Summary

Description

The General Council on Finance and Administration (GCFA) seeks a visionary, creative, and strategically minded Chief Officer of Marketing and Engagement to help shape how GCFA tells its story, strengthens constituent relationships, and advances the mission of The United Methodist Church. This opportunity calls for a leader who can bring together marketing, communications, storytelling, constituent engagement, service awareness, relationship development, analytics, and organizational strategy into one unified approach. The successful candidate will help churches, annual conferences, agencies, ministries, and leaders better understand who GCFA is, why its work matters, and how its services strengthen ministry across the connection.

This is not a traditional marketing role. It is a rare opportunity to shape the voice, reputation, visibility, and constituent experience of a mission-driven organization serving The United Methodist Church. The Chief Officer will help position GCFA not simply as an administrative organization, but as a trusted ministry partner whose services, expertise, and resources enable ministries to thrive.

The Opportunity

Reporting to the General Secretary/Chief Executive Officer and serving as a member of GCFA’s Executive Leadership Team, the Chief Officer of Marketing and Engagement will lead the integration of Marketing and Communications and External Relations into a coordinated constituent engagement strategy. This leader will ensure that every message, campaign, relationship, service touchpoint, and constituent interaction reflects GCFA’s value, expertise, and commitment to the mission of the Church.

The Chief Officer will be responsible for ensuring that GCFA has a clear, compelling, and consistent story, one that communicates who GCFA is, why its ministry matters, and how its work strengthens churches, agencies, annual conferences, ministries, and leaders throughout The United Methodist Church. This executive will translate GCFA’s strategy and ministry into messages