New Search! Chief Community Officer with the B.A.A.!

CHIEF COMMUNITY OFFICER

Pillar Search & HR Consulting is honored to continue its partnership with the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) on the search for the B.A.A.’s new Chief Community Officer. This is an outstanding opportunity for a Boston-area community builder and leader.

ABOUT BOSTON ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION

The B.A.A. is a non-profit organization with a mission to promote a healthy lifestyle through sports, especially running. The B.A.A. is committed to a world where all people can access and benefit from running and an active lifestyle. The B.A.A. advances its mission and vision by organizing mass-participatory running events such as the Boston Marathon, creating or supporting community fitness events, and sponsoring a running club that serves the greater Boston area.

ABOUT THE ROLE

Reporting to the CEO and serving on the organization’s leadership team, the Chief Community Officer will guide the B.A.A.’s community work to facilitate meaningful engagement and impact aligned with the organization’s mission and vision. They will collaborate internally and externally to lead the planning and execution of a successful, cohesive strategy; cultivating and establishing partnerships with diverse groups across all of their communities, including those who are underrepresented at B.A.A. events and the industry overall, while building trust and alignment toward a shared vision of equitable access and participation in our sport.

RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Lead the community function at the B.A.A. and partner with other organizational leads to ensure the community strategy is embedded appropriately in all that they do. Help all staff understand this important piece of the organization’s work and how they can contribute to it.
  • Create and advance an inclusive community strategy and related programming across functions, in alignment with the B.A.A.’s mission, vision, and strategic priorities; gathering input and evolving the strategy, as appropriate.
  • Reach community members throughout Boston, the various cities and towns on and surrounding the Boston Marathon course, and beyond, through culturally competent and authentic ways.
  • Establish metrics for community work, monitor implementation and evaluate results of strategy and standard operating procedures. Support the creation and delivery of community impact reporting.
  • Serve as a primary contact, representative, and liaison for B.A.A. community actions / strategy with internal and external stakeholders. Play a leading role in community initiatives, and support community discussions and crisis management, as appropriate.
  • Explore, pilot, and implement new ways to partner with community organizations and partners.
  • Ensure there is an effective process to gather and utilize feedback from community organizations and partners.
  • Support and oversee community building through sport, e.g., by including, empowering, and celebrating people around their own health and wellness.
  • Oversee the effective management of and outcomes associated with the B.A.A. Volunteer Program, which is composed of 10,500 volunteers annually, and one of their larger communities. Support the internal staff members managing this program.
  • Sponsor the Head of Public Relations, overseeing the PR strategy, program and storytelling. Proactively create a productive image for the B.A.A., its work and its vision; ensuring that community engagement work is effectively shared externally.
  • Collaborate with the leadership team to make decisions on behalf of the organization; bring forth and balance your functional area’s needs and agendas, as well as the rest of the organization’s. Serve as an advocate and leader for the B.A.A. as a whole.
  • Champion diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB), as is expected of all leadership team members. Develop and achieve measurable functional goals related to DEIB while modeling inclusive behaviors and proactively managing bias.
  • Manage the community function’s budget effectively in partnership with Finance.
  • Support the creation of an updated approach/model to staffing community events.
  • Oversee, coach, and develop B.A.A. staff who support community and volunteer programming and engagement, as well as community and public relations. Directly manage 3 employees in this space.
  • Other related duties as assigned.

WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR

There are innumerable ways to learn, grow and excel professionally. The B.A.A. knows that people gain skills through a variety of professional, personal, educational, and volunteer experiences. They, along with Pillar Search & HR Consulting, respect this when we review applications and take a broad look at the experience of each applicant. We want to get to know you and the unique strengths you will bring to the work. This said, we are most likely to be interested in your candidacy if you can demonstrate the majority of the qualifications and experiences listed below.

