VP of Innovation - Chief Digital Officer at Kansas University Endowment Association – Lawrence, Kansas

VP of Innovation – Chief Digital Officer

Department: Information Systems

Reports to: Chief Executive Officer

FLSA Status: Exempt

The anticipated salary will be commensurate with the candidate’s experience, qualifications, and the strategic value they bring to the role.

Who we are and what we’re about:

KU Endowment is an independent, nonprofit organization and the official fundraising foundation for the University of Kansas. We partner with donors in providing philanthropic support to build a greater KU.

As an employee of KU Endowment, you’ll witness firsthand the power of our donors’ generosity. You will join a talented and fun group of people who are inspired to help KU through the support of loyal alumni and friends. This support fuels excellence, enabling students and faculty to develop innovative programs and research that distinguish the university. We connect the philanthropic passions of donors with the needs of students, faculty and programs – and everyone benefits.

People are engaged. Purpose is ignited. Lives are changed.

What we are looking for:

A role for builders, bridge-makers, and applied strategists:

KU Endowment is entering a new era -one that requires more than strong fundraising execution. Our vision is to become a philanthropic intelligence enterprise: an organization that helps the University of Kansas ecosystem partner with donors with greater alignment, and insight.

At the center of this vision is a shared intelligence core - data, platform, governance, and activation capabilities that connect KU Endowment more closely with its campus partners for coherent and unified donor experience.

We are seeking a senior innovation leader who understands technology deeply but thinks beyond it. This is a leadership role for someone who can translate vision into an operating roadmap, connect strategy to delivery, and apply modern data/CRM capabilities in the unique context of higher education and philanthropy. The role is currently scoped to report to the President, however, specific role components like title, reporting structure, and compensation could be adjusted to meet the chosen candidate’s experience and expertise.

If you are a Jayhawk (or simply have a deep appreciation for KU’s mission), that’s a plus - but the most important fit is the ability to lead with humility, curiosity, and a builder’s mindset in a relationship-driven environment.

This is a senior executive leadership role at the center of KU Endowment’s next chapter. As Chief Innovation and Digital Officer, you will help shape how we operate - how we use data, technology, and modern engagement capabilities to strengthen relationships, increase stewardship excellence, and expand KU Endowment’s impact across the University of Kansas ecosystem.

You will serve as KU Endowment’s senior technology and innovation anchor - responsible for the strategy and architecture that powers our data future, and for the operational technology foundation that enables our teams to do their best work every day. In close partnership with Development, you will bridge the worlds of technology and frontline fundraising: translating vision into roadmaps, aligning stakeholders around shared outcomes, and ensuring platforms and data are trusted, secure, and genuinely useful at the moment of engagement.

This role is accountable for evaluating executive leadership identified enterprise needs, capabilities, and strategic priorities and drive opportunities that enhance effectiveness, efficiency, and service delivery. Collaborating with key stakeholders, this position is responsible for the development and adoption of innovative practices, technologies, and partnerships that supports mission and the growth trajectory of product and advancement services in alignment with the holistic philanthropic program goals.

This role is for a leader who can run today and build tomorrow - someone who brings executive presence, systems thinking, and a builder’s instinct for what it takes to make change real.

What’s a typical day look like?

Strategy, Architecture, and Roadmap

• Champion the multi-year innovation and technology strategy - including platforms, data, analytics, and activation capabilities.
• Design a pragmatic, sequenced roadmap that delivers near-term wins while building durable long-term architecture.
• Partner with executive leadership to define success measures, investment priorities, and decision rights - so innovation stays aligned, resourced, and accountable.
• Foster and sustain a culture of innovation across the enterprise.

Data and Platform Enablement

• Lead the evolution of KU Endowment’s data warehouse environment and the pipelines that feed it from CRM, engagement, operational, and external sources.
• Guide identity resolution, segmentation, and activation approaches that make donor and alumni engagement more coordinated, personalized, and effective.
• Ensure security, privacy, governance, and operational reliability - while accelerating the organization’s ability to innovate and learn.

Donor Journey and Engagement Integration

• Work with Development and Marketing & Communications leaders to embed data-informed engagement into coordinated campaigns, stewardship streams, and donor experiences.
• Ensure tools and data are built around frontline workflows - simple, trusted, and actionable at the point of use.
• Champion modern learning loops (test, measure, refine) that improve outcomes over time -while maintaining operational discipline and service excellence.

Ecosystem Partnership and Governance

• Help establish shared definitions, data quality standards, and stewardship practices across the philanthropic ecosystem that surrounds KU.
• Build strong working relationships with campus units, affiliates, and partners; align incentives and clarify the commitments required for shared success.
• Manage vendor and partner relationships; negotiate agreements that protect KU Endowment’s interests, strengthen trust, and accelerate delivery.

Enterprise Technology Leadership and Operational Excellence

• Provide oversight for the full technology environment that keeps KU Endowment running.
• Strengthen cybersecurity posture, access management, continuity planning, and risk mitigation.
• Simplify and optimize the application ecosystem so teams spend less time navigating tools and more time building relationships and advancing mission.

Team Leadership and Delivery

• Lead and grow high-performing teams and cross-functional pods spanning data, analytics, CRM enablement, application stewardship, and activation.
• Establish delivery rhythms, prioritization processes, and clear accountability for outcomes.
• Develop executive-ready communication and storytelling that helps stakeholders understand what is changing, why it matters, and how success will be measured.

