Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois (GSEIWI) is seeking a forward-thinking Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to serve as a leader of leaders and catalyst for impact. This executive will set and execute the Council’s strategic direction with passion, innovation, and a steadfast commitment to empowering EVERY girl. The CEO will lead and oversee all aspects of its operations including community engagement, fundraising, membership and program development, operational excellence, and fiscal responsibility. This inspiring leader will adeptly navigate both internal operations and external partnerships, fostering strong relationships across diverse communities and guiding the organization with strategic clarity, thoughtful leadership, and a bold, future-focused mindset.
Reports to: GSEIWI Board of Directors
Location: Bettendorf, Iowa
Candidate Profile
GSEIWI Visibility & Impact
- Demonstrates consistent visibility and meaningful engagement across the council’s footprint, embodying an approachable and accessible presence.
- Ensures a deep understanding of the critical issues impacting girls today in order to advance relevant, high-impact programs and position GSEIWI as a premier voice for girls at the local, state, and federal levels.
- Increases connections by reaching into every area of the council to nurture strategic relationships, increase awareness and access, and ensure growth in volunteer and membership numbers.
Strategic Leadership
- Collaborates with staff and board to lead transformational change, surface innovative opportunities, and position GSEIWI as a trusted brand and leader in Youth Development.
- Executes on the strategic plan, monitors and evaluates progress, creates accountability, and ensures transparency in communicating movement.
- Leverages data and emerging trends to drive strategic decisions, translating insights into actionable business strategies to enhance process, operations and outcomes.
Fundraising & Financial Management
- Partners with the Chief Development Officer to ensure a robust, multi-layered fundraising strategy is in place including corporate, individual, and grant opportunities while exploring other funding opportunities.
- Supports the Board in development and execution of fund development strategies enabling GSEIWI to address current and long-term organizational sustainability.
- Provides financial leadership and oversight of budget, ensures fiscal sustainability, strong stewardship of resources, and alignment with mission-driven priorities.
Program & Product Development
- Evaluates programs, camps, products, and membership engagement to determine data-driven strategies that drive growth and impact.
- Partners with key staff to seek girl and volunteer feedback allowing for continued development of both innovative and relevant mission-aligned programs.
- Identifies and removes barriers to participation, leveraging data to expand access and opportunity across communities.
- Cultivates strategic partnerships with corporations and community organizations to expand program opportunities and shared impact.
Talent, Culture, & Team Development
- Builds a culture of engagement and empowerment through consistent communication and collaboration at all levels of staff.
- Leads, coaches, and inspires a high-performance Senior Leadership Team while ensuring all staff are empowered, heard, and held accountable with clear goals and objectives.
- Provides thought-leadership around the development and implementation of systems and processes that support volunteer recruitment and retainment.
- Ensures HR systems are current and proactively support yearly goals, objectives and performance.
Candidate Background
The ideal candidate will possess a bachelor’s degree and 10+ years of progressive executive experience with a preference for non-profit leadership. The candidate will have demonstrated success throughout their career collaborating internally and externally with diverse stakeholder groups, including boards and corporate leaders. They will be team-oriented, results-driven, and display a vision and passion for the youth enrichment experience, with a proven ability to lead change, address organizational challenges head-on, and build resilience across teams and stakeholders. They should have the ability and excitement to travel throughout the region to meet with stakeholders, volunteers and field staff.
