Executive Director – New York

Onegoalgraduation; New York (NY); On-site; USD 174,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Over eight weeks PTO

Paid medical or parental leaves

Health, dental, vision, disability, &

401(k) with 3% match

Job summary

OneGoal is seeking an Executive Director for New York to serve as the region’s external face and vision‑driven leader. You will cultivate major donors, set strategy with the regional leadership, and work to expand OneGoal’s impact across New York State.

The position requires travel up to 20% and a willingness to collaborate across national teams while reporting to the Chief Regional Operations Officer. You will lead fundraising, partnerships, and program growth, ensuring regional health,

Qualifications

• Significant fundraising and major gifts experience, including gifts up to $2M+.
• Proven ability to cultivate and solicit donors and manage partnerships.
• Experience leading regional teams and advising executive leadership.

Responsibilities

• Raise $2.2M in regional revenue and steward funder relationships.
• Lead the New York team, oversee budget, and drive program impact.
• Build partnerships with schools, districts, and state education leaders.
• Represent OneGoal externally and align regional activity with national strategy.

Skills

Fundraising

Major gifts

Partnerships

Executive leadership

Donor relations

Strategic planning

Public speaking

Job description

Reports to: Jonathan Paul, Chief Regional Operations Officer

Location: New York City

Location Classification: Location-specific

Time: While standard hours are typically 9:00am - 5:00pm ET, the Executive Director is expected to be in the Lower Manhattan office 2-3 days per week, with flexibility for seasonal demands, external partner meetings, and occasional evening events. The role will require an ability to travel up to 20% annually.

Salary Range : $173,880 – $200,000 is the hiring salary range (i.e. the range a candidate would be offered to start).

About OneGoal

OneGoal transforms postsecondary advising and support so that every student can define their own future. Together with our partners, we're building a movement to close the opportunity gap. We work side‑by‑side with partner schools and districts to build their knowledge and capacity, leveraging existing resources and deep relationships within the school community to deliver effective, sustainable support for all students. The result is more effective support for all students. Our unique approach, honed over 15 years, prioritizes strong human relationships. And it's proven to deliver real student impact : An independent study by the University of Chicago found that OneGoal students are about 40% more likely to earn their postsecondary degrees than students from similar backgrounds.

OneGoal in New York

Established in 2014, the New York regional team works across high schools and districts to close the degree divide and expand postsecondary opportunities for young people. As the largest school district in the country, New York City serves 1.1 million students including over 300,000 high schoolers across more than 400 high schools. Yet the disparity in college completion remains vast: only 24% of Black and Latinx 9th graders attain an associate or bachelor's degree within six years of high school graduation. This divide is not due to a lack of ambition or talent, but a lack of systemic support.

OneGoal's New York team is changing that trajectory across the five boroughs and beyond, partnering with 18 high schools and postsecondary institutions to serve over 2,350 students this year. The results speak for themselves: 87% of OneGoal high school graduates in New York enroll in a postsecondary institution, and 76% persist into their second year.

At OneGoal, you'll be immersed in a culture of collaboration, shared purpose, and collective impact. Operating as part of a single 501(c)(3) national structure, our regional team directly implements high-impact programming while driving key fundraising, state advocacy, and growth initiatives across the region.

The Role

As the Executive Director (ED), New York, you enter OneGoal at a pivotal inflection point to serve as the region’s primary external face, visionary leader, and chief revenue strategist. Reporting to the Chief Regional Operations Officer and sitting on OneGoal’s national Leadership Group, you will support the authoring of the region’s vision within OneGoal’s org-wide 2030 Strategic Plan, crafting a compelling narrative that inspires internal and external stakeholders to invest in what is possible for young people.

Externally, you will champion our brand and call the plays on funder strategy to meet an ambitious $2.2M regional target, cultivating major donor relationships and expanding our footprint across New York City and New York State. Internally, you will serve as a steady, unifying leader who builds trust, strengthens organizational culture, and drives programmatic excellence. Ultimately, you will ensure long‑term regional health, program excellence, and deep staff engagement.

