Manager, Operations & Research

Position Summary:

The Manager, Operations & Research serves as the operational and analytical backbone of Catalyst Mobility's philanthropy function. This role ensures the systems, processes, financial planning, data management, and prospect intelligence necessary to support sustainable philanthropic growth and high-performing fundraising operations.

Reporting to the Head of Philanthropy & Private Funding, this position is responsible for forecasting, budgeting, CRM administration, pipeline management, reporting, prospect research, and fundraising analytics. The role works closely with the Manager, Emerging Partnerships & Growth and the Manager, Engagement & Stewardship to provide the infrastructure, information, and operational discipline needed to strengthen fundraising performance.

This position combines philanthropy operations, business planning, financial management, and prospect intelligence into a single function focused on enabling growth, improving decision-making, and strengthening organizational effectiveness.

Core Responsibility: Build and maintain the systems, data, processes, and market intelligence necessary to support philanthropic growth.

Key Responsibilities:

Planning, Forecasting & Budget Management:

• Develop and maintain philanthropy revenue forecasts, pipeline projections, and fundraising performance models.

• Coordinate grant budget development and philanthropic financial planning processes.

• Track progress toward annual fundraising goals and revenue targets.

• Develop financial reports and analyses to support leadership decision-making.

• Support annual planning, portfolio reviews, and departmental performance tracking.

• Monitor portfolio health and identify revenue risks and growth opportunities.

• Partner with Finance to support forecasting, grant budgeting, revenue tracking, and financial reporting.

Operations, CRM & Systems Management:

• Serve as primary administrator of philanthropy CRM systems and related reporting tools.

• Maintain data integrity, portfolio tracking systems, fundraising records, and pipeline management processes.

• Develop and manage dashboards, reporting systems, and performance metrics. 

• Establish and maintain operational procedures, workflows, templates, and documentation.

• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, consistency, and scalability across philanthropy operations.

• Coordinate operational processes across philanthropy, finance, communications, and program teams.

• Ensure leadership has accurate, timely, and actionable data to support decision-making.

Prospect Research, Pipeline Development & Intelligence:

• Conduct research on foundations, corporations, family offices, donor-advised funds, and individual giving prospects.

• Identify, qualify, and prioritize prospective philanthropic funding opportunities.

• Build and maintain prospect pipelines aligned with Catalyst Mobility's strategic priorities and growth objectives.

• Monitor philanthropic trends, funding opportunities, and emerging funders.

• Develop prospect profiles, briefing materials, relationship maps, and funder intelligence reports.

• Support cultivation planning through targeted research and opportunity analysis.

• Partner with the Senior Manager, Emerging Partnerships & Growth to identify and advance high-potential opportunities.

• Conduct portfolio gap analyses and recommend prospecting priorities.

• Maintain prospect and opportunity dashboards, tracking tools, and pipeline reports.

• Support development of annual prospecting goals, pipeline targets, and revenue growth strategies.

Portfolio Analysis & Performance Reporting:

• Analyze fundraising performance, pipeline health, and portfolio trends.

• Develop reports and presentations for leadership, executive audiences, and board reporting.

• Track key fundraising performance indicators and organizational metrics.

• Identify trends, opportunities, and areas of risk across the philanthropy portfolio.

• Provide recommendations based on fundraising, prospecting, and portfolio data.

• Support continuous improvement efforts through analysis and performance measurement.

Qualifications:

Required Experience:

• 5+ years of experience in philanthropy, fundraising operations, grant management, nonprofit administration, business operations, prospect research, or a related field.

• Experience managing CRM systems and fundraising databases.

• Experience with budgeting, forecasting, reporting, or financial planning.

• Experience conducting research and synthesizing information into actionable recommendations.

• Experience managing multiple projects, priorities, and deadlines simultaneously.

Required Skills & Competencies:

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

• Exceptional organizational and project-management abilities.

• Experience developing reports, dashboards, and performance metrics.

• Ability to interpret complex data and translate findings into actionable recommendations.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills. 

• High attention to detail and commitment to accuracy. 

• Ability to collaborate effectively across departments and functions. 

• Ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment. 

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, CRM platforms, and reporting tools. 

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Experience with Salesforce or comparable CRM systems. 

• Experience in foundation, corporate, individual giving, or institutional philanthropy. 

• Knowledge of prospect-research methodologies and philanthropic landscape analysis. 

• Experience with grant budgeting and financial management. 

• Experience developing operational systems and business processes. 

• Experience supporting executive decision-making through data and analysis. 

Success Measures :

Operational Excellence: 

• CRM data accuracy and integrity. 

• Timely and accurate reporting. 

• Adoption and effectiveness of philanthropy systems and processes. 

• Quality and consistency of operational documentation. 

Financial & Planning Performance: 

• Forecast accuracy. 

• Budget accuracy. 

• Quality of pipeline visibility and reporting. 

• Leadership confidence in revenue projections and portfolio data. 

Prospect Development:

• Number and quality of qualified opportunities identified. 

• Growth in prospect pipeline value and volume. 

• Quality and usefulness of funder intelligence. 

• Research support provided to cultivation efforts. 

• Pipeline conversion and advancement metrics. 

Organizational Impact: 

• Improved fundraising decision-making. 

• Stronger cross-functional coordination. 

• Increased fundraising efficiency and scalability. 

• Enhanced ability to identify and pursue new revenue opportunities. 

• Greater visibility into organizational fundraising performance.