Foundation Chief Executive Officer

Overview

Job Summary:

 

The Foundation Chief Executive Officer provides executive leadership and collaborates with the Foundation Board ofDirectors to set strategic direction for the Central Health Foundation and is accountable for its philanthropicperformance, organizational effectiveness, financial sustainability, governance, and community impact.Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer of Central Health, the Foundation CEO works in partnership with theFoundation Board, Central Health executive and clinical leadership, donors, and community stakeholders to alignthe Foundation’s priorities with Central Health’s mission, strategic direction, health-equity goals, and identifiedcommunity needs.

 

The CEO leads an integrated fundraising enterprise encompassing transformational, principal, and major gifts;annual giving; institutional and grant funding; corporate partnerships; campaigns; and donor stewardship. Theposition personally advances the Foundation’s most significant philanthropic relationships, includingtransformational gifts and selected major-gift opportunities requiring executive involvement, while maintainingaccountability for overall fundraising performance and sustainable revenue growth.

 

The CEO serves as the Foundation’s principal external representative and ensures that charitable resources aremanaged with financial integrity, transparency, accountability, and respect for donor intent. The position initiallyleads approximately three to five executive and senior-level direct reports, including Foundation Strategy,Foundation Operations, Major Gifts, and other functions as the organization develops.

 

The CEO leads through Foundation staff, senior leaders, and Central Health shared-service partners to ensureeffective execution across advancement, strategy, operations, grants, communications, and impact functions. Mostadministrative and support services are provided through shared or purchased service arrangements with CentralHealth, while donor systems, donor management, and donor reporting remain directly managed within the Foundation.

 

 

This is a hybrid position.  Individuals in this position may work both at an approved off-site location and onsite at a

primary location or multiple locations based on business needs.

Responsibilities

Essential Functions:

 

Executive Leadership and Organizational Direction:- Provide executive leadership for the Foundation’s strategy, fundraising, operations, financial stewardship,governance, and community impact.- Establish and communicate organizational priorities, performance expectations, decision rights, andaccountability across Foundation functions.- Lead an initial executive and senior leadership structure of approximately three to five direct reports, includingFoundation Strategy, Foundation Operations, Major Gifts, and other designated functions as the organizationdevelops.- Ensure the Foundation’s organizational structure, staffing model, systems, and resources remain appropriate forits mission, responsibilities, and scale.- Build, develop, and lead a high-performing leadership team and workforce capable of advancing the Foundation’sstrategic and philanthropic priorities.- Establish clear reporting relationships, functional accountabilities, decision pathways, and performanceexpectations across Foundation leadership.- Foster a culture grounded in integrity, accountability, collaboration, equity, transparency, respect, and service.- Promote strong coordination among Foundation leaders, Central Health departments, clinical and operationalteams, Board members, and external partners.- Evaluate organizational performance and recommend changes needed to strengthen effectiveness, sustainability,and impact.

 

Strategy and Mission Alignment:- Lead the development, implementation, and ongoing evaluation of the Foundation’s strategic plan incollaboration with the Central Health CEO, Foundation Board, and appropriate organizational stakeholders.- Ensure Foundation priorities and fundraising strategies align with Central Health’s mission, strategic direction,health-equity goals, and community priorities.- Translate Central Health priorities into compelling and credible opportunities for philanthropic investment.- Establish organizational goals and measures that demonstrate fundraising performance, operationaleffectiveness, financial sustainability, and community impact.- Evaluate emerging opportunities, risks, dependencies, and external trends and provide timely recommendationsto the Central Health CEO, Foundation Board, and other appropriate leadership.- Ensure Foundation initiatives are supported by clear objectives, credible budgets, implementation readiness,measurable outcomes, and appropriate stewardship commitments.- Ensure strategy, fundraising priorities, operating capacity, and financial resources remain appropriately alignedas the Foundation develops.