  • 8 or more years of related work experience in a community (or comparable) role – with a record of achieving strategic outcomes and delivering on an organization’s mission.
  • 10 or more years preferred in the Greater Boston area.
  • Comprehensive knowledge of the communities within the Greater Boston area and their various needs.
  • Passion for health and fitness and promoting active lifestyles through sport.
  • Knowledge and experience of the sport of running preferred.
  • Exceptional relationship management and influencing skills; able to build and maintain relationships with a diverse set of constituents. Skillful organizer who can manage and participate in generative conflict.
  • Strong communication skills; bilingual language abilities a plus.
  • Excellent planning and organizational skills, with an ability to prioritize and support team members with prioritizing effectively.
  • Demonstrated success in setting goals and strategic planning around diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility and belonging initiatives.
  • History of inspiring others and leading by example. Genuine enthusiasm for meeting, motivating, and involving people in community activities.
  • Proficient in Microsoft 365 tools, including Outlook, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. Experience in Salesforce a plus.
  • Flexibility to attend night and weekend events.

WORK EXPECTATIONS AT B.A.A

The B.A.A. is a hands-on team and seek employees who are passionate about our work and service to their community. The Chief Community Officer is a 40 hours/week, exempt position. The role will require flexibility to work on some weekends and evenings in order to be present within communities and at events. Additionally, there will be longer work hours surrounding B.A.A. race events. Limited local travel required.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

The salary range is competitive and commensurate with lived and professional experience. The B.A.A. will promote your professional growth and development by providing access to:

  • Competitive health & dental insurance plans
  • Life insurance, short term, and long-term disability plans funded 100% by the B.A.A.
  • 401(k) matching dollar-for-dollar up to 4% after one year of service, elective deferrals may begin upon hire
  • An annual allotment of professional development funding (up to $2,000 per calendar year)
  • Paid vacation based on years of service
  • 11 paid holidays, 9 scheduled and 2 floating

HOW TO APPLY

To apply to this position, please prepare a resume and cover letter to the attention of the B.A.A. Human Resources team and submit your materials to Cindy Joyce of Pillar Search & HR Consulting at jobs@pillarsearch.com.

Please note that, due to the high volume of resumes received for this role, phone calls are not accepted, and Pillar is unable to have informational calls about the role. Only those candidates selected to move forward will be scheduled for introductory calls as part of the recruiting process.

The B.A.A. is an equal opportunity employer and does not unlawfully discriminate against employees or applicants for employment on the basis of an individual’s race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status or any other status protected by applicable law.

About Pillar Search & HR Consulting:  A woman-owned business based in Boston, Pillar Search & HR Consulting provides executive search/recruiting and human resources consulting expertise to nonprofit and mission-driven organizations, working with senior leaders and the boards of directors to hire and develop the very best talent across all functional areas of the organization. Pillar’s Founder, Cindy Joyce, is a Certified Diversity Recruiter. For more information, please visit www.pillarsearch.com.

Search Success: Lorna Campbell Joins the B.A.A. as Head of Public Relations!

The Boston Athletic Association (the “B.A.A.”) and Pillar Search & HR Consulting are thrilled to announce the appointment of Lorna Campbell to the position of Head of Public Relations.  

As the founding Head of Public Relations, Lorna will be tasked with building a best-in-class Public Relations strategy and function for global impact and will be a key driver in advancing the effectiveness and vision of the B.A.A. Reporting directly to the B.A.A.’s Chief Executive Officer, Jack Fleming, she will be part of the organization’s senior leadership team.

Most recently, Lorna was Head of Communications for the Abbott World Marathon Majors. Prior, she was the Regional Director, Asia Pacific, Public Relations & Sports Marketing with Hill+Knowlton Strategies based in Singapore. With more than 20 years’ experience in PR and communications in Asia, Europe and the US, Lorna has worked on some of the world’s largest sporting events including the London, Rio and Tokyo Summer Olympic Games; the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games, the Wimbledon Championships, 2014 Ryder Cup and the Commonwealth Games from 2006-2018 with Team Scotland.

