Chief Executive Officer, Hello Neighbor

Job Description

Job Description

 

The Organization

Hello Neighbor works to improve the lives of refugees and immigrants by matching them with dedicated neighbors and connecting them to essential resources that support stability, belonging, and opportunity.

In 2016, Hello Neighbor began with a simple act of welcome. Inspired to connect more deeply with her community and moved to support her newest neighbors in the face of rising anti-refugee and anti-immigrant sentiment after the 2016 presidential election, the Founder & CEO reached out to a recently resettled Syrian family and invited them to share Thanksgiving dinner. That one meal sparked an idea: what if every newly resettled refugee family had a neighbor to welcome them? Someone to answer questions, help navigate a new culture, and offer support during one of the most vulnerable transitions in life.

Hello Neighbor launched its first pilot of this concept in June 2017 with 25 refugee families and 25 local families matched in one-on-one mentorships. The goal: build connection across lines of difference. By practicing English, sharing meals, and exploring Pittsburgh together, families built trust with immediate and mutual impact. Since that first year, Hello Neighbor has grown into a multifaceted refugee- and immigrant-serving organization providing programs and services across the region. Its work spans refugee resettlement, family support, employment, education and access, legal services, health and wellness, youth and family programming, community engagement, and other initiatives designed to help newcomers thrive.

Its anchor program matches caring neighbors with new neighbors and is complemented by tutoring, English as a New Language classes, maternal health navigation and support, food access, and Little Neighbors for our youngest new neighbors.

Since 2017, Hello Neighbor has served over 4,000 individuals from more than 65 countries of origin across its programs in Allegheny and Washington Counties, while also supporting nonprofit organizations nationwide through its national program, the Hello Neighbor Network, to aid refugees and immigrants in their own communities.

What hasn’t changed is its belief in the power of kindness and authentic human connection. Hello Neighbor was built on the idea that welcoming isn’t just about policy; it’s about people. By showing up for our neighbors, Hello Neighbor creates stronger and more vibrant communities for everyone.

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The Opportunity

As Hello Neighbor approaches its second decade, the Board seeks a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to usher the organization into a new chapter in its growth cycle, managing overall leadership, strategy, sustainability, and organizational health. Following the departure of its founding CEO, the next executive will inherit an established organization, experienced staff and leadership, significant community credibility, strong partnerships, and a history of innovation and impact. The CEO will work in partnership with the Senior Leadership Team and report to a committed Board of Directors. The CEO will ensure that Hello Neighbor operates effectively and in alignment with its mission, strategic plan, and values.

This seasoned leader will embrace and build upon Hello Neighbor’s legacy of impactful program delivery to the region’s refugee and immigrant communities while navigating an increasingly complex and tenuous funding environment. Prioritizing strong fundraising and relationships, the CEO will seek to forge alliances among foundations, government, and like-minded organizations, as well as making personal connections with volunteers and individual donors.

The CEO is primarily responsible for the following:

Leadership & Management

• Leads a high-functioning, empowered, and accountable senior leadership team and staff, fostering a workplace culture of transparency, respect, integrity, collaboration, and trust.
• Ensures that Hello Neighbor attracts, develops, and retains strong, diverse talent through recruiting, onboarding, coaching, and evaluation.
• Assesses the effectiveness of Hello Neighbor’s programs through measurable, objective, and quantitative evidence and shares data with the Board and other stakeholders.

Strategy & Financial Health

• Leads implementation and continued evolution of Hello Neighbor's strategic plan in partnership with the Board of Directors and senior leadership team.
• Ensures programs, staffing, resources, and organizational infrastructure remain aligned with mission, strategy, community needs, and available funding, and identifies opportunities for program growth.
• Makes thoughtful and data-driven decisions in an environment where government policy, refugee arrivals, funding, and community needs may change quickly.
• Maintains overall responsibility for the financial health and sustainability of Hello Neighbor.
• Works closely with finance and operations leadership and the Board Finance Committee to develop, monitor, and manage the annual organizational budget.
• Ensures Hello Neighbor maintains strong systems for compliance, contracts, HR, risk management, data, technology, and organizational operations, including policies and procedures that meet state and federal regulations.

