Job Description

The Opportunity

YWCA Lower Cape Fear seeks a President & CEO to lead a team of dedicated professionals and volunteers committed to sustaining its mission of empowering women and eliminating racism, so that all women and their families can achieve their full potential in a world without discrimination. The new President & CEO will build on a solid foundation, strong reputation, and established community partnerships, and bring leadership skills, a commitment to the mission, and daily determination to deepen and expand community-wide impact.

The Organization

Serving Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover, and Pender counties, YWCA Lower Cape Fear has been a vital force in the community for over 111 years, championing the rights of women and girls and paving the way for their empowerment through advocacy, education, and support. The YWCA is proud to be the oldest and largest women’s movement and strives to create a future where every woman and girl can lead with confidence.

Advocacy and racial justice are at the heart of the organization’s mission. YWCA Lower Cape Fear is dedicated to confronting inequities and driving systemic change by amplifying community voices through events, summits, and classes on topics such as voter education, self-defense, entrepreneurship, and women’s health. A talented and dedicated staff of 70 full- and part-time employees foster belonging and empowerment through several signature programs and offerings.

YWCA’s Early Parenthood Program (EPP) aims to help pregnant and parenting teens stay in school and graduate, access higher education and vocational training, develop the skills and knowledge needed to become strong parents, and delay another teen pregnancy.

H.E.R Path—which stands for Hope, Empowerment, and Resilience—is a program created to walk alongside women through every season of life. It is a healing space for growth, transformation, and connection that exists to address urgent challenges, break down systemic barriers, and foster supportive environments where women of all ages can find encouragement and opportunity.

The Grandparents Support Network (GSN) is a program pioneered by YWCA Lower Cape Fear, dedicated to providing essential support and resources for grandparents who have assumed the role of primary caretakers for their grandchildren. Recognizing the unique challenges these caregivers face, the program aims to create a nurturing community where grandparents can find assistance, guidance, camaraderie, and respite.

In 2024, YWCA Lower Cape Fear officially launched the re-branded Bright Futures Childcare Center, expanding its existing Childcare Department to include wrap-around services such as speech therapy, feeding therapy, occupational therapy, behavioral therapy, and tutoring. The Bright Futures Childcare Center provides essential and low-cost daycare, after-school care, and summer camps for children, and more than 50% of families served receive subsidized childcare support.

The YWCA Aquatics Center is a beloved community resource and gathering place with over 30,000 visits per year. In addition to reserving swim time, members (and non-members) can enjoy swim lessons, camps, swim teams, pool parties, lifeguard training, and more. YWCA Lower Cape Fear is currently in the quiet phase of the Courage and Commitment campaign, a $9.8 million effort to make improvements to the aquatics center and surrounding facilities, with $6 million secured to date.

For more information, visit www.ywca-lowercapefear.org

The Position

YWCA Lower Cape Fear is seeking an experienced leader with a broad set of executive-level skills to build on a strong organizational foundation. The President & CEO will work in partnership with the Board of Directors and the management team to ensure that programs and services developed are sustainable and aligned with the mission, vision, and current strategic plan.

The President & CEO will report directly to the Board of Directors and manage a nine-person senior leadership team. YWCA Lower Cape Fear has nurtured and enjoys a superior reputation in the community, and the President & CEO plays a critical role in fostering relationships with partner agencies, volunteers, members, donors, and community leaders.

The ideal President & CEO will bring and effectively deploy a high level of political acumen and fund development savvy to build, strengthen, and regularly steward relationships with elected and appointed government officials, policy makers, industry leaders, community leaders and representatives, nonprofit executives, and funders, as well as philanthropic leaders. The President & CEO will serve as the spokesperson and primary fundraiser for YWCA Lower Cape Fear. They will be articulate, authentic, highly communicative, and transparent in external relations. They will be skilled and adept at visibility-raising and brand-building and will be viewed as a thought leader in the field.

The President & CEO will work in partnership with the Board and CFO on the operational and fiscal management of YWCA Lower Cape Fear’s $2.5 million budget, bringing an executive leadership lens to the financial operations to ensure sustainability, appropriate and accurate risk identification and management, as well as sound policies and procedures.

