About this role
Purpose of Position:
As part of United Way of Greater Cleveland's Community Impact team, the Associate Director leads the organization's community impact work in Geauga County, running the Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) and its benefits team and overseeing Bridges@Work in Geauga (the program is owned across both counties by the Director leading economic mobility). Day to day, the role leads and develops the Geauga team, maximizes client services through the ADRC, serves as the local relationship point for stakeholders and the community, keeps existing programs healthy, and ensures program data feeds the reporting that the Community Impact Directors and Data & Analytics team drive. Throughout, the role grounds this work in meeting Geauga where it is, bringing United Way's assets to local needs and opportunities: the ALICE (Asset-Limited, Income-Constrained, Employed) framework, an economic-mobility focus, and resources like 211 and Bridges@Work. The role also works with the Revenue team, which owns employer and revenue growth. Facility, lease, vendor, invoicing and payments, HR, and general office administration for the Geauga office are managed centrally through Finance and Operations; this role focuses on program, people, and community leadership rather than back-office operations.
Duties and Responsibilities:
Essential Job Functions/Key Accountabilities:
Community & Stakeholder Relations
- Advance United Way's community impact strategy in Geauga County by building and stewarding relationships with community agencies, businesses, government entities (e.g., county JFS), and partners.
- Staff and support the Geauga Advisory Council.
- Actively engage in local coalitions and workgroups that align with United Way's strategy.
- Ground the Geauga work in the ALICE framework and our economic-mobility focus, and connect residents and partners to United Way resources like 211 and Bridges@Work.
- Create and promote volunteer opportunities for Geauga employers and residents to engage with United Way's work.
- Help the ADRC benefits team plan and grow their presence across Geauga, enrollment events, partner and pantry sites, and community outreach.
- Represent United Way across Geauga, at community meetings and events and through presentations, staying attuned to where United Way can meaningfully engage.
- Work with Geauga employers alongside the economic mobility Director and pass leads to the Revenue team, which owns employer and revenue growth; no individual revenue target.
- Support proposals and grant applications in coordination with Revenue / Resource Development.
Community Impact & Programs
- Determine where United Way's tools and programs can add the most value in Geauga and adapt them to the local context to advance the strategy.
- Oversee the Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC), Geauga's benefits enrollment and assistance program, ensuring strong day-to-day delivery and performance.
- Work to maximize client services: help residents access the benefits and resources they qualify for, and improve the client experience over time.
- Identify opportunities to expand ADRC's reach and deepen its impact for Geauga residents.
- Oversee Bridges@Work in Geauga, employer and workforce partnerships, MOUs, the on-site coaching / Resource Coordinator model, and program delivery, coordinating with the Director who oversees the program across both counties.
- Serve as the local relationship point for Geauga grantees, while the Community Impact Directors lead grantee data, reporting, and training.
Program Data & Reporting
- Ensure ADRC and Bridges@Work program data is captured accurately and provided on time for reporting and payment.
- Partner with the Community Impact Directors and Data & Analytics, who drive data analysis, reporting, compliance, and training.
Team Leadership
- Manage, coach, and develop the ADRC benefits team (two Benefit Enrollment & Assistance Specialists), set priorities, ensure coverage, and build their skills and capacity.
- Participate in annual budget planning and monitor program budgets and expenses.
- Coordinate with the central (Cuyahoga-based) operations and finance teams, which manage facility, lease, vendor, general office administration, and financial processing for the Geauga office.
Other Duties
- Elicit internal and external cross-functional relationships to advance the work.
- Other responsibilities as assigned.
Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
Qualifications:
The role calls for an unusual mix: someone deeply relational and trusted who can also be rigorous with detail and reporting. Both are essential.
- A relational leader who earns genuine, lasting trust, with the Geauga team and with community leaders in a close-knit county, and represents United Way credibly across coalitions, businesses, nonprofits, government, and community settings.
- Detail-oriented and accurate, comfortable with data and spreadsheets, and able to manage recurring, deadline-driven reporting (such as ADRC requirements) while keeping multiple priorities on track.
- Bachelor's degree required (Master's preferred), or an equivalent combination of education and experience in a related field.
- Five or more years of experience in community building, program/project administration, and partnership development, including staff supervision.
- Experience managing and developing a small team and maximizing client or customer service.
- Knowledge of health and human services and/or income and financial-stability work, with an emphasis on developing and measuring community outcomes.
- Fluency in MS Office 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, SharePoint).
Job Relationships
Frequent contact with the Board of Directors, the Geauga Advisory Council, volunteers, business and community leaders, nonprofit organizations, government entities, the Community Impact Directors, the Revenue / Resource Development team, Finance, Data & Analytics, and United Way staff.
Specialized Knowledge, Skills & Abilities (KSA)
- Effective and engaging communicator
- Leadership and staff supervision
- Strategic relationship builder
- Outcomes focus — creates plans and measures program outcomes
- Program oversight and follow-through
- Planning and implementation
- Critical thinking and creative problem solving
Work Environment / Physical Demands
Working conditions are normal for an office environment and include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Based in Geauga County; some local travel and occasional travel to Cuyahoga.
- Ability and means to travel on a flexible schedule as needed; proof of liability and property-damage insurance on the vehicle used is required.
- Occasionally required to stand, walk, sit, use hands and fingers, reach with hands and arms, and talk and hear.
- May occasionally lift up to 25 lbs.
- The noise level in the work environment is usually minimal.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions.
UWGC is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, creed, disability, veteran status, advanced education, marital status, age, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin or ancestry, genetic information, and other legally protected characteristics, in accordance with applicable laws.
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