President & Executive Director

Lead New Jersey; New Jersey; Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Lead New Jersey seeks a President & Executive Director to provide executive leadership, drive strategic direction, and ensure financial sustainability across New Jersey-based programs. The role partners with the Board to shape affiliations, manage governance, and elevate statewide visibility.

The ideal candidate will bring a decade of leadership in a nonprofit context, a strong track record in resource development, and the ability to navigate organizational change while maintaining program

Qualifications

• Ten years+ of progressively responsible leadership in a New Jersey-based nonprofit or similar setting.
• Proven ability in fundraising, partnership building, and resource development.
• Strong change-management skills and ability to build stakeholder trust.
• Ability to operate in a lean organization and plan for potential affiliation or integration.
• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree a plus but not required.

Responsibilities

• Provide overall leadership and management aligning mission, strategy, programs, finances, and culture.
• Lead staff development with clear goals, priorities, and performance expectations.
• Ensure sound financial management, budgeting, reporting, and internal controls.
• Develop strategic partnerships to strengthen programs, visibility, and sustainability.
• Engage trustees, alumni, donors, and partners across New Jersey.
• Collaborate with the Board on strategic affiliations or integrations.

Skills

Leadership

Fundraising

Stakeholder engagement

Change management

Strategic thinking

Alumni engagement

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Advanced degree preferred

Job description

Lead New Jersey is recruiting for the role of President & Executive Director to provide operational & transformational leadership.Working closely with the Board of Trustees, this executive will strengthen LNJ's existing operations while helping to shape & implement future organizational direction. Priorities include financial sustainability, alumni engagement, developing & managing strategic partnerships, program relevance, resource development, organizational effectiveness, & statewide visibility.

As the organization’s senior executive, primary ambassador, & external relationship leader, the President & Executive Director will cultivate strong relationships with trustees, alumni, fellows, donors, corporate & philanthropic partners, educational institutions, public & nonprofit leaders, & other stakeholders throughout New Jersey.

A significant component of the role will be partnering with the Board to evaluate &, where appropriate, implement opportunities for strategic affiliation or integration with a larger educational or mission-aligned institution.

The successful candidate will be a collaborative, entrepreneurial, & institutionally savvy leader who is mission-driven & comfortable leading through change. This individual must be capable of strengthening a lean organization while also preparing to operate effectively within a potentially larger institutional environment.

Organizational Leadership & Management

• Provide overall leadership & management of the organization, ensuring alignment among mission, strategy, programs, operations, finances, & organizational culture.
• Lead, support, & develop staff while establishing clear goals, priorities, responsibilities, & performance expectations.
• Ensure sound financial management, budgeting, financial reporting, internal controls, & stewardship of organizational resources.
• Strengthen organizational systems, policies, procedures, technology, & administrative infrastructure & maintain compliance with applicable laws, regulations, contracts, governance requirements, & organizational policies.

Strategic Leadership & Organizational Transformation

• Translate strategic priorities into clear implementation plans, measurable goals, timelines, & outcomes that advance Lead New Jersey’s strategic direction.
• Lead potential organizational transformation initiatives to align strategy, people, programs, processes, & culture while maintaining high-quality programming.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen Lead New Jersey’s relevance, educational impact, statewide visibility, financial sustainability, & long-term institutional value.
• Incorporate best practices to position Lead New Jersey for success under both its current organizational structure & potential future affiliated models.

Strategic Affiliation & Organizational Transition

• Cultivate & help assess potential affiliations & collaborations with mission-aligned organizations; assist Board in evaluating strategic opportunities.
• Deliver strong connections within New Jersey's education, nonprofit, government, philanthropic, & business communities to develop new opportunities that strengthen LNJ’s statewide influence & organizational sustainability.
• Engage trustees, alumni, staff, fellows, funders, partners, & other stakeholders in an effective change-management & communication process.

Governance & Board Partnership

• Serve as senior executive, advisor & strategic partner to the Board of Trustees.
• Maintain effective communication among Lead New Jersey leadership, trustees, vendors &, where applicable, representatives of a prospective or future partner institution.
• Support the Board in fulfilling its fiduciary, strategic, & stewardship responsibilities via timely, accurate, & appropriate information to facilitate informed decision-making.
• Lead trustee engagement & resource development, Board succession, & long-term organizational stewardship, including potential future governance structures associated with an affiliation or integration.

