthy environment where we value unique experiences, and care about everything that makes you, you.
Attain Partners is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. The individual base salary for this position is unique to each candidate and will be commensurate with experience, education, and skills. In addition to base salary, this role is eligible for an annual discretionary bonus.
Interested in this position but the compensation isn’t quite right? Let us know your expectations, and we’ll see if we can make it happen based on your qualifications.
Attain Partners is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.
Applicants have rights under Federal Employment Laws. For more Information visit EEO, EEO Poster Supplement, Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA).
If you are unable to complete this application due to a disability, contact this employer to ask for an accommodation or an alternative application process.
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