Importantly, the President & CEO will lead the organization with a lens of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. They will model confident and competent team-building with staff and Board. They will support staff by recognizing and celebrating their efforts and understanding the importance of self-care and balance when working in service of communities highly impacted by trauma, violence, racism, and sexism.

The Location

Located in Wilmington, NC, one of the South’s most vibrant coastal cities, YWCA Lower Cape Fear benefits from the cultural richness of its surroundings. Wilmington is considered one of the most beautiful cities in the South and prides itself on providing exceptional quality of life services for its citizens. In 2014, Wilmington was honored with the title of "Best Riverfront City in America" by USA Today's 10 Best readers' poll. Wilmington is home to a state port, an international airport, and a regional teaching hospital (Novant/New Hanover Regional Medical Center). It is also home to the University of North Carolina Wilmington and Cape Fear Community College. As North Carolina’s most accessible coastal destination, the area’s location, natural beauty, culture, and history all charm visitors and residents.

Core Responsibilities

The President & CEO will be expected to fulfill the following key responsibilities: 

Organizational Leadership & Strategy

• Provides executive leadership, in collaboration with the Board, in strategic and organizational planning, with vision and innovation to strengthen YWCA Lower Cape Fear’s core competencies and ensure financial sustainability.
• Provides management of YWCA Lower Cape Fear, ensuring high-level strategic thinking is engendered with Board and staff; operational and fiscal management is executed appropriately by staff; and governance is executed appropriately by the Board.
• Strategically leads the Board and staff in establishing goals and developing policies, procedures, budgets, and programs that fulfill the mission.
• Supports and engenders participation of and feedback from clients. Ensures accountability by reporting back on what YWCA Lower Cape Fear heard and what will be done next as a result.
• Supports and partners with the Board for ongoing board recruitment and development with a focus on increasing the diversity of board members.
• Maintains and enhances YWCA Lower Cape Fear’s reputation as an expert in racial justice and women’s empowerment, amplifying opportunities and outcomes from YWCA Lower Cape Fear’s programs and connecting YWCA Lower Cape Fear’s work to leading best thinking in the field.
• Models collaborative leadership with internal Board, staff, and clients as well as external partners, stakeholders, funders, and donors.

Organizational Culture      

• Ensures YWCA Lower Cape Fear prioritizes, values, resources, and celebrates actions and activities that lead to high morale, collaborative efforts, and shared purpose.
• Recruits and develops (via coaching, mentoring, guidance, and feedback), and retains mission-focused professionals at every level of the organization. Understands the nuances and complexities of leading and motivating a diverse staff with different personalities and work styles, working at the intersections of racism, sexism, and trauma.
• Nurtures elevated levels of Board and staff engagement that lead to a culture of empowerment, integrity, and inclusion.
• Establishes a trust-based relationship with staff, ensuring the ability and safety of staff to bring their authentic selves to work; this includes the CEO modeling with courageous vulnerability, authenticity, connection, and whole-heartedness in leadership.

Community Programs and Services

• Understands the deep roots of systemic inequity and elevates equity as a focus throughout YWCA; activates diversity through a process of recognizing and engaging differences, while leading with inclusion of all of YWCA Lower Cape Fear’s stakeholders.
• Leads strategic thinking, in partnership with the Board and staff, on YWCA Lower Cape Fear’s continued and expanding programs. Ensures ongoing local programmatic excellence, rigorous program evaluation, and consistent quality; recommends timelines and resources needed to achieve the strategic program goals.
• Brings knowledge and understanding of racial and social justice fields to the work of risk assessment, decision making, people management, and business planning.
• Centers YWCA Lower Cape Fear on client needs with an eye towards harnessing the power of its staff, volunteers, and clients to lead in the community.

