Managing Director of External Affairs, Midwest

Managing Director of External Affairs – Midwest Position: Managing Director of External Affairs, Midwest Position Type: Internal-External FLSA Classification: Exempt Reports to: Eric Lugo – Regional Executive Director, Midwest Start Date: January 2026 Location: Chicago, IL | Please Note: this role is part of the OneGoal Midwest team, headquartered in Chicago, and is a hybrid team — working both in-person and via home office. The person in this position will be required to work in-person 3 – 8 times per month on average from our Chicago office and have the ability to travel regularly to stakeholder engagements across the Midwest region, including Milwaukee and Michigan as those markets grow. Candidates based in the Chicago metro area by their start date are strongly preferred. Application Deadline: Priority will be given to applications received before October 30, 2026. Salary Range: $119,051 – $131,656 is the hiring salary range for this position (i.e. the range a candidate would be offered to start). About OneGoal OneGoal transforms postsecondary advising and support so that every student can define their own future. Together with our partners, we’re building a movement to close the opportunity gap. We work side‑by-side with partner schools and districts to build their knowledge and capacity. The result is more effective support for all students. Our unique approach, honed over 15 years, prioritizes strong human relationships. And it’s proven to deliver real student impact: An independent study by the University of Chicago found that OneGoal students are about 40% more likely to earn their postsecondary degrees than students from similar backgrounds. At OneGoal you’ll be immersed in a culture of collaboration, shared purpose, and collective impact. The Person You believe – and your work has demonstrated your belief – that all students can earn a credential of value and the life that comes with it. Reporting to the Regional Executive Director, Midwest, as Managing Director of External Affairs, you will be responsible for bringing the vision to life by setting direction and strategy for the OneGoal Midwest Development team, including developing a growth strategy for the broader Midwest region, with Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin (Milwaukee) as priority markets. As the Chicago region is also home to OneGoal’s national headquarters, you will also play a role in aligning on donor and fundraising opportunities with the National External Affairs team. You’re chiefly responsible for engaging the internal‑facing development team and external‑facing constituents (board, donor base, potential prospects) to meet and exceed our annual Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) while contributing to a strong internal culture that fosters a high level of understanding and investment in development and outreach work. You serve as a key member of the Midwest Leadership Team and trusted partner to the Regional Executive Director, Midwest. You bring demonstrated fundraising experience within the Chicago market and, ideally, call the city home. You will do this by: Setting Strategic Vision and Direction (30%) Partnering with Regional Executive Director, Midwest to design innovative strategies to influence and motivate new and existing external constituents to invest in our work, at $3,000,000 (philanthropic) in this fiscal year and growing steadily over the next few years, while effectively tracking progress-to-goal. Supporting the Regional Executive Director, Midwest to influence and motivate new and existing external constituents to invest in our work. Developing and organizing a growth strategy for the Midwest region, focused on sustainability in Illinois, and expansion in Michigan and Wisconsin (Milwaukee) as priority markets. Maintaining and building goals, strategies, and campaigns across foundation, corporate, individual, and public funding streams. Partnering closely with the National External Affairs team on national fundraising opportunities and shared funder relationships. Using Chicago and broader Midwest landscape data (donor market, postsecondary landscape, education landscape, economic, philanthropic market) to inform vision and direction to meet all development KPIs. Donor Engagement and Brand Awareness (25%) Developing and executing a strong plan to engage prospects and donors across Chicago and emerging Midwest markets, while amplifying the region’s brand through external events, media, and networking. Leading the development team to excel in the execution of the annual external communication plan and regional marketing efforts. Serving as an ambassador for OneGoal, when needed, in major gift prospect/donor meetings, conferences, or other public‑speaking engagements. Creating the conditions for the development team to partner effectively with other Midwest regional functions, as well as with the National External Affairs team, to engage all external stakeholders through in‑person, virtual, or written formats. Portfolio Management and Execution (20%) Managing a portfolio of donors by reviewing and analyzing progress to goal, making strategic decisions to inform actions and campaigns, and executing on cultivation plans to drive toward revenue growth. Collaborating with the Regional Executive Director, Midwest to set board vision and engagement strategies, and manage communication including board updates and board meeting materials. Building and retaining investor pipeline by managing the team effectively in the sourcing, prospecting, and engagement of donors, including in new Milwaukee and Michigan markets. Serving as a key role model for others in your reporting line on best practice actions for portfolio managers, including strong use of Salesforce data and other analytics, expert external communications, and strong pitch language and materials. Midwest Leadership Team, Functional Team Lead, OneGoal People Manager, and Member of OneGoal Community (25%) Serving alongside the Regional Executive Director, Midwest and other Midwest Managing Directors as a member of the Midwest Leadership Team (MLT) to inform regional vision, priorities, and expectations for future fiscal years, including the region’s growth into Milwaukee and Michigan. Effectively building strong relationships with Midwest team members and modeling for all