Key Responsibilities

Fundraising, Partnerships, Outreach, and Brand-Building

• Serve as the region’s primary solicitor and holder of funder relationships, collaborating closely with the Managing Directors of External Affairs and Partnerships & Growth to hit or exceed a $2.2M revenue target (across philanthropic and earned revenue)
• Develop and execute a plan for OneGoal to expand across NYC, within New York state, and across adjacent states via advocacy, lobbying, and partnerships with state government, education departments, anchor funders, and local districts
• Position OneGoal as a thought leader and go‑to partner for postsecondary planning and success through advocacy, media engagement, public speaking, and coalition work
• Partner with the New York Leadership Team and national colleagues to track partnership health and execute a multi‑year funding and growth strategy
• Steward a diverse, engaged, and active Regional Advisory Board committed to supporting fundraising, individual giving, and program expansion
• Steward district leaders, state education leaders, and other influencers to invest and partner with us around shared goals for impact and growth

Team Leadership and Cultural Stewardship

• Serve as a steady, purpose‑driven leader who cultivates a strong, trust‑based team culture centered on our Core Values and who can guide a team toward bold outcomes
• Set a clear and compelling vision for the New York regional team, investing staff, board members, and national partners in the next chapter of regional impact
• Lead and actively coach the New York regional team to hit or exceed target KPIs in program impact, partnership growth, staff engagement, and financial efficiency and health
• Effectively oversee regional budget management, identifying opportunities and approving trade‑offs connected to overall regional priorities

Executive Leadership and National Collaboration

• Be an active collaborator and partner to five Executive Directors, National teams, and Regional leadership teams across the country as part of OneGoal’s Leadership Group
• Ensure tight alignment between regional vision/activities and organizational strategic direction, contributing directly to OneGoal’s 2030 Strategic Plan
• Support organizational health through senior‑level national/regional collaboration initiatives, including cascading change management
• Create, share, and refine a comprehensive annual plan incorporating strategic objectives, personnel, and regional budget planning

Required Skills and Experience

The Executive Director, New York, is likely to see themselves in the following examples, as they are designed to help you determine if this opportunity aligns with your own passion, purpose, skills, and experiences.

You are committed to creating a workplace where all people can thrive.

• You foster an environment where every individual feels valued and respected, building relational trust with your team and creating conditions for their growth
• You are committed to elevating the voices and perspectives of the young people from the communities we serve, recognizing their potential and advocating for their success
• You seek to understand and appreciate the range of lived experiences of those we work with. Lived experience matching the Fellows we serve is preferred
• You can name and interrupt patterns of inequity, using that awareness to build a stronger, more inclusive team and partner experience

You are a results‑driven revenue strategist and champion.

• You have deep fundraising experience and a proven track record of cultivating, soliciting, and closing major individual and institutional gifts (up to $2M+)
• You possess strong connections, context, and credibility within the New York funder and philanthropic community
• You ideally have experience generating revenue from public entities
• You set an ambitious vision for revenue and hold yourself and your team accountable for hitting philanthropic and fee‑for‑service targets

You are an innovative growth and coalition builder.

• You have demonstrated experience building partnerships with school, district, and state education leaders, with deep familiarity in New York education and postsecondary landscapes
• You possess creative courage—proposing bold, dynamic strategies to unlock new revenue, expand into new districts across NY State, and diversify regional partnerships
• You bring a builder’s mindset to regional transformation, leading through ambiguity and navigating complex, bureaucratic educational environments with tenacity

You lead with vision and elevate others.

• You are an empathetic, steady, and unifying leader with significant experience managing senior leaders and leading teams through organizational change or rebuilding moments
• You have a tremendous ability to adapt your message depending on the audience—building champions, inspiring stakeholders, and converting skeptics
• You bring charismatic external presence paired with disciplined, steady organizational leadership

Thinking Of Applying?

If you are excited about the role and see connection with what we are looking for, but don't meet every single requirement, we’d encourage you to apply anyway.

Our Team

Guided by a clear set of core values and beliefs, you will join an impressive group of OneGoal staff across the country who believe in the untapped potential within students. The OneGoal team challenges themselves and others to regularly ask, "Is there a better way?" We believe that in order to create the change we seek, each person we hire brings a remarkable and diverse set of experiences, skills and characteristics that individually and collectively, will contribute to the radical change needed to move us towards a more just nation.

The Tangible Good

OneGoal offers competitive compensation based on the market for nonprofits our size.

• over eight weeks of paid time off (or 43 business days), between vacation days, wellness time, and holidays
• paid medical or parental leaves should you have need
• medical, dental, vision, short-term and long-term disability, and life insurance
• as well as a 401(k) with a 3% match

*OneGoal reserves the right to change benefits at any time according to business need.

*On‑Ramps, who is our partner in this search, is committed to the inclusion of all qualified individuals in the hiring process, including but not limited to those with disabilities. If you require reasonable accommodation(s) to participate in the application or interview process, please contact [e-mail] .*

OneGoal does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of actual or perceived sex, race, color, ancestry, citizenship, ethnicity, national origin, religion, age, disability (mental or physical), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, pregnancy, breastfeeding or related medical condition, parenthood, genetic characteristic or information, military or veteran status, marital status, or any other characteristic protected under federal, state, or local law.