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Summary
The Senior Specialist, Development strengthens the SHRM Foundation’s fundraising and donor engagement infrastructure by managing core development operations, supporting cross-functional processes, and ensuring teams have the tools, data, and workflows needed to advance resource mobilization in alignment with organizational priorities. This role balances independent ownership of systems and processes with collaborative execution under the direction of Foundation leadership.
In addition to core development responsibilities, the Senior Specialist serves as the primary liaison to SHRM Chapters and State Councils, facilitating effective communication, coordination, and stewardship. This includes supporting chapter and council fundraising initiatives, tracking and reporting on regional giving efforts, and ensuring timely responses to inquiries and requests from chapter and council leadership. The Senior Specialist collaborates closely with the Manager, Development, SHRM Field Services Directors, and other internal stakeholders to advance donor engagement strategies and fulfill commitments to scholarship sponsors.
The Senior Specialist prioritizes maintaining accurate donor databases, organized files, effective donor communications, and clear standard operating procedures that support a smooth and consistent development operation. Serving as the principal support resource for the development team, the Senior Specialist plays a pivotal role in enabling staff to efficiently utilize systems and processes by providing ongoing maintenance, troubleshooting, documentation, and process optimization. This role is fundamentally focused on supporting core development operations, including ensuring donor and prospect data integrity, managing acknowledgment letter workflows, and preparing routine, high-quality reports that facilitate leadership oversight and informed decision-making.
A critical contributor to fundraising effectiveness, the Senior Specialist builds and maintains documentation and supports coordination and collaboration across departments. The role requires strong systems thinking, clear communication, excellent attention to detail, and a proactive, solutions-oriented approach.
Responsibilities
Donor & Prospect Data Management

• Serve as primary manager of donor and prospect data: Update records, pull reports, reconcile, and conduct additional research as needed to ensure accuracy and consistency.
• Consistently monitor and rigorously report on progress towards revenue goals, ensuring that all data and analyses are accurate and timely; deliver high-quality weekly insights and comprehensive reports to senior management and relevant stakeholders to inform strategic decision-making.
• Track and report chapter, council giving, and regional competition efforts; serve as primary administrator of related platforms. Monitor and triage system alerts, troubleshoot issues, and escalate when necessary.
• Support, on an as-requested basis, the strategic identification of potential donors, utilizing prospecting tools and techniques to expand the donor pipeline.
• Coordinate organization’s Charitable Solicitation Registrations (CSR) and industry subscriptions as needed in partnership with Finance.

Donor Communication & Engagement

• Manage relationship with Chapters and State Councils: Coordinate solicitation, stewardship and communication with donors and prospective donors through multiple channels, while stewarding donor relationships and managing the solicitation process and fulfilling commitments to scholarship sponsors. Work collaboratively with SHRM Field Services Directors and all other relevant departments within the SHRM Foundation and SHRM.
• Ensure the donor acknowledgment process is completed accurately and in a timely manner under the supervision of the Chief Development Officer, including drafting emails, letters, and other communications to donors for supervisor review and approval prior to distribution.
• Support, on an as-requested basis, in preparing for donor meetings by gathering and organizing relevant background materials and supporting documents and ensuring timely distribution and readiness of materials for participants.

Grant & Contract Tracking

• Track grant submissions and reporting including deadlines, responsible staff, submission status, and document storage.
• Support the preparation of grant applications and development collateral by incorporating standard organizational information, such as institutional background, and assisting with revisions to materials, including presentation decks or other collateral, as requested by the Chief Development Officer.
• Support the full lifecycle of donor documentation—including contribution agreements, invoices, and related materials—by preparing documents, coordinating approvals, and ensuring timely completion.

Event & Logistical Support

• Provide logistical support for development events (virtual and in-person).
• Manage the Development team calendar and work with the Chief Development Officer on weekly team agendas and briefs.

Knowledge Management & Documentation

• Administer Development department SharePoint. Ensure files are organized and easily accessible.
• Maintain up-to-date organizational materials and current records of donor-related contracts, agreements, proposals, payments, invoices, and reports (including Scholarships).

Internal Team Support

• Support with operational processes, troubleshooting, and documentation for cross-functional teams.
• Coordinate other tasks and duties as required to ensure the team and SHRM Foundation’s success.

Education & Experience Requirements
Education

• Germane degree and non-degree credentials or other verifications of skills and competencies will be considered.

Experience

• 5 - 6 years of experience in development or fundraising operations, project management, or non-profit business administration.
• Familiarity with fundraising techniques and donor relationship management
• Experience managing or supporting organizational systems such as project management platforms, CRMs, or data/reporting infrastructure.
• Experience working cross-functionally and supporting teams with operational processes, troubleshooting, and documentation. –5 years of experience in operations, project management, systems administration, evaluation support, or a related nonprofit or program operations role.
• Experience managing or supporting organizational systems such as project management platforms, survey tools, CRMs, or data/reporting infrastructure.
• Experience working cross-functionally and supporting teams with operational processes, troubleshooting, and documentation.

Certifications

• None required.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
Technical Proficiency

• Monday.com (or comparable OS)
• Salesforce (or comparable OS)
• Microsoft Excel (advanced functions preferred)
• Microsoft Word, Outlook, Teams, and PowerPoint
• Ability to use digital tools—including AI-enabled features—to support drafting, content organization, and data analysis, with careful review for accuracy

Core Skills & Abilities

• Strong organizational skills with strong attention to detail and accuracy in managing donor records, event logistics, and documentation.
• Strong planning and coordination skills for events, meetings, and campaigns.
• Professional writing skills in English, including donor letters, reports, and grant materials.
• Relationship-building abilities to engage donors and partners professionally and positively.
• Proactive problem-solving and resourcefulness in addressing challenges, streamlining processes, and supporting fundraising initiatives.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
• Commitment to maintaining confidentiality and handling sensitive information with discretion.
• Collaborative mindset for working effectively within teams and across departments to achieve organizational goals.
• Adaptability and willingness to learn new tools, systems, and best practices..

Physical Requirements

• Must be able to perform essential duties satisfactorily with reasonable accommodation.
• Work is regularly performed in a combination of office and conference settings and routinely uses standard office equipment: sitting, talking, hearing, and typing. Ability to use a keyboard, prepare and analyze data and figures; transcribing, viewing a computer terminal; extensive reading; extensive meetings and presentations; solid literacy and numeracy.

Work environment

• This position will be based in SHRM’s Alexandria, VA offices. This position follows a hybrid work schedule, with Tuesday through Thursday in office and Monday and Friday remote. Employees must be available during standard business hours, with core hours beginning between 8:00–9:00 a.m. and concluding between 5:00–6:00 p.m. local time.

Travel required 10-20%.
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The hiring range for this position is $85,000 to $98,000 per year. This range is an estimate, and the actual salary may vary based on the candidate's experience, skills, and qualifications. SHRM offers a competitive and comprehensive total rewards package. The benefits for this position include professional growth and development, health, dental, vision, well-being, health savings, flexible spending, retirement, open leave, and annual discretionary bonus and incentives
Our employment practices are in accordance with the laws that prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals on the basis of race, religion, color, gender, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran’s status, marital status, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, or any other status protected by applicable law.
SHRM is an equal opportunity employer (Minority/Female/Disabled/Veteran).
We do not sponsor applicants for work visas.