Chief Executive Officer at The Opportunity Network

The Opportunity Network ignites the drive, curiosity, and agency of underresourced students on their paths to and through college and into thriving careers, powered by our commitment to access and community.

About The Organization Since its founding in 2003, The Opportunity Network (OppNet) has worked to close the opportunity gap by helping students from under-resourced communities and first-generation college students overcome barriers to higher education and professional match. OppNet reimagines networks as sources of power, combining intensive personal connections and professional relationships with hard skills and experience. Through its flagship NYC-based Fellows program—an intensive six-year experience beginning the summer after 10th grade—and its national capacity-building partnerships, OppNet has reached over 150,000 young people. The organization’s results are clear: 98% of OppNet Fellows graduate from college within six years, and 91% secure interest-aligned employment or graduate school admission within six months of graduation, far outpacing national trends.

OppNet is embarking on a pivotal chapter focused on deepening its national impact and expanding college and career success. To guide this future growth, OppNet is currently executing a clear three-pillared operational playbook: strengthening long-term financial sustainability, maximizing post-secondary and program outcomes, and building the internal systems and infrastructure required to optimize the organization for scale.

By reinforcing these operational and programmatic baselines, OppNet is actively evolving its proprietary Career Fluency® capacity-building model and developing regional hubs to ensure consistent, high-quality delivery across multiple markets. This structural evolution positions OppNet to expand its strategic partnerships with high schools and anchor institutions, adapt its offerings to meet rapid, ahead-of-market workforce shifts, and step forward as a prominent external voice and thought leader in the career and economic mobility space.

To learn more about the organization and its impact, please visit opportunitynetwork.org.

About The Role OppNet is seeking a balanced, strategic, and forward-thinking Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to guide the organization through an exciting period of external change and market evolution. Stepping into a highly collaborative ecosystem, the incoming CEO will partner with a deeply dedicated staff and an engaged Board of Directors to champion our mission and scale our impact. Skillfully balancing a dedication to OppNet’s core regional programming and community-based anchor partnerships with national growth, the CEO will set and steward the vision for navigating the evolving economic and funding landscapes with agility, crystalizing our organizational identity in a dynamic market, and unlocking the full potential of an influential network of champions and philanthropic supporters.

This role presents a powerful dual mandate: serving as the chief external ambassador responsible for cultivating executive-level relationships, advancing strategic growth priorities, expanding and enhancing the OppNet brand, and diversifying revenue, while institutionalizing robust internal operational systems.

This is an exceptional opportunity for a proven leader to guide a highly respected organization through an exciting inflection point, strategically guiding the evolution of OppNet’s programmatic and operational strategy in service of fieldwide impact. The incoming leader inherits a strong foundation: a deeply committed and active Board, a tenured and high-performing leadership team, a track record of proven outcomes, and a robust platform poised for national growth. This role is an invitation to shape the future of both the organization and the wider field. This is a rare opportunity to leverage a proven model, amplify a brand on a national stage, and further advance the field.

Responsibilities Include, But Are Not Limited To External Leadership and Fundraising

• Serve as OppNet’s primary external voice, chief spokesperson, and principal fundraiser, collaborating with teams to champion the mission to media, constituents, and the public
• In partnership with the board, design and execute a sophisticated fundraising strategy to cultivate and diversify new donor revenue streams across individuals, foundations, and corporate funders, with a personal focus…