Senior Director of Strategy

Position Description 

Faith in Place is seeking a Senior Director of Strategy to serve as a right-hand strategic partner to the CEO and a complement to the Chief Operations Officer, focused on how Faith in Place shows up in the world. This role owns the organization's external-facing strategy, from state-level program direction and outreach leadership to brand, communications positioning, and the relationships that grow our reach. This position reports to the CEO and works in close partnership with the COO and the state Outreach Directors. 

Responsibilities 

Strategic Planning and Organizational Growth 

• Lead development of Faith in Place's multi-year external strategy, translating the CEO's and Board's vision into concrete state and organizational plans. 

• Build and maintain state-level strategic plans for Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin in partnership with each state's Outreach Director, ensuring they ladder up to organization-wide goals. 

• Identify and evaluate opportunities for deliberate growth (eg: new regions, partnerships, program models). 

• Establish shared metrics and strategic milestones so leadership and the Board can track progress on external growth and impact. 

Outreach and State Program Leadership 

• Foster consistency and shared best practices across state teams while allowing for regional and cultural context. 

Brand, Communications, and External Presence 

• Partner closely with the Communications Director to shape brand positioning, messaging, and organizational voice across all three states and multiple faith traditions. 

• Help ensure Faith in Place's public presence (eg: press, digital, events, campaigns) reflects a coherent strategic narrative in support of organizational goals. 

• Represent Faith in Place, alongside or on behalf of the CEO, in high-visibility external settings (coalitions, funder convenings, interfaith gatherings, press). 

Relationship Development and Partnerships 

• Cultivate and deepen relationships with houses of worship, denominational bodies, coalition partners, and peer environmental and advocacy organizations. 

• Identify strategic partnership opportunities that extend Faith in Place's reach and influence across Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. 

• Work with the Development team to align relationship-building efforts with funding strategy where relevant. 

Key Strategic Projects and Cross-Departmental Initiatives 

• Lead or oversee special strategic projects assigned by the CEO that cut across departments (e.g., new program launches, major coalition efforts, organizational repositioning). 

• Ensure strategic initiatives are properly resourced, sequenced, and coordinated with Program, Development, and Operations leadership. 

Navigating the 501(c)(3) / 501(c)(4) Structure 

• Help ensure external strategy is coordinated across Faith in Place (501c3) and the Faith in Place Action Fund (501c4), maintaining appropriate separation of resources and activities while keeping messaging and growth strategy aligned. 

• Partner with legal/compliance advisors as needed on strategic initiatives that touch lobbying, advocacy, or electoral-adjacent work under the Action Fund. 

Qualifications 

Required Qualifications 

• 10+ years of relevant experience in nonprofit strategy, program leadership, or organizational development, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. 

• 5+ years of experience directing and managing staff, including managing managers or regional leads. 

• Demonstrated experience building and executing multi-year organizational or program strategy. 

• Experience shaping brand, communications, or public-facing strategy for a mission-driven organization. 

• Track record of building and sustaining external relationships and partnerships that advance organizational goals. 

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, comfortable representing an organization externally at a senior level. 

• Strong project management skills, with the ability to lead multiple cross-departmental initiatives simultaneously. 

• Passion for faith-based environmental and racial justice work, with cultural humility across diverse religious and spiritual traditions. 

• Candidate must reside in Illinois, Indiana, or Wisconsin. 

Preferred Qualifications 

• Experience working within a dual 501(c)(3)/501(c)(4) organizational structure. 

• Experience in environmental, climate, or advocacy-focused nonprofits. 

• Familiarity with multifaith or interfaith community organizing. 

• Advanced degree in nonprofit management, public policy, communications, or a related field. 

Hours 

This is a full-time, exempt position. While most work is done during a standard workday, work opportunities occasionally occur on evenings and weekends, including travel across Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. For any time worked outside regular work hours, comp time will be provided. 

About the Organization's Mission 

Faith in Place is a multifaith, environmental nonprofit 501(c)3 organization with outreach staff working throughout Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. Faith in Place's mission is to empower people of diverse faith and spiritualities to be leaders in advancing environmental and racial justice, providing resources to educate, connect, and advocate for healthier communities. Faith in Place partners with communities of faith from diverse religious traditions as well as people who identify as spiritual or motivated by justice but don't identify with a specific faith tradition. 

Faith in Place organizes faith leaders, groups, and members to advance our mission by starting and coaching Green Teams. Green Teams are three or more members of a house of worship who provide cooperative leadership to educate, connect, and advocate for environmental and racial justice within the context of their community's unique culture, history, and theological practices. 

All Faith in Place staff also contribute part of their working hours to the Faith in Place Action Fund, a separate 501(c)4 nonprofit organization. The Faith in Place Action Fund raises memberships and motivates lobbying for environmental justice. The Faith in Place Action Fund uses several tools to hold candidates and elected officials accountable to create more environmental justice jobs throughout the Midwest. These tools include grassroots lobbying, legislator scorecards, questionnaires, interviews, and candidate endorsements. 

About the Organization's Staff Culture 

The Faith in Place team works together to create a culture that is focused on growth, collaboration, healing, and justice. We value a diversity of voices and perspectives, and the staff team participates in Diversity and Equity training, Healing Circles, Case Studies, and more to learn from one another and professional teachers about the roots of injustice and how we can work together to create a collaborative and healthier work culture. 

Pay and Benefits 

This full-time position's salary range is $110,250 commensurate with experience. A comprehensive benefits package is offered to full-time employees of Faith in Place. These benefits, with some employee contributions, include medical, dental, vision, life, and short-term and long-term disability insurance, and an employer-matched SIMPLE IRA plan, which begins the first of the month following employment, and a stipend to support professional development. Up to twenty (20) paid vacation days, two (2) paid personal days, and five (5) paid sick days will begin after three (3) months of employment. Monthly cell phone and internet stipends are provided along with a $500 one-time payment to help with home office needs. 

Anti-Discrimination Policy 

Faith in Place is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate against any employee or job applicant based on race, color, national origin, religion, caste, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status, or marital status. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, hiring, termination, promotion, transfer, layoff, leaves of absence, compensation, and training. 

Justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion are core values at Faith in Place. Because we believe that the BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities must be centered in the work of our intersectional environmentalism, we strongly encourage applications from these identities. We acknowledge that we must do better to represent the diverse communities that we exist to uplift and protect. 

To Apply 

Only internal applications will be accepted through August 12.

Application Process and Timeline 

• For external applicants: 30-minute phone interview 

• 1-hour Zoom interview (questions will be sent in advance) 

• Finalists will be asked to provide 2-3 professional references (or a supervisor's reference for internal candidates) and may be invited for a final 45-minute interview.
  

To apply, please submit your resume and respond to the application questions. This posting will be removed when filled.