 Fundraising and Communications

• Strengthens YWCA Lower Cape Fear’s fundraising capability, working in partnership with the Marketing & Community Engagement staff and Development committee to diversify and grow its revenue channels in a way that supports capacity, infrastructure, and programs.
• Builds on YWCA Lower Cape Fear’s robust growth in programmatic funding; understands the complexity and nuance of securing programmatic funding, in particular with government funders.
• Works in partnership with YWCA Lower Cape Fear’s CFO and Marketing & Community Engagement Director to design and achieve a responsive revenue model that meets the needs of the organization.
• Individually cultivates relationships and secures financial support from government agencies, foundations, businesses, and individual donors through a combination of grant writing and individual solicitations.
• Engages philanthropic leadership in supporting the priorities of underserved and underrepresented communities.

External Relations and Advocacy

• Serves as the lead spokesperson for YWCA Lower Cape Fear, representing YWCA and its work to various government, philanthropic, policy, stakeholder groups, and broadly to the community.
• Builds and manages relationships with elected officials, local and state agencies, business and community partners, community, and nonprofit leaders.
• Build strategic alliances and partnerships with like-minded organizations and a broad array of stakeholders to overcome challenges and advance shared policy and advocacy goals.
• Builds on and furthers the YWCA’s brand and reputation, locally and nationally.
• Identifies strategic opportunities to advance YWCA’s mission and agenda.
• Collaborates with YWCA USA and other YWCAs across North Carolina and the country on mutually beneficial activities and initiatives.

Required Attributes, Skills, and Qualifications

The President & CEO must demonstrate a genuine commitment to the mission and values of YWCA Lower Cape Fear with a dedication to creating and stewarding relationships with both internal and external constituencies that enable the successful, consistent delivery of the mission. In addition, they should possess several key attributes, including:

• Proven leadership of a diverse professional staff, with the ability to attract, manage, coach, and develop professionally.
• 10+ years of experience in nonprofit executive or senior management roles where philanthropy and organizational sustainability were key parts of the position, or commensurate experience in organizational management, including strategic planning, program development, finance, fundraising, and operations.
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, with a Master’s in a relevant discipline preferred.
• Demonstrated commitment to and success with leading internally and externally on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts, along with cultural fluency and competency.
• History of setting and achieving strategic organizational objectives, often by engaging with external partners and stakeholders. Experience successfully establishing and stewarding these external relationships.
• Demonstrated financial management savvy, understanding the drivers of organizational profitability and sustainability, including budgeting, forecasting, and financial performance analysis.
• Excellent track record of fundraising success with individual donors, foundation funders, corporate support, and government funders.

• Willingness to spend significant time cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major gifts.
• Ability to engage and connect with a wide range of partners, stakeholders, funders, and clients from a diverse set of cultures and backgrounds.
• Outstanding presentation and communication skills, and the experience and ability to be an engaging spokesperson, relationship builder, and face of the organization. Successful history visibility-raising and brand-building.
• Proven experience identifying, assessing, and managing organizational risk.
• Collaborative, innovative, transparent, and effective leadership that can inspire and motivate the Board, staff, community, donors, and partners.
• High social-emotional intelligence, integrity, and sound judgment.
• A strong familiarity with nonprofit operations and experience in one or more of YWCA Lower Cape Fear’s program and service areas would be an advantage.
• This is a full-time, in-person (not remote) work opportunity.

Compensation and Benefits

YWCA Lower Cape Fear is committed to attracting an extraordinary leader for this position through a compensation package that includes a competitive salary in the range of $110,000 -$120,000 and a generous employee benefits package that includes employee medical insurance, 401k, holidays, vacation and sick days, bereavement leave, life insurance, mental health hours, a family-friendly work environment, and more.

Equal Opportunity Employer

YWCA Lower Cape Fear provides equal employment opportunities to all persons without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, age, religion, disability, marital status, national origin, status as a special disabled veteran or other protected veteran, or any other protected status under applicable federal, state, or local law. YWCA Lower Cape Fear actively seeks and employs qualified persons in all job classes and administers all personnel actions affecting employees without discrimination that is unlawful under applicable federal and state laws.

To Apply: Please submit a cover letter and resume by January 16, 2026, by applying here. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

Questions: YWCAsearch@mossandross.com

YWCA Lower Cape Fear

2815 College Road

Wilmington, NC 28412

www.ywca-lowercapefear.org