Executive Director, Board Development-Philanthropy

Beth Israel Lahey Health

9d•$170,000 - $200,000

About The Position

The Executive Director of Board Development provides system-wide leadership for board development across first-tier BILH organizations and serves as lead advisor and primary support for BIDMC board development initiatives. Reporting to the Vice President, Philanthropy Enterprise Initiatives, the Executive Director develops, implements, and oversees a comprehensive board development program that supports organizational priorities, advances partnerships with local and system governance staff, promotes philanthropic engagement, and recruits and cultivates diverse volunteer leadership talent. The position partners with the BILH System Governance Team to ensure board development practices complement governance standards and processes. Working closely with hospital leaders, senior executives, philanthropy leaders, board development staff, and volunteer leaders, the Executive Director ensures an exceptional engagement experience for trustees, advisory board members, and committee members. The role leads first-tier board recruitment, onboarding, and engagement strategies to advance philanthropic and organizational goals. The position leads board development strategy and staff coordination; establishes candidate pipelines and leadership development programs; guides trustee engagement and stewardship; develops reporting and metrics; and provides consultation and resources to organizational partners. It also leads related strategic initiatives and represents Board Development and Philanthropy in system-wide and external settings.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required.
10–15 years of progressively responsible experience in philanthropy, volunteer leadership, board development, nonprofit management, healthcare administration, or a related field.
At least 5 years of leadership and staff management experience.
Demonstrated ability to build relationships and work effectively with trustees, senior executives, donors, community leaders, and other high-level volunteers.
Demonstrated expertise in board development, volunteer leadership engagement, philanthropy, and nonprofit leadership practices, with working knowledge of nonprofit governance principles and board best practices.
Ability to make complex strategic decisions affecting multiple organizations, departments, and stakeholder groups, exercising significant independent judgment.
Ability to navigate sensitive and complex issues involving trustees, volunteer leaders, executives, donors, and organizational priorities through diplomacy, strategic thinking, and influence.
Ability to establish strategic direction, departmental objectives, and operational priorities with broad executive guidance.
Exceptional written communication skills for executive communications, board materials, presentations, reports, correspondence, and strategic recommendations.
Ability to influence, negotiate, advise, and present effectively to board members, executive leadership, physicians, donors, and external stakeholders.
Ability to lead high-performing teams and build collaborative relationships across entities and stakeholder groups.
Ability to establish and maintain exceptional service standards for volunteer leaders, trustees, executive leadership, and internal partners.
Work requires close attention to task, adaptability, independent judgment, and priority management.

Nice To Haves

Healthcare, academic medicine, or large nonprofit system experience.
Experience developing and engaging trustees and volunteer leaders, knowledge of nonprofit board structures, and familiarity with board development best practices.
Demonstrated success engaging influential volunteer leaders, trustees, and philanthropic ambassadors.
Experience supporting healthcare, academic, nonprofit, or complex matrix organizations.
Knowledge of fundraising principles, major gifts, board philanthropy, campaign leadership, and donor engagement strategies.
Experience with governance technology platforms such as Nasdaq BoardVantage, Diligent, OnBoard, or similar systems.
Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, O365, Power BI, CRM platforms, and board management systems.
Experience leading diversity-focused board recruitment and inclusion initiatives.

Responsibilities

Lead the Board Development function across first-tier BILH hospital and clinical unit boards, establishing a system-wide approach to identifying, cultivating, recruiting, onboarding, and educating volunteer leaders.
Develop and coordinate system-wide strategies for trustee recruitment, leadership succession, committee appointments, and volunteer engagement.
Align board structure, composition, and leadership development with system governance, local strategic priorities, and community needs.
Build and manage candidate pipelines in partnership with governance and nominating committees, philanthropy leadership, prospect development teams, and executive leadership.
Cultivate trustee and volunteer leadership pipelines, including future board chairs, committee leaders, and philanthropic ambassadors.
Coordinate onboarding, orientation, education, and continuing development programs for first-tier board members and volunteer leaders in collaboration with the BILH Board Governance team.
Develop and recommend strategies to increase community representation and skill-based board participation.
Lead trustee engagement and stewardship activities that create meaningful opportunities to advance philanthropy, advocacy, community engagement, and organizational priorities.
Develop and monitor trustee engagement reporting and metrics, including participation, philanthropic engagement, and leadership involvement.
Partner with philanthropy and executive leadership to maximize board members’ influence, networks, expertise, and philanthropic capacity.
Develop educational initiatives with board and philanthropy leaders to enhance board members’ engagement in philanthropy.
Create a consistent trustee experience throughout the board member lifecycle, including onboarding, ongoing service, leadership development, recognition, and transition from board service.
Coordinate Board Development staff and foster a team culture grounded in collaboration, accountability, innovation, customer service, and continuous improvement.
Develop work plans covering project management, budget development, operational performance, and resource allocation.
Identify opportunities to use data, technology, and best practices to strengthen candidate pipelines, trustee engagement, and board member experience.
Serve as the subject matter expert on board development, trustee engagement, and onboarding best practices for first-tier boards.
Provide consultation, training, guidance, tools, and resources to philanthropy staff, hospital administrators, executive leaders, and board liaisons.
Lead special projects and strategic initiatives related to board development, volunteer leadership, board engagement, and philanthropy integration.
Represent Board Development and Philanthropy in system-wide committees, task forces, executive meetings, and external professional organizations as appropriate.