Fast Facts

WGU is seeking a passionate Advancement Application Developer to design and maintain technology solutions supporting fundraising efforts in a remote-friendly environment.

Responsibilities: Key responsibilities include designing and implementing CRM systems, leading complex coding tasks, optimizing data and system performance, and providing technical support to various departments.

Skills: Required skills include coding proficiency, strong knowledge of CRM systems, excellent analytical abilities, and project management skills.

Qualifications: Preferred qualifications include a Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field with 5 years of related experience and, ideally, a Master’s degree along with specific CRM certifications.

Location: This position is based in Salt Lake City, United States, and is not remote.

Compensation: $116000 - $174100 / Annually

If you’re passionate about building a better future for individuals, communities, and our country—and you’re committed to working hard to play your part in building that future—consider WGU as the next step in your career.

Driven by a mission to expand access to higher education through online, competency-based degree programs, WGU is also committed to being a great place to work for a diverse workforce of student-focused professionals. The university has pioneered a new way to learn in the 21st century, one that has received praise from academic, industry, government, and media leaders. Whatever your role, working for WGU gives you a part to play in helping students graduate, creating a better tomorrow for themselves and their families.

The salary range for this position takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs.

At WGU, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their position, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is:

Grade: Technical 408Pay Range: $116,000.00 - $174,100.00

Job Description

The Advancement Application Developer designs, develops, and maintains technology solutions that support WGU Advancement’s fundraising and constituent engagement efforts. This role focuses on CRM platforms and related applications, ensuring reliable integrations, data integrity, and optimized workflows. The position serves as a technical liaison between Advancement and IT teams, translating business requirements into scalable solutions and leading complex development tasks. This role requires strong coding skills, expertise in CRM systems, and the ability to balance configuration and custom development.

Primary Responsibilities

• Designs, develops, tests, and implements CRM enhancements and related applications.
• Leads complex coding tasks, API integrations, and advanced system architecture design.
• Writes, reviews, and executes unit tests to ensure high-quality code delivery.
• Performs performance tuning and optimization for reliability and efficiency.
• Integrates third-party products with existing infrastructure and optimize for high utilization.
• Conducts quality control audits for data integrity and system processes.
• Diagnoses and resolves system interface and data integration issues.
• Identifies and corrects inconsistent data and process errors impacting user experience.
• Analyzes data trends and provide actionable insights for process improvements.
• Evaluates current business processes and recommend changes to improve efficiency and reduce costs.
• Plans and presents proposals for system upgrades and new architectures aligned with strategic goals.
• Implements configuration-based changes to uphold business processes and procedures.
• Creates and maintains comprehensive technical documentation for systems and projects.
• Develops training materials and provides guidance to internal users on system functionality and data interpretation.
• Ensures documentation and training content is accurate and approved by stakeholders.
• Gathers and validates project requirements from multiple departments.
• Manages multiple projects concurrently using Agile or Waterfall methodologies.
• Maintains strong relationships with technology teams, project managers, and other stakeholders.
• Collects and analyzes user feedback to enhance staff and student experiences.
• Oversees system interfaces between key departmental programs and software.
• Monitors system performance and implements improvements for navigation and usability.
• Researches emerging technologies and recommends solutions to enhance Advancement systems.
• Performs other job-related duties as assigned.

This job description includes a general representation of job requirements rather than a comprehensive inventory of all required responsibilities or work activities. The contents of this document or related job requirements may change at any time with or without notice.

Qualifications

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Solid understanding of when to apply configuration and when to apply custom code.
• Write clean, scalable, and efficient code following best practices and coding standards. 
• Up to date knowledge of latest releases in customer relationship management (CRM) system, especially those commonly used in higher education and philanthropy such as Ascend, Salesforce, Raiser’s Edge, Ellucian Advance, Excel, ServiceNow and/or other database management programs and processes.
• A deep knowledge and understanding of system administration and architecture.
• Ability to vet, select, and implement new CRM systems or other data related technology solutions.
• A knowledge and understanding of workflow automation platforms.
• Technologically competent with data analysis, database navigation, data interpretation and MS Office suite programs.
• Proficiency in coding languages and software development practices.
• Strong understanding of unit testing and performance tuning techniques.
• Strong analytical skills
• Excellent leadership and project management skills.
• Self-starter with a strong ability to use initiative and work autonomously under tight deadlines.
• Works well in a team environment.
• Excellent verbal and writing communication.
• Skilled in analyzing and interpreting data trends, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts for non-technical stakeholders.
• Strong customer focus.
• Strong verbal and written communications abilities.
• Strong technical and problem-solving skills.

Education          

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field.

Experience

• 5 years of related experience
• Strong working knowledge of information services, database administration, and software development in higher education advancement (fundraising), alumni relations, or other constituent engagement.

Experience in lieu of education

Equivalent relevant experience performing the essential functions of this job may substitute for education degree requirements. Generally, equivalent relevant experience is defined as 1 year of experience for 1 year of education and is the discretion of the hiring manager.

*This is an onsite position based at WGU*

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in operations research, data analytics, business administration, business technology, or a related field
• Salesforce Administrator Certification (ADM – 201 or ADM-211) / Platform Developer I certifications.

Position & Application Details

Full-Time Regular Positions (classified as regular and working 40 standard weekly hours): This is a full-time, regular position (classified for 40 standard weekly hours) that is eligible for bonuses; medical, dental, vision, telehealth and mental healthcare; health savings account and flexible spending account; basic and voluntary life insurance; disability coverage; accident, critical illness and hospital indemnity supplemental coverages; legal and identity theft coverage; retirement savings plan; wellbeing program; discounted WGU tuition; and flexible paid time off for rest and relaxation with no need for accrual, flexible paid sick time with no need for accrual, 11 paid holidays, and other paid leaves, including up to 12 weeks of parental leave.

How to Apply: If interested, an application will need to be submitted online. Internal WGU employees will need to apply through the internal job board in Workday.

Additional Information

Disclaimer: The job posting highlights the most critical responsibilities and requirements of the job. It’s not all-inclusive.

Accommodations: Applicants with disabilities who require assistance or accommodation during the application or interview process should contact our Talent Acquisition team at [email protected].

Equal Employment Opportunity: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristic as required by law.