Type: Full-time
County: Los Angeles
Agency: Girls Scouts of Greater Los Angeles
ABOUT GIRL SCOUTS OF GREATER LOS ANGELES:
Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles (GSGLA), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, serves 32,000 girls in partnership with nearly 16,000 adult members and volunteers throughout the communities of Los Angeles County, and parts of Kern and San Bernardino counties. GSGLA is the largest girl-serving nonprofit agency in Los Angeles, with programs in entrepreneurship, life skills, outdoor, and STE(A)M, building girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.
Girl Scouts bring their dreams to life and work together to build a better world. Through research-backed programming, Girl Scouts of all backgrounds and abilities can be unapologetically themselves as they discover their strengths and rise to meet new challenges—whether they want to climb to the top of a tree or the top of their class, lace up their boots for a hike, advocate for change, or make best friends who challenge and inspire them. Backed by the worldwide Girl Scouts movement that includes 1.5 million members and millions of alumnae, girls in this council lead the way as they find their voices and make changes that affect the issues most important to them.
To learn more, visit www.girlscoutsla.org and read about GSGLA’s Core Values of Integrity, Clarity of Purpose, Accountability, and Respect here.
THE OPPORTUNITY:
GSGLA is seeking a dynamic, strategic and entrepreneurial Chief Mission Delivery Officer (CMDO). As the chief program officer for the Council and foundational to its success, the CMDO will be charged with ensuring that programs and experiences are relevant to the interests and needs of all girls and centered around the communities in which they live. The CMDO must have experience driving the strategic direction of a complex organization while leading a cross-functional team, combined with a compelling enthusiasm for youth development and girl leadership.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
The Chief Mission Delivery Officer (CMDO) reports to the Chief Executive Officer and manages approximately 100 full-time and part-time staff in a hybrid work environment across six field-based locations/offices. Direct reports include the Senior Director, Girl & Volunteer Experience; the Senior Director, Membership & Data; and the Senior Director, Retail & Product Program. The CMDO is responsible for a budget of approximately $18 million of a $24+ million operating budget, with oversight of the Council’s most important source of funding – product sales, including the iconic Girl Scout Cookie Program. Success in this position requires the ability to manage human capital in a highly decentralized environment through managers, staff and volunteers in the field. Recognition of the fundamental and strategic importance of the large corps of volunteers is essential and the ability to leverage the talents and strengths of volunteers operating in a variety of capacities is critical to the Council’s success.
The CMDO spearheads the development of a comprehensive, multifunctional, integrated plan for program enrichment, membership growth and retention, and volunteer engagement and development. A key member of the CEO’s Executive Leadership Team of three C-suite leaders, the CMDO participates in setting strategic direction and implementing local and national initiatives. Building internal and external capacity by aligning resources and systems with the vision, mission, and values of the Council, the CMDO will be a champion for culture change, and success will be reflected in the achievement of metrics and outcomes applied to the Council’s Girl Scout experience.
A primary responsibility of this position is developing and implementing a sustainable, scalable mission delivery model that enables GSGLA to stabilize and rebuild access for girls to the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. Increasing membership is a top priority, and cultivating growth in communities unfamiliar to Girl Scouts and creating relevancy and a sense of belonging for girls and their families across LA are critical to this priority and the GSGLA strategic plan. While continuing to enhance Girl Scout experiences throughout greater Los Angeles, GSGLA is focusing more and more attention on underserved communities and providing a safe environment where girls are encouraged to explore and excel with the help of positive role models.
Working in partnership with the CEO, the Executive Leadership Team, senior managers who report directly to the CMDO as well as other managers, and the board, as appropriate, the CMDO has the following responsibilities:
Programmatic Leadership & Delivery
Deliver consistent and impactful programmatic experiences that are relevant for girls and their families. Ensure that program and service delivery reflect current research and incorporate best practices for developing girls of ages 5-17. The program platforms that Girl Scouts focus on are outdoor adventure and environmental sustainability, STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math), entrepreneurship, and life skills such as civic engagement, mental health and wellbeing, and building healthy relationships.
Oversee the implementation of uniform pathways for sustainable membership and the Girl Scout experience for all girls, fostering diversity, equity, access, inclusion and a sense of belonging throughout the Council.
Direct, guide and foster teamwork of senior staff in Membership and Data Services, Girl and Volunteer Experience, and Retail/Product Sales, in the formulation, integration, and implementation of long- and short-term plans, to build a unified vision in support of its council-wide, data-driven strategy.
Assess and modify volunteer systems to support the changing needs and priorities of adult and girl members, community stakeholders, and council operations. Enhance the use of technology platforms to assure optimal recruitment and retention of volunteers and support a culture of exceptional customer service.
Ensure that systems are in place to evaluate programs for relevance to girls and to achieve measurable outcomes.
External Relations
Effectively develop and maintain influential relationships in the community to maximize awareness and engagement with families and funders and in identifying and developing opportunities to partner with organizations from the business, nonprofit, and public sectors to maximize broad-based support for the Council’s efforts.
