Chief Development & Marketing Officer

Korn Ferry Executive Search

Arlington, VA

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JOB DETAILS

SALARY

$375,000–$425,000 Per Year

SKILLS

Alliance/Partner Management, Analysis Skills, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Brand Marketing (Branding), Brand Positioning, Brand Strategy, Budgeting, Campaigns, Channel Support, Communication Skills, Content Development, Continuous Improvement, Corporate Funding, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Customer Support/Service, Direct Response Advertising, Donor Development, Emerging Technology, Equipment Maintenance/Repair, Event Management, Federal Government, Financial Analysis, Financial Trend Analysis, Forecasting, Fundraising, Hubs, Investment Analysis, Keyboards, Leadership, LifeTime Value (LTV), Loyalty Programs, Marketing, Marketing Automation Software, Marketing Communications Strategy, Marketing Strategy, Matrix Management, Military, Nonprofit, Onboarding, Operational Strategy, Performance Metrics, Predictive Modeling, Process Improvement, Psychology, Reimbursement, Resource Management, Retention Programs, Revenue Growth, Revenue Planning, Revenue/Sales Reporting, Sales Pipeline, Salesforce.com, Stewardship, Storytelling, Systems Scalability, Target Marketing

LOCATION

Arlington, VA

POSTED

4 days ago

The Organization
Since 1941, the USO has been the nation's leading organization dedicated to supporting U.S. service members and their families throughout their time in uniform. From the moment they enlist, through deployments and assignments around the world, and as they transition backto civilian life, the USO remains by their side, providing connection, comfort, and care.

Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, the USO is a congressionally chartered, nonprofit organization that operates more than 250 locations worldwide, spanning 56 U.S. states and territories and 137 countries overseas. These locations include permanent USO centers, airport lounges offering 24/7 hospitality, mobile units, and service sites in remote and highrisk areas, including combat zones. Collectively, these centers support and our programs deliver close to 12 million service instances annually.

The organization adapts continuously to the evolving needs of today's military community through live entertainment tours, wellness and connection programs, family support initiatives, and moraleboosting outreach for those serving far from home. These programs form a continuum of support that follows service members from their first day of service to their final transition home.

The USO is not part of the federal government and relies primarily on private support. In its most recent fiscal year, the organization reported approximately $250 million in annual revenue and employed 630 staff members, supported by more than 27,000 volunteers worldwide who power its mission every day.

For more than eight decades, the USO has remained committed to a simple but enduring mission: To strengthen the well-being of the people serving in America's military and their families.

The Opportunity

Position

Chief Development & Marketing Officer (CDMO)

Location:

Arlington, VA

Reporting Relationship:

Chief Executive Officer

Website:

Position Summary

Overview

The Chief Development & Marketing Officer (CDMO) is a key member of the executive leadership team and serves as the enterprise leader responsible for driving sustainable revenue growth, advancing the USO brand, and strengthening donor engagement across all channels.

Reporting to the CEO and partnering closely with the Board of Governors through the Development & Marketing Committee, the CDMO sets and executes an integrated fundraising, marketing, and brand strategy that fuels mission impact and positions the USO for long-term success.

Leading a staff of 60+, this role unifies development and marketing under a single enterprise strategy-leveraging data, storytelling, technology, and talent to deepen relationships, expand philanthropic investment, and elevate the USO's relevance in a rapidly evolving philanthropic and media landscape.

The Role

The CDMO leads an integrated, enterprisewide development, marketing, and communications strategy that strengthens affinity for the USO mission and drives sustainable philanthropic growth.

This role unifies storytelling and revenue generation into a single highperforming engine that clearly articulates the USO story and demonstrates the organization's unique ability to support service members and military families wherever duty calls.

Leveraging modern marketing, advanced analytics, digital engagement, and bestinclass fundraising practices, the CDMO scales multichannel revenue, deepens donor loyalty, and elevates national awareness of the USO's impact. The CDMO ensures the USO brand consistently reflects its distinctive global presence as the only nonprofit with continuous support across installations, transit hubs, ships, and contingency environments worldwide.

