Executive Director

Warren Whitney; Lynchburg (VA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Lynchburg Beacon of Hope (LBOH) is seeking an Executive Director to lead its mission of expanding post-secondary access and workforce development in the Lynchburg area. The ED will drive strategic planning, fundraising, and community engagement, ensuring financial sustainability and program excellence for youth and families.

Reporting to the Board of Directors, the ED will manage a 10–12 person team, partner with schools and colleges, and guide the organization through FY27–FY31 expansion.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business management, public management, nonprofit management, education, or related field required; advanced degree or certifications are a plus.
• Proven leadership experience in educational or nonprofit settings, including staff supervision, with fundraising, board relations, and program oversight.
• Demonstrated proficiency in college access and workforce development, or related programs.
• High emotional intelligence with ability to build relationships quickly with diverse stakeholders.
• Experience leading a diverse team as a servant leader and building trust.
• Experience working with diverse groups including students, families, educators, community members, employers, and officials.
• Exceptional communication and relationship-building skills; an effective public spokesperson.
• Strategic thinker with collaborative and organizational management abilities.
• Understanding of donor and financial management software and CRM systems.
• Must possess a valid driver's license and be willing to travel for work.

Responsibilities

• Serve as LBOH's primary spokesperson and advocate for post-secondary access and workforce readiness.
• Develop, execute, and evaluate short- and long-term strategies with the Board of Directors.
• Monitor performance metrics toward the FY27–FY31 strategic plan.
• Foster relationships with LCS, government, colleges, employers, funders, and the community.
• Ensure legal compliance, official records, and nonprofit status.
• Lead fundraising efforts: major donors, grants, sponsorships, events, endowment, and annual giving.
• Oversee budget preparation, monitoring, and transparent reporting to the Board.
• Manage a staff of 10–12, HR compliance, and staff development.
• Direct programs across Future Centers, scholarships, internships, and alumni engagement.

Skills

Leadership

Fundraising

Board relations

Public speaking

Strategic thinking

Staff supervision

CRM systems

Education

Bachelor's degree in relevant field

Advanced degree or certifications (plus)

Tools

CRM software

Job description

About Lynchburg Beacon of Hope

Lynchburg Beacon of Hope (LBOH) - LBOH is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2011 and dedicated to expanding fair and equitable access to education and training after high school. Our mission is to inspire Lynchburg's youth to pursue post-secondary education or training, invest in their potential, and equip them to become contributing individuals to the betterment of our community. Our vision is impacting youth for community transformation, and our values are student-centered, strengths-focused, solutions-oriented, innovative, and optimistic.

LBOH works in close partnership with Lynchburg City Schools (LCS), Central Virginia Community College, University of Lynchburg, Randolph College, Liberty University, Sweet Briar College, Longwood University and Centra's College of Nursing, as well as various employers and community organizations. The organization's core programs include privately funded Future Centers embedded in LCS high schools, elementary and middle school cohort programming, last-dollar Beacon of Hope scholarships, paid summer internships and career exposure, and college persistence and completion support. LBOH is supported by a broad base of individuals, foundations, corporate partners, and public-private grant partnerships.

Since its founding, LBOH has served thousands of students, awarded scholarships to more than 740 LCS students, and helped increase the share of graduating seniors with a post-secondary plan. The Future Centers model has drawn regional and national interest and has begun expanding beyond Lynchburg, positioning the organization for its next phase of scale and influence.

The Opportunity

Lynchburg's leading nonprofit for post-secondary educational and workforce access is seeking a dynamic, visionary Executive Director (ED) to lead the organization into its next chapter of growth and community impact. This is a unique opportunity to champion the futures of Lynchburg's young people while ensuring the financial and operational sustainability of LBOH's mission-driven work. The Executive Director will be a visible and active community leader, advancing college and career readiness, workforce development, and public engagement throughout the Lynchburg region and beyond, as LBOH launches its FY27–FY31 strategic plan.

Executive Director Priorities

Reporting to and serving at the pleasure of the Board of Directors, the Executive Director is the organization's chief executive officer, leading all programs and operations, supervising staff, and ensuring the financial well-being of an active and thriving nonprofit. The ED is responsible for leading and executing LBOH's FY27–FY31 strategic plan, fostering collaborative relationships, and ensuring mission fulfillment through effective fundraising, advocacy, public engagement, and organizational stewardship. This position requires a proactive and entrepreneurial leader who is comfortable working in a highly collaborative, community-facing role.

