About Career Girls
Career Girls was founded on the dream that every girl around the world should have access to diverse and accomplished women role models to learn from their experiences and discover their own path to empowerment.
Founded in 1996 by outgoing founder Linda Calhoun, Career Girls provides inspirational and educational videos of real women from diverse backgrounds who share their career journeys, insights and wisdom — and pairs those videos with other useful tools for girls, as well as for the educators, parents, mentors, and other adults who are guiding them.
Career Girls provides a powerful opportunity for girls to explore a vast range of career options, expand their view of what is possible, and learn to dream big about their futures.
Career Girls offers two main programs:
- Digital online career exploration and readiness content (CareerGirls.org)
- In-person school-based Career Girls Clubs
Free Digital Content at CareerGirls.org
- 800+ role model pages
- 16,000+ inspirational/informative videos
- 150+ career exploration pages
- Personality-based career quiz
- Interest-based college major quiz
- 100+ college majors with sample courses
- Career-based Empowerment Videos
- Soft skill development Empowerment Videos
- Free specialized curriculum and toolkits for educators, mentors, parents, group leaders.
School-Based Career Girls Clubs
Career Girls Club is a free, all-inclusive, in-school program that includes lesson plans, measurement and evaluation tools, activities, and supplies to work with students to better understand career possibilities and develop the soft skills required for success.
Today, with 20 clubs nationwide, Career Girls Club creates compassionate young leaders with a 20-week program that blends career advice with character building and skill development, promoting the value of integrity, empathy, financial literacy, social skills, writing, choosing friends, and building confidence.
Learn more about Career Girls at https://www.careergirls.org/impact/.
The Opportunity
The Executive Director (ED) of Career Girls reports directly to the President of the Board of Directors. This individual will drive the organization’s mission of empowering girls to achieve their full potential, focusing on financial sustainability, strategic growth, and operational excellence.
The ED will serve as the organization’s chief fundraiser and key external representative leading efforts to expand the Career Girls Club program to more schools and increase the organization’s website’s global reach and impact. Additionally, the ED will oversee the organization’s programming, continuing to develop engaging role model video content and strengthen distribution channels (website and social media) to reach a wider, more diverse audience.
This is a full-time remote position with travel required. The Executive Director manages the Program Director and a variety of consultants.
Key responsibilities:
Leadership and Strategy
- In alignment with the Board of Directors’ vision, collaborate with the Board to implement strategic goals, with a focus on increasing Career Girls’ revenue growth, impact, and visibility.
- Act as the primary ambassador for the organization, fostering partnerships with elected officials, community leaders, educators, educational institutions, and industry professionals at conferences and other events.
- Lead efforts to expand the in-person Career Girls Club program, ensuring it aligns with the organization’s mission and engages a growing network of participants.
- Inspire and manage the organization’s team of staff, volunteers, and external stakeholders to achieve measurable outcomes.
Fundraising and Development
- Responsible to secure grants and major gifts, cultivating relationships with new, consistent, and lapsed donors and partners to meet or exceed an annual funding goal of ~$1 million.
- Develop and execute fundraising strategies that diversify revenue streams and deepen donor engagement.
- Initiate outreach to persons and organizations to develop relationships that facilitate and; result in new funding; as applicable, partner closely with the Board of Directors to leverage new and existing connections and ideas.
Operations and Financial Management
- Oversee daily operations to ensure organizational activities align with mission objectives and strategic goals.
- Develop, manage, and monitor budgets, maintaining accountability for financial health and ensuring expenses align with organizational priorities.
- Ensure compliance with nonprofit regulations and implement data-driven reporting systems to measure program impact and digital engagement.
- Oversee contractors and (if/as applicable) employees and manage all aspects of applicable human resources.
Content Development and Distribution
- Guide the development of new role model video content, maintaining high-quality standards and ensuring diverse representation.
- Strengthen distribution partnerships to amplify Career Girls’ reach across schools, community organizations, and online platforms.
- Expand audience engagement strategies to connect with under resourced groups and inspire girls across diverse demographics.
Board Engagement
- Report to the President of the Board of Directors and support the Board of Directors’ fundraising, governance, and strategy oversight.
- Provide regular updates on organizational performance, fundraising results, key metrics, and challenges.
- Partner with board members to execute fundraising opportunities.
This role is for you if you are passionate about girls’ empowerment, equity, education, and opportunity for the next generation of women. Here’s why:
- Direct Impact on the Next Generation: Career Girls provides free, high-quality career exploration and skills development content that helps girls—especially from under resourced backgrounds—see what’s possible for their futures. As a leader, you’d be shaping programming that tangibly boosts girls’ confidence, knowledge, and ambition.
- Access to a Powerful Network: With a vast video library featuring diverse women role models from STEM, business, the arts, and beyond, leading Career Girls means stewarding a platform and in-person programming that connects girls to mentors and career paths they might never have imagined otherwise.
- Scalable Mission: The organization is fully remote and designed to scale—so your passion could translate into global impact. You’d lead a team leveraging technology and innovative programming to break down barriers to education and representation.
- Values-Driven Leadership Opportunity: Career Girls embodies values of inclusion, empowerment, and service. A leader who aligns with those values would have the chance to bring authentic, mission-driven leadership to a respected, growing nonprofit.
- Unique Opportunity to Advance Gender Equity: By leading the organization, you help close the gender gap in participation and leadership in high-growth fields—not only by preparing girls for success, but by modeling that leadership yourself.
- Partnership with an Experienced and Actively Engaged Board of Directors: The Career Girls Board brings deep expertise in strategy and program oversight. Their commitment and insight provide a strong foundation of support—empowering the Executive Director to lead with confidence, innovate boldly, and drive mission-aligned growth.
Candidate Profile
The Executive Director of Career Girls will possess the following attributes and competencies:
A Passion for the Mission
The Executive Director will be a champion for girls around the world. They will demonstrate and communicate passion for empowering girls and closing the imagination gap on their journey to a career. They will be a creative problem solver. The Executive Director will have an entrepreneurial zeal and will be direct, forthright, nimble, adaptable, proactive, and fearless in their leadership. They will model openness, honesty, and accountability to all involved with Career Girls. The Executive Director will be a leader of unquestioned integrity, ethics, and values; someone who can be trusted without reservation.
An Experienced Fundraiser
The Executive Director will be effective at conveying Career Girls’ mission and vision and generating additional support for the organization. They will be an energetic and experienced fundraiser and asset developer who will fully embrace this aspect of the role. The Executive Director will bring a creative and entrepreneurial approach to sustainable revenue generation. They will build upon Career Girls’ fundraising track record and materially increase access to previously untapped support to create long term investors in Career Girls. They will be held to Key Performance Indicators as determined by the Board.
An Ambassador for Career Girls
The Executive Director will be an inspirational leader who will serve as the chief ‘Ambassador’ for Career Girls. An articulate, informed, and compelling public speaker, they will represent Career Girls publicly and will be considered a leader in the nonprofit arena. The Executive Director will be able to effectively articulate and convey Career Girls’ mission and priorities to a range of constituents including donors, community leaders, educational partners, the Board of Directors, and staff, as well as the students and families Career Girls serves. The Executive Director will be a strong leader, communicator, and collaborator who is skilled at listening to, and learning from, constituents. They will have the ability to develop a powerful sense of shared purpose in others and motivate them to engage the opportunities and challenges ahead.
An Entrepreneurial Leader and Strategist
The Executive Director will think big picture. They will be a strategic, visionary, and results-oriented leader who brings a demonstrated history of developing vision and strategies that position an organization for growth. They are experienced in executing strategy, providing focus, and building the commitment of others to achieve the vision. With a track record of financial and operational management, the Executive Director will demonstrate an understanding of the drivers that influence organizational success. Experience in content production and distribution, particularly in digital or educational media, is a significant advantage.
Compensation and Benefits
Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience. The salary range for this role is $160,000 – $180,000 with opportunities for performance-based incentives and a competitive benefits package.
Contact
DSG | Koya has been exclusively retained for this engagement, which is being led by Alex Corvin and Maleka Pensky. Express interest in this role by filling out our Talent Profile or emailing the search team directly at [email protected]. All inquiries and discussions are strictly confidential.
DSG | Koya is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please email [email protected]. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.
Career Girls is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from people of color, persons with disabilities, women, and LGBTQ+ applicants.
About DSG | Koya
DSG | Koya, a DSG Global company, is the nation’s premier search firm dedicated to mission-driven leadership. Since its founding in 2004, DSG | Koya has had an exclusive focus on mission-driven clients and was founded on the belief that the right leader can transform an organization and have a deep and measurable impact on our world. DSG | Koya works with nonprofits & NGOs, responsible businesses, and social enterprises in local communities and around the world.
DSG Global is consistently recognized by Forbes on its top 10 list of “America’s Best Executive Recruiting Firms” and is an industry leader in recruiting transformational leaders for a changing world. The firm is deliberately different in its approach, with best-in-class teams who have decades of experience in cultivating inclusive leaders, understanding the dimensions of diversity, and building equitable teams.
Learn more about DSG | Koya via the firm's website