Senior Director, Philanthropy Application Services

The Senior Director, Application Services provides strategic leadership, operational oversight, and service accountability for the Division of Philanthropy’s application services portfolio within Philanthropy Information Services. Reporting to the Vice President for Philanthropy Information Services, this position is responsible for the planning, delivery, support, governance, and continuous improvement of core fundraising and business applications, including all CRM-related services, online giving, Blackbaud Luminate, TeamRaiser and event fundraising platforms, application training, reporting enablement, constituent and prospect data solutions, and other systems that support Dana‑Farber Cancer Institute and Jimmy Fund fundraising priorities. The Sr Director serves as a senior partner to Philanthropy Leadership Team colleagues and divisional management across Major Gifts, Gift Processing, Annual Giving, Marketing, Planned Giving, Jimmy Fund, Events, Research, Analytics, and Operations, translating business priorities into sustainable technology solutions, disciplined project execution, effective change management, and high‑quality customer service. This role also partners closely with the Sr Director for Technical Services to ensure application priorities are aligned with integration, infrastructure, security, disaster recovery, hardware, server, and enterprise technology requirements.

Located in Boston and the surrounding communities, Dana‑Farber Cancer Institute is a leader in life changing breakthroughs in cancer research and patient care. We are united in our mission of conquering cancer, HIV/AIDS, and related diseases. We strive to create an inclusive, diverse, and equitable environment where we provide compassionate and comprehensive care to patients of all backgrounds, and design programs to promote public health particularly among high‑risk and underserved populations. We conduct groundbreaking research that advances treatment, we educate tomorrow's physician/researchers, and we work with amazing partners, including other Harvard Medical School‑affiliated hospitals.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead the Application Services function for Philanthropy Information Services, providing strategic and operational leadership for CRM, online giving, Blackbaud Luminate, fundraising events platforms, reporting enablement, constituent data processes, application training, and user support that advance philanthropy priorities across Dana‑Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund.
• Partner with Philanthropy Leadership Team colleagues and divisional stakeholders across Major Gifts, Gift Processing, Annual Giving, Marketing, Planned Giving, Jimmy Fund, Events, Research, Analytics, and Operations to understand business needs, prioritize work, shape requirements, and ensure application solutions support fundraising, stewardship, engagement, operational efficiency, and data quality goals.
• Oversee IS application projects from discovery through implementation and adoption, including roadmap planning, project intake, feasibility assessment, requirements definition, vendor coordination, testing, training, launch readiness, communications, stabilization, and post‑implementation improvement.
• Evaluate and advance new technology solutions that support donor engagement and revenue growth, including online giving enhancements, participant and event fundraising tools, email and digital engagement capabilities, CRM improvements, volunteer and constituent data solutions, and other applications that improve staff productivity and donor experience.
• Provide governance and quality oversight for application services by establishing priorities, service expectations, documentation standards, testing practices, data quality controls, release planning, user readiness, and continuous improvement processes for critical fundraising and business applications.
• Collaborate closely with the AVP for Technical Services and central IS partners to align application priorities with integrations, infrastructure, servers, hardware, disaster recovery, security, data movement, and enterprise technology standards while maintaining clear accountability between application and technical service functions.
• Supervises staff. Hires, develops, and manages staff to achieve organizational goals. Sets clear expectations, delivers feedback, and monitors performance for quality, efficiency, and compliance with policies and procedures. Mentors staff, fosters career growth, and cultivates a positive and productive work environment.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Strategic data management and application services leadership, including the ability to set direction for complex fundraising applications, align technology roadmaps to divisional priorities, balance operational support with innovation, and lead teams through competing priorities in a high‑volume philanthropy environment.
• Strong understanding of philanthropy business processes and fundraising technology, including CRM, donor and constituent data, online giving, TeamRaiser/event fundraising, email engagement, gift processing, prospect management, reporting, segmentation, application training, and user support.
• Excellent project, portfolio, and change management skills, including intake management, prioritization, business case development, requirements facilitation, vendor coordination, testing and training oversight, risk management, release planning, communication planning, and adoption measurement.
• Exceptional communication and relationship management skills, including the ability to build trust with senior leaders, translate technical topics for non‑technical audiences, facilitate decision‑making, manage expectations, negotiate priorities, and communicate complex application issues clearly and diplomatically.
• Collaborative, service‑oriented leadership style, including the ability to develop staff, manage through influence, support a culture of accountability and continuous improvement, work effectively with technical partners, and model sound judgment, discretion, and professionalism in support of Dana‑Farber’s mission.

Minimum Job Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Information Systems, Business Administration, Project Management, Nonprofit Management, Healthcare Administration, Data/Information Science, Digital Strategy, Marketing Technology, or related field required. Master's degree in Business Administration, Information Systems, Nonprofit Management, Healthcare Administration, Digital Transformation, Data/Information Science, or related field preferred.
• 10 years of progressively responsible experience leading information systems, enterprise applications, fundraising technology, CRM, digital giving, business analysis, or application services functions in a complex organization, including significant experience managing cross‑functional technology projects, stakeholder engagement, vendor relationships, application roadmaps, budgets, governance, and operational support required.

• Experience should include leadership of teams or workstreams that support mission‑critical business applications and executive‑level communication with senior business partners required.
• Experience supporting philanthropy, fundraising, donor engagement, nonprofit advancement, healthcare, academic medicine, or other complex mission‑driven environments strongly preferred.
• Hands‑on or leadership experience with CRM platforms, Blackbaud Luminate Online, TeamRaiser, online giving, email marketing, event fundraising systems, reporting, data quality, constituent/donor data, application training, and business process improvement preferred.

• Experience evaluating new products, managing vendors and consultants, leading change management, supporting application governance, and partnering with technical teams responsible for integrations, infrastructure, security, hardware, and server operations preferred.

License/Certification/Registration Required:

• None required.
• PMP, PgMP, PMI-ACP, Certified ScrumMaster, ITIL, Salesforce Administrator, Blackbaud/Luminate‑related training or certification, business analysis, change management, or nonprofit technology certification preferred.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

Patient Contact:

At Dana‑Farber Cancer Institute, we work every day to create an innovative, caring, and inclusive environment where every patient, family, and staff member feels they belong. As relentless as we are in our mission to reduce the burden of cancer for all, we are committed to having faculty and staff who offer multifaceted experiences. Cancer knows no boundaries and when it comes to hiring the most dedicated and compassionate professionals, neither do we. If working in this kind of organization inspires you, we encourage you to apply.

Dana‑Farber Cancer Institute is an equal opportunity employer and affirms the right of every qualified applicant to receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, national origin, sexual orientation, genetic information, disability, age, ancestry, military service, protected veteran status, or other characteristics protected by law.

EEO Poster

Pay Transparency Statement

The hiring range is based on market pay structures, with individual salaries determined by factors such as business needs, market conditions, internal equity, and based on the candidate’s relevant experience, skills and qualifications.

For union positions, the pay range is determined by the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

$233,500.00 - $248,600.00