Prospect Development Analyst

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University Advancement (UA) promotes McGill to its global community and to the public, engaging alumni, volunteers and friends of the University, and building on McGill’s record of fundraising success in support of University priorities.

By joining UA, you can be part of a dynamic and exciting team of professionals that is making an extraordinary impact on the world by advancing the philanthropic and engagement ambitions of McGill University.

To find out more about UA, please visit us at www.mcgill.ca/advancement/ua-careers .

Position Summary:
 

Reporting to the Associate Director, Prospect Development, the Prospect Development Analyst plays an integral role in maximizing McGill’s major, principal, and planned gift (MG-PR-PG) fundraising activities by ensuring the optimization and ongoing management of fundraiser portfolios, contributing to prospect development strategy, informing business decisions related to fundraising staff deployment and goal-setting, and monitoring and reporting on the performance of the MG-PRG programs and fundraisers.

The Prospect Development Analyst applies sophisticated analytical knowledge and skills in the use and manipulation of data, creation of reports and data extracts using data consumption tools, and translates the results into analytical strategies to support MG-PR-PG programs. They provide on-going assessments of programs’ effectiveness as well as analyses on prospect qualification, cultivation and solicitation activities.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Conceptualize, analyze, and design comprehensive data visualizations and reports that include assessments of portfolios, pipelines, fundraisers and unit performance, and their progress by fiscal year, team targets, campaign goals and other.

• Undertake projects and analyses focused on understanding results, setting of goals, and improving performance. This includes things such as data modelling, predictive and prescriptive analyses.

• Use quantitative and qualitative analysis to understand areas of opportunity within pools, portfolios, and pipelines and communicate these findings to the team and individuals who will be able to act on the recommendations.

• Develop custom scores and analyses to understand donor behaviour and ensure an optimal volume of quality prospects to meet goals.

• Partner with fundraising staff in the review of their portfolio and activities to ensure consistency and integrity of data and optimal movement of prospects along the fundraising continuum to attain goals and permit timely and reliable forecasts.

• Monitor incentive-based performance program activities to ensure fundraiser compliance with established parameters and processes.

• Develop and perfect methods to identify data anomalies, make recommendations for automatic identification and remediation of related issues. Filter and “clean” data by reviewing reports and performance indicators to locate and correct anomalies.

• Work with the Associate Director (Prospect Development), and the leadership of MG-PR-PG programs to develop and improve the scope, depth and timely delivery of prospect trend analytics that will help optimize portfolio management for increased performance in alignment with growth aspirations.

• Train and advise fundraising staff on how to interpret, understand, and leverage data visualization and predictive data model scores for the benefit of prospect discovery and prospect, portfolio and pipeline management.

• Based on analysis of prospect pools, provide insight to Prospect Research and MG-PR-PG leadership on where further prospect identification and pool development efforts are needed.

•  Serve as a subject matter expert for the data sets related to the business domain, articulating the nuances of the data and how it should be interpreted/understood to audiences with varying degrees of technical knowledge, including leadership, fundraisers, and team members.

• Review and evolve prospect management policies and data management processes to best support the strategic objectives of the MG-PR-PG programs.

• Experience in advancement operations, business operations, or fundraising analytics in a higher education setting is preferred

Other Qualifying Skills and/or Abilities

Analytical/Technical

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills and good understanding of databases.

• Demonstrated knowledge of quantitative and qualitative analysis

• Ability to understand large, complex data sets and use this understanding to apply business rules in alignment with data standards and policies.

• Ability to correlate heterogeneous information or data into meaningful facts for analysis or reporting.

• Demonstrated ability to develop reporting methodologies to support organizational goals, mining data from disparate sources, and sophisticated constituent database queries

• Experience with constituent relationship management solutions.  

• Experience in using data visualization tools (i.e.  PowerBI, Salesforce, Pythonor similar).

• Demonstrated competency in manipulating data, creation/refinement of data visualizations, and dashboard development

• Experience retrieving data using SQL preferred but not required.

General

• Ability to use current MS desktop office applications and adapt to and use future technologies.

• Ability to assess practices and procedures, anticipate problems, formulate logical conclusions, develop alternative solutions, make recommendations and implement changes.

• Ability to analyze and synthesize information, to manage several projects simultaneously, set priorities, and meet deadlines.

• Ability to process and handle confidential information with discretion.

• Ability to shift priorities and work effectively in a dynamic, adaptable environment.

• Excellent written, oral and interpersonal communication skills. Must be able to write concise analytical documents with attention to accuracy and detail, and communicate complex topics to non-technical people.

• Strong initiative, organizational ability, independent judgment, and attention to detail.

• Ability to self-motivate and work well with and through others required

• Ability to build strong working relationships and contribute to a positive work environment by serving as a collegial, helpful, and approachable partner within the team.

• Demonstrated ability to work effectively within a team environment, collaborating with colleagues across functions, actively sharing information, and contributing to collective goals while balancing independent responsibilities

• Knowledge of French and English.

As one of Montreal's Top Employers, here is what we offer:

• Competitive benefits package (Health, Dental, Life Insurance) (if eligible)

• Defined contribution pension plan (with employer contribution up to 10%) (if eligible)

• Group Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) and Tax Free Savings Account (TFSA)

• Competitive vacation policy

• Two (2) personal days

• Two (2) floating holidays

• Nine (9) "Summer Fridays" - paid days off between the St-Jean Baptiste holiday and Labour Day

• Paid time off over the December holiday period

• Tuition waiver for regular employees and their dependents

• Up to two (2) days of remote work per week where the position permits

Before applying, please note that to work at McGill University, you must be both authorized to work in Canada and willing to work in the province of Quebec at the campus where the position is based / located.

Knowledge of English: McGill University is an English-language university where day to day duties may require English communication both verbally and in writing. The level of English required for this position has been assessed at a level #3 on a scale of 0-4.

For a definition of our language proficiency levels, please click here.

Minimum Education and Experience:

Bachelor's Degree 3 Years Related Experience /

Annual Salary:

(MPEX Grade 05) $71,890.00 - $89,860.00 - $107,830.00

Job Profile:

MPEX-COM2C - Development & Alumni Relations - Professional 2

Hours per Week:

33.75 (Full time)

Supervisor:

Associate Director Prospect Development

Position End Date (If applicable):

Deadline to Apply:

2026-04-10

McGill University hires on the basis of merit and is strongly committed to equity and diversity within its community. We welcome applications from racialized persons/visible minorities, women, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, ethnic minorities, and persons of minority sexual orientations and gender identities, as well as from all qualified candidates with the skills and knowledge to productively engage with diverse communities. McGill implements an employment equity program and encourages members of designated groups to self-identify. Persons with disabilities who anticipate needing accommodations for any part of the application process may contact, in confidence, [email protected].