Senior Director of Strategy and Growth

Senior Director of Strategy and Growth

Organization: Thrive Center for Human Development at Fuller Theological Seminary
Work Module: Hybrid -- Pasadena, CA
Position Type: Full-Time
Report to: Executive Director

About Us: The Thrive Center for Human Development at Fuller Theological Seminary is a nonprofit applied research center dedicated to creating and distributing resources rooted in psychological science and spiritual health. Our mission is to foster thriving individuals and communities by integrating robust research with practical applications. We seek a dynamic and visionary Senior Director of Strategy & Growth to join our team and help advance our mission through strategic growth and development.

At the Thrive Center, we create and distribute resources rooted in cutting-edge psychological research to explore the profound connections between spirituality and well-being. Our aim is to illuminate how spirituality and religion can foster resilience and thriving, benefiting not just individuals, but communities and systems. While we embrace a broad understanding of spiritual health centered on love, our Christian foundation allows us to offer specific resources that reflect a Christian perspective on wholeness and thriving.

Role Overview: The Senior Director of Strategy & Growth will lead in developing a movement of thriving through spiritual health, identifying key partners and audiences, oversight of operations and administration, revenue generation, fiscal oversight, measuring effectiveness of resources and programs, as well as serving as a senior liaison for the Thrive Center within Fuller Theological Seminary and the Leadership Formation Division (LFD). The position entails drawing on market analysis and data analytics to inform partnerships, product and program development and evaluation, marketing, and brand positioning. The position requires a strong focus on expansion of a content-driven business, the creation and leverage of partnerships and networks, generating streams of revenue, and an ability to collaboratively lead a team toward these objectives. The Senior Director of Strategy & Growth will work closely with the Executive Director and Senior Director of Content to develop and implement the overall strategy of the Thrive Center.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Team Leadership and Strategy

• Collaborate with the Executive Director and Senior Development Content to develop and implement ongoing strategy for the Thrive Center based on market research, data analytics, and needs assessment of potential target populations, ensuring alignment with our mission and goals.
• Identify core demographic(s) or psychographic best served by Thrive Center's expertise and resources, articulate value proposition to these audiences.
• Oversee market research by identifying emerging trends, opportunities, and challenges in the fields of psychological science and spiritual health.
• Oversee data analysis to inform strategic decisions, employing tools such as Google Analytics, market surveys, and academic databases.
• Oversee needs assessment of our target populations, including faith communities, spiritually engaged leaders, educational institutions, and mental health professionals, to guide resource development.
• Develop processes, structure, and accountability for operations and team hiring and management.
• Lead quarterly strategy meetings, oversee an annual review process, mentor and develop team members, and plan an annual staff retreat.
• Serve as a senior-level representative of the Thrive Center within the Fuller and LFD ecosystems, among other Fuller offices and administrators regarding Center and general Fuller business as determined by the Executive Director.

Partnership Development

• Business Development: Identify and cultivate relationships with potential partners, including faith-based organizations, spiritually engaged networks, training and academic institutions, nonprofits, and corporate sponsors in order to build new and nurture existing partnerships with key organizations and individuals related to the Center's constituency to strategically further the mission and generate revenue.
• Collaborative Projects: Develop and manage collaborative projects with partners to expand our reach and enhance our program offerings.
• Networking: Represent the Thrive Center at conferences, workshops, and events to build networks and foster collaboration.
• Convening: Plan gatherings of key partners in the field of human thriving for social change in order to build the Center's reputation as a key thought leader and convener nationally and internationally.
• Partner with Fuller: Collaborate with the directors of other LFD Centers for partnership development and to ensure well-coordinated strategies.

Program Development

• Revenue Generation: Develop new revenue generating initiatives (e.g., programs, sponsorships, grants, fund development) for the Center that are consistent and well-coordinated with the Thrive Center's past and future research activities and the needs in the field.
• Program Design: Work closely with the Senior Director of Content in the creation of programs and resources that address identified needs and promote spiritual health and thriving to leverage community engagement,growth, and revenue generation.
• Project Management: Oversee the development of programs, ensuring they are delivered and distributed effectively and achieve desired outcomes.
• Evaluation and Impact: Develop metrics for breadth and depth of impact and effectiveness of resources. Monitor and evaluate performance of existing and future resources,, using data to drive continuous improvement and for reporting and development purposes.

Administrative oversight

• Responsible for fiscal oversight of the Center (with an annual budget of approximately $700K), including production of annual balanced operating budgets, accurate reporting to granting agencies, compliance with policies from the Office of Finance and Accounting, and wise stewardship of Thrive's financial resources.
• Provide reports on finances and guidance to the Executive Director on fiscal matters related to the Center.
• Provide data on finances, outcomes and growth, and marketing and evaluation metrics for internal and external reports and presentations.
• Work alongside the Executive Director and Senior Director of Content in fund development, including identifying grant opportunities, grant writing, and grant reporting; development of annual donor strategies; and donor relations.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS REQUIRED:

• Master's degree or PhD is preferred. Preferred areas of study include Psychology, Education, Business (MBA), Social Entrepreneurship (MSSE), Philanthropy, Public Administration (MPA), and/or MDiv.
• Minimum of 5-10 years of leadership experience in a nonprofit, research institute, or academic institution with a proven success of developing and implementing strategic plans; growing an audience; measuring impact; and building relationships with individuals, nonprofits, universities, civic organizations, foundations, and/or digitally-based networks.
• Experience and passion in building national movements around personal transformation and social change.
• Expert level psychological writing and training abilities in the areas of positive psychology, positive youth development, and/or psychology of religion and spirituality are preferred. Candidate with an established presence as a thought leader in the field is preferred.
• Experience with theological writing and training in ministry, leadership, and spiritual formation is also an asset.
• Experience working in matrix organizations while engaging in activities such as supervising, negotiating, promotion/branding, and external relationship management.
• Experience developing offerings suited for a changing landscape of mental health, church, and culture.
• Experience in a multicultural team setting, with strong relational skills and ability to build relationships, manage teams, and work effectively with diverse staff.
• Ability to work effectively in a multi-task environment is a must-including the ability to initiate, prioritize, maintain, and complete both short-term and long-term projects simultaneously with a high degree of attention to detail.
• Team player - experience working in a startup environment and working collaboratively with others.

How to Apply: Interested candidates should submit their resume and a cover letter detailing their experience and interest. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

The Thrive Center for Human Development at Fuller Theological Seminary is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Requires repetitive motions and sitting at computer keyboard
• Able to hear and speak on the telephone
• Able to read, take notes, and view a computer monitor
• Able to conduct business at other offices on campus

ADDITIONAL REMARKS:

• Willing to adhere to Fuller's Community Standards.
• Willing to sign Fuller's Statement of Faith.
• This position requires a background and credit check.
• This is a hybrid position working out of Pasadena, CA with some availability to work from home

Pay Scale:

• Salary range the seminary expects to pay: $90,000 - $94,000 annually USD

Fuller Theological Seminary is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. To the extent required by law, all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or protected Veteran status. As a religious institution, Fuller Theological Seminary is permitted and reserves the right to prefer employees or prospective employees for certain positions on the basis of religion.