Position description
Title: President & Chief Executive Officer
Reporting to: Board of Trustees
Direct Reports: 4
Location: Washington, DDC (Headquarters) On-Site
In 2025, Airlink is recognizing its 15th anniversary delivering critical humanitarian aid to communities in crisis around the world! Its lifetime impact has reached 60 million people; deployed nearly 13,000 responders; transported over 16 million pounds (7.2 million kg) of supplies in partnership with over 200 NGOs. Airlink is a nonprofit organization working with aviation and logistics partners to transport relief workers and emergency supplies for reputable non-governmental organizations (NGOs) responding to rapid-onset disasters and other humanitarian crises around the globe.
Airlink’s creation was the result of individuals in the aviation and aerospace & defense sectors looking to harness the power of the sector to meet humanitarian needs. In late 2009, Airlink was formed by the ISTAT Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the International Society for Transport Aircraft Trading, which supports individuals and institutions that promote the advancement of commercial aviation and humanitarianism.
Airlink launched its first response in 2010 when a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Airlink joined forces with global NGOs and commercial and private aviation to coordinate the movement of more than 2,000 doctors and nurses and more than 40 shipments of aid totaling +500,000 pounds.
Key Airlink partners include United Airlines, GE Aerospace, Airbus, American Airlines, Woodward, Inc., Qatar Airways, Global Medic, International Medical Corps, and INTERSOS.
Airlink’s expertise has grown since its inception 15 years ago and has sought to offer practical solutions to critical problems and help strengthen the sector as a whole. In addition to saving their partners millions of dollars on transport costs, Airlink increasingly helps manage the transport requirements of NGO partners, from first to last-mile delivery. Airlink even provides shipping via container ship, truck, or rail when those transport modes are more practical than placing cargo on airplanes.
In addition to responding to disasters, Airlink holds a unique policy development position in the humanitarian community. Delivering insight, guidance, and fostering best practices within the disaster logistics and response sector has become a key component of Airlink’s work today.
Fulfilling Airlink’s mission requires effective and strong leadership to grow the organization, and foster strong relationships with donors, partners, policy makers and other key stakeholders around the world.
Scope and Responsibilities
The President & Chief Executive Officer (“President & CEO”) reports directly to the Board and is responsible for the overall strategic planning and tactical operational leadership for Airlink. Serving as the Ambassador and primary spokesperson for the organization, the President & CEO will be a strategic visionary leader with well-developed operating skills and leadership attributes to orchestrate the growth of the organization by leading a committed team and providing the proper robust operational processes, managerial tools, and financial controls to scale this organization to grow substantially meeting the unmet global needs of humanitarian community.
Specific Responsibilities
- Serve as the principal liaison to the Board of Trustees.
- Develop, maintain, and expand NGO, donor, partner, and supplier relationships.
- Collaborate with the management team and Board of Trustees to review the current value proposition, strategies, and operating plans, toward developing both immediate and long-term growth strategies to elevate the organization’s impact and performance.
- Articulate strategic vision in a concise and compelling manner.
- Drive and assume accountability for action plans to scale the scope and reach of the organization, resolving challenges and facilitating tactical improvements.
- Assume accountability for Airlink’s operational and financial management while maintaining controls over its performance, responding quickly and effectively to issue or adverse trends when necessary.
- Provide regular Board updates that clearly demonstrate progress against strategic goals, while actively soliciting input and feedback.
- Ensure Board meetings are well-structured, with focused agendas that drive informed decision-making.
- Lead, coach, develop, and mentor a high-performing team with a positive, mission-driven culture of compassion, engagement, empathy, and cohesive teamwork.
- Invigorate a multi-generation workforce with effective team building, communications plans, and employee outreach.
Deliverables
In the first 12 to 18 months, the President & CEO is expected to achieve the following goal, in addition to others established by the Board:
- Establish strong trust and rapport with the Airlink staff through relationship building, team role clarity, collaboration, and respect.
- Lead Airlink’s comprehensive Strategic Planning process, partnering closely with the Board while engaging external stakeholders, to establish and ratify compelling growth strategies including expanded fund development, transformational operational efficiencies, improved resource allocation, stakeholder engagement among others.