The strategic plan sets four priorities that will frame the next Executive Director's work:

• Advancing career readiness and workforce development, including scaling paid summer internships and strengthening Career and Technical Education (CTE) and employer partnerships.
• Strengthening college access, persistence, and completion including middle school cohorts, summer bridge programming, scholarship access, and the alumni network.
• Continuing financial sustainability and organizational strength, including building the scholarship endowment, diversifying operating revenue, and strengthening staff, data, and board capacity.
• Scaling impact beyond Lynchburg through a replication framework, playbooks and consulting support for partner communities, and greater statewide and national visibility.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership and Strategic Vision

• Serve as LBOH's primary spokesperson and advocate for post-secondary access and workforce readiness with Lynchburg City Schools, the City of Lynchburg, employers, funders, colleges, universities, and the community.
• Develop, execute, and evaluate short- and long-term strategies that achieve the organization's mission, in partnership with the Board of Directors.
• Monitor and track performance metrics to ensure consistent, timely progress toward the goals and objectives of the FY27–FY31 strategic plan.
• Foster strong, positive relationships with LCS and its School Board, local government, Central Virginia Community College and university partners, employers, and community organizations.
• Maintain a working knowledge of significant developments and trends in K–12 education, post-secondary success, promise programs, workforce development, and nonprofit-public partnerships.
• Ensure legal and ethical compliance, maintain official records, and preserve the organization's nonprofit status.

Fundraising and Financial Management

• Lead comprehensive fundraising efforts, including major donor cultivation, grants, corporate sponsorships, events, as well as endowment and annual giving.
• Diversify and grow operating revenue through earned revenue models, anchor corporate sponsors, and new foundation relationships.
• Oversee financial operations, work with staff, the Finance Committee, and the Board to prepare and monitor the annual budget and provide transparent reporting to the Board.
• Possess a basic command of financial accounting and the ability to forecast and budget for the organization, including timely preparation and filing of the organization's annual IRS Form 990 and support of the annual audit.
• Strengthen donor management systems and steward relationships through effective recognition, communications, and events.

Board Relations and Organizational Management

• Support effective governance by managing meeting preparation, materials, and board communications.
• Engage and develop board and committee members, staff, and volunteers, and support the board composition audit and candidate pipeline.
• Lead and manage a staff of 10 to 12, including hiring, development, performance evaluations, recognition, and personnel matters; maintain human resources compliance and best practices.
• Sustain a staff investment strategy that includes professional development, competitive compensation review, and wellness resources.
• Oversee administrative operations and foster a trusting and collaborative internal culture of excellence, accountability, and respect.

Program Oversight and Community Engagement

• Lead and direct key programs across Future Centers, K–12 cohort programming, scholarships, internships, and college persistence and alumni engagement.
• Ensure programs are developed, adapted, or retired as needed to maximize mission impact, and ensure accurate tracking and reporting of student outcomes and program fidelity.
• Collaboratively implement a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system enabling real-time tracking of student enrollment, milestones, and outcomes.
• Elevate awareness of the organization's work, results, and needs through marketing, public relations, storytelling, and digital presence management.
• Represent LBOH at community events, statewide and national conferences, and partnership meetings, and support replication partners in other communities.
• Promote active and broad participation by volunteers in all areas of the organization's work.

Candidate Qualifications

A passion for helping students, providing education, and fulfilling the mission of LBOH are essential. The next Executive Director must be willing and able to be both strategic and tactical.

• Bachelor's degree in business management, public management, nonprofit management, education, or a related field required; advanced degree or certifications are a plus.
• Proven leadership experience in an educational or nonprofit organization, including staff supervision, with a track record in fundraising, board relations, and program oversight.
• Demonstrated proficiency in college access and workforce development, or related programs.
• A high degree of emotional intelligence with a demonstrated ability to build and maintain positive relationships quickly and with a variety of stakeholders.
• Experience leading a diverse team of employees as a servant leader capable of building high levels of trust and openness within an organization.
• Demonstrated experience working effectively with diverse groups, including students, families, educators, community members, employers, and elected and appointed officials.
• Exceptional communication and relationship-building skills; an effective public spokesperson.
• Strategic thinker with proven collaborative and organizational management abilities.
• Understanding of donor and financial management software and CRM systems.
• Must possess a valid driver's license, an acceptable driving record and successfully complete a comprehensive background check.
• Occasional evening and weekend work is required; the role includes local travel and periodic travel to conferences and partner sites.

Compensation & Benefits

Compensation is competitive and commensurate with experience, with a salary range of $120,000 to $140,000. A strong benefits package is provided.

LBOH is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. We encourage applicants from all backgrounds to apply.

Warren Whitney is an equal opportunity employer. The firm, on behalf of its client, does not discriminate on the basis of any protected characteristic under applicable law. Warren Whitney reserves the right to modify or close this search at any time.

Throughout the search process, we will make every effort to maintain a high degree of confidentiality for all candidates. Both LBOH and Warren Whitney recognize that many candidates may be deeply committed to their current organizations but are intrigued by this opportunity. Expressions of interest will remain confidential until the final stages of the search.