Chief External Affairs Officer

Compass Working Capital; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 170,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Compass Working Capital in Boston is seeking a Senior leader to become Chief External Affairs Officer, overseeing development, marketing, and policy integration.

Reporting to the CEO, the CEAO will shape philanthropic and earned-revenue strategies across individual giving, corporate partnerships, and government funding, guiding the External Affairs team.

With a $15M+ budget and 85+ staff, the role focuses on expansion of development and marketing capacity to sustain multi-year growth.

Qualifications

• Extensive fundraising leadership experience.
• Ability to design multi-year fundraising strategies across multiple sources.

Responsibilities

• Design and lead a multi-year fundraising strategy across giving, partnerships, grants, and events.
• Build and manage a growing development team and oversee major gifts and grants.

Skills

Fundraising leadership

Strategic planning

Marketing & branding

Analytics & modeling

Tools

CRM systems

Grants management software

Job description

Chief External Affairs Officer

About Compass

Compass is an innovative, mission-driven organization that supports families with low incomes to save for their future and access greater economic opportunity. We believe in our clients and in their ability to achieve their goals and dreams. We deliver high-quality financial coaching combined with externally funded savings opportunities and seek to shape the national approach to poverty alleviation through practice and policy change. Compass is also an emerging leader in a national effort to leverage housing assistance as a platform for economic mobility. Our mission is to partner with families with low incomes to build assets as a pathway out of poverty. We focus on reaching families led by Black and/or Latina women. To achieve our mission, we operate client-centered savings and financial coaching programs, deliver training and technical assistance to other practitioners, and shape policy solutions that dismantle barriers to asset building. Click here to learn more about our strategic plan.

Since 2010, Compass has partnered with more than 7,300 families and helped them increase their earnings by over $50 million and build more than $35 million in savings. Graduates of our asset building programs save on average $10,000, average 70 point credit score increases, and increase their annual income by $26,000. An independent, multi-year evaluation by Abt Associates found that Compass’ Family Self-Sufficiency program produces benefits to families that far outweigh the cost.

We are looking for a senior leader who wants to be part of taking our programs and our impact to the next level.

About the Job

This is a rare opportunity for an experienced advancement leader who combines philanthropic fundraising depth with a genuine marketing and brand-building mindset – someone who can bring rigorous analytics to fundraising strategy, translate marketing investment into visibility and revenue, and build the team capacity Compass needs to sustain a multi-year, multi-channel resource strategy across individual philanthropy, corporate and foundation partnerships, business development/earned revenue, and government funding.

Reporting to the CEO and serving as a key member of Compass’ Executive Team, the Chief External Affairs Officer (CEAO) will lead Compass’ development, business development, marketing, and communications functions, driving the philanthropic, earned-revenue, and brand strategies that fuel the organization’s national growth.

With a $15M+ operating budget, 85+ staff members, and a growing base of institutional, corporate, and government support, Compass is midway through a seven-year strategic plan and scaling innovative approaches to economic mobility for families with low incomes. The External Affairs team is composed of 8 staff based in Greater Boston. The current fiscal year budget allows for the expansion of the development and marketing team, and the CEAO will play a pivotal role in building the team and systems needed to sustain that growth.

Compass’ federal and state policy strategy is led directly by the CEO, with support from a dedicated Director of Policy and an experienced policy team. The CEAO will partner closely with the CEO on policy-related communications and external messaging, ensuring Compass’ policy priorities are well integrated into its brand, fundraising, and stakeholder engagement strategy, without owning day-to-day policy management.

All Compass staff embody our values

• Believe in People: At Compass, we have a fundamental belief in all clients and their ability to achieve their goals and dreams. Our unique approach to coaching fosters a culture of aspiration, dignity, and hope.
• Pursue Excellence: We hold ourselves to the highest professional and ethical standards in every aspect of our work, and we strive to always do better.
• Go Further Together: Our team builds trust, respects each other, and acts with care and empathy. We believe in harnessing our strengths to find joy in what we do and in doing this work as a team, and to bring out the best in each other.

Core Competencies:

• Ownership: Steps up and follows through to consistently deliver high-quality work.
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Champions the value of diversity and the creation of inclusive spaces.
• Adaptability/Agility: Drives continuous improvement through proactive problem solving for continued innovation.
• Teamwork: Contributes actively and collaboratively with colleagues to achieve shared goals.

Primary Responsibilities

Development & Fundraising Strategy

• Design and lead a comprehensive, multi-year fundraising strategy across individual giving, corporate and foundation partnerships, government grants, and special events to meet Compass’ annual philanthropic revenue targets.
• Build out and manage a growing development team, adding capacity to support major gifts, corporate partnerships, and grants management.
• Bring a strong analytical lens to fundraising — modeling revenue scenarios, tracking risk and opportunity, and using data to sharpen strategy and prioritize the highest-return relationships.
• Partner with the CEO on major gift cultivation and solicitation, and support Board members in fundraising engagement.
• Own Compass’ relationship with growth-capital and philanthropic investors, coordinating regular check-ins and ensuring funders see clear evidence of program cost efficiencies and earned-revenue growth.

Business Development & Earned Revenue