Chief Program and Policy Officer

The Chief Program and Policy Officer (CPPO), reporting to the President and Chief Executive Officer, has overall strategic and operational responsibility for ensuring an integrated approach to United Way of Southwestern PA’s regional community impact efforts. The CPPO leads efforts to advance United Way’s strategic goals, which include meeting basic needs, moving individuals and families to greater financial stability and building success in school and life. The CPPO mobilizes community leadership and partnerships to address policy and systems change. This leader is a key part of the senior leadership team and works collaboratively to drive the overall strategy for the organization. The CPPO oversees the development and application of approaches for advancing collective action, including: convening partners, building coalitions, forging common agendas, facilitating public policy efforts, organizing community awareness campaigns, initiating and implementing grant making strategies, leveraging resources, and integrating strategies to reduce racial, gender, and ability inequities throughout the Community Impact portfolio. The CPPO coordinates activities for seeking and securing foundation, government, and related funding to support United Way’s work, with a strong emphasis on PA 2-1-1 Southwest. The work of the organization changes as we continuously seek to have a greater impact. The CPPO must be flexible and able to adapt to short- and long-term shifts in job duties.

Essential Functions

• Develop strong cross-sector partnerships across United Way of Southwestern PA’s regional footprint, in collaboration with regional internal leadership, to effectively and creatively address ever-changing critical human service issues and advocate for systems and legislative solutions;

• Cultivate and grow relationships with public agency, nonprofit, foundation, and corporate leaders to advance Community Impact priorities

• Lead Impact Cabinet volunteers and interact with Board of Directors to achieve goals and raise awareness of impact work.

• Creatively solve human service problems that effectively and efficiently improve people’s lives, focusing on entrepreneurial approaches across sectors and leveraging funding to do so.

• Maximize and coordinate all community impact efforts to strategically advance United Way’s mission, vision and impact framework;

• Continue to grow PA 2-1-1 Southwest as a valued and sustainable community asset;

• Attract, develop, coach, and retain a high-performance Community Impact Team ensuring a positive, collaborative environment committed to continuous improvement;

• Ensure that community impact programs and investment strategies achieve their goals with appropriate evaluation mechanisms;

• Develop and regularly update a cohesive UWSWPA policy agenda that engages and coordinates among our stakeholders—corporate, foundation and public sector leaders;

• Manage cycles of long-term planning for community impact strategy.

• Collaborate with senior leadership team to develop, implement and measure organizational goals to achieve mission.

People Management Responsibilities

• 6 direct reports

• Overall department size of approximately 50 staff

Financial/Budgetary Responsibilities

• Responsible for multi-million departmental budgets and contracts and oversight of process to award funding annually to agency partners.  Exemplary stewardship of all contributed funds deployed to address community needs.

Education and Experience

• Required

  • Master’s degree in public administration, non-profit management, social work, or the equivalent

  • Ten years of progressively more responsible management experience in philanthropy, nonprofit sector, government, or similar fields.

Annual Salary

• Pay Grade 114

• Salary Range $122,879 - $144,612

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Required

  • Demonstrated success in building strong coalitions to effectively address community challenges;

  • Successful professional experience in leading, managing and supervising senior teams and interacting with boards of directors and other professional volunteer leaders;

  • Demonstrated success in designing and sustaining management and operational plans to advance long-term goals through annual workplans;

  • Experience with budgeting, development of high- performing teams, and project management of multiple portfolios;

  • Extensive knowledge of the nonprofit sector and experience in leading and facilitating teams and cross-sector community coalitions;

  • An informed perspective on racial equity and demonstrated cultural competence;

  • Experience in communicating in a persuasive, credible manner, in person, in digital settings, and in writing and presentations;

  • Strong analytical and evaluative skills; and

  • Strong commitment to and ability to deliver on excellence.

Physical Demands

• SedentaryExerting up to 10 lbs. of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Involves sitting most of the time but may involve walking or standing for brief periods of time.

Travel Requirements

• Occasional travel within the region via ground transportation

• Potential travel outside the region via ground transportation

• Potential travel outside the region via air transportation

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change; new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice.