Senior Director, Chapter Relations Leader

Who We Are:

Our vision is to grant the wish of every eligible child. Through our mission, we are uniting communities to grant life-changing wishes. As the world’s largest wish-granting organization, we strive to create a sense of community and an environment where we warmly embrace our wish families, volunteers, and colleagues.

Joining Make-A-Wish means becoming part of a mission that believes in the power of a wish.

Location:

Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S. We do not sponsor employment visas or other immigration processes to attain or maintain employment eligibility.

Remote positions are open to applicants based anywhere in the continental U.S. Hybrid positions are open to applicants based in the Phoenix, Arizona area.

Position Summary:

The Sr. Director, Chapter Relations Leader, manages the Chapter Relationship Leader (CRL) team and is a highly visible, chapter-facing role who manages a team of CRLs actively engaged in providing strategic guidance and support to chapter CEOs, their leadership teams and Boards of Directors. The Sr. Director strategically determines how best to support chapter leadership through management of chapter portfolios and ensures consistency while addressing critical organizational and chapter support needs.

Knowledge & Abilities:

• Demonstrated expertise in nonprofit leadership and the ability to build and maintain strong relations at all levels of an organization.

• Ability to inspire and drive key constituencies across the enterprise to action, including the Board, Executive Leadership, Chapter CEOs, and other representatives.

• Exceptional written and verbal communication and presentation skills to translate actions in a meaningful way both internally and externally.

• Ability to think critically to solve problems, innovate short and long-term solutions, and move ideas from incubation to action.

• Strong consultation, collaboration, negotiation, and change-leadership skills.

• Ability to identify operational challenges, facilitate solutions, and support implementation of best practices.

• Possess expertise in not-for-profit operations and best practices, with the ability to translate into strategic plans, as well as day-to-day operations.

• Self-starter with excellent organizational management skills. Ability to work and make judgements independently.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Manage and support a team of CRLs in their partnership with chapters, ensuring key goals, support and strategies are aligned with clearly defined measures and deliverables.

• Identify and partner with chapters experiencing leadership, mission delivery, financial and/or other performance challenges by providing guidance, and support in course-correcting their trajectory.

• Crafts and facilitates ongoing education for chapter CEOs.

• Sets new chapter CEOs up for success with a comprehensive and immersive multi-year on-boarding program. Designs, facilitates, and supports effective Board Chair and Board Member on-boarding and continuing education.

• Influence change and establish mutual accountability between national and chapter leadership to support individual chapter and network sustainability.

• Serves as a key liaison between chapters and Chapter & Mission Advancement teams, elevating chapter needs, innovations, concerns, and emerging trends to inform enterprise decision making.

• Sources, develops, curates, and maintains templates, tools, and best practices for chapter health and success, ensuring clarity, consistency, and applicability across the enterprise.

• Support CEOs in conducting an annual Employee Engagement Survey and support in action planning based on results.

• Supports the evolution of chapter and Make-A-Wish America governance policies and processes to meet changing needs.

• Builds and maintains strong, trust-based relationships with chapter leaders to ensure alignment with enterprise strategy and mission priorities

• Partners with Chapter Operations Support team to maximize chapter operational performance and effectiveness through the identification and development of value-add shared services.

• Partners with Wish Resources team to maximize wish enablement across the enterprise.

• Partners to review, refine, roll out and educate chapters on benchmarks and performance metrics.

• Responsible for hiring, performance management, training, supervising, and all aspects of coaching staff reporting to this position.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree required, nonprofit management, business or related field preferred.

• 7+ years of progressively responsible senior leadership experience in a federated non-profit organization required and Make-A-Wish chapter leadership preferred.

• 5+ years in a senior leadership position.

• Excellent knowledge of nonprofit resources and best practices in the areas of fundraising, program delivery, volunteer recruitment, training of Boards and staff, community development, budgeting/financial management, operations, finance, and nonprofit regulatory requirements.

• Demonstrated experience in project management, research, and data analysis, change management, program delivery, business planning and board/committee support.

• Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office applications required, including demonstrated expertise in Word and Excel

Working Conditions:

• Ability to thrive in a remote environment.

• Travel required for internal and external meetings, 20-25%

• May require work outside a traditional Monday – Friday work week, and outside normal business hours. This includes weekends and early evening weeknights.

This Role's Hiring Range
$141,500—$162,000 USD

What We Offer:

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefit package, effective day 1: Medical, Vision*, Dental*, Wellness

• Competitive compensation with annual incentive potential 

• Health Savings Account and Flexible Spending Account Options 

• Health Reimbursement Account fully funded by Make-A-Wish America

• Short Term Disability*, Long Term Disability* and Life Insurance

• Additional Insurance Plans: Accident, Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity, Pet Insurance through Figo

• 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan with 5% match after one year of service

• Eligibility for student loan forgiveness through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program 

• The organization will send a laptop, 24” monitor, and a docking station/adaptor to new hires

Time Off

• Up to 15 PTO days

• 10 Sick Days

• 11 Paid Holidays

• 2 Volunteer Days after one year of service

• 2 Personal Days accrued annually

• Parental Leave 

Also...

• Employee Awards and Recognition Programs 

• Individual and Leadership Development  

• Discounts and special offers for theme parks, events, hotels, concerts, and movie tickets

*Monthly premiums paid for the employee for vision, dental, and short/long term disability.