Chief Marketing Officer, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS)

Posted by Pennsylvania Horticultural Society on August 11, 2020

The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) is an internationally recognized nonprofit organization founded in 1827 committed to gardening for the greater good — using horticulture to advance the health and wellbeing of the Philadelphia region. PHS activities advance four social determinants of health: creating healthy living environments, building deep connections between people, increasing access to fresh food, and expanding economic opportunity. Fueled by a diverse community of people who invest time, money, and their gardens into our cause, PHS supports on-the-ground activities in 250 neighborhoods; operates a free-to-all network of public gardens and landscapes; produces the nation’s signature gardening event, the Philadelphia Flower Show; and offers year-round experiences for gardeners and garden lovers.

PHS seeks a strategic, collaborative leader to serve as the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). As a highly visible public advocate for the organization, the CMO reports directly to the President, serves on the Executive Team, and works in tight relationship with the Chief Development Officer. The CMO will be a key resource to the organization’s President, leadership team, volunteers, and other stakeholders and will be involved in overall organizational planning and policy decisions. S/he will have fundamental responsibility for the design and implementation of PHS’s strategic internal and external communications. The CMO and their team will be responsible for PHS’s branding, messaging, promotion, and sales and will collaborate across internal and external communities.

This is an extraordinary opportunity to lead marketing and communications for one of the nation’s most distinguished horticultural organizations and lead it into the future. The CMO will envision, create, and execute a rebranding strategy to emphasize the social service work that PHS conducts for over 250 diverse communities in the Greater Philadelphia area. The ideal candidate will have a track record of success in marketing for diverse communities. In addition, s/he must have a sincere interest and appreciation for PHS’s heritage and the ability to work in a fast-moving, innovative environment. The CMO will be an innovative, focused, and proven marketing and communications leader experienced with repositioning organizations, expanding customer and philanthropic supporter bases, and working with major events

The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society firmly believes in diversity, equity, and inclusion as the means to empower all employees, stakeholders, and partners in achieving our mission to connect people with horticulture and create beautiful, healthy, sustainable communities. To act on that belief, PHS has adopted a Code of Ethics that includes the following commitments:

PHS recognizes the personal value of every employee by pledging that every employee will be treated with dignity and respect and will be judged on the basis of his or her qualifications to perform the position, without discrimination based on age, disability, genetic information, national origin, race, color, religion, sex, or sexual or gender orientation.

PHS’s workforce wants and deserves a work environment that supports honesty, integrity, respect, trust and responsibility and that permits the opportunity to achieve excellence in the workplace. Accordingly, each member of the workforce must adhere to the PHS Values and contribute to the creation and maintenance of such an environment so as to foster a work environment that is free from the fear of retribution and that will bring out the best in all members of the workforce. Supervisors must be careful in words and conduct to avoid placing, or seeming to place, pressure on subordinates that could cause them to deviate from acceptable ethical behavior.

The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society has retained Freeman Philanthropic Services, LLC to facilitate this executive recruitment. Please send confidential inquiries and applications directly to Freeman Philanthropic Services, LLC via e-mail at PHS-CMO@glfreeman.com.