Operations Officer - Development Office

George Watson’s College is looking for an organised and detail-focused Operations Officer to support the work of our Development Office. This varied role plays a key part in managing the financial, operational and data systems that underpin fundraising and alumni engagement. The Operations Officer is responsible for accurately processing and reporting philanthropic income, managing the Development CRM (Raisers Edge), and working closely with the Finance Team to ensure strong controls, compliance and high-quality information. We are seeking someone who enjoys working with data and systems, has a keen eye for detail, and values collaboration. In return, you’ll join a supportive school community and contribute to work that helps strengthen connections with alumni and create long-term impact for George Watson’s College.

Main Responsibilities

• Finance, Income Processing and Financial Controls
  • Take day-to-day responsibility for the accurate processing of all fundraising related income, including donations, pledges, regular gifts, event income and campaign income.
  • Ensure all income is correctly recorded within the Development CRM (Raiser’s Edge/NXT) and reconciled regularly with the School’s finance system.
  • Prepare and submit income batches, journals and supporting documentation to Finance in line with agreed deadlines and procedures.
  • Reconcile Development CRM income against bank statements and Finance reports, investigating and resolving discrepancies promptly.
  • Administer and monitor pledged income, including setting up pledge schedules, tracking outstanding balances and supporting follow-up activity.
  • Support the administration of Gift Aid claims, ensuring accurate records, audit trails and timely submission in compliance with HMRC requirements.
  • Assist with budget monitoring and administration for the Development Office, including tracking expenditure, processing purchase orders and monitoring against budgets.
  • Support the Director/Head of Development with financial forecasting, income projections and analysis of performance against targets.
  • Ensure strong financial governance, audit readiness and adherence to School financial policies at all times.
  • Liaising with suppliers, ensuring that goods and services are received, dealing with returns and payments.
  • Monitor departmental credit card, ensuring relevant paperwork is processed and passed to finance.
• CRM, Data Management and Reporting
  • Maintain the accuracy, integrity and ongoing management of supporter, alumni and donor data within the Development CRM.
  • Oversee data entry procedures, imports, duplicate management and general housekeeping to ensure data quality and consistency, working with admin colleagues within the team.
  • Produce accurate and insightful financial and fundraising reports (monthly, quarterly and annually) for Development leadership and senior stakeholders.
  • Support data segmentation for appeals, events, stewardship and alumni engagement activity, ensuring mailing preferences and consent are adhered to.
  • Proactively develop and improve systems, processes and workflows to increase efficiency, data quality and user experience.
  • Act as the primary liaison with the CRM provider working closely with the Director of Development, managing user access, training, system issues and development opportunities.
• Compliance & Data Protection
  • Work with the School’s Data Protection Officer and Finance Team to ensure compliance with GDPR, fundraising regulation and financial controls.
  • Support lawful basis assessments, data retention and archiving in line with School policies and regulatory requirements.
  • Maintain clear documentation and operational manuals relating to CRM usage, income processing and data management.
  • Keep up to date with changes in fundraising regulation, Gift Aid guidance and data protection legislation, recommending changes to practice as required.
• Operational Support and Collaboration
  • Provide operational and administrative support to the Development Office as required, including support/coordination for events, alumni activities and donor enquiries.
  • Work closely with colleagues across Finance, Marketing & Communications, Admissions and Senior Leadership to support integrated fundraising and alumni engagement.
  • Deliver CRM and process training to Development colleagues and relevant staff as required.
  • Build positive and professional relationships with donors, alumni, volunteers and internal stakeholders.
  • Act as a first point of contact for enquiries received by email, telephone and face-to-face from alumni, donors, and internal stakeholders.
  • This responsibility is shared within the team.
  • This role will require regular out of hours working and some travel.

Ideal Candidate Skills / Aptitude

• Essential
  • Experience in development operations, fundraising finance or income processing roles.
  • Strong financial literacy with experience of reconciliation, income processing and reporting.
  • Excellent attention to detail and high levels of accuracy.
  • Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines.
  • Confident user of CRM systems and Microsoft Office (especially Excel).
  • Strong organisational and problem-solving skills.
  • Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with discretion.
  • Clear and confident communicator, able to explain financial information to non-finance colleagues.
• Desirable
  • Experience working in an independent school, university, or charity environment.
  • Experience working closely with a central Finance function.

Knowledge

• Essential
  • Understanding of UK charitable giving, Gift Aid and fundraising regulation.
  • Knowledge of GDPR and data protection as it applies to fundraising and alumni data.
  • Experience of producing financial and management reports.
  • Strong working knowledge of CRM systems (Raiser’s Edge / NXT desirable).
• Desirable
  • Understanding of alumni relations and donor stewardship best practice.

Qualifications

• Essential
  • Relevant degree, professional qualification or equivalent professional experience.
• Desirable
  • Part-qualified or qualified in finance, accounting, fundraising or data/operations-related discipline.

Package Description

• Location: George Watson’s College, Edinburgh
• Contract Type: Permanent
• Hours of work: 29 hours per week, 52 weeks per year, with the requirement for some evening and weekend work, as well as travel within Scotland and the UK. Flexibility is therefore required.
• Salary: £36,721 - £41,838 (Based to 36.25 hours and 52 weeks) this equates to £29,376 - £33,470 (Based on 29 hours per week)
• Benefits: Seven weeks annual leave (two to be taken at Christmas and New Year), automatic enrolment in the contributory support staff defined contribution pension scheme, reduced school fees at George Watson’s College for children of staff, Membership of the Galleon Club (the school’s fitness club).