Lorna earned her bachelor’s degree in Physical Education, Sports Science & Geography from England’s Loughborough University and is a Certified Digital Marketing Professional through the Digital Marketing Institute.

About the B.A.A.:  The B.A.A. is a non-profit organization with a mission to promote a healthy lifestyle through sports, especially running. The B.A.A. is committed to a world where all people can access and benefit from running and an active lifestyle. The B.A.A. advances its mission and vision in a variety of ways, such as organizing mass-participatory running events like the Boston Marathon, creating or supporting community fitness events, and sponsoring a running club that serves the greater Boston area.

The B.A.A. believes that everyone—no matter their race, gender, or background—should be able to advance their well-being safely and without fear or discrimination of any kind. The organization is committed to fostering a workplace and community that is diverse, equitable, inclusive and promotes a sense of belonging for all. To learn more about this wonderful organization, please visit www.baa.org.  

About Pillar Search & HR Consulting: A woman-owned business and Certified Diversity Recruiter based in Boston, Pillar Search & HR Consulting provides executive search/recruiting and human resources consulting expertise to nonprofit and mission-driven organizations, working with senior leaders and the boards of directors to hire and develop the very best talent across all functional areas of the organization. For more information about Pillar, please visit www.pillarsearch.com.

New Search! Head of Public Relations for the B.A.A.!

OVERVIEW

Pillar Search & HR Consulting is honored to partner with the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) on the search for their new Head of Public Relations. This role will advance the B.A.A.’s mission and vision through strong, innovative, and dynamic leadership. This is a hybrid role; the B.A.A.’s offices are in Boston, MA and Hopkinton, MA.

ABOUT THE B.A.A.

The B.A.A. is a non-profit organization with a mission to promote a healthy lifestyle through sports, especially running. The B.A.A. is committed to a world where all people can access and benefit from running and an active lifestyle. The B.A.A. advances its mission and vision in a variety of ways, such as organizing mass-participatory running events like the Boston Marathon, creating or supporting community fitness events, and sponsoring a running club that serves the greater Boston area.

The B.A.A. believes that everyone—no matter their race, gender, or background—should be able to advance their well-being safely and without fear or discrimination of any kind. The organization is committed to fostering a workplace and community that is diverse, equitable, inclusive and promotes a sense of belonging for all. To learn more about this wonderful organization, please click here.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The founding Head of Public Relations will play a vital role in the development and implementation of an innovative public relations strategy and program to advance the effectiveness and vision of the B.A.A. They seek a hands-on and high-level leader to ensure they capably and consistently communicate their purpose, events, and philosophy to their audience and communities.

You will partner and collaborate closely with media, external stakeholders and each of their internal teams to achieve success. The Head of Public Relations will report directly to the B.A.A.’s Chief Executive Officer and be part of the organization’s senior leadership team. The position will have the opportunity to build a best-in-class Public Relations strategy and function for global impact.

RESPONSIBILITIES

PR Strategy Management

  • Create and manage the B.A.A.’s PR strategy, program, and story – proactively creating a productive image for the B.A.A., its work and its vision.
  • Build and maintain productive relationships with key stakeholders (e.g., media and industry contacts, local, state, and federal government and public officials/public affairs, community partners, B.A.A Marketing and Communications), collaborating appropriately to advance our strategy and promote the B.A.A.
  • Promote the B.A.A. within their industry.
  • Develop and lead campaigns (such as how the B.A.A. is leading in terms of industry innovation, in the diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging space, etc.), external efforts, and outreach. Measure and report on success of efforts, recommending changes to approach based on data insights.
  • Work closely with CEO to develop and deliver the organization’s external messages.
  • Work closely with our Marketing and Communications team members to coordinate and deliver content effectively across multiple channels. Provide guidance to collaborators.
  • Prepare content for various channels and events, such as key talking points, Board materials.
  • Serve as PR lead and spokesperson during B.A.A. races and industry events, press forums, and as needed.

Community Liaison

  • Serve as a “bridge” to their various communities and audiences. Enhance the B.A.A. presence and brand in the local market.
  • Leverage local and regional contacts to ensure B.A.A. work is highlighted throughout the year, and in alignment with their strategy. Continuously build and strengthen these relationships, managing their public affairs and media relations.
  • Collaborate with local cities and towns, and their respective agencies, organization, and contacts. Consistently provide outward communications and engagement with these groups to support B.A.A.’s strategy and position on running throughout the year.

 Crisis Communications

  • Serve as crisis communications leader and point person.
  • Proactively plan for possible scenarios and ensure all involved understand what to do when predicted scenarios do occur.
  • Anticipate and be available (seven days a week, if required) for critical PR needs.

WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR

There are innumerable ways to learn, grow and excel professionally. Pillar Search and the B.A.A. knows people gain skills through a variety of professional, personal, educational, and volunteer experiences. We respect this when they review applications and take a broad look at the experience of each applicant. We want to get to know you and the unique strengths you will bring to the work. This said, we are most likely to be interested in your candidacy if you can demonstrate the majority of the qualifications and experiences listed below.

  • Minimum of five (5) years demonstrated leadership in a public relations/media (or comparable) role.
  • Effective interpersonal and creative problem-solving skills; proven track record for working well across teams and with a variety of stakeholders.
  • Experience directing the media/media-related activities to elevate an organization’s profile, including both traditional and social media. The ideal candidate will have an established network within Boston’s media industry.
  • Experience in crisis communications situations.
  • Proven ability to serve as an effective organizational spokesperson, produce excellent forms of written communication, and manage media relations.
  • Knowledge of the organization.
  • A commitment to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.

WORK EXPECTATIONS AT B.A.A

The B.A.A. is a hands-on team and seek employees who are passionate about their work and service to the community. The Head of Public Relations role is a 40 hours/week, exempt position. This role will have an MA-based hybrid work arrangement. Beginning February 1, 2023, the B.A.A. will have a seasonal hybrid work model in which different months of the year require 2-3 days/week in the office while other months require 0-3 days/week. The B.A.A. has two office spaces–one in downtown Boston and one in Hopkinton, MA. The Head of Public Relations will be expected to travel to the Hopkinton office on an occasional basis, though they will primarily be based in the Boston office.

COVID-19 Guidelines

B.A.A. continues to adapt to safety protocols related to COVID-19 as they understand them. All candidates must comply with B.A.A.’s current COVID-19 Guidelines, including B.A.A.’s vaccination requirement. All employees must receive at least the first dose of the vaccination no later than one week after their start date, and must be fully vaccinated no later than 4 weeks later.  For the purpose of this policy, individuals are considered fully vaccinated for COVID-19 two weeks after they have received the second dose in a two-dose series (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna) or two weeks after they have received a single-dose vaccine (Johnson and Johnson/Janssen).

The B.A.A. requires all employees to receive the COVID vaccine. For the safety of the community, B.A.A. employees are expected to obtain COVID tests if they have symptoms or have traveled by plane. Quarantining may be required after air travel.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

The salary range is competitive and commensurate with lived and professional experience. The B.A.A. will promote your professional growth and development by providing access to:

  • Competitive health & dental insurance plans with employer contributions of at least 80%
  • Life insurance, short term, and long-term disability plans funded 100% by the B.A.A.
  • 401K matching dollar-for-dollar up to 4% after one year of service, elective deferrals may begin upon hire
  • Paid vacation based on years of service
  • 11 paid holidays, 9 scheduled and 2 floating
  • A private option for Paid Family & Medical Leave with up to 26 weeks of paid leave per year for qualifying leave events

HOW TO APPLY

To apply to this position, please prepare a resume and cover letter to the attention of the B.A.A. Hiring Team and submit your materials to Cindy Joyce, Founder & Executive Search Consultant, Pillar Search & HR Consulting, at cindy@pillarsearch.com.

