President & Ceo Jobs

The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) provides the nation’s foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training, which helps young people be “Prepared. For Life.®” The Scouting organization is composed of the National Council (BSA) and approximately 250 chartered local councils, each of which is a separate 501(c)3 organization with its own board of directors. Together, they serve more than 1 million youth members between the ages of 5 and 21 and approximately 628,000 volunteers in local councils throughout the United States and its territories.

Since its inception in 1910, more than 130 million young men and women have participated in the BSA’s youth programs. More than 35 million adult volunteers have helped carry out the BSA’s mission to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes. One of the core activities of the BSA is to instill in young people the values of the Scout Oath and Law which are as follows:

Scouting is offered to youth regardless of gender, race, ethnic background, sexual orientation, disability, or gender identification. BSA programs are divided by age and activity:

Traditional Scouting programs are operated through the local councils by local chartering organizations, such as religious institutions, clubs, civic associations, and educational organizations, which implement the Scouting program for youth within their communities, and by local councils. These units are led primarily by volunteers appointed by the chartering organization, who are supported by local councils using both volunteers and paid professional staff.

In order to further outdoor activities, which are core to the implementation of Scouting’s mission, the BSA has four High-Adventure Bases: The High-Adventure Bases include: Northern Tier (Minnesota, Manitoba, and Ontario),

Philmont Scout Ranch

(New Mexico), Sea Base (Florida Keys), and Summit Bechtel Reserve (West Virginia).

Additionally, local councils own and operate more than 730 camp properties nationwide.

Overview

Position:

President & CEO

HQ Location:

The BSA headquarters is located in Irving, Texas and the majority of administrative staff are based in this location, including the CEO. The BSA is a national organization with high adventure bases (camps) and supply service facilities located throughout the United States.

Local Councils:

There are about 250 Local councils located across all 50 states and most U.S. territories as well as overseas. The BSA program, developed through the BSA, is delivered through these entities. They collectively have about 3,500 employees who participate in organization-wide talent management and are covered through a single-employer benefit program. The BSA also delivers additional council services such as IT, risk management, training, marketing and communications, accounting, and others to the local councils.

Reporting Relationship:

National Executive Board level.

Employees and Budget:

Full-time employees: 665 professionals and staff (including supply division) at the national level.

Website, Motto, and Slogan:

http://www.scouting.org

Motto: Be Prepared.

Slogan: Do A Good Turn Daily.

The Opportunity

The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) is looking for an experienced and dynamic leader to guide this important youth development organization into a new and vibrant future.

Being the next BSA President & CEO is an unparalleled opportunity to materially and positively impact the lives of millions of children and youth across the country. The next CEO will exhibit a strong personal humility and professional will, be driven and ambitious, yet maintain a healthy self-awareness and ability to put the needs of others above their own. Acting with integrity and inspiration, the CEO will galvanize committed board members, staff, council leaders, volunteers, and families around a unified vision. The leader will help create a better world by preparing young people to make ethical and moral choices and creating memories that communities across the nation cherish. The CEO will be a prominent national advocate for youth and act with the highest levels of ethics and integrity.

The CEO will provide a vision and execution strategy for building an innovative, inclusive, and resilient organization and growing youth membership and volunteering. Reporting to the Board, and partnering with a strong leadership team, the CEO will ensure that the organization is fiscally and operationally sound. Additionally, as BSA’s chief advocate and fundraiser, the CEO will engage both individual and institutional partners to help develop resources to further BSA’s bold agenda.

During the President & CEO’s first year, it is important they:

 Provide leadership for all aspects of the organization’s operations with an emphasis on long-term strategy, growth, profit, and fundraising.

 Work to thoroughly understand BSA—its mission and values, history, culture, body of work, partners and stakeholders, operations, and potential.

 Gain and maintain the confidence of BSA’s board, staff, and local councils, forging relationships of trust and cooperation that continue to bring forth their best efforts and talents.

 Connect with local communities, instilling confidence, and excitement in the leadership transition; Continue to facilitate learning and action across all geographic areas.

 Assess BSA’s entire structure – ensuring that staff are well-positioned, operations are efficient, and programs are exciting and mission-aligned.

 Redefine youth development in BSA’s internal culture and its work with youth and volunteers.

What You’ll DO

Vision and Strategic Planning

 Foster innovation and imagination; create a culture-shift and lead a futuristic approach to scouting and organizational strategy. Reintroduce an iconic and transformed American brand, programmatic and marketing opportunities.

 Grow our traditional programs and identify new powerhouse program(s) that will advance BSA to the preeminent, transformative youth program of tomorrow.

 Create BSA’s comprehensive strategic plan and actualize that plan by collaborating with staff and volunteers, ensuring alignment between the plan’s stated goals and the organization’s actual programs and capacity.

 Develop and operationalize objective metrics for evaluating BSA’s impacts and successes.

 Reinvent funding models and create additional revenue streams.

 Build, assess and strategically leverage BSA’s partnerships with large-scale private sector entities, engaging large alumni networks, developing products, platforms and services that benefit youth, parents, BSA, and the country.

Organizational Development and General Management

 Advance culture, grounded in safety, diversity, and inclusion that supports the agency and productivity of all members of the BSA community. Promote collaboration and trust between the professional staff, volunteer cohort, alumni, parents, and the youth BSA serves.

 Build cohesion among national and local councils.

 Supervise a highly skilled professional team; inspire a spirit of teaming and cohesion; Provide meaningful opportunities for staff development and growth.

 Evaluate and modernize the organization’s human resources, operations, facility management, retail operations, financial systems, information technology systems, processes, and procedures for optimal efficiency.

 Oversee all financial systems, including budgetary processes, audits, cash flow management and financial analysis; ensure that sound financial structures are in place and that reporting systems are accurate.

 Continue to engage and build the BSA network at the local, state, and national levels.

Resource Management & Development

 Conduct a deep assessment of BSA’s current business and revenue models.

 Cultivate and maintain solid relationships with existing and new donors.

 In partnership with appropriate staff and board, diversify funding streams and new revenue models aimed at ensuring long-term financial sustainability.

 Review and develop a new membership strategy to rapidly build BSA’s membership.

Communications and External Relations

 Demonstrate that all elements of safety (e.g., occupational health and safety, environmental health, fire and life safety) are a core value of the organization.

 Serve as a highly visible, national thought-leader and advocate around scouting, youth development, safety, and civic engagement.

 Assist in refreshing the brand and serve as the brand ambassador for BSA.

 Maintain a broad communications framework for BSA with clear objectives and appropriate resources, including the strategic use of public relations and social media.

 Visibly promote a brand and culture in which each youth, volunteer, employee, and donor feels a sense of belonging, and build communities in which every person feels respected, valued, and welcomed.

Board Relations and Governance

 In partnership with the Board’s Chair, help to identify new Board members whose talents, diverse perspectives, interests, and commitment will further BSA’s mission and expand support.

 Plan and structure meetings, committees, and retreats of the Board, as appropriate with the Chair and Executive Committee.

 Partner with the Board to develop strategies and monitor performance and accomplishment of business and programming goals.

 Keep the Board advised of the organization’s activities, safety record, financial position, and progress under the strategic plan; provide the Board with transparency and high-quality information for making sound policy decisions.

 Act as a liaison between staff and Board.

Who You Are

Passion for Impact and Scale

 Steadfast belief in BSA’s mission! Enthusiasm and personal passion for youth development; ideally with a personal connection to the BSA.

 Extraordinary customer service, prepared to lead the growth of the foremost youth-serving organization in the country.

 Consensus builder, yet decisive leader to build trust between national, regional, and local organizations.

 Committed to expanding safety culture throughout the organization.

 A leader who is energized, inclusive, apolitical, nimble, flexible, embraces change, continuously improves with innovation as a core value, is not afraid to take risks and improve programs to meet societal needs.

Proven Results in Transformation

 Proven track record of successfully transforming a major organization/company.

 The drive to evolve an iconic brand that stimulates youth awareness and participation.

 Ability to craft and execute a strategy that will align our stakeholders for future growth.

 Experience navigating complex structures and layered organizations.

 Financial acumen; able to successfully lead the organization post-bankruptcy.

 A leader of the highest integrity, who will lead growth with influence and inspiration.

 Background that includes hands-on accomplishments in delivering growth and profitability, ideally in for-profit and non-profit environments.

 Experience with digital transformations.

 Superior media and public relations skills.

 Proven experience developing and executing branding and marketing strategies.

Stakeholder Savviness

 Experience leading complex, major change initiatives across matrixed networks; demonstrated skills in transformational change management.

 An entrepreneurial mindset: able and interested in pursuing new mission-driven and business opportunities that are impactful for the diversity of BSA stakeholders.

 Accomplished and confident professional with the ability to effectively represent and bring enhanced credibility.

 Comfortable with ambiguity; can manage the unexpected with flexibility.

 A team player who favours collaborative approaches when working with internal and external partners.

 Proven ability to build trust with others through a commitment to the highest ethical and professional standards.

 A high energy executive; tenacious and passionate about reaching the goal, while keeping ego in check.

Education

BSA welcomes all candidates with the passion, professional experiences, values, and skills outlined in this position specification to apply. A bachelor’s degree is required; an MBA, JD, or other relevant advance degree is preferred.

Inclusion Statement

BSA is committed to sustaining a diverse community with a work environment that is welcoming, inclusive, and respectful. BSA recognizes that it is wise to consider candidates from within and outside the organization. The skills and experience needed to lead our organization could come from candidates who have had similar leadership experience in other organizations, as well as candidates who possess direct experience with our organization in professional and/or volunteer capacities. As part of our commitment to finding the best CEO candidates for our organization, we strongly welcome and encourage all people to apply, including those with and without BSA affiliation and/or direct scouting experience.

Applications and Nominations

Confidential review of applications, nominations and expressions of interest will begin immediately and will continue until an appointment is made. To apply for this position, please forward a resume and cover letter via email to [email protected]. Nominations may also be sent to [email protected].

Appendix

1. Bankruptcy. BSA (national council only): filed in February of 2020 as a result of an increasing number of historic sexual abuse claims arising in connection with the Scouting programs.

a. Two key objectives: To equitably compensate victims of sexual abuse in Scouting, and to continue carrying out BSA’s mission in the future.

b. Plan of Reorganization: Settlement Trust in the initial amount of $2.46 billion, funded by BSA, LC, and CO contributions (including notes) and payments from settling insurers, plus valuable unliquidated insurance rights and potential further contributions from COs. Releases for BSA, LCs, participating COs, and certain of their affiliates and their related parties. Restructuring of JP Morgan debt (including bonds).

c. Organizational commitments: Commitments by BSA in the Plan, including increased safety programs and oversight, a Youth Protection Executive, a required national executive board position for a survivor of sexual abuse in Scouting, and other commitments.

d. Emergence. BSA emerged from bankruptcy on April 19, 2023

2. Financial

a. BSA 2023 budget: $314,482,000 in revenues; $303,990,000 in expenses and debt repayment.

b. BSA 2023 budgeted revenues generated largely from: registration fees, supply division, high adventure base operations, and donations.

c. BSA 2023 budgeted debt service that includes repayment of principal and interest : $17,500,000.