Position Summary

Urban Alliance (UA) is currently seeking a Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) to oversee all revenue and communications activities. The CRO will be a key driver in advancing UA’s new strategic plan, with an ambitious aspiration to grow into a $15M+ organization. This includes evolving our revenue model and target audiences to ensure long-term sustainability and growth.

UA’s current revenue model consists of a mix of philanthropic support and paid job partners. As part of our strategic vision, we are actively exploring new earned income streams. The CRO will lead this vision and execution by overseeing all aspects of revenue generation, managing a team of fundraising and communications professionals, and serving as a thought partner to the CEO and executive team.

The ideal candidate will bring deep experience in business development, sales, nonprofit fundraising, startups, marketing, or new product development/management. They must be passionate about Urban Alliance’s mission and bring the entrepreneurial mindset and executional drive needed to build, lead and operationalize a modern, high-performing revenue engine.

About Urban Alliance

Urban Alliance exposes young adults to early career opportunities through paid internships, mentorship, and professional development. Since its inception in 1996, UA has become a connective tissue in the youth and workforce development space by supporting and providing structure to employers, schools, and students as they explore career opportunities and navigate transitions from high school to college and work.

UA’s network now includes a vibrant system of over 200 employers, 100 school partners, and thousands of mentors. Through the suite of programming designed specifically to meet students where they are in their early career journey, we’ve reached nearly 30,000 young people in Baltimore, Chicago, Detroit, and the Washington D.C. regions.

Key Responsibilities

Revenue Strategy and Business Development

• Oversee and lead all aspects of revenue generation, including philanthropy and earned income, including developing and executing a long-term revenue strategy aligned with the organization’s strategic plan.
• Develop new revenue streams, including innovative earned income models and new customer segments.
• Develop and operationalize a sales funnel to increase awareness of Urban Alliance and convert leads into employer partners and philanthropic investors.
• Develop compelling new products and propositions aligned with UA’s strategic plan.
• Collaborate with executive and regional leaders to ensure programmatic alignment with revenue goals.
• Conduct regular revenue analyses and data-driven decision-making in partnership with the CEO.
• Collaborate with the Chief Financial Operations Officer to set annual goals and ensure accurate revenue tracking, forecasting, and budgeting.

Relationship Management

• Build and manage a portfolio of 5-10 six- to seven-figure donors and prospects.
• Remain well-connected with UA’s key audiences and markets.
• Oversee the implementation of a stewardship strategy to deepen relationships with key partners.

Team Management and Operations

• Manage a development team to drive growth across all revenue sources.
• Hire a communications lead and ensure that UA’s communications strategy and activities align with its strategic plan, increase brand recognition, and support revenue generation.
• Lead development of materials that effectively communicate UA’s impact to diverse audiences and that can be used to steward key accounts.
• Provide coaching, mentoring, and leadership development to team members, focusing on succession planning and creating a sustainable operation.
• Develop a process and standard operating procedures for working with regional executive directors to implement and scale a revenue-generating process.
• Develop internal tools, training, and resources to support revenue-generating activities.
• Build team structure and systems to support strong performance, cross-functional collaboration, and accountability.
• Leverage Salesforce and other tools to track key metrics and evaluate ROI.
• Monitor fundraising dashboards and provide revenue reports during quarterly national board meetings, Executive and Finance committees, and the C-Suite.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree preferred.
• At least 8-10 years of experience in nonprofit fundraising, business development, sales, startups, marketing, or new product development/management.
• Demonstrated success in securing diverse revenue streams for organizations with budgets of $15M+.
• Proven track record of designing, pitching, and closing $1M+ gifts from foundations or corporate partners.
• Strong track record of effectively managing, leading, and inspiring a high-performing fundraising team in a hybrid/remote environment.
• Deep understanding of the sales cycle, fundraising strategies, systems, and processes.
• Strong emotional intelligence and the ability to engage authentically with diverse stakeholders.
• On the ground experience and perspective on under-resourced communities, school and workforce systems to authentically and respectfully raise funding and communicate program participants’ stories.
• Solutions-oriented, with a proven record of problem-solving complex and high-stakes external partnerships.
• Financial acumen and understanding of nonprofit finances.
• Highly organized, with strong prioritization skills and the ability to balance short-term needs with long-term strategy.