Vice President, Community Engagement

The Dayton Foundation, Inc.; Dayton (OH); On-site; USD 134,000 - 151,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage

Vision/Dental coverage

Health Spending Account

Flexible Spending Account

Dependent Care Spending Account

Paid time off

403(b) retirement plan with match

Training opportunities

Wellness options

Job summary

The Dayton Foundation, Inc. seeks a Vice President of Community Engagement to lead the Foundation’s community impact work, partnerships and public collaborations in the Dayton area.

The role drives strategies across nonprofit leadership, convening diverse stakeholders and guiding major initiatives with measurable outcomes and responsible budgeting.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and at least ten years of leadership experience in community engagement, philanthropy or related sectors.
• Demonstrated success building partnerships across diverse stakeholder groups.
• Experience leading complex initiatives with measurable impact.

Responsibilities

• Oversee community engagement, stakeholder relations, public partnerships and community impact initiatives.
• Strengthen relationships with nonprofits, civic leaders, businesses and government entities.
• Serve as liaison for Community Initiatives and Special Projects with leadership and staff.
• Budget oversight for initiatives and contracts, including consultants.
• Attend quarterly Grants Committee meetings and report progress.
• Lead and participate in priority initiative committees and fund investments.

Skills

Community engagement

Public relations

Partnership development

Leadership

Strategic planning

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

The Dayton Foundation – Job Posting Announcement

Vice President, Community En gagement

Category: Full -time, exempt
Compensation: $ 134,400 -$151,000 annually – while this is the listed range for this position,
the following may determine an appropriate salary outside of this range: experience, education,
certifications, and internal equity
Preferred Start Date: November 2026

Position Purpose: Serves on the Foundation’s leadership team, providing oversight for community engagement, stakeholder relations, public partnerships, and community impact initiatives and special projects. This role is respons ible for strengthening relationships with non -profit organizations, civic leaders, local businesses and government entities. This position ensures the Foundation remains responsive to evolving needs while advancing its missions and strategic priorities.

Key Responsibility: Serve as Foundation’s Liaison with and/or provide oversight with Community Initiatives and Special Projects

Specific Duties:

• Collaborates with senior leadership to convene and mobilize the adequate people and resources needed to support the development of initiatives, addressing critical community challenges.
• Provides leadership, convenes and attends meetings, assesses and reports on progress of assigned community initiatives and projects.
• Assists with the staffing of key committees and task forces by including representatives from all sectors of business and community.
• Assists with fundraising activities to support community and Foundation initiatives.
• Monitor outcomes and evaluate the effectiveness of impact initiatives and communi ty investments.
• Provide leadership in developing and prioritizing future initiatives for Grants Committee.
• Collaborate with grantmaking and appropriate leadership to align investments and discretionary budgets with identified initiatives and projects.
• Manages initiative and special projects budgets, including paying program expenses and managing consultant contracts.
• Attends and reports progress on initiatives at quarterly Grants Committee meetings. Collaborates with fellow leadership on meeting agenda.
• Co llaborates with and oversees the Employers’ Workforce Coalition team to provide guidance and remove barriers for the EWC fund staff.
• Provides leadership and/or serves on the following initiative committees: Institute for Livable & Equitable Communities, Brain Health Collective, Board Development Initiative, Cure Violence Global and City of Dayton’s Gun Violence project, Omega CDC’s Backbone Committee for the Hope Zone, and any other initiatives that are deemed priority.
• Works with CityWide Development Corp on the Downtown Dayton Investment Fund to provide yearly updates to the eight anonymous Downtown Dayton Investment Fund partners. Works with VP Finance to ensure interest payments are allocated to the appropriate funds.

Key Responsibility: Serve as the Foundation’s Community Representative, Community Partnerships and Stakeholder Engagement

Specific Duties:

• Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with nonprofit leaders, public officials, business leaders, educational institutions, and community resi dents.
• Serves as a primary external representative of the Foundation at community meetings, events, and public forums.
• Serve as a Foundation representative on larger Committee Advised Fund Committees. Collaborate with leadership on leveraged resources to assist with success of fund mission.
• Develop collaborative partnerships that leverage resources to advance initiatives and community impact.
• Works closely with the Foundation’s President on evaluating new opportunities or ideas that often are brought to th e Foundation leadership.
• Develop and deliver presentations to a variety of stakeholder groups.
• Build awareness of the Foundation’s mission and programs.
• Strengthen the Foundation’s reputation as a trusted community leader and convener.

Key Responsibility: Strategic Oversight of Del Mar Encore Fellows Initiative

Specific Duties:

• Provides strategic leadership and oversight for the Del Mar Encore Fellows Initiative, ensuring alignment with the Foundation's mission, community impact priorities, and donor int ent.
• Supervises and supports the Executive Fellow, providing direction, setting priorities and performance expectations, allocating resources, and evaluating outcomes to ensure successful program implementation.
• Oversee program planning, evaluation, and continuous improvement, including review of fellowship focus areas, host organization partnerships, recruitment outcomes, and overall program effectiveness.
• Serves as the Foundation's senior liaison with key stakeholders, including donors, funding partners, host organizations, community partners, and regional collaborators, ensuring strong relationships and effective communication regarding program impact and outcomes.
• Provides oversight of the program budget and financial performance, ensuring responsible stewardship of resources and compliance with donor and funding requirements.
• Reviews and approves major program strategies, partnerships, funding opportunities, and reporting to stakeholders, while ensuring the Initiative achieves established goals and measu rable community impact.

Key Responsibility: Administration and Leadership

Specific Duties:

• As a member of Operations management team, offers information and opinions on ways to carry out the Foundation’s mission to achieve overall organization objectives.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, accountability and service.
• Provide leadership to staff to ensure goals are accomplished by assigning accountabilities, establishing objectives and priorities, and by monitoring and evaluating results.
• Maintains effectiveness and efficiencies by defining, delivering and supporting strategic plans for the department.
• Collaborate and manage departmental operating budget. Collaborate on annual grants and initiatives budget plan and monitoring.
• Collaborate across departments to strengthen goals and organizational effectiveness.

Position Qualification Re quirements:

Education and Work Experience
Bachelor's degree and at least ten (10) years’ experience of leadership experience working in community engagement, nonprofit leadership, philanthropy, public affairs or related sectors
Demonstrated success building partnerships across diverse stakeholder groups.
Experience leading complex initiatives with measurable impact.

Knowledge and Skills

• Excellent planning, organizational and leadership skills
• Ability to present facts and recommendations effectively in verb al and written form
• Ability to compile, analyze and evaluate data
• Excellent customer service skills
• Considerable experience working with the nonprofit sector and a basic knowledge of charitable giving
• Ability to stimulate and encourage innovative ideas and convene focus groups
• Ability to interact and communicate with volunteers, board members, committee members and other Foundation constituents
• Diplomatic problem -solving skills and attention to detail
• Excellent oral, written and interpersonal communication skills
• Ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality
• Ability to work a flexible schedule
• Ability to supervise staff

Benefits offered:

• Health, vision and/or dental coverage
• Health Spending Account , Flexible Spending Account, and Dependent Care Spending Account
• Generous paid time off (vacation and sick leave)
• 403(b) retirement plan and company match
• Training and development opportunities
• Wellness options

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee. Employees will be expected to follow any other job -related instructions and to perform any other job -related duties requested by any person wi th authority to give instructions or assignments.

The Dayton Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer