About World Neighbors
Headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, World Neighbors is an international development organization that works to alleviate hunger, poverty, and disease in the most isolated rural villages in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. World Neighbors does not give away food or material aid, but takes a big-picture, holistic approach focusing on the entire community rather than on one issue. World Neighbors has found that problems and issues within a community are all interrelated and you cannot solve one problem in isolation.
World Neighbors invests in people and their communities by training and inspiring them to create their own life-changing solutions through programs in agriculture, literacy, water, health, leadership, financial management and environmental protection, creating last change rather than short-term fixes.
In partnership with more than 50 local organizations, World Neighbors helps to train thousands of volunteers and leaders in South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Africa, West Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. They invest in local leadership and organizations that continue and expand program activities after they end their support. The average time World Neighbors stay in a community is eight to ten years. The goal is to achieve long-lasting improvements in people’s lives and the community, not quick fixes that depend on outside assistance. Currently, around 375,000 people benefit from World Neighbors’ program work in 14 countries.
The work is focused on 3 programmatic areas: Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Livelihoods; Community and Reproductive Health; and Community-Based Natural Resource Management.
For 75 years, more than 29 million people in 45 countries have transformed their lives with the support of World Neighbors and their partners.
For more information about their impact, the 2024 Annual Report can be found here.
Learn more about World Neighbors at https://wn.org/.
The Opportunity
World Neighbors is seeking a President & CEO to lead and shape the next era of impact for the organization while stewarding the 75-year legacy of community-led approaches. The President & CEO will be responsible for guiding the organization towards achieving its mission, vision, and strategic objectives, while fostering a culture of excellence, innovation, and collaboration. Serving as the chief ambassador and spokesperson for World Neighbors, the President & CEO will represent the organization at local, national, and international forums and build strategic partnerships with key constituents, including donors, governments, corporations, and other non-profit organizations.
In 2026, World Neighbors has forecast a budget of $3.5M. The President & CEO leads a global team of around 38 and directly manages a 5-person team of Regional Directors, as well as the Director of Finance, the Resource Development Communications Coordinator, and around 4 part time consultants focused on media and communications, fundraising, and proposal writing. The President & CEO will execute the organization’s mission and ensure programs are effective, sustainable, and culturally responsive across countries and works in collaboration with more than 2,650 volunteers and staff of partner organizations.
The ideal President & CEO is a dynamic, mission-driven, and culturally competent leader with deep experience in global development and a passion for sustainable, community-led solutions. They are an entrepreneurial fundraiser, a relationship-builder, and a strategic thinker who can inspire confidence among donors, partners, staff, and communities and will be a guardian of World Neighbors’ values and principles. This leader must have demonstrated practice of equity-centered power-aware leadership in international development contexts.
Key areas of focus and responsibilities for the President & CEO include:
Fundraising, Partnerships, and External Relations
- Lead the organization’s fundraising strategy with a strong emphasis on major gifts, foundation partnerships, and grant development, ensuring long-term financial viability and organizational sustainability.
- Ensure that fundraising strategies align with organizational values, including the ability to decline funding that compromises community ownership or equity.
- Identify, cultivate, and steward relationships with donors, including individuals, foundations, and institutional funders, building trust, transparency, and long-term engagement with key stakeholders.
- Research and pursue new grant opportunities; oversee proposal development and implementation processes, demonstrating a proven track record in fundraising effectiveness and program growth.
- Serve as a compelling spokesperson and ambassador for World Neighbors, clearly communicating organizational vision to external audiences and representing the organization with cultural sensitivity and respect for diverse global contexts.
Strategic Programmatic Leadership
- Lead ongoing strategic and programmatic planning efforts to advance organizational impact and sustainability, ensuring strategies are effectively implemented, monitored, and adapted as conditions change.
- Ensure World Neighbors remains at the forefront of global community development methodologies and innovations, demonstrating adaptability and resilience in response to emerging challenges and opportunities.
- Engage with international stakeholders, peer organizations, and field leaders to stay current on emerging trends and best practices, share experiences and lessons learned, and foster strong external relationships and collaborative partnerships.
Organizational and Financial Management
- Oversee a multi-million-dollar financial portfolio and work in close partnership with the international finance team to ensure financial health, transparency, accountability, and responsible stewardship of resources.
- Provide leadership and support to a geographically dispersed staff, fostering collaboration, strong interpersonal communication, alignment, and opportunities for professional development across regions and build a values-aligned, inclusive, and psychologically safe organizational culture across geographies.
- Manage organizational change with clarity and purpose, strengthening internal structures, processes, and systems to improve staff capacity and operational effectiveness.
- Guide the development and execution of operational plans, policies, and systems that strengthen global program delivery while supporting continuous organizational learning and development.
Board Relations and Governance
- Partner with the Board of Directors to ensure strong governance, financial management, strategic alignment, programmatic impacts, institutional reputation and integrity, and organizational accountability grounded in trust and mutual respect.
- Provide regular updates, insights, and recommendations to the Board, communicating transparently and supporting strong, effective relationships between board and staff teams.
Candidate Profile
We recognize that there is a spectrum of lived and professional experience that will set candidates up for success in this role. While no one candidate will have every experience outlined in the position description, ideal candidates will display the following professional and personal qualities, skills, and characteristics:
- Proven executive leadership experience (10+ years), preferably in international development or global nonprofit sectors.
- Demonstrated commitment to community-led development, including experience sharing power and decision-making with local partners.
- A proactive, seasoned, and persuasive fundraiser with demonstrated success securing major gifts, developing grant proposals, and building long-term donor relationships.
- A motivational storyteller who can diversify funding and speak to various audiences; able to navigate an evolving funding ecosystem.
- Demonstrates intellectual humility and commitment to continuous learning, including learning from community partners and staff.
- Leads with curiosity and openness to feedback, adapting strategy based on evidence and lived experience.
- Encourages experimentation and learning, including thoughtful risk-taking and reflection on what does not work.
- Demonstrated success managing complex, multi-country operations and managing budgets in partnership with global finance teams.
- Deep understanding of issues of poverty, hunger, and disease affecting rural communities globally, preferably in the countries where World Neighbors works.
- Experience with nonprofit governance and strong partnership-building and financial stewardship skills to strengthen relationships and diversify resources.
- Experience leading through crisis, including political instability, economic challenges, or natural disasters.
- Fluency in multiple languages preferred.
- Ability to travel domestically and internationally frequently to engage with staff, donors, and partners.
Compensation and Benefits
Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience. The salary range for this role is $240,000 - $260,000 with a generous benefits package.
While the location is flexible, a willingness to spend at least 50% time in Oklahoma City is strongly preferred. The President & CEO should also be willing to travel domestically and internationally with frequency.
Contact
DSG | Koya has been exclusively retained for this engagement, which is being led by Molly Brennan and Sarah Avendaño. Submit a compelling cover letter and resume by filling out our Talent Profile. All inquiries 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.
World Neighbors 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.