Development & External Relations

• Partners with development leadership, staff, and the Board to set and achieve annual and long-term fundraising goals that provide the resources needed to fulfill the mission.
• Builds unrestricted and diversified revenue by stewarding current philanthropic partners and individual donors and cultivating new sources of support.
• Understands the systems of government agencies specific to accessing federal, state and local funding.
• Participates directly in major donor identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Collaborates with the Marketing & Communications Manager to oversee brand strategy, ensuring cohesive messaging that raises Hello Neighbor’s visibility, relevance, and credibility across the region.
• Engages community, business, and civic leaders to advance welcoming solutions and policies for refugees and immigrants.
• Builds and fosters trust across diverse stakeholders and navigates complex relationships with maturity and diplomacy.
• Strengthens partnerships with refugee resettlement agencies, immigrant-serving organizations, collaboratives, service providers, and other partners.
• Represents Hello Neighbor through public speaking, panels, convenings, media opportunities, writing, and community events. Serves as an organizational spokesperson during significant opportunities, policy developments, crises, or other public moments.
• Develops meaningful relationships with refugee and immigrant communities and community leaders.

Advocacy

• Advocates passionately for the rights and needs of refugees, immigrants, and their families.
• Stays informed about trends, policy changes, and emerging needs affecting refugees and immigrants locally and nationally.
• Builds constructive relationships with policymakers across all levels of government.
• Communicates about politically sensitive immigration and refugee issues with confidence, accuracy, and judgment, without allowing partisan politics to distract from the mission.
• Works with peer organizations and coalitions when collective advocacy is appropriate.

Board Relations

• Develops, maintains, and supports a high-performing and passionate Board of Directors.
• Provides the Board with timely, accurate information and metrics on organizational performance, opportunities, challenges, and risks.
• Supports the Board in fulfilling its fiduciary and governance responsibilities.

The Candidate

Hello Neighbor seeks a collaborative and strategic leader who is committed to the mission of improving lives for refugees and immigrants with a thorough understanding of management and compassion for communities served. Combining savvy leadership and sophisticated management abilities, the successful candidate will advance the organization’s culture, capability, processes, and impact. The ideal candidate will be thoughtful and diplomatic, recognizing the skills and expertise Hello Neighbor’s staff, volunteers, Board, and strategic partners bring to the organization.

The successful CEO will be a visible, persuasive advocate and spokesperson for Hello Neighbor with diverse audiences. This is a role for an experienced organizational leader who can balance mission and management, people and systems, internal leadership and external relationships.

All candidates should have exceptional and proven management, leadership, fundraising, relationship management, and strategic planning experience , as well as possess a combination of the following skills and attributes:

• Passion for and deep commitment to Hello Neighbor’s mission and vision including refugees, immigrants, belonging, dignity, and community, with professional experience serving marginalized communities.
• Past success working collaboratively with partners, including but not limited to government officials, legislators, philanthropic leaders, like-minded organizational partners, and a strong Board of Directors.
• Demonstrated success creating a diverse, inclusive, and respectful workplace, with a transparent, encouraging leadership style that builds teams around a unified vision and cultivates respect at all levels.
• Proven success with identifying, cultivating and securing funding from diverse sources, including individuals, corporations, philanthropies and government entities.
• Experience and confidence with public speaking before a wide range of professionals and community audiences. Stellar interpersonal and communication skills, with a track record of building strong and long-term relationships with a diverse group of stakeholders.
• Experience navigating organizational growth, change, or transition, with innovative approaches to organizational problems and challenges.
• Commitment to quality programs and data-driven program evaluation.
• Financial acumen that extends to evaluating financial performance of the organization with regards to long-term operational goals, budgets, and forecasts.
• Demonstrated cultural competence and ability to build trusting relationships with people across differences in background, role, culture, and lived experience.
• Strong judgment, emotional maturity, self-awareness, discretion, and the highest standards of ethics and personal integrity.

Performance Objectives

In the first 6–12 months, the new Chief Executive Officer will:

• Become immersed in the programs, people, and operational mechanics of Hello Neighbor, including engagement with staff and Board. Prioritize deep listening to understand current culture, needs, and expectations.
• Engage in meaningful outreach with major donors, funders, government partners, peer organizations, and community leaders with the goal of strengthening these critical relationships.
• Establish a clear vision, in partnership with the Board and staff, for the organization's next chapter in conjunction with current strategic plan implementation.
• Strengthen and align the senior leadership team by clarifying roles, decision-making authority, and performance expectations to support organizational effectiveness and growth.
• Assess Hello Neighbor’s financial position and revenue mix and, with the Board, set priorities for long-term sustainability.

Compensation & Workplace Environment

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