The B.A.A. is an equal opportunity employer and does not unlawfully discriminate against employees or applicants for employment on the basis of an individual’s race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status or any other status protected by applicable law.

Search Success! Ashley J. Oguadimma, M.Ed. Joins JVS Boston as Vice President of Academic Services

JVS Boston and Pillar Search & HR Consulting are proud to announce the appointment of Ashley J. Oguadimma, M.Ed. to the role of Vice President, Academic Services. Ashley joins JVS on March 1, 2021.

As Vice President of Academic Services, Ashley will be a member of the Leadership Team and will lead a team that provides JVS clients with academic pathways and services necessary for economic independence. This crucial work includes a high school diploma program through JVS’ partner, Boston Public Schools Central Adult High School, and multiple Bridges to College pathways that provide students with the knowledge, academic skills, and guidance they need to succeed in college and on the job.

Most recently, Ashley was the Academic Director at Year Up, where she provided vision and leadership for the Academic team, working closely with national and local program and academic staff to shape and implement national academic program goals. Ashley collaborated with higher education providers to help establish Year Up as a dynamic educational partner while also ensuring quality staffing, curriculum, professional development, and student assessment data. Prior roles included teaching at Codman Academy Charter Public Schools and Dean of Students at Conservatory Lab Charter School.

Ashley has a master’s degree in education from Boston College focused on education through an urban and special education lens and a bachelor’s degree from Spelman College.

About JVS Boston: For 80 years, JVS has helped tens of thousands of individuals with barriers to economic success secure financial independence through training, education, and employment services.  As the largest provider of adult education and workforce development services in the region, JVS is a nationally recognized leader in workforce development, and is a key part of the poverty alleviation strategy for the greater-Boston area.  In order to reach people in need of assistance on their pathway to meaningful employment and financial independence, JVS targets most of its services to low-income individuals who are unemployed or underemployed and to low-wage workers in need of career advancement services.  Many have multiple support needs ranging from limited English proficiency and lack of education to disabilities, criminal records, lack of childcare and transportation.  JVS operates on annual budget of more than $15 million, of which is derived equally from public and private sources. For more information, please visit www.jvs-boston.org.

About Pillar Search & HR Consulting: A woman-owned business based in Boston, Pillar Search & HR Consulting provides executive search/recruiting and human resources consulting expertise to nonprofit and mission-driven organizations, working with senior leaders and boards of directors to hire and develop the very best talent across all functional areas of the organization. For more information, please visit www.pillarsearch.com.

Exciting Executive Search News! Pillar Has Placed New England ACH Association’s President & CEO!

Pillar's Search Success

Pillar Search is proud to have successfully partnered with New England Automated Clearing House Association (NEACH) on the search for their new President & CEO and to announce the placement of Sean Carter.

Based in Burlington, MA, NEACH is a non-profit association that helps members originate and receive ACH transactions, and provides products, services, education and marketing to increase the acceptance, use and quality of electronic transactions.

Reporting to the Board of Directors, Sean will work collaboratively with the Board of Directors to guide and implement the strategic direction of NEACH and its affiliates. As President & CEO, Sean will provide leadership within the organization to achieve its short- and long-term mission, strategies, goals and objectives, and to advocate the use of electronic payments within the financial services arena and to enable the Board of Directors to fulfill its governance function.

Sean joined NEACH in 1998, and is currently the Senior Vice President, Payments Strategies.  He played an integral role in the creation of the NEACH Payments Group, and has been responsible for the NEACH education and professional development efforts, and managing key strategic relationships for NEACH and the NEACH Payments Group.  Sean is currently serving his final term on the NACHA Rules and Operations Committee and his second term on NACHA’s Risk Management and Advisory Group. 

Hire the best! With over 20 years of experience, Pillar provides retained search and human resources consulting services for exceptional non-profits, foundations and select for-profit firms. A woman-owned business, Pillar is based in Boston, MA, and works on both a local and national level. To learn more about how Pillar can assist with your search needs, please contact Cindy Joyce at cindy@pillarsearch.com.