Chief Executive Officer, Girl Scouts of Western Pennsylvania

For more information, please visit: https://www.gswpa.org/

The Opportunity

GSWPA seeks a strategic and passionate Chief Executive Officer (CEO) who will continue to build and cultivate the council’s reach and impact while maintaining alignment with the national girls scouts organization.

GSWPA seeks a caring and determined CEO who will be a proven champion of girls, women, and the many individuals served by the council. With ample knowledge of youth development, this leader will be able to articulate the narrative of the council beyond cookie sales; someone who can highlight the extensive programs and opportunities that GSWPA offers the community.

Savvy and intrepid, the new CEO will help GSWPA innovate and grow so that the council can thrive in a challenging atmosphere of higher costs and lower membership numbers. The CEO supervises the council’s key administrative and operational functions, ensuring overall organizational health. This role requires regular and direct reporting to a 20-member Board of Directors. In partnership with the Board, the CEO will contribute to the development of strategies as well as the establishment of long-term goals, aligning efforts to support the council’s mission and sustain its impact. In addition to leading 80 full-time employees across four regional offices, the CEO will also seek to set a positive and inviting culture for the nearly 14,000 girls and over 8,000 adult members.

The CEO is primarily responsible for the following:

Leadership & Management

• Assures GSWPA effectively achieves its mission by providing leadership and development innovation. This includes day-to-day operations, strategic planning, budget development and management, fiscal oversight, and fundraising.
• Manages the Staff with transparency, sound judgement, and respect, creating a collaborative and positive workplace.
• Creates a culture of support, collaboration, engagement, and growth, including creating opportunities for team-building, individual professional growth, and organizational development.
• Institutes a strong, collaborative work culture and climate that carries across GSWPA’s four offices and three camps in order to make staff feel connected.
• Engages employees in strategic discussions and empowers them to work autonomously.
• Assesses the effectiveness of council programs through measurable, objective, and quantitative evidence and shares data with appropriate stakeholders.
• Collaborates with the senior management team to develop and implement capacity-building strategies and plans designed to accommodate the growth objectives of the council.
• Ensures the financial health of the council by employing sound fiscal controls and management and by effectively integrating and managing the council’s resources, including GSWPA’s camps; provide strategic financial input and leadership on key decisions affecting the council.

External Relations & Fundraising

• Serves as the key external voice of GSWPA, raising the region’s awareness of and engagement in the council’s work and enhances the council’s visibility, relevance, and credibility. Builds community awareness and support for the council’s contribution to the community’s needs and values.
• Works in partnership with the national GSUSA to promote the national policy agenda and implements a unified policy voice and advocacy strategy.
• Facilitates partnerships among groups outside the council with a vested commitment to girls and women in leadership.
• Supports and serves as spokesperson for council-wide fund development initiatives; identifies prospective donors, cultivates and solicits gifts within the community; builds understanding among members of the Board, and ensures the support and participation of the Board in the fund development process.
• Stewards relationships with current philanthropic partners while identifying and cultivating potential opportunities for advancement and diversification in resource development.

Board Relations & Strategy

• Supports and works integrally with a high-performing and passionate Board of Directors. Understands how to maximize the resources of the Board and seeks their involvement in policy decisions, fundraising, and strategic planning.
• Provides ongoing education to the Board on emerging issues and unmet needs.
• Generates and tracks metrics that monitor the council’s performance with respect to the mission and critical objectives.
• Provides leadership in developing the organizational, strategic, and financial plans with the Board and carries out plans and policies authorized by the Board.

GSWPA seeks an impactful and entrepreneurial leader who is committed to the mission of the Girl Scouts along with a thorough understanding of nonprofit management and a deep passion for and understanding of leadership development for girls and women. This coalition-builder will combine inspirational leadership and sophisticated management abilities, successfully advancing the council’s culture and relevance while fostering membership gains and appealing to modern girls and their families. By analyzing these internal and external factors, the CEO will seeks ways to improve program delivery and raise revenue beyond traditional cookie sales.

The successful CEO will be front-facing and dynamic, able to build, cultivate, and maintain productive relationships with external stakeholders and funders, but also with the girls served by GSWPA and the enthusiastic volunteers that the council depends upon to do its work. Passionate and nimble, they will possess outstanding communication skills and be a persuasive advocate and spokesperson for GSWPA, able to engage diverse audiences that include funders, school administrators, nonprofit leaders, elected officials, and the general public. The ideal candidate will be thoughtful, connected, and enthusiastic, recognizing the skills and expertise GSWPA’s staff and volunteer base bring to the council.

All candidates should have exceptional and proven nonprofit management, leadership, relationship management, fund development, and resource development experience, as well as possess a combination of the following skills and attributes:

• Passion for and commitment to Girl Scout’s mission and vision, both nationally and locally.
• Educational background and work experience aligned with the requirements of the position.  
• Past success working collaboratively with partners, including but not limited to dedicated volunteers, philanthropic leaders, like-minded organizational partners, and a Board of Directors.
• A successful record of accomplishment with fundraising from diverse sources.
• Demonstrated success in creating and promoting a diverse, inclusive, and respectful workplace environment. A working style that is transparent, encouraging, and collaborative.
• Strong knowledge of how marketing, communications, and public relations can further fundraising efforts and a record of using these tools to improve and optimize these efforts.
• Experience and confidence with public speaking before a wide range of professionals, business leaders, and community audiences.
• High level of interpersonal and communication skills, with a track record of building strong relationships with a diverse group of individuals at all levels. Can build consensus for ideas and can be effective in navigating sensitive topics internally and externally.
• A strategic thinker: someone who can align options and opportunity with the vision and values of the organization while conveying that vision to others.
• Values an inclusive work environment and can demonstrate cultural competence.
• Excellent analytical, reasoning, and problem-solving skills.

In the near term, the new CEO will continue to deliver outstanding results while successfully addressing the following in the first 6-12 months:

• Become immersed in the programs and people of GSWPA. Complete personal outreach to and initial evaluation of all current program and fundraising partners in order to deepen understanding of current relationships, both funding and programmatic.
• Work cooperatively with the Board and Senior Management to develop strategy surrounding increasing membership numbers.
• Identify strategies to better position the council to meet the needs of modern girls and their families.

This position offers a competitive salary range of $240,000 - $270,000 and a progressive benefits package. The CEO will work full-time in the Pittsburgh office, with a hybrid schedule offered to all employees. Frequent travel to the Edinboro office, to the GSWPA camps, and throughout the 27-county council footprint is expected.

Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania has retained Nonprofit Talent to assist with this important organizational change process. Specific questions related to the position may be emailed to Michelle Pagano Heck, President, at [email protected]. Please direct all inquiries related to this position to Nonprofit Talent, and do not contact Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania.

Resume, position-specific cover letter, and salary expectations can be uploaded via this portal. 

APPLICATIONS ARE DUE BY 5PM ON MAY 1, 2026

About Nonprofit Talent

Nonprofit Talent is a boutique executive search firm with a deep understanding of the nuanced cultural and financial landscape of the nonprofit and philanthropic community. We know the organizations and the people that commit to the sector. Our candidates, through regional and targeted national recruitment, frequently come from the same communities as our clients. We firmly believe in uplifting the extraordinary talent of our region in addition to seeking out new and vibrant talent through national networks.