Key Responsibilities

Enterprise Revenue Strategy and Growth

The CDMO will lead the development and execution of a unified, multichannel enterprise fundraising strategy designed to drive sustainable revenue growth and deepen donor engagement.
• This role has endtoend responsibility for strategy, execution, and performance across the full spectrum of revenue channels, including direct response; major gifts; corporate partnerships; foundations and grants; planned giving and legacy programs; signature campaigns and events; and peertopeer and community fundraising.

The CDMO ensures that investments are aligned to the highestreturn opportunities, supported by clear measurement of impact, cost efficiency, and overall effectiveness. To accomplish this, the CDMO establishes and oversees an integrated, enterprisewide performance measurement framework that tracks revenue growth by channel, cost to raise a dollar, donor acquisition cost, lifetime value, retention and renewal rates, and pipeline growth and conversion.

Throughout this work, the CDMO prioritizes enterprise outcomes over siloed or localized optimization, ensuring that decisions consistently advance longterm organizational health and mission impact.

Brand Strategy, Storytelling, and Market Positioning

As steward of the USO brand, the CDMO ensures consistent, compelling storytelling that clearly communicates the organization's mission of strengthening the wellbeing of those serving in America's military and their families.
• This includes leading the development of a differentiated national narrative that highlights the USO's unique global footprint, its support for deployed and forwardpositioned forces, its ability to create meaningful connections to home in austere environments, and its measurable impact on morale, readiness, and resilience.

The CDMO drives creative excellence and message discipline across all donor, partner, and supporter touchpoints, positioning storytelling as a primary driver of trust, affinity, and longterm engagement. The role also strengthens the organization's ability to respond quickly to compelling, timesensitive opportunities, ensuring the USO remains relevant, resonant, and competitive in a dynamic philanthropic landscape.

AI-Enabled Marketing and Fundraising Innovation

Leveraging a unified Salesforce CRM and enterprise data infrastructure, the CDMO advances the use of emerging technologies and AIenabled tools to improve donor engagement, operational efficiency, and marketing effectiveness.
• This includes expanding the organization's capabilities in predictive donor analytics, AIsupported content development, personalized donor journeys, advanced segmentation and targeting, marketing automation, digital optimization and testing, CRMenabled pipeline management, and crosschannel attribution.

Equally important, the CDMO fosters a culture of testing, learning, and continuous improvement. Technology investments are evaluated and deployed not as standalone tools, but as enterprise capabilities that strengthen decisionmaking, scale impact, and accelerate progress toward strategic goals.

Donor Experience and Relationship Stewardship

The CDMO is accountable for designing and delivering a bestinclass donor experience that builds loyalty, credibility, and longterm relationships. Stewardship spans the entire donor lifecycle, from acquisition and onboarding through engagement, recognition, renewal, and legacy giving.

In parallel, the CDMO develops and articulates a compelling enterprise case for support that is clearly aligned with the USO's strategic priorities. The role partners closely with the CEO and Board to cultivate transformational gifts and strategic partnerships, ensuring that highvalue relationships are thoughtfully managed and deeply connected to mission outcomes.

Organizational Leadership and Culture

The CDMO builds, leads, and inspires a highperforming, missiondriven development and marketing organization. This includes recruiting, developing, and retaining top talent; establishing clear expectations and accountability; and fostering a culture grounded in collaboration, transparency, innovation, and mission focus. Team structures, goals, and incentives are aligned to enterprise outcomes rather than individual functional success.

As a senior leader, the CDMO serves as a trusted advisor to the CEO and Board on brand positioning, revenue strategy, donor trends, and philanthropic innovation. The role also manages and strengthens key Board relationships to increase participation in fundraising, including personal philanthropy and give/get commitments. In addition, the CDMO provides leadership support to the USO Global Advisory Council, leveraging members' networks, influence, and expertise to elevate awareness, engagement, and resources in support of the mission.