staff what it means to be a culture leader and embody our core values. Modeling practices of strong management, achieving results through supportive accountability, and building the capabilities of direct reports and development team members. Collaborating with the MLT, the National External Affairs team, and org‑wide colleagues to identify interdependencies and ensure strong execution of cross‑team and cross‑regional efforts. The Managing Director of External Affairs is likely to see themselves in the following examples, as they are designed to help you determine if this opportunity aligns with your own passion, purpose, skills, and experiences. You are a strategist, synthesizer, and highly organized. You like to explore and build innovative approaches and have designed new ways of doing things. You make connections, determine fits, and build plans that are responsive to interlocking and evolving challenges and opportunities. You enjoy zooming out to see the big picture to craft a data‑informed strategy and enjoy zooming in to execute, bringing that strategy to life — including standing up new fundraising efforts in emerging markets. Contingency planning and problem‑solving excite you, and working to streamline and improve systems gives you energy. You are a leader and collaborator. You connect your success to the success of those you work with, and believe in both shared responsibility and mutual accountability. You believe that clear expectations and regular, honest feedback are the cornerstones of growth. As a manager, you believe in the inherent potential and capacity of people. You seek to empower your team to become leaders and agents of change, to grow and thrive and ultimately to share in building OneGoal Midwest. You are a strong coach and can work with direct reports to build upon their strengths and grow their skills and competencies. You are a compelling and inspiring communicator, and it is rooted in your beliefs. You’ve developed materials and talking points that have resulted in impact and building champions in your work because you understand others’ perspectives and motivations and adjust your messages, approach, and design based on your audience. You get energy from meeting others and they are inspired when they meet you. When you meet someone, you are able to understand what motivates them, communicate why our work matters, and connect their interests to investing in OneGoal. Your written and verbal communication shines whether meant for a new intern, a Milwaukee‑based prospect, or a founding Board member. You are a coalition builder. You cultivate relationships with the understanding that our students are best served when we collaborate to meet all of their needs. You are energized by the opportunity to build something new — whether that’s a first donor relationship in an emerging market or a stronger bridge between regional and national fundraising efforts. You are driven both by data and experience, recognizing that decision‑making and strategy require evidence as well as a drive to dream big. You excitedly identify and confront challenges and opportunities. You see challenges as opportunities to take your critical thinking skills and impact to the next level. You operate with a strong sense of personal responsibility when it comes to solving challenges. You analyze data and marshal resources to ensure our students and school partners have what they need to make postsecondary access possible. Qualifications: Bachelor’s Degree (Required) 6-8 years development experience (Required) Previous management experience (Required) Demonstrated fundraising experience within the Chicago market (Required) Demonstrated experience managing fundraising targets of $4,000,000 and above (Highly Preferred) Understanding of the Chicago/Midwest philanthropic and education landscape (Preferred) Experience building or launching a fundraising strategy in a new or emerging market (Preferred) Based in the Chicago metro area (Preferred) Willingness to travel to external stakeholders across the Midwest region up to 8 times per month (Required) Our Team Guided by a clear set of core values and beliefs, you will join an impressive group of OneGoal staff across the country who believe in the untapped potential within students. The OneGoal team challenges themselves and others to regularly ask, “Is there a better way?” We believe that in order to create the change we seek, each person we hire brings a remarkable and diverse set of experiences, skills and characteristics that individually and collectively, will contribute to the radical change needed to move us towards a more just nation. The Tangible Good OneGoal offers competitive compensation based on the market for nonprofits our size. Our benefits package* includes: over eight weeks of paid time off (or 43 business days), between vacation days, wellness time, and holidays; paid medical or parental leaves should you have need; medical, dental, vision, short-term and long-term disability, and life insurance; as well as a 401(k) with a 3% match. We believe in compensating staff members fairly in relation to each other, their qualifications, and their impact on behalf of the organization, and take internal and external fairness seriously. OneGoal does not negotiate salary offers; instead each salary offer is determined carefully using external and internal benchmarking. You will have an opportunity to discuss salary in more detail after you begin the hiring process. *OneGoal reserves the right to change benefits at any time according to business need. If you require a reasonable accommodation to submit an application or to participate in the application or interview process, please reach out to our Human Assets Team to request an accommodation. Our Human Assets Team can be contacted at View phone number on click.appcast.io or View email address on click.appcast.io. OneGoal does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of actual or perceived sex, race, color, ancestry, citizenship, ethnicity, national origin, religion, age, disability (mental or physical), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, pregnancy, breastfeeding or related medical condition, parenthood, genetic characteristic or information, military or veteran status, marital status, or any other characteristic protected under federal, state, or local law. #J-18808-Ljbffr OneGoal