Advancement Operations Manager
The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, with 21 museums and the National Zoo—shaping the future by preserving heritage, discovering new knowledge, and sharing our resources with the world. The National Museum of African American History & Culture (NMAAHC) is a National museum for the study and exhibition of African American history and culture. We are seeking the position of Advancement Operations Manager to join the NMAAHC Advancement Team.
The Advancement Operations Manager provides donor and donation management, database and systems management and supervision. In this position, you will:
· Manage and oversee all gift processing functions and procedures, including timely entry of donations, review of gift documentation and issuance of acknowledgement letters. Track the Museum’s total fundraising performance, number of gifts, overall fundraising status, and year-to-date fundraising performance.
· Oversee and manage all the processes required for gift acknowledgement and receipting according to IRS rule 1771, IRS regulations and “Donor Bill of Rights.” This includes ensuring that gift recording and acknowledgement systems are in place for accurate and timely execution.
· Act as primary liaison between the Smithsonian’s and NMAAHC’s finance teams to ensure financial reconciliation for monthly reporting and the annual audit. Serve as the principal advisor to the Chief Advancement Officer on all matters associated with audits.
· Work closely with the Chief Advancement Officer, prepare budget estimates for senior staff and program directors for various budgets and budget calls from central administration. Assist staff in developing budget estimates for Federal and Trust budgets for budget calls, internal use and gifts, grants and contracts.
· Provide management officials with procedural and regulatory guidance concerning availability of or limitations on the use of funds.
· Review and approve all Cash Management Module (CMM) transaction for accuracy.
· Work with NMAAHC Financial Management to establish new accounts and ensure that fundraising and financial data are accurate and reconciled.
· Reconcile reports from SI Advancement and serve as departmental resource and point of contact for the Pan-Institutional Database for Advancement (PANDA) to the SI Gi[ Registrar.
· Ensure the integrity, consistency, and accuracy of data. Design, run and maintain reports and queries to monitor the integrity of data stored in the database.
· Oversee the development and implementation of policies and procedures related to biographical data entry, gift processing and administration, the confidentiality of constituent information and PII. Initiate and supervise the development, dissemination, implementation and adjustment of systems policies and procedures.
· Provide ongoing analytical reports to aid in planning, executing, monitoring, and reporting of Institutional Advancement activity, such as annual and campaign fundraising, membership, and related fund management.
· Supervise all Advancement Operations Staff. Develop performance standards, plans and schedules ongoing, production-oriented work to be accomplished by subordinates, set and adjust short-term priorities and prepare schedules for completion of work.
Experience: To qualify for this position, experience is needed that has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled.
In addition to the basic qualification requirement above: Demonstrated experience is required in advancement operations, including gift/data processing and financial reconciliation; experience preparing and managing budgets in coordination with multiple stakeholders; demonstrated supervisory experience, including managing team performance and supporting professional development; strong understanding of advancement database systems and data governance best practices.
Interested candidates should submit their resume and a cover letter to this link by May 30, 2025. Resumes should include a description of your paid and non-paid work experience that is related to this job; starting and ending dates of job (month and year); and average number of hours worked per week. Any false statement in your application may result in your application being rejected and may also result in termination after employment begins. Relocation expenses are not paid.
What To Expect Next: Once the vacancy announcement closes, a review of your resume will be compared against the qualification and experience requirements related to this job. After review of applicant resumes is complete, qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager.
The Smithsonian Institution provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation should contact [email protected]. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. To learn more, please review the Smithsonian’s Accommodation Procedures.
Office of Advancement Career Opportunities | Smithsonian Institution