External Relations & Strategic Partnerships

• Serve as Lead New Jersey’s primary spokesperson, ambassador, & senior external relationship leader at meetings, conferences, events, & forums throughout New Jersey.
• Develop strategic partnerships that strengthen Lead New Jersey’s programs, influence, visibility, & sustainability.
• Increase awareness of Lead New Jersey programming & position the organization as an important statewide platform for leadership development, civic engagement, & cross-sector collaboration.
• Lead all aspects of organization’s fundraising & strengthen financial sustainability by developing new sources & diversifying existing funding sources.
• Maintain & extend existing relationships with donors, foundations, corporations, sponsors, alumni, & institutional partners.
• Partner with the Board to advance fundraising & resource development to pursue sponsorships, grants, philanthropic support, strategic partnerships, & earned revenue.

Alumni Engagement & Network Development

• Develop meaningful alumni engagement programs to develop LNJ ambassadors, partners, donors, mentors, & strategic resources.
• Leverage the alumni network to support program quality, organizational sustainability, community impact, & statewide leadership development.
• Develop approaches that preserve & strengthen alumni identity & engagement during any future organizational transition.
• Ensure the continued quality, relevance, & effectiveness of Lead New Jersey’s fellowship & leadership development programs.
• Position Lead New Jersey’s programming within a broader leadership development, civic engagement, lifelong learning, & executive education framework.
• Explore opportunities to connect Lead New Jersey programming with higher education, executive education, public policy, civic leadership, research, professional development, & community engagement; Identify new educational offerings including conferences, seminars & other experiential learning.

Helpful but Not Required

• Strong familiarity with New Jersey’s civic, nonprofit, corporate, educational, governmental, philanthropic, or community landscape.
• Experience engaging alumni, members, volunteers, professional networks, or other stakeholder communities.
• Experience developing, managing, evaluating, or expanding leadership development, educational, civic engagement, or community-based programs.

The ideal candidate will bring at least ten years of progressively responsible leadership experience in a New Jersey-based nonprofit, civic, educational, corporate, membership, entrepreneurial, leadership or executive education, or other mission-driven environments.

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• Experience leading organizations, initiatives, programs, business units, networks, or significant organizational change efforts.
• Success in resource development, partnership building, stakeholder engagement, & working effectively with governing boards.
• Strong change-management skills & the ability to build stakeholder trust.
• Ability to thrive in a lean organization & balance leadership with execution.
• Established corporate, governmental &/or civic relationships throughout New Jersey.
• The ability to influence & achieve results across organizational boundaries in which authority & resources are distributed among multiple departments or partners.

Experience in leadership development, civic engagement, adult learning, community engagement, or related fields is preferred. Candidates with transferable experience developing leaders, building networks, convening diverse groups, & advancing shared learning & purpose are strongly encouraged to apply.

Experience leading or participating in organizational affiliations, mergers, integrations, strategic partnerships, institutional transitions, or significant restructuring is also desirable.

Experience within or alongside higher education, executive education, leadership institutes, foundations, or other complex educational institutions is particularly valuable.

Education

A bachelor’s degree in a relevant field is required.

An advanced degree is a plus but is not required.

Compensation

The anticipated salary range is $140,000 to $160,000 per annum, commensurate with experience and qualifications.Lead New Jersey will offer a benefits package appropriate to the position.

Work Location & Commitment

This role is a full-time employee position, classified as remote/hybrid in-person reporting.

Lead New Jersey’s work is relationship-driven and statewide in scope. The President & Executive Director will be expected to maintain a significant in-person, in-state presence and regularly engage with alumni, trustees, donors, partners, educational institutions, and other stakeholders.The position requires periodic evening meetings (scheduled in advance) as well as regular travel throughout the state.

In-state residence or a commitment to relocate to New Jersey following hire is required.

Potential Evolution of the Role

Lead New Jersey is actively considering opportunities that may result in an affiliation, partnership, or integration with a larger educational or mission-aligned institution.Accordingly, the title, reporting structure, responsibilities, organizational authority, and scope of this position may evolve over time.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Lead New Jersey is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to building an inclusive organization that values diverse backgrounds, perspectives, experiences, and approaches to leadership.