Senior Manager Church Development

Unbound works side by side with people of diverse faith traditions in 18 countries. We bring people together to challenge poverty in new and innovative ways. We inspire confidence and offer opportunity and encouragement to children and families living on the margins of society. We create practical and trustworthy means for people to help others and nurture human connections that uplift us all. If you would like to apply your heart experience, and skills to create practical and trustworthy means for people to help others and nurture human connections then consider working for us.

The Senior Manager of Church Development will be responsible for building and nurturing Unbound’s relationship with the Catholic Church including communicating the brand and grounding in the social teachings of the Church. Individual will be responsible for the execution of marketing and public relations strategies related to the weekend parish visit program and school classroom partnerships, as well as other initiatives reaching the Catholic audience.

This US-based role will focus on key religious and lay leaders in the Catholic Church and other affiliated organizations. They will be responsible for traveling to major metro areas to connect with prospective partners who represent the millions of members of the Catholic community.

They will help define account-specific development strategies that are aligned with the mission of the Church and Unbound. This leader will collaborate with a team of internal account managers, data analysts and channel leaders to define and achieve short and long-term growth goals. This individual must be able to lead and coordinate a matrix team to make and deliver on commitments to external partners. The primary work location for this role could be in Unbound’s Kansas City, KS office or in any US city with ready access to a major airport.

Who We Are
Unbound is an international nonprofit called to put the needs of the marginalized and vulnerable first. We build relationships of mutual respect and support that bridge cultural, religious, and economic divides. We invite all people of goodwill to join us.

Working side by side with people of diverse faith traditions in Africa, Asia and Latin America, we bring people together to challenge poverty in new and innovative ways.

We inspire confidence and offer opportunity and encouragement to children and families living on the margins of society. We create practical and trustworthy means for people to help others and nurture human connections that uplift us all.

Our Mission is to walk with the poor and marginalized people of the world.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities – To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• Advise leadership and staff on strategies to leverage Unbound’s ability to achieve greater impact within the Catholic community.
• Identify top trends and relevant opportunities in the Catholic community.
• Build and nurture Unbound’s relationships with priest preachers and presenters and assist them in their formation including their understanding of the Unbound identity, message, and brand.
• Profile top prospects and key client relationships in the target market.
• Leverage strong organizational and communication skills to proactively open doors and initiate contact.
• Develop mutually beneficial, strategic-level relationships with decision makers, influencers, and other leaders within affiliated groups.
• Develop and execute account plans to achieve mutually beneficial relationships with dioceses, parishes, and other affinity/affiliated groups within the Church, with the goal of opening doors for Unbound presentations.
• Utilize a consultative selling approach and appropriately customize offerings.
• Expand and maintain access to Catholic audiences in a variety of channels and sub channels (direct mail, digital, face-to-face, events, etc.).
• Co-create with internal teams to develop value-added programs, content, activities and thought leadership that is relevant and impactful to the Catholic audiences.
• Develop and implement growth plans, budgets, and forecasts to attain strategic goals.
• Coordinate with internal sales desk (account managers) to ensure all projects and commitments are delivered to the partners as promised.
• Document and monitor results of outreach and sales calls in systems and tools
• Trouble-shoot issues and address opportunities with excellent follow-up and attention to detail
• Assist in the recruitment of preachers, speakers, and presenters for Unbound’s outreach efforts.
• Develop and execute crisis communications and plans related to the Catholic Church and serve as spokesperson on Church related issues.
Personal Characteristics & Competencies – To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies and skills. (Examples)
• Responsible with the resources that are entrusted to Unbound, consistent with sound business practices.
• Responsible to maintain respectful, collaborative relationships with partnering groups, which foster freedom of movement, creativity, and vision.
• Demonstrate diversity by recognizing the dignity of each person reflected in the structure and activities of Unbound which include relationships of mutual respect, teamwork, and a commitment to Unbound’s core values.
• Strong organizational, communications and interpersonal skills.
• Consistently sets and meets deadlines, shifts focus smoothly and quickly among competing priorities.
• Ability to organize work effectively, conceptualize and prioritize objectives and exercise independent judgment based on an understanding or organizational policies and activities.
• Demonstrate urgency and adaptability, with a high tolerance for stress, ambiguity, and change.
• Independent judgment to plan, prioritize and organize a diversified workload.
• Ability to coordinate and lead multiple tasks and projects.
• Ability to demonstrate poise, tact, and diplomacy. Strong teamwork aptitude required.
• High level of interpersonal skills to handle sensitive, confidential situations and information.
• Self-motivated and goal driven.
• Professional appearance and attitude, as well as the ability to work with others.

Qualifications and Experience:

The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of success in sales, marketing, and account development. They must have outstanding relationship-building and communication skills and will be expected to travel at least 50% of the time (depending on the location of the individual) and consistently execute a high volume of varied outreach to targeted audiences. They will offer differentiated and relevant value and programming to strategic-level relationships while bringing back market insight and customer feedback to Unbound. Specific qualifications include:
• Ability to travel domestically (50 – 70% of the time) and internationally (up to 2 trips per year).
• Deep experience and familiarity with the Catholic Church structure and culture, and knowledgeable of the social teachings of the universal Catholic Church.
• Bachelor’s degree; preferably in marketing, communications, public relations, or theology
• 8+ years of experience in managing sales and/or operations at the area / national level, National account management and/or interaction preferred.
• 5+ years progressively responsible strategic relationship development experience in challenging external and internal environments, preferably in a not-for-profit organization.
• The candidate must have in-depth knowledge of the Catholic Church structure and culture and a deep respect for and commitment to the social teachings of the universal Catholic Church.
• Must have a desire to work in the service to the poor.
• Direct experience in parishes, schools and faith-based groups is highly preferred.
• Strong existing network of Catholic leaders and influencers.
• Passion for servant leadership with a focus on social justice, individual empowerment, and community building.
• Demonstrated strength in customer relationship development and management; strong skills in defusing conflict and coordinating service recovery; focused follow through with detailed response implementation.
• Proven influencing, networking, and relationship-building skills.
• Technical aptitude as a user of customer relationship management (CRM) tools, virtual communication and teleconferencing platforms, Microsoft Office Suite, specifically Word, Excel, and Power Point.
• Proven track record of success in gaining commitment and securing successful new partnerships.
• Proven ability to manage time effectively, respond quickly to changing priorities, and adapt within a fast-paced environment.

Salary and Benefits: Salary DOE. Exceptional benefit package for employee: Health, Dental, Life, AD&D, STD, LTD and 403(b) with generous paid time off.