Chief Philanthropy Officer

The Chief Philanthropy Officer (CPO) is the senior executive responsible for providing strategic leadership, operational oversight, and philanthropic integration across five independent Brightshores Health System Foundations. Reporting to the Five Foundations Council, the CPO works closely with Foundation Boards, Foundation Executive Directors, the Brightshores President & CEO, and senior leadership to strengthen philanthropy, support major capital initiatives, improve operational effectiveness, and enhance the donor experience across the health system.

The successful candidate is a collaborative executive who excels in complex multi-stakeholder environments, builds alignment without direct authority, and leads organizational transformation while respecting the unique identity of each Foundation.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a coordinated system-wide philanthropy strategy aligned with Brightshores' strategic priorities.
• Provide executive leadership for major fundraising and capital campaigns across the health system.
• Strengthen donor stewardship, prospect management, and fundraising effectiveness while enhancing the donor experience.
• Lead the integration and optimization of fundraising operations, policies, systems, reporting, and performance measurement across all Foundations.
• Identify and implement operational improvements, shared services, and system-wide efficiencies.
• Foster collaboration among five independent Foundation Boards and executive leadership while respecting local community priorities.
• Build strong relationships with donors, Foundation Boards, hospital leadership, community partners, and volunteers.
• Serve as an executive advisor to multiple Boards and senior executives on philanthropy strategy, governance, and organizational priorities.
• Champion a culture of collaboration, accountability, continuous improvement, and philanthropy throughout the organization.

Qualifications

The successful candidate will possess:

• 10–15 years of progressive senior leadership experience in philanthropy, preferably within healthcare or other complex not-for-profit organizations.
• Demonstrated success leading or supporting large capital campaigns and developing sophisticated donor stewardship programs.
• A strong understanding of the opportunities and challenges of philanthropic fundraising within rural and geographically dispersed communities.
• Demonstrated ability to influence, build consensus, and drive results without direct authority across multiple organizations and stakeholder groups.
• Significant experience overseeing fundraising operations, finance, governance, CRM systems, reporting, performance metrics, and back-office functions.
• Proven success leading organizational change, operational transformation, and implementation of system-wide efficiencies using continuous improvement methodologies such as Lean.
• Experience working within complex governance environments involving multiple Boards and reporting relationships while balancing competing priorities.
• Strong governance, executive communication, relationship management, and political acuity.
• Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline; Master's degree preferred.
• CFRE designation and membership in the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) are preferred.

· Reports to: Five Foundations Council

· Duration: 2 year contract

· Compensation: up to $200,000

· Work arrangement: Hybrid

· Location: Grey Bruce Area