Collaborate with staff engaged in fund development opportunities to support the Council’s program and membership goals, which include but are not limited to co-creating case statements and proposals, and building relationships with community groups that strengthen the Council’s public relations and fund development efforts.
Interpret and promote Girl Scouting in the community to enhance the understanding and appreciation of its programs and its value as the premier organization for girls.
Foster participation in volunteer opportunities and increase the visibility of volunteer support for girl and adult members.
Strategic Administration
Develop and execute cost-effective and efficient administrative procedures and quality assurance processes to ensure effective operations and successfully integrate all activities.
Play a key role in developing and monitoring the Council’s strategic business plan.
Foster a culture of learning and strong customer service, delivered in an environment supportive of girls, volunteers, and staff.
TRAITS AND CHARACTERISTICS DESIRED:
Leading candidates will embrace the principles of the Girl Scout Movement and will find its mission important and compelling. The CDMO will be a collaborative relationship builder and creative thinker with the ability to manage through others to achieve results. As such, the CMDO should be decisive as well as diplomatic, and be able to accomplish goals through motivation and delegation, and through systems that are designed for effective planning, evaluation, and accountability. The successful candidate will think outside the box and be flexible, adaptable, and willing to thrive in an ever-changing and fast-paced environment. With a high level of personal integrity, the CMDO will fully model key behaviors and characteristics which represent the mission and values of GSGLA, including teamwork, communication, respect, critical thinking and judgment, self-awareness, and priority setting. The successful candidate will also convey a lived commitment to and understanding of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Access and Belonging and will effectively incorporate DEIAB into all aspects of their work. The CMDO will be an entrepreneurial leader with a strong dedication to customer service, particularly with a volunteer base, and will establish and maintain a culture that is inclusive, consensual, team-oriented, and respectful. The CMDO will possess strong interpersonal skills, and charisma, and will be comfortable working through problems and conflicts with directness and sensitivity.
The CMDO will be a dynamic leader who can instill a high level of accountability in team-based decision-making. The successful candidate should possess exceptional organizational, administrative, and financial management skills and be able to manage multiple tasks simultaneously. The CMDO will be action-oriented and be able to plan, set goals and objectives, and then organize and follow through. The CMDO must be an excellent communicator and persuasive presenter who can engage, inspire, and energize a broad group of stakeholders. A positive attitude, strong work ethic, self-initiative, good sense of humor, high energy level, and sincere sense of dedication to and enthusiasm for the mission of GSGLA will be important.
CAREER TRACK LEADING TO THIS POSITION:
Preferred candidates will bring progressively responsible senior management experience and demonstrated success within a mission-driven and community-oriented organization. Ideally, candidates will have experience working in a complex organization and aligning cross-functional teams to achieve organizational goals. A career path that has provided opportunities to gain mission-critical technical and functional skills, coupled with a solid understanding of processes and systems would be helpful. Demonstrated business acumen and strategic planning skills, supported by strong analytical thinking are essential. The CMDO should be a creative thinker who is aware of a wide range of organizational models from the nonprofit and business worlds. The ideal candidate will be able to perceive the need for innovation and drive culture change. Team-building skills and a shared leadership style that attracts and retains competent staff will also be important. Experience in youth leadership development and volunteer management would be highly beneficial. Although the successful candidate will likely have a background in nonprofit management, candidates with transferrable skills from the for-profit sector combined with a passion for the mission of GSGLA are also encouraged to apply.
COMPENSATION:
The annual salary range for this position is $200,000 to $240,000.
GSGLA and its employees support an inclusive environment and value the individual traits, skills and talents of all staff, volunteers, girls, prospects, and donors. Employees of GSGLA receive a competitive slate of benefits and paid time off, including the closure of its offices on the second and fourth Monday of every month. Full-time staff is eligible to opt into plans that cover Medical, Dental, Vision, Life and even Pet Insurance, as well as a 403(b) plan.
GSGLA DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, ACCESS & ADVOCACY STATEMENT:
Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles is committed to building a diverse staff that reflects the communities we work alongside, and we value equity and inclusion in our workplace. We encourage applications from individuals in all groups and communities, different walks of life, and those belonging to communities historically excluded. As an organization committed to making the world a better place, it is essential that we incorporate a diverse, equitable and inclusive lens into all aspects of our work. We encourage applicants with a global perspective and a commitment to values around diversity, equity, and inclusion to apply.
VACCINATION POLICY:
Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles requires its employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19, subject to certain exemptions as required by law. New hires working at Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles must be fully vaccinated upon hire. Individuals in need of an exemption from this policy due to medical or religious reasons must submit a completed Request for Accommodation form so that a review and determination can be made.
OTHER REQUIREMENTS:
The Chief Mission Delivery Officer will work on a hybrid in-person / work-from-home schedule with the expectation of regular travel within the Council and attendance at evening and weekend events as well as some travel out of state for conferences and national meetings. As such, the selected candidate must live in or within reasonable commuting distance to Los Angeles County for regular in-person meetings with donors, board members, and staff.