 

Board Partnership and Governance:- Serve as the primary executive liaison between Foundation staff leadership, the Foundation Board, and CentralHealth executive leadership.- Support the Foundation Board in fulfilling its governance, fiduciary, strategic, fundraising, and communityengagementresponsibilities.- Develop and present strategic recommendations, financial information, fundraising results, performance reports,risk updates, and decision materials to the Foundation Board and its committees.- Ensure effective implementation of Board-approved strategies, policies, priorities, and governance expectations.- Promote appropriate governance practices, conflict-of-interest management, documentation, transparency, andaccountability.- Support effective Board and committee structures, orientation, education, succession planning, meetingpractices, and engagement.- Partner with Board members to strengthen donor relationships, philanthropic participation, community visibility,and peer-to-peer fundraising.- Maintain appropriate coordination among the Foundation Board, Central Health CEO, Central Health leadership,and Foundation staff while preserving clearly defined governance and management responsibilities.Fundraising and Philanthropic Leadership:- Provide executive leadership and accountability for an integrated fundraising strategy encompassingtransformational, principal and major gifts, annual giving, institutional and grant funding, corporate partnerships,campaigns, and donor stewardship.- Establish fundraising priorities, revenue goals, pipeline expectations, performance measures, and accountabilityprocesses across the Foundation.- Lead strategy for transformational and principal gifts and personally cultivate, solicit, and steward theFoundation’s highest-level donors and prospective partners.- Participate directly in selected major-gift opportunities where executive involvement is appropriate.- Maintain overall accountability for Foundation fundraising results while functional fundraising leaders retainresponsibility for assigned portfolios, programs, pipelines, and day-to-day execution.- Engage Foundation Board members, Central Health leaders, clinicians, and community champions in donorcultivation, solicitation, stewardship, and peer-to-peer fundraising.- Serve as the executive relationship owner for the Foundation’s most significant donor, corporate, philanthropic,and community partnerships.- Ensure campaign planning and execution include clear funding priorities, compelling cases for support, prospectstrategy, pipeline discipline, donor recognition, and stewardship standards.- Partner with Central Health leaders and clinical teams to identify fundable priorities and translate complexhealthcare and community needs into persuasive philanthropic opportunities.- Ensure fundraising activities honor donor intent and comply with legal, ethical, financial, and organizationalrequirements.- Monitor fundraising performance, donor retention, pipeline growth, return on investment, and progress towardrevenue goals.

 

Financial Stewardship and Sustainability:- Maintain executive accountability for the Foundation’s financial integrity, long-term sustainability, resourceallocation, and stewardship of charitable assets.- Develop and present the annual operating budget, fundraising budget, and multiyear financial plan forappropriate review and approval.- Monitor financial performance, fundraising revenue, operating costs, liquidity, investment activity, and long-termfinancial sustainability.- Ensure appropriate financial policies, controls, processes, and reporting are maintained.- Ensure responsible management of restricted and unrestricted funds, grants, subgrants, investments,expenditures, contracts, and vendor relationships.- Partner with Foundation Operations, Central Health Finance, and other internal or shared-service partners toensure accurate financial reporting, audit readiness, and timely resolution of financial or control issues.- Establish clear service expectations, roles, decision pathways, and escalation processes between Foundationleadership and Central Health shared-service partners.- Evaluate financial risks and opportunities and provide recommendations to the Foundation Board and CentralHealth leadership.- Ensure donor systems, donor management, and donor reporting are appropriately maintained within theFoundation.

 

Compliance, Risk, and Public Accountability:- Ensure the Foundation operates in accordance with applicable federal, state, local, governance, andorganizational requirements.- Maintain executive oversight of tax filings, audit readiness, charitable-solicitation requirements, donorrestrictions, grant obligations, contracts, records, and governance compliance.- Ensure appropriate policies are maintained for gift acceptance, restricted funds, grants and subgrants,investments, spending, conflicts of interest, records retention, and financial controls.- Identify and oversee the management of significant financial, legal, regulatory, operational, cybersecurity,reputational, and community-trust risks.- Ensure material risks, compliance matters, and control concerns are reported appropriately to the FoundationBoard and Central Health leadership.- Coordinate with Central Health Legal, Compliance, Finance, Internal Audit, Information Technology, HumanResources, Procurement, and other shared-service partners, as applicable.- Ensure shared-service arrangements and internal Foundation responsibilities are supported by appropriatedocumentation, accountability, communication, and escalation processes.- Promote a culture in which ethical conduct, donor intent, transparency, and public accountability are consistentlymaintained.

