Senior Executive Director

Position Description

The Senior Executive Director will be responsible for setting strategic direction, cultivating high-value partnerships, and driving mission-aligned investment to strengthen communities across New York State while serving as a collaborative innovator to advance creative, team-driven solutions.

A key responsibility for this position is securing and aligning capital—philanthropic, public, and private—to advance inclusive economic development, affordable housing, and community-building efforts. The Senior Executive Director will champion the OneLISC strategy and approach, ensuring New York State benefits from resources, and scaling opportunities.

This role oversees the full range of LISC programs ensuring they are delivered with excellence across multiple markets.

This role reports to the President & CEO and works in close collaboration, including a dotted-line relationship, with the Regional Program Vice President. The position requires a strategic, entrepreneurial leader with deep community development expertise and the ability to influence the local, state, and national levels.

 

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Alignment

• Provide vision, leadership, and management for all LISC programs and initiatives across multiple markets statewide.
• Foster a positive, collaborative environment that aligns statewide work with the OneLISC national strategy, including navigating the OneLISC platform.
• Develop and implement statewide strategies that reflect priorities and respond to local community needs.
• Lead innovative approaches to community development and investment to achieve scaled, measurable outcomes.
• Partner with other LISC local offices across the country to share best practices and advance organizational learning.

 Program & National Initiative Integration

• Serve as the primary connector between program teams and local partners to ensure statewide implementation aligns with the organizational expectations and quality standards.
• Scale proven national LISC initiatives—such as housing, economic development, small business, and workforce programs—adapting models to regional market needs.
• Coordinate statewide participation in pilots and grant-funded initiatives, ensuring alignment, compliance, performance, and quality reporting.
• Translate national goals and program guidance into clear local strategies that produce consistent, measurable impact across markets.
• Provide field insights, data, and feedback to LISC Leadership to inform program evolution and continuous improvement.
• Advocate for additional resources—including capital, technical assistance, and specialized expertise—to strengthen statewide program delivery.

Capital Investment & Resource Development

• Lead a comprehensive capital investment strategy that leverages local and state government funding, philanthropic partnerships, private capital, and LISC’s national platforms and affiliates.
• Drive strong fundraising performance, consistently meeting or exceeding goals for privately raised resources.
• Achieve annual community capital investment and lending targets, ensuring capital is deployed strategically to advance affordable housing, economic development, and community revitalization priorities across the state.
• Cultivate and steward major donors, public-sector partners, and financial institutions to expand LISC’s statewide capital base.

Stakeholder Engagement & Ecosystem Building

• Build and strengthen a robust ecosystem of community-based nonprofit partners to advance LISC’s programmatic and investment strategies across diverse markets.
• Develop a broad cross-sector network that includes philanthropic leaders, government officials, financial institutions, private developers, anchor institutions, and community stakeholders.
• Establish and support strong Local Advisory Committees (LACs) in LISC markets, ensuring members are engaged, influential leaders who provide strategic guidance and leverage resources.
• Lead the development and implementation of a clear statewide policy agenda aligned with LISC’s national priorities and responsive to local community needs.
• Serve as a visible, trusted statewide advocate for equitable community development and an ambassador for LISC’s mission.

Operational & Team Leadership

• Lead the effective management of a complex budget with multiple revenue streams, ensuring financial health and maintaining at least six months of operating reserves.
• Build, motivate, and coach a geographically dispersed team, fostering a culture of collaboration, high performance, and continuous development.
• Ensure strong internal operations, including talent management, performance management, and resource allocation aligned with strategic priorities.
• Promote an equitable, inclusive work environment that reflects LISC’s core values.
• Strengthen internal systems and processes to support program execution, compliance, and organizational learning.
• Other duties as assigned. 

 

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required; a master’s degree in a relevant field (public policy, urban planning, business, public administration, etc.) is strongly preferred.
• Minimum of 15 years of senior leadership experience and in-depth knowledge in community development, affordable housing, real estate finance, economic development, philanthropy, or related sectors.
• Demonstrated success in shaping and financing affordable housing or community development initiatives, through development, lending, capital deployment, or similar experience.
• Proven ability to attract, secure, and sustain philanthropic funding and public-sector support.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with experience presenting to diverse audiences including funders, government officials, community groups, and boards of directors.
• Strong executive management experience, including staff leadership, financial oversight, and organizational administration.
• A track record of leading strategic planning and executing multi-year strategies that deliver measurable impact.
• Demonstrated ability to set priorities, manage complex initiatives, and execute a strategic agenda across multiple markets.
• Strong relationship building and partnership development skills across diverse sectors, including government, philanthropy, private industry, and community-based organizations.
• Understanding of New York State and national policy landscapes relevant to housing, community development, and economic mobility.
• Proficiency in using data and performance metrics to inform strategy and decision-making.

 

Compensation

LISC provides a competitive salary ($200,000-$250,000) and excellent fringe benefits for this position.