President and CEO

The Opportunity 

Ascend Nonprofit Solutions – whose mission is to strengthen the Charlotte area’s nonprofit community through access to facilities and services that lead to greater impact and efficiency – seeks a visionary leader and natural relationship builder to serve as its next President and CEO. Reporting to and working with a 22-person Board of Directors, the President and CEO is responsible for the implementation of policies, and annual goals and objectives set by the Board as well as financial, program, and administrative management of the organization.  

The President and CEO will provide leadership for the implementation of Ascend’s strategic direction with emphasis on growing and strengthening the organization’s partner base, geographic footprint, and funding sources. The President and CEO will lead a team of thirty who provide high-quality, affordable facilities and finance, HR, and IT solutions to its nonprofit partners so they can focus on advancing their missions. 

The Ideal Candidate Profile 

The ideal candidate has the following professional and personal qualities, skills, and characteristics: 

Strategic and Visionary Thinking 

The President and CEO looks at the big picture and brings forth innovative ideas that further Ascend’s mission and vision. The leader maintains currency on trends related to shared services, the nonprofit sector, and the Charlotte region and interprets those to assess opportunities for or impacts on Ascend. The President and CEO is not satisfied with the status quo and can visualize the future and translate that vision into actionable plans. Ascend’s next leader is an inspiring communicator who is willing to take calculated risks and capable of rallying others around an idea or direction. 

Relationship Building

The President and CEO serves as the lead relationship builder for Ascend, fostering collaboration and championing the shared services model and nonprofit sector as a whole. The President and CEO is the face of the organization, tasked with identifying and cultivating opportunities that lead to partnerships, funding, and achievement of Ascend’s strategic goals. The ideal candidate strives to build effective coalitions with a broad range of stakeholders in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, successfully articulating Ascend’s vision and benefit to the community. The President and CEO engages with diverse audiences to understand their perspectives and work toward solutions that foster diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging within Ascend and amongst its partners and other stakeholders, recognizing that this will propel the organization to greater heights. The President and CEO is a strong communicator who is naturally curious and maintains positive working relationships with the staff, board of directors, partner agencies, committees, and other stakeholders critical to Ascend’s success.  

Business Acumen 

The President and CEO leads a $5M+ organization, responsible for implementing sound policies and practices that ensure Ascend’s sustainability. This leader safeguards Ascend’s assets, monitors organizational capacity against commitments, and develops a staff that can execute the operational aspects of Ascend’s work in a manner that meets (and ideally exceeds) its partners’ needs. The President and CEO has solid financial literacy, strong emotional intelligence, knowledge of the environment in which Ascend operates, an understanding of stakeholder interests, and the ability to make both strategically significant and day-to-day decisions. Ascend’s next leader is an effective delegator who sets priorities and ensures accountability, using data and metrics to evaluate progress and drive decision-making while also fostering a unified, positive culture. 

Resource Development 

The President and CEO is an effective storyteller who can articulate Ascend’s value to the community and attract new supporters. The leader is capable of securing financial and other resources and has experience soliciting gifts from diverse funding channels including individual giving, foundation grants, corporate support, and fee for service arrangements. The President and CEO is Ascend’s chief fundraiser and promotes relational (vs. transactional) resource development efforts, ensuring that funders, donors, and partners feel appropriately acknowledged and appreciated.  

Key lived experiences, attributes, and skill sets sought in the President and CEO 

Ascend’s next President and CEO will demonstrate a myriad of experiences, attributes and skill sets from those outlined below. 

• History of demonstrating the sound judgment, administrative skill, and financial acumen necessary to oversee day-to-day operations, direct staff, and manage a multi-million-dollar budget 
• Strong interpersonal and deep relational skills, with the ability to advocate for the mission and build trust, garner respect, instill confidence, and develop camaraderie among diverse groups that include board, staff, partners, and community leaders  
• Experience casting vision, developing strategy, and creating and executing against a plan 
• Understanding of public, private, and nonprofit sectors with experience developing relationships between these entities 
• Demonstrated fundraising experience with success in individual, corporate, foundation, and government giving; experience cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major gifts 
• Appreciation for, understanding of, and experience implementing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging practices 
• Excellent communication skills 
• Experience working effectively with a board of directors 
• Experience in a nonprofit or shared services leadership role 
• Experience in commercial real estate, property management, and/or facilities management 

Salary is commensurate with the requirements of the position and begins in the $170,000 range. Benefits include medical with a wellness option, dental, vision, life, AD&D, short, and long-term disability insurance; employee assistance program; flexible spending accounts; 401(k) retirement plan; paid time off; and 13 paid holidays. 

Apply at: https://armstrongmcguire.applytojob.com/apply/tLRuo4aYYa/President-And-CEO-Ascend-Nonprofit-Solutions

Please provide all requested information to be considered. In case of any technical problems, contact talent@armstrongmcguire.com. No phone calls, please, and no applications will be accepted by email or directly from third-party posting sites.