Salary Range: $100,000 - $120,000

Position Category: Full-time employee (multi-year, grant-funded position)

Organization Overview

Founded in 1946, Christina Cultural Arts Center Inc. (CCAC), Delaware’s premier community school of the arts embraces a mission to empower underserved communities through arts education. Located in Wilmington, Delaware’s central business and cultural district, CCAC is a non-profit 501c3 organization governed by a board of directors, operating two facilities with an excess of 34,000 square feet supported by an annual fiscal budget of $1.9 million and growing. Multi-generational programs include early learning arts pre-school academy, public school arts education partnerships, private and group leveled instruction, career pathways workforce development, gallery exhibitions, and performance seasons. Learn more at www.ccacde.org.

Job Overview

Christina Cultural Arts Center Inc. (CCAC) seeks a Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) to join our growing executive team. This position requires a deep understanding of the national, regional and local philanthropic landscape. Knowledge of philanthropy trends and fluidity to respond to the shifting cultural arts, public education and US economic trends is critical.

The CSO plays a critical role in strengthening and preparing the organization for anticipated and unanticipated changes over a two-three-year time horizon, including, but not limited to relationship cultivation and management on the national/regional/local fundraising landscape. Preparing the organization for changing market conditions, political shifts, and economic barometers is key.

Reporting to the Executive Director, as a member of the executive team, the Chief Strategy Officer will lead CCAC’s resource advancement initiatives. The CSO will sharpen the organization’s strategic vision and plan collaboratively with the board of directors and executive staff. By facilitating updates to the current strategic plan as a framework and guide, the CSO will be charged with understanding, communicating and responding to evolving opportunities in the philanthropic sector.

The capacity to forecast opportunities and respond to shifts in philanthropic trends is essential. In addition, the CSO will play an active role in shaping new revenue producing projects, and initiatives. The CSO will lead the team in securing resources for new and ongoing capital and operational needs.

To ensure evidence-backed approaches, the CSO should be well poised to share knowledge of best practices and lead the development of impact evaluation efforts.

The CSO will provide oversight and facilitation of CCAC’s strategic planning process, the development of shared organizational values and norms, monitor implementation and evaluation. The CSO will also assist with other functions in key strategic areas. The role is collaborative with board and administrative leaders across various functional areas to deliver best-in-class strategic support for CCAC’s short and longer-term objectives. By partnering with leaders across the organization, the CSO looks to maximize the company's core competencies and helps create strategies that align with those competencies to maximize the organization’s sustainability.

Responsibilities

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Lead strategic planning and processes with CCAC’s Board of Directors, Executive Administrative Team, and Key Stakeholders.
• Lead development of a framework and process for strategic decision-making at the executive level.
• Provide professional staff support to Board Officers, Strategic and Board Development Committees.
• Oversee the establishment of financial goals, develop and execute partnership driven fundraising strategies.
• Manage day-to-day functions of the development team.
• Partner with leadership to ensure alignment of strategy with plans for each strategic priority area.
• Expand CCAC’s fundraising efforts in line with strategic priorities.
• Partner with the Executive Director and Board Leaders to maximize funding relationships.
• Drive the evolving Foundation, Corporate and Individual Donor Strategies spanning process support and analysis to analytics and strategic insights (getting to what the data tells us, what it means, and recommend what to do).
• Manage a complex and tight set of processes centered around the analysis of the resources needed to deliver on strategic priorities, and generate budgets aligned to those investment horizons.
• Collaborate with the Finance team on forecasts and resource planning, and set clear metrics for evaluating success over the short and long term to drive accountability.
• Play a key role in the formation of the organizational annual budget, investment portfolio oversight and maintain a high level of fiscal responsibility.
• Drive financial, sustainable growth through the identification, assessment and acquisition of new opportunities, while maintaining current funder/donor relationships.
• Support fund development efforts through appeal-based institutional advancement efforts to include annual fundraising events, grant writing, planned giving, etc.
• Successfully support individual professional growth of employees in intersectional, functional areas (i.e., Communications, Program/Services).

• Bachelor’s degree required, MBA or related graduate degree preferred.
• Minimum of 7-10+ years’ experience in nonprofit fundraising, institutional advancement, strategic planning and related business experience.
• Understanding of national, regional and local fundraising strategies.
• Highly skilled in case-making for nonprofits.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience with nonprofit development duties including foundation strategy, grant writing, major gifts, planned giving, capital campaigns, and development operations.
• Able to build and cultivate a team of strategic thought partners to interface with and support key leaders and functions across the organization and in the external landscape.
• Track record of effectively planning and tightly managing the scope and life cycle of a project while balancing multiple stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to complete quantitative and qualitative analysis and financial models.
• Ability to inspire leaders and key stakeholders through excellent interpersonal skills, and persuasion.
• Able to build and sustain mutually rewarding relationships with key stakeholders.

How to Apply

Submit cover letter, resume and professional credentials to humanresources@ccacde.org. Telephone inquiries are strongly discouraged. Closing date is January 20, 2025.