Professional Experience, Qualifications, and Competencies

Experience & Leadership

The successful candidate brings a strong record of strategic leadership and operational excellence in complex, missiondriven organizations. They will have a minimum of 10 years of progressive fundraising experience, including at least seven years in senior or enterprise leadership roles overseeing integrated marketing and development functions. The candidate will have demonstrated success leading large, multichannel revenue organizations, preferably at the $100M+ annual scale, and a proven ability to integrate brand strategy, marketing, and fundraising into a unified enterprise growth model.

Key qualifications include:

Senior executive leadership of integrated fundraising and marketing organizations
Experience managing and scaling enterpriselevel revenue operations
Demonstrated success aligning brand, storytelling, and revenue strategy

Revenue Growth & Strategy

This leader has a consistent track record of driving revenue growth across diverse fundraising channels, supported by strong analytical and strategic capabilities. They bring a deep understanding of donor psychology, lifecycle management, and evolving philanthropic trends, and can translate these insights into effective acquisition, retention, and engagement strategies. The role requires experience developing enterprisewide revenue plans, including multiyear growth strategies, forecasting, and budgeting, along with exposure to digital transformation initiatives that modernize systems and enhance scalability.

Areas of expertise include:

Multichannel revenue growth (direct response, digital, major gifts, corporate, foundations, grants, planned giving, and events)
Enterprise planning, forecasting, and resource allocation
Digital and systems modernization to improve efficiency and impact

Change Leadership & Executive Presence

The candidate demonstrates strong executive presence and the ability to lead change in complex, matrixed organizations. They effectively engage and influence Boards, major donors, and corporate partners, and serve as a trusted advisor to the CEO and Board on revenue strategy, brand positioning, and philanthropic innovation. Exceptional communication, storytelling, and relationshipbuilding skills are essential.

Demonstrated strengths include:

Leading enterprisewide change initiatives
Board and senior stakeholder engagement
Strategic counsel at the executive and governance levels

Values & Mission Alignment

A deep appreciation for military service and a personal commitment to supporting service members and military families are central to success in this role. The candidate builds inclusive, engaged, highperforming teams and leads with integrity, transparency, and followthrough. Their leadership approach emphasizes collaboration, accountability, and mission focus.

Leadership Attributes

The successful candidate brings resilience, sound judgment, and strategic clarity, paired with the ability to execute in complex or rapidly changing environments. They lead with customer and donor focus, make highquality decisions amid ambiguity, encourage innovation, and drive continuous improvement while translating vision into measurable outcomes.

Compensation & Benefits

The expected salary range for this position will be $375,000 - $425,000 and will be competitive and commensurate with experience. A performance plan is being developed for the CDMO role.

With a mission that spans the globe, the USO provides a rewarding and fulfilling work environment. Our team is exceptional, and we offer generous paid time off, including volunteer days and military leave.

We have a remarkable 401k match, comprehensive benefits, and opportunities for training and education reimbursement. Our team members are passionate about putting the mission first, and we have a lot of fun while doing it.

Working for the USO isn't just a job - it's a calling, and we believe in doing what you love and loving what you do.

Location

The position is based in Arlington, VA. There is a requirement for this person to be in the office at least 4 days a week with additional travel to donors as needed. A relocation package is available for qualified candidates.

Procedure for Candidacy

USO has retained Korn Ferry to lead this search. Screening will begin in May 2026 and continue until an appointment is made. Applications (inclusive of resume or CV and a cover letter addressing interest), nominations, and inquiries should be submitted electronically to: USO_CDMO@KornFerry.com.

Korn Ferry shall provide equal employment opportunity to all qualified candidates, and will refer candidates without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, veteran status or any other legally protected basis. Artificial Intelligence tools may be used in connection with the recruitment process for this position.

About the Company

Korn Ferry Executive Search

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