How value is created, day to day and long term:

Culture of Innovation

Build and champion a culture of innovation – aligning strategy, technology, and talent to deliver sustained impact.

Unify the donor and constituent experience across the ecosystem

Help align units around shared journeys so engagement feels coordinated - not fragmented by school, unit, or channel. The objective is a consistent donor experience even within a decentralized environment.

Build and scale the intelligence core behind our platforms

Strengthen the “engine room” behind Salesforce/Ascend by developing and integrating the data warehouse, pipelines, identity/relationship logic, and activation layers that turn information into insight and insight into action.

Establish shared definitions, quality standards, and partner commitments

Make shared data durable by aligning on definitions, governance, and data quality expectations - and by securing the commitments required from partners to enhance our shared commitment to data and its impact.

Deliver measurable outcomes that move the mission

Improve adoption and usability, enable better segmentation, strengthen stewardship signals, and support smarter deployment of development resources.

Run the enterprise technology foundation with excellence

Provide oversight of the full technology portfolio that keeps the organization operating: end-user support, devices and collaboration tools, networks/connectivity, telephony, application administration, integrations, vendor relationships, and budgeting. The goal is a dependable, modern environment where staff can do high-quality work without technology getting in the way.

Strengthen security, resilience, and trust

Lead cybersecurity posture, access management, data protection, continuity planning, and risk mitigation. In a donor-first enterprise, trust is mission-critical - and trust at scale requires strong security and disciplined operational controls.

The Qualities That Matter Most:

• Strategic architect: sees the full system and designs roadmaps that endure.
• Applied innovator: turns ideas into capabilities that scale and get adopted.
• Bridge-builder: credible with technical teams and equally credible with fundraising and marketing leaders.
• Human-centered leader: designs for frontline reality - making tools usable, trusted, and valuable in day-to-day work.
• Data-trust steward: elevates quality, governance, privacy, and security as core enablers of progress.
• Influence leader: communicates with clarity, earns commitment, and aligns stakeholders without relying on authority alone.

If you are energized by complex systems, motivated by mission, and ready to build capabilities that will shape the future of a major philanthropic enterprise - this role offers the opportunity to do work that endures.

What’s required to be considered:

• 10+ years of leadership experience in information systems, digital strategy, martech/engagement platforms, analytics, or closely related domains.
• Proven track record architecting and scaling data platforms (data warehouse/lakehouse) that power segmentation, personalization, and journey orchestration.
• Demonstrated ability to bridge business and technology—moving from strategy to delivery in complex, multi-stakeholder environments.
• Executive presence and communication skills; ability to influence senior stakeholders and navigate organizational dynamics.
• Experience managing vendors and partners, including contract negotiation and performance management.

What separates the best from the rest?

• Experience in philanthropy, advancement, higher education, academic medicine, or similarly mission-driven and relationship-centric environments.
• Deep familiarity with Salesforce ecosystems (including CRM and marketing/engagement tools) and their integration with analytics and activation layers.
• Experience building governance models for shared data definitions, stewardship, and quality management.
• A Jayhawk connection (alumni or affinity) is a plus.

Physical Requirements:

• A valid driver’s license.
• Must have access to reliable transportation to travel between multiple locations for training, donor meetings, networking, events and/or work-related activities.
• Must be able to respond quickly and effectively to directions and safety hazards.
• This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office productivity machinery such as computers, keyboards and a mouse, laptops, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines.
• This is largely a sedentary role; however, some filing is required. This would require the ability to move files, open filing cabinets and bend or stand as necessary.
• The ability to observe details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• The person in this position frequently communicates with donors, colleagues, students, and general public. Must be able to communicate with others effectively.
• Physical effort/lifting: moderate-up to 40 pounds
• Travel requirements can include the following, evenings, weekends, and out of town overnights as a regular part of the job.
• Regular and reliable attendance is essential for this position.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

KU Endowment is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals to enable them to perform the essential functions of the job as regulated by ADA. If you require accommodation for any part of the application process or during employment, please contact humanresources@kuendowment.org to discuss your needs.

We’ve got you covered:

• KU Endowment offers a competitive salary with an excellent benefit package including:
• 100% employer-paid pension plan
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) and Roth 401(k) matching program
• Section 125 flexible benefits
• Generous paid leave including holidays, personal and sick leave
• Volunteer and community engagement opportunities
• Paid Parental Leave
• Life, AD&D, short- and long-term disability insurance
• Legal & ID Theft protection
• Critical Illness
• Accident and Hospital Indemnity insurance
• KU education assistance
• Free parking

Sounds good, right? What’s next?

Please include your resume and cover letter when applying for this position on our website at https://www.kuendowment.org/careers.

Questions regarding this vacancy may be addressed to:

Human Resources
KU Endowment
PO Box 928
Lawrence, KS 66044-0928
Email: humanresources@kuendowment.org

Review of applications begins immediately and continues until the position is filled. Because of the sensitive nature of KU Endowment business and the importance of our reputation with donors, KU Endowment conducts a comprehensive review of applicants. By submitting your application, you authorize us to conduct reference checks and a review of available public information. Employment is contingent upon background and reference checks that KU Endowment finds acceptable.