The CEO is the leader of the organization, establishing a vision for Community Impact that is achieved through the efforts of a diverse team of high-performing leaders, staff and volunteers alike. The role is the Chief Mobilizer; they will leverage the power of relationships and networks and work across private, public and corporate sectors to improve conditions in the community. The CEO will be dedicated to shared and measurable goals for the common good – creating, resourcing, scaling and leveraging strategies for broad investment and impact. This individual will be the steward of the brand and will understand their role in growing and protecting the reputation of the UWFC. They will value network and strive to leverage United Way’s breadth of community presence, relationships and strategy.
The long serving CEO, Sherry Orlando, will be retiring in July 2018 and will be onboarding her successor. The organization has benefited from long tenured executives as well as staff throughout their history and the ultimate goal is to hire a long-term successor. This role has four direct reports and will report directly to the Board of Trustees.
The 16 member Board of Trustees, led by current Board President Jeromey Sheets, works closely with the CEO to ensure goals are met and there are ongoing strategies to continue to grow the organization and support the people in the local community. In 2018, the organization will address community needs in Education, Financial Stability and Health. For example, in education, the United Way will fund programs that increase school readiness, increase positive family engagement, reduce non-academic barriers to student success, and increase academic achievement and career readiness for youth. United Way funded programs for all areas will reach over 45,000 individuals in 2018. As there are long term strategies and continuous effort to improve these areas there will be a need for constant assessment to address any specific needs that arise throughout the year.
- Inspire, lead, hire, retain and develop the staff to achieve or exceed all stated goals and objectives
- Lead the overall operation of the United Way Fairfield County
- Provide appropriate and timely information to the Board of Trustees to make informed and effective decisions; serve as the liaison between the Board of Trustees and staff; responsible for the recruitment and identification of new board members
- Provide oversight and management of the organization’s resources (human, material, financial) in accordance with the organization’s mission, values and consistency with board policy
- Establish vision, formulate the organization’s mission, strategic plan, goals, objectives and related policies and ensure effective implementation
- Demonstrate a sense of priority in defining, undertaking and completing projects; assuming responsibility and taking initiative
- Work closely with the Board to craft and adapt strategies to achieve an impact in the community, including raising of funds to support it
- Establish and build relationships with top leaders in the community, including those representing the highest levels in business, government and non-profit sectors
- Responsible to drive key results in fundraising; to identify, cultivate and solicit prospective donors and key leaders of prospective new corporate partners; and to promote a culture of fundraising in the organization, both at the staff and board level
- Serve as the principal resource to the Board of Trustees and its key committees and provide strong direction in policy formulation and interpretation
- Partner with the board and the UWFC leadership team to craft organizational goals and develop strategies to ensure success
- 10+ years of professional experience in a leadership role
- Must live in Fairfield County, be from the county and excited to return to a county address, or be willing to relocate there
- Several years of experience working in the nonprofit sector and interacting with volunteers and diverse boards is preferred; however, a track record of similar work may be acceptable
- Charismatic leadership for this role is important; should be able to inspire and energize the staff, board and community
- Demonstrated track record of promoting diversity and demonstrating respect for all people
- Demonstrated ability to build and maintain external community relationships
- Demonstrated success generating revenues and finding new revenue streams
- Team-oriented, collaborative, naturally seeks others thoughts and actively listens
- Proven decision maker with the ability to set priorities, manage and implement them
- Demonstrated success as an effective communicator; examples of results through influence
- Proven service orientation earning a high level of satisfaction is important
- Solid business and financial management skills; executive level business acumen
- An energetic self-starter, flexible and able to prioritize multiple tasks
- Smart and intellectually curious; should be naturally willing to explore new ideas and innovative approaches to solving problems … and able to instinctively recognize the best choices
- Excellent base salary
- Vacation, holidays, healthcare benefits, and an IRA matched savings plan
- Opportunity to work for one of the nation’s most well-known and well-respected organizations dedicated to making sustainable improvements in the lives of all people
- Opportunity to lead and grow an organization that positively impacts a local community where you can personally see the needle move, every day
- Opportunity to build relationships with like-minded people that can be personally enriching as well as enhancing to county organizations