Director of Foundation

FirstEnergy Foundation:

The FirstEnergy Foundation's contributions to local nonprofit organizations help strengthen the social and economic fabric of our communities. The Foundation’s giving priorities parallel FirstEnergy’s business interests and range from supporting key safety initiatives and promoting education and workforce and economic development to improving quality of life and addressing food and housing insecurity throughout our communities.

The Foundation believes that when basic human needs are met, people can more effectively pursue economic and educational opportunities, and communities are stronger. The Foundation invests in the human needs of food and housing insecurity. The Foundation also believes that access to a quality education helps break the cycle of generational poverty, contributes to business growth, and builds strong economies and the workforce of the future. The Foundation invests in education and job-readiness programs.

- Food – Reducing hunger and increasing the availability of healthy, nutritious meals

- Shelter – Helping people find safe, stable and long-term housing

- Energy – Ensuring access to reliable and resilient electricity

- Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics – Building proficiency in STEM subjects that enable people to succeed in the global economy

- Workforce Readiness – Obtaining the basic skills and training needed to find and maintain quality employment

Backed by our vision to invest in transformative organizations that enhance the vitality, sustainability and diversity of the communities we serve, we support non-profit, tax-exempt organizations within the FirstEnergy operating companies' service areas, and where we conduct business.

Summary:

This Director of the Foundation will operate as a core part of the External Affairs team reporting to the Vice President, External Affairs. Augmenting FirstEnergy corporation’s work and furthering impact in ways that the business is not able, this role manages the company’s charitable foundation and oversees community investment, charitable donations, and corporate engagement with social impact programs. The ideal candidate possesses a strong understanding of corporate philanthropy and experience managing a corporate foundation and community outreach initiatives.

This Director will be the strategic leader and executional driver of the Foundation’s efforts, helping to form and then realize a revamped mission and strategy. This leader will be responsible for the strategic, programmatic, financial and operational leadership of the foundation, and must operate in a manner that ensures the Foundation’s governance, programs and engagement are ethical, transparent, aligned and supportive of FirstEnergy’s values and goals.

The Director must manage the above, while serving as a thought leader and face of FirstEnergy’s philanthropic mission inside and outside the company – and building and expanding relationships with non-profits, communities, and employees. All of this must be done in service of the organization, not to build or reinforce a personal profile.

Candidate Profile

FirstEnergy seeks a tested, experienced leader with notable achievement managing foundations and/or corporate philanthropic efforts. The ideal candidate will bring strong knowledge of corporate philanthropy, as well as a complementary balance of business acumen, ideally within the Foundation’s footprint and/or the regulated utility sector. They must also bring significant strategic planning experience, along with an entrepreneurial spirit and ability to drive change and bring ambitious plans to life in creative, values-aligned ways that result in demonstrable, measurable impact.

The Director will be an excellent communicator and will bring experience working effectively in large, complex organizations. They will have the intellectual horsepower and influencing skills to mobilize the existing infrastructure and the functional domain expertise, acumen and experience to enhance social impact programs. The successful candidate will have strong financial management skills including endowment investment, management of grants and key deliverables, audits, and budget execution. In addition, the successful candidate will have a deep understanding of the non-profit sector including multi-lateral institutions, trends in philanthropy, leadership in the field and collaborative partnership approaches.

Key Responsibilities

- Develop and articulate a strategic vision for the Foundation

- Manage daily operations of the FirstEnergy Foundation to ensure alignment with the company’s mission and values

- In close collaboration with senior leadership, develop, implement, and continuously evaluate strategies to maximize social impact of the Foundation’s activities, focusing on charitable grants and donations

- Develop and maintain effective partnerships with non-profit organizations, community groups, and other stakeholders

- Manage timely and robust grant cycles, assuring giving awards align with the foundation’s mission and reflect density of customers across our footprint

- Refresh and launch a foundation website, increasing website traffic from community non-profits and partners

- Identify and partner with community non-profit leaders in the areas of education and workforce development, hunger and food insecurity, and housing and homelessness

- Oversee, articulate, develop and implement volunteerism activities, matching gift program, United Way and other major charitable programs.

- Ensure all grantees have been reviewed for integrity in their accounting practice, expenditures and management

- With FE Foundation Board review, present Foundation budget annually to the FE Board for approval

- Manage all accounts with clean audits and key performance indicators

- Manage budget for Foundation expenses

- Manage the foundation’s budget, ensuring that funds are allocated effectively and that all activities adhere to financial guidelines

- Follow all compliance requirements of a charitable organization, managing the annual audit of giving and financials

- Evaluate the effectiveness of foundation programs and charitable initiatives, ensuring that goals are met and that the foundation’s work aligns with broader corporate responsibility goals

- Provide timely and fulsome reports on Foundation KPIs, pivoting giving strategy to align with corporate goals and objectives

Qualifications

- A bachelor’s degree in business administration, non-profit management, public affairs, or a related field

- Minimum of ten years of experience in foundation or non-profit management

- Proven experience in corporate philanthropic foundation management, particularly in the utilities or similar regulatory industry

- Knowledge of foundation management, grant-making, and community engagement best practices

- Strong project management skills with experience managing multiple initiatives, stakeholders, and cross-functional teams

- Excellent data analysis and reporting skills to track and communicate performance

- Strong knowledge of industry best practices

- Ability to develop and implement foundation strategies and action plans

- Unquestioned integrity and who is, or will be, respected by the Foundation’s diverse set of stakeholders

- A person who can be expected to do the right thing, and whose reputation will contribute to the Foundation’s reputation

- Strong and proven ability to build and maintain effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders. A leader who can listen and communicate with authenticity and humility

- Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to engage community stakeholders and manage relationships with nonprofits and community partners

- Excellent written and verbal communication skills to present to company leadership, boards, and community groups

- Knowledge of FirstEnergy footprint and regional community engagement strategies and partnerships

- Ability to cultivate and maintain relationships with Foundation partners, both existing and potential.

- Experience in the tracking and reporting on the foundation's impact and financial performance

- Comfort working across a matrix, collaborating at all levels of the organization

- Strong leader who can coach and mentor the foundation team.

Preferred qualifications:

- Professional and organizational skills to engage executive leadership

- Comfortability with public speaking

- Experience with community outreach or customer service; appreciation for community resources

- Enthusiastic and energetic leader with experience mentoring and coaching teams

- A dedicated colleague who enjoys collaboration and exchange of ideas

- Close ties to communities within FirstEnergy’s footprint