Executive Director, Community Development, American Cancer Society

Posted by American Cancer Society on January 5, 2018

Save lives. Fulfill yours.

At the American Cancer Society, saving lives is our mission. We achieve our mission by drawing on our humanity. Humanity made up of courage, determination, innovation, passion, empathy, and caring. These are the values that give us the advantage over cancer.

Our work is important. And so are the people doing it. The people who work at the American Cancer Society focus their diverse talents on our singular mission: to end the pain and suffering of cancer. It is a calling. And the people who answer it are fulfilled. We value our employees and nearly 2 million volunteers around the globe that have stood with us through the years, and we will not rest until the fight is won. And that day is drawing nearer.

Provides community development and community leadership for a large geographic market area of a region centered around a top 50 market, including accountability for multi-million dollar income targets. Responsible for profits and loss management for market areas community development revenue activities, ensuring ROI targets are achieved. Manages a large team of community development staff as well as a market-based volunteer board accountable for providing volunteer leadership for market priorities and goals. Ensures engagement and mobilization of diverse constituents, staff and volunteers for the assigned market area in a prioritized and coordinated way to meet established market and regional objectives.

• Develops and leads implementation of the assigned market area strategy for community development including event execution and volunteer engagement to drive revenue growth.
• Manages, coaches and develops a team of community development leaders within the assigned geographic market area. Ensures that responsibilities, authorities and accountability of all direct reports are well defined.
• Accountable for achievement of income performance targets through core event-based revenue such as Relay For Life, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, distinguished events and other community based fundraising activities.
• Responsible for optimization of current community development activities as well as driving new revenue with entrepreneurial spirit to achieve and surpass revenue targets
• Drives community relevance through customer-centric and innovative strategies
• Maximizes the assets of the market to further the mission of the Society by convening staff across departments to develop and implement an integrated market plan to achieve mission, revenue and advocacy goals for the market
• Leads a market-based volunteer board comprised of highly engaged, community influencers accountable for driving market priorities and goals; recruits, manages relationships and retains highly effective volunteer leaders who can significantly contribute to the success of the Society.
• Ensures effective leadership and engagement of community-based volunteers including appropriate leadership groups outside of the market board
• Responsible for leadership facilitation in operational decision making, communications, and collaboration to create a cohesive culture within the assigned geographic market area
• Monitors financial expenditures and progress against the budgetary plan and takes appropriate measures to meet top line and bottom line goals ensuring a high ROI in meeting revenue targets.
• As the top leader of the market, ensures ACS community presence and relevance; serves as a spokesperson for the organization
• Coordinates account prioritization and ownership for community-based accounts and relationships
• Serves as primary relationship manager for assigned priority accounts and targeted priority relationships in geographic market areas; responsible for leveraging those relationships in a way that supports market-based goals and objectives.
• Ensures ACS visibility by joining and participating in key market based organizations and networking groups as appropriate to generate strategic partnerships for the market and/or region.
• Collaborates with the Cancer Control, Distinguished Partner, Business Planning & Operations, Communications/Marketing and ACS CAN leads to ensure coordinated and interdependent achievement of market goals; leveraging community relationships to achieve income and mission goals.
• Ensures effective stewardship of key volunteer and donor relationships.
• Maximizes the utilization of volunteers to achieve revenue goals; oversees the volunteer engagement efforts to ensure the volunteer talent and capacity is available to execute volunteer-driven activities.
• Models and fosters behavior that establishes a culture that values the staff/volunteer partnership, and is consistent with the values, goals, and objectives of the Society to create an atmosphere of trust, cooperation, accountability, empowerment, and dedication to the mission.
• Supports ACS CAN grass roots efforts, including ACS CAN membership, lobby days and action alerts.
• Maintains a productive and collaborative relationships with the Society’s global headquarters departments and other regions; participates on regional and enterprise projects and committees as appropriate.

Position Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience, plus 8 years community engagement & relationship development experience in a large nonprofit setting, preferably with 4 years in a leadership level management/supervisory capacity of a multi-million dollar organization.
• Demonstrates Community Development Competencies
  • Action oriented – Takes on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm.
  • Attracts top talent – Attracts and selects the best talent to meet current and future business needs.
  • Being resilient – Rebounds from setbacks and adversity when facing difficult situations.
  • Builds networks – Effectively builds formal and informal relationship networks inside and outside the organization.
  • Customer focus – Builds strong customer relationships and delivering customer-centric solutions.
  • Drives engagement – Creates a climate where people are motivated to do their best to help the organization achieve its objectives.
  • Balances stakeholders – Anticipates and balances the needs of multiple stakeholders.
  • Ensures accountability – Holds self and others accountable to meet commitments.
• Other Skills
  • Strong market, community and constituent perspective.
  • Strong experience with community-based program planning and implementation.
  • Excellent interpersonal, presentation, written and oral communication skills.
  • Ability to analyze and integrate information from relevant sources.
  • Ability to proactively monitor and adjust activities to respond to changing circumstances and priorities to meet goals.
  • Strong strategic planning skills.
  • Outcome driven; strong project management ability.
  • Collaborative leadership, management, coaching and development of diverse staff.
  • Ability to work through others to accomplish goals.
  • Ability to create consensus among cross-functional staff and bring closure to projects/initiatives.
  • Ability to manage and motivate groups and individuals.
  • Proficient with computer-based information systems.
  • Ability to understand and work within a complex organizational structure.
  • Knowledge of product marketing/sales concepts.
  • Some travel within the market area; will include evening and weekend work. Limited region/national travel.
  • Work is normally performed in a typical interior/office work environment
  • No or very limited physical effort required
  • No or very limited exposure to physical risk

We are committed to providing staff with fulfilling opportunities to learn, grow and make an impact in their local communities. We offer staff a generous paid time off policy; medical, dental and retirement benefits, and professional development programs to enhance staff skills.

https://www.cancer.org/about-us/employment-opportunities.html