- Establish a data-driven, decision-making culture, creating an infrastructure throughout all facets of Airlink’s internal management operations and programmatic execution.
- Cultivate valued relationships with Airlink partners (airlines, NGOs, major donors) by keeping them well-informed about Airlink’s growth and strategic plans.
- Conduct regular industry outreach as a well-recognized, respected industry luminary within the aviation, logistics, NGO, and government communities.
- Ensure development goals are met while seeking increasingly diverse fundraising streams and new donor relationships to exceed targets.
- Identify appropriate technology tools as a means toward achieving greater operational efficiencies.
Qualifications
Selection Criteria
Airlink’s Board of Trustees is seeking a compassionate, charismatic leader with proven non-profit humanitarian aid, commercial aviation, air transport and/or logistics background, combined with engaging leadership skills to take Airlink to the next level. The successful candidate will be a seasoned executive with a demonstrated track record of success driving transformational organizational growth, scalable operations, and maintaining a mission-driven culture through a global lens. In addition, the final candidate will have a strong philanthropic commitment with a passion for Airlink’s mission of delivering critical aid to communities in crisis.
The successful candidate will have many of the following:
- Minimum of 5+ years of experience leading a $20-to-$50MM multi-location/multi-country organization.
- Prior experience in the humanitarian logistics sector would be an asset.
- A blend of for-profit and non-profit leadership experience is highly preferred.
Knowledge of and strong networks in commercial aerospace/aviation, aircraft goods transport, military logistics, etc. is a plus.
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- Demonstrated business/financial acumen and good business judgment.
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience is required. An advanced degree is preferred.
- Demonstrated ability to formulate and implement strategic goals and plans with the ability to translate strategy into executable objectives.
- Track record growing/scaling a proven (but adolescent) business or program to the next level.
- Experienced working collaboratively with a board on strategic priorities, while bringing board development and governance best practices to the organization.
- Experience growing revenues and/or fundraising.
- Prior sales and/or fundraising experience is highly desired.
- Prior experience as a persuasive and passionate spokesperson with strong public speaking skills.
- Demonstrated ability to lead, coach, and grow high-performance teams and foster a positive, inspiring, and collaborative work environment that empowers employees.
- A true global citizen with experience living and/or working overseas. The President & CEO will travel extensively domestically and internationally.
Competencies / Success Factors
- Change – Leading and Managing: Initiates and implements support for innovation for changes needed to improve efficiency/effectiveness; helps others move from a current to desired state.
- Empowering: Conveys confidence and delegates significant responsibility and authority, allowing others freedom to decide how they will accomplish goals and resolve issues.
- Functional Know-How: In-depth knowledge of humanitarian aid, air transportation, and/or logistics organizations with a strong mission.
- Influence: Uses persuasion to gain support and cooperation from stakeholders/constituencies to achieve the desired course of action consistent with the organization’s strategic goals and objectives.
- Inspiring: Energizes individuals to strive towards a compelling vision of the future by embracing and embodying shared values and goals.
- Results Oriented: Consistently sets and achieves challenging and attainable goals to deliver required outcomes, entrepreneurial with a no excuses mindset.
- Cross-Culture Exposure: Keen abilities and sensibilities to gain an understand of cultural contexts to interact and work effectively with individuals/groups from various cultural/religious backgrounds. It involves developing knowledge, skills, and attitudes that enable individuals to adapt to diverse and communicate respectfully.
Attributes
- Leadership Gravitas: Leadership stature that instills trust and confidence with NGO’s, donors, suppliers, and employees.
- Strategic Thinker: Ability to develop and articulate a compelling strategic vision, communicate the business case for change, and manage the transformational change management process.
- Team Relationship Builder: An inspired leader and experienced team builder who has a collaborative approach to decision making and problem resolution.
- Hands-on Problem Solver: An action-oriented, “roll up the sleeves” approach coupled with an entrepreneurial, adaptable, creative spirit, and impeccable ethics and professionalism.
Compensation and Benefits
With this position comes a competitive compensation package and comprehensive benefits program.
Application instructions
CONTACT INFORMATION
For additional information, to make a recommendation, or to be considered confidentially, contact:
Tony Charles
Director, Client Delivery
DHR Global
Cleveland, OH
M: +1 216-337-5728
E: [email protected]