 

External Relations and Community Partnerships:- Serve as the Foundation’s chief spokesperson and principal ambassador with donors, philanthropic institutions,community leaders, nonprofit organizations, business leaders, government stakeholders, and civic partners.- Build and maintain the Foundation’s credibility and reputation as a trusted vehicle for philanthropic investment inCentral Health’s mission.- Represent the Foundation at significant donor meetings, community events, civic forums, philanthropicconvenings, and public engagements.- Develop strategic relationships that expand philanthropic investment, community support, and awareness ofCentral Health’s mission and impact.- Facilitate meaningful engagement among donors, community partners, Central Health leaders, clinicians, andprogram leaders.- Ensure external messaging, donor communications, and public representation are accurate, consistent, missionaligned,and appropriately coordinated with Central Health Communications and other partners.- Monitor the external philanthropic and community environment and identify opportunities to strengthen theFoundation’s visibility, partnerships, and support.

 

Organizational Leadership and Talent Management:- Recruit, develop, lead, and retain a high-performing Foundation leadership team and workforce.- Establish clear roles, reporting relationships, performance expectations, and accountability across Foundationfunctions.- Ensure effective practices for workforce planning, hiring, onboarding, performance management, leadershipdevelopment, engagement, and succession planning.- Mentor Foundation leaders and promote cross-functional collaboration, shared accountability, and professionalgrowth.- Evaluate leadership capacity, organizational design, and staffing needs as the Foundation’s responsibilities andfundraising activity evolve.- Ensure Foundation leaders effectively manage employees, vendors, consultants, and shared-service relationshipswithin their areas of responsibility.- Adjust organizational capacity, leadership responsibilities, and staffing structures as the Foundation progressesbeyond its initial development phase.

Qualifications

Education:

 

- Bachelor's Degree (higher degree accepted) in business, nonprofit management, healthcare administration, public administration, public health, communications, finance, or a related field. - Required

- Master's Degree (higher degree accepted) in business, nonprofit management, healthcare administration, public administration, public health, communications, finance, or a related field. - Preferred

 

Work Experience:

 

- Ten years of progressively responsible leadership experience in philanthropy, advancement, fundraising, nonprofit leadership, healthcare, public service, or a related field. - Required

- Significant leadership responsibility for organizational strategy, fundraising performance, financial stewardship, stakeholder engagement, and team leadership. - Required

- Demonstrated success developing and leading transformational, principal-gift, major-gift, campaign, or other significant philanthropic strategies. - Required

- Experience partnering with governing boards, executive leaders, volunteers, donors, and community stakeholders. - Required

- Experience building and leading teams and establishing accountable organizational systems, programs, or functions. - Required

- Demonstrated ability to operate effectively within or alongside a complex institution such as a healthcare system, public entity, academic medical center, large nonprofit organization, or similarly accountable organization. - Required

- Executive-level communication and external-relations experience, including the ability to translate complex organizational and community priorities into compelling philanthropic opportunities. - Required

- Experience leading a healthcare foundation, philanthropic organization, advancement function, or comparable nonprofit enterprise. - Preferred

- Experience planning or leading a significant multiyear fundraising campaign. - Preferred- Experience establishing, scaling, restructuring, or transforming an organization or fundraising enterprise. - Preferred- Experience working with a public hospital district, safety-net healthcare system, governmental organization, or other publicly accountable institution. - Preferred- Knowledge of the Central Texas philanthropic, corporate, civic, and nonprofit landscape. - Preferred

 

Travel Requirements:

 

- The travel requirements for this position are estimated to be 20%. 

- Regular local and regional travel is required for donor meetings, Board and committee meetings, community events, stakeholder engagement, and Foundation activities. Occasional         statewide or national travel may be required. The position must be available for periodic evening and weekend meetings and events.