CRM Product Lead

Overview

The Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association (WFAA)—the private fundraising and alumni relations organization for the University of Wisconsin–Madison—is seeking a CRM Product Lead to join the Advancement Business Solutions team! The CRM Product Lead provides strategic and functional leadership for WFAA’s Salesforce CRM ecosystem in close partnership with business and technical leaders. This role is accountable for maximizing business value and user impact by defining, prioritizing, and delivering CRM capabilities that advance organizational goals, align with the digital roadmap, and address enterprise‑wide needs through user‑centered, scalable, and outcome‑driven solutions.

Serving as the primary bridge between business stakeholders and technical teams, the CRM Product Lead translates organizational priorities into clear product requirements and user stories. Working closely with Salesforce Admins, cross‑functional technology teams, and vendor partners in an Agile environment, this role owns functional direction and stakeholder alignment while ensuring solutions are feasible, maintainable, and aligned with platform standards and governance.

Please note: We are open to hire this position to work remotely, with periodic travel to Madison expected throughout the year.  Remote candidates must reside in one of the following states: Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa,  Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Texas, or Wisconsin.

Who is WFAA?

The Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association (WFAA) is a private, nonprofit corporation that encourages individuals and organizations to make gifts to the university and to connect with the UW. In 2014, the UW Foundation merged with the Wisconsin Alumni Association® to better serve a growing population of UW alumni and donors. We believe that private support grows out of good relationships between campus leaders, faculty and program staff who need support, and the alumni and friends who want to invest in UW–Madison. We provide important engagement opportunities to link UW–Madison alumni to each other and to their alma mater, building a strong community of Badgers.

Diversity and Inclusion:

Just as the university community benefits from differing viewpoints, perspectives, and experiences, inclusion and diversity are imperative for the success of our mission. WFAA values people and the differences that they bring to the organization, and creates an environment in which all staff members and constituents feel respected and have opportunities to thrive. 

Essential Functions

Functional Product Leadership 

• Align CRM product capabilities with advancement and alumni engagement priorities, while identifying and recommending solutions that address challenges, support growth, and advance WFAA’s strategic goals.
• Serve as a strategic advisor on Salesforce capabilities and impact by monitoring vendor roadmaps, industry best practices, and emerging technologies to drive innovative, future‑ready solutions.
• Apply data-driven and analytical thinking to inform strategic decisions, justify investments and measure success.
• Maintain awareness of how Salesforce data, reporting, and solutions impact donors, alumni, partners, and other constituents.
• Demonstrate compassion and cultural responsiveness when designing and supporting solutions for diverse audiences.

Product Design and Delivery 

• Collaborate with product leadership, technical teams, vendors, business partners, and the PMO to design and deliver initiatives aligned with organizational priorities.
• Ensure timely, effective implementations that follow best practices and organizational and industry standards, supporting scalable and sustainable platform growth.
• Conduct gap analyses of current processes to identify optimization and expansion opportunities, balancing quick wins with long term value.
• Gather and translate business needs into user stories, functional requirements, and success criteria; own the product backlog and support implementation planning in an Agile environment.
• Perform solution validation, system testing, and user experience health checks; design and support quality assurance and user acceptance testing (UAT) strategies to ensure reliability and usability.
• Own functional documentation of product solutions.
• Support accessibility compliance, security requirements, and data governance standards across the platform.
• Enable successful adoption through change management, training, and ongoing user support in partnership with the Technical Training Manager and business leads.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• 2- or 4-year degree in a related technical or business field.
• 5+ years of experience in product ownership, product management, business systems, or CRM leadership.
• Demonstrated experience working in enterprise or complex Salesforce environments (multiple clouds, integrations, regulated data, or large user bases)
• 5+ years of experience in higher education advancement, development, or related field OR any equivalent combination of experience and/or education from which comparable knowledge, skills, and abilities have been achieved.
• Strong functional understanding of the Salesforce platform, including:
  • Core data model (objects, relationships, automation concepts)
  • At least one primary cloud (Sales, Service, Marketing, Experience, Nonprofit, etc.)
  • Reporting and dashboards
• Experience with Agile/Scrum, including backlog ownership, user stories, acceptance criteria, and sprint ceremonies.
• Proven ability to partner effectively with Salesforce Admins, technical teams, and business stakeholders to deliver solutions at scale.
• Strong analytical, problem‑solving, and data‑analysis skills, including understanding data relationships and reporting needs.
• Demonstrated ability to learn new technologies and stay current with Salesforce platform updates.
• Working knowledge of human‑centered design to improve user experience.

 Other Qualifications:

• Recommended Certifications:
  • Salesforce Certified Administrator, Salesforce Certified Business Analyst, or other Salesforce certifications aligned with skills for this role.
  • Certification as a Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO).
• Skilled in managing, prioritizing and delivering multiple initiatives concurrently.
• Collaborative, service‑oriented, adaptable, and comfortable driving change in cross‑team environments.
• High integrity, professionalism, and commitment to confidentiality, with cultural awareness and compassion when working with diverse groups.

At WFAA, we are dedicated to creating an inspiring, creative, and respectful work environment for our employees. We offer competitive pay and an outstanding benefits program, including a generous 10% 401k contribution after just one year of service! Join us and be part of a team that values your growth and well-being. Click here to learn more about our employee benefits! 

The Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association is an Equal Opportunity Employer *The Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association is the “doing business as” name of the merged organization comprising the University of Wisconsin Foundation (advanceuw.org) and the Wisconsin Alumni Association (uwalumni.com). Its legal corporate name is registered as the University of Wisconsin Foundation.