YWCA Lower Cape Fear, President & CEO

The Opportunity

YWCA Lower Cape Fear seeks a President & CEO to lead a team of dedicated professionals and volunteers committed to sustaining its mission of empowering women and eliminating racism, so that all women and their families can achieve their full potential in a world without discrimination. The new President & CEO will build on a solid foundation, strong reputation, and established community partnerships, and bring leadership skills, a commitment to the mission, and daily determination to deepen and expand community-wide impact.

The Organization

Serving Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover, and Pender counties, YWCA Lower Cape Fear has been a vital force in the community for over 111 years, championing the rights of women and girls and paving the way for their empowerment through advocacy, education, and support. The YWCA is proud to be the oldest and largest women’s movement and strives to create a future where every woman and girl can lead with confidence.

Advocacy and racial justice are at the heart of the organization’s mission. YWCA Lower Cape Fear is dedicated to confronting inequities and driving systemic change by amplifying community voices through events, summits, and classes on topics such as voter education, self-defense, entrepreneurship, and women’s health. A talented and dedicated staff of 70 full- and part-time employees foster belonging and empowerment through several signature programs and offerings.

YWCA’s Early Parenthood Program (EPP) aims to help pregnant and parenting teens stay in school and graduate, access higher education and vocational training, develop the skills and knowledge needed to become strong parents, and delay another teen pregnancy.

H.E.R Path—which stands for Hope, Empowerment, and Resilience—is a program created to walk alongside women through every season of life. It is a healing space for growth, transformation, and connection that exists to address urgent challenges, break down systemic barriers, and foster supportive environments where women of all ages can find encouragement and opportunity.

The Grandparents Support Network (GSN) is a program pioneered by YWCA Lower Cape Fear, dedicated to providing essential support and resources for grandparents who have assumed the role of primary caretakers for their grandchildren. Recognizing the unique challenges these caregivers face, the program aims to create a nurturing community where grandparents can find assistance, guidance, camaraderie, and respite.

In 2024, YWCA Lower Cape Fear officially launched the re-branded Bright Futures Childcare Center, expanding its existing Childcare Department to include wrap-around services such as speech therapy, feeding therapy, occupational therapy, behavioral therapy, and tutoring. The Bright Futures Childcare Center provides essential and low-cost daycare, after-school care, and summer camps for children, and more than 50% of families served receive subsidized childcare support.

The YWCA Aquatics Center is a beloved community resource and gathering place with over 30,000 visits per year. In addition to reserving swim time, members (and non-members) can enjoy swim lessons, camps, swim teams, pool parties, lifeguard training, and more. YWCA Lower Cape Fear is currently in the quiet phase of the Courage and Commitment campaign, a $9.8 million effort to make improvements to the aquatics center and surrounding facilities, with $6 million secured to date.

The Position

YWCA Lower Cape Fear is seeking an experienced leader with a broad set of executive-level skills to build on a strong organizational foundation. The President & CEO will work in partnership with the Board of Directors and the management team to ensure that programs and services developed are sustainable and aligned with the mission, vision, and current strategic plan.

The President & CEO will report directly to the Board of Directors and manage a nine-person senior leadership team. YWCA Lower Cape Fear has nurtured and enjoys a superior reputation in the community, and the President & CEO plays a critical role in fostering relationships with partner agencies, volunteers, members, donors, and community leaders.

The ideal President & CEO will bring and effectively deploy a high level of political acumen and fund development savvy to build, strengthen, and regularly steward relationships with elected and appointed government officials, policy makers, industry leaders, community leaders and representatives, nonprofit executives, and funders, as well as philanthropic leaders. The President & CEO will serve as the spokesperson and primary fundraiser for YWCA Lower Cape Fear. They will be articulate, authentic, highly communicative, and transparent in external relations. They will be skilled and adept at visibility-raising and brand-building and will be viewed as a thought leader in the field.

The President & CEO will work in partnership with the Board and CFO on the operational and fiscal management of YWCA Lower Cape Fear’s $2.5 million budget, bringing an executive leadership lens to the financial operations to ensure sustainability, appropriate and accurate risk identification and management, as well as sound policies and procedures.

Importantly, the President & CEO will lead the organization with a lens of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. They will model confident and competent team-building with staff and Board. They will support staff by recognizing and celebrating their efforts and understanding the importance of self-care and balance when working in service of communities highly impacted by trauma, violence, racism, and sexism.

Core Responsibilities

• Provides executive leadership, in collaboration with the Board, in strategic and organizational planning, with vision and innovation to strengthen YWCA Lower Cape Fear’s core competencies and ensure financial sustainability.
• Provides management of YWCA Lower Cape Fear, ensuring high-level strategic thinking is engendered with Board and staff; operational and fiscal management is executed appropriately by staff; and governance is executed appropriately by the Board.
• Strategically leads the Board and staff in establishing goals and developing policies, procedures, budgets, and programs that fulfill the mission.
• Supports and engenders participation of and feedback from clients. Ensures accountability by reporting back on what YWCA Lower Cape Fear heard and what will be done next as a result.
• Supports and partners with the Board for ongoing board recruitment and development with a focus on increasing the diversity of board members.
• Maintains and enhances YWCA Lower Cape Fear’s reputation as an expert in racial justice and women’s empowerment, amplifying opportunities and outcomes from YWCA Lower Cape Fear’s programs and connecting YWCA Lower Cape Fear’s work to leading best thinking in the field.
• Models collaborative leadership with internal Board, staff, and clients as well as external partners, stakeholders, funders, and donors.

Required Attributes, Skills, and Qualifications

• Proven leadership of a diverse professional staff, with the ability to attract, manage, coach, and develop professionally.
• 10+ years of experience in nonprofit executive or senior management roles where philanthropy and organizational sustainability were key parts of the position, or commensurate experience in organizational management, including strategic planning, program development, finance, fundraising, and operations.
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, with a Master’s in a relevant discipline preferred.
• Demonstrated commitment to and success with leading internally and externally on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts, along with cultural fluency and competency.
• History of setting and achieving strategic organizational objectives, often by engaging with external partners and stakeholders. Experience successfully establishing and stewarding these external relationships.
• Demonstrated financial management savvy, understanding the drivers of organizational profitability and sustainability, including budgeting, forecasting, and financial performance analysis.
• Excellent track record of fundraising success with individual donors, foundation funders, corporate support, and government funders.

Compensation and Benefits

YWCA Lower Cape Fear is committed to attracting an extraordinary leader for this position through a compensation package that includes a competitive salary in the range of $130,000 -$135,000 and a generous employee benefits package that includes employee medical insurance, 401k, holidays, vacation and sick days, bereavement leave, life insurance, mental health hours, a family-friendly work environment, and more.