KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
The Chief Program Officer (CPO) will be a critical member of the
organization’s national Executive Leadership Team, reporting directly to
the CEO. The incumbent will oversee the design, development,
prioritization and execution of Make-A-Wish America (MAWA) programs
across a federated model, which encompasses 62 separately incorporated
chapters serving local communities throughout the United States. The
incumbent will provide leadership and direction in defining
organizational strategies designed to support the overall performance
and growth of chapters throughout the country, and to enhance their
ability to deliver the mission in an effective and sustainable manner.
In addition, the CPO will lead the identification of insights across
chapters to shape program design and execution that advance the MAWA
vision. The incumbent will be required to work effectively across the
MAWA senior leadership team, MAWA Board of Directors, Chapter CEOs and
Chapter Boards.
CORE COMPETENCIES:
- Cultivates Innovation - Creating a new and better ways for the
organization to be successful.
- Drives Results - Consistently achieving results even under tough
circumstances
- Drives Vision & Purpose - Painting a compelling picture of the
vision and strategy that motivates others to action.
- Courage - Stepping up to address difficult issues, saying what needs
to be said.
- Strategic Mindset - Seeing ahead to future possibilities and
translating them into breakthrough strategies.
Required Skills
Additionally, the Chief Program Officer will:
MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP:
- Provide strategic leadership and supervision for the Program
division, working closely with department leadership (Vice President
and Directors) to guide, prioritize and effectively resource the
department’s work.
- Foster and support a high-performing team culture. Motivate and
inspire staff to work collaboratively to achieve organizational
goals, by clearly communicating the organization’s vision,
strategies and priorities.
- Participate actively and constructively as an executive team member,
stewarding resources effectively and role modeling the
organization’s values and commitment to chapter advancement and
mission optimization.
- Partner with Chapter CEOs and the MAWA senior leadership team in the
pursuit of key strategies, to share learning and best practices
through networking and partnership development.
- Manage and coach staff, including staff over which the incumbent may
not have direct authority
- Promote a culture of collaboration, openness and continuous
improvement – with ongoing focus on efficiency and speed to market.
- Serve as a leading internal and external voice in helping to shape
organizational outcomes and develop short and long-term commitments
to achieve those outcomes.
- As a member of the executive team, represent MAWA publicly and at
key meetings.
PROGRAM:
- In partnership with Chapters, the Senior Leadership Team and the
National Board, develop, prioritize and execute key programmatic
initiatives and emerging opportunities in alignment with the MAW
strategic plan.
- Develop innovative programs and strategies to address enterprise
challenges, with the goal of ensuring effective coordination,
collaboration and prioritization within the National Office and
across chapters
- Conduct impact assessments for new and existing initiatives to
ensure appropriate resourcing, ROI and effective change management
with national and chapter stakeholders.
- Develop, execute, evaluate and continue to refine the organization’s
strategy to grow and optimize the mission, improve organizational
effectiveness, and achieve revenue/financial targets; establish
policies and programmatic interventions that lead to
improved outcomes.
- Ensure that all program activities operate effectively, ethically,
and in compliance with program standards that meet or exceed
organization and chapter expectations, and those of charity
regulators, donors and chapters.
- Balance execution rigor and a sense of urgency and pragmatism to
make steady progress considerate of funding and resource
opportunities and constraints.
- Ensure that data, evaluation, and reporting systems are in place to
track program and partnership performance, effectiveness,
and impact.
- Oversee an enterprise approach to knowledge management.
Required Experience
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE:
In addition to demonstrating a deep commitment to MAWA mission, the
successful candidate will have a minimum of 15 years of experience in
leadership roles with management responsibility for developing and
designing high-quality, high-impact programs. The incumbent must be a
substantive, strategic, and intuitive thought leader who is able to
translate the MAWA mission into an effective plan of action. Moreover,
the CPO must be a collaborator, influencer, and highly effective
communicator who plays a critical role in engaging key stakeholders
across the federated model. The incumbent must also have strong
executive presence and experience executing against key priorities.
In addition to these leadership characteristics, the CPO will have:
- Robust knowledge of the MAW mission and enterprise-wide strategies.
- Thorough knowledge of the nonprofit sector and nonprofit leadership
and governance best practices; experience working with nonprofit
boards and volunteer leadership.
- Successful application of theories of change and innovative thinking
and practice.
- Exceptional strategic thinking skills with an ability to translate
quantitative and qualitative information into key insights
and strategies.
- Excellent interpersonal skills; ability to build strong
relationships and work collaboratively with individuals and teams
internally and externally, including those over whom the incumbent
will not have direct authority.
- Implementation of measurement systems to gauge progress and success.
- Outstanding oral and written communication skills; an effective
listener and speaker who can make persuasive recommendations and
impactful and inspiring presentations to executive audiences and
large groups.
- An ability to effectively influence Boards and senior leaders around
program planning, research, strategic partnerships, and large scale,
complex initiatives.
- Intellectual curiosity; an ability to imagine innovative solutions
and drive/generate new thinking against an enterprise-wide strategy.
- A growth mindset; ability to anticipate opportunities
and challenges.
- Strong problem solving skills.
- Persuasive advocacy and negotiation skills and excellent judgement.
EDUCATION:
- Bachelor’s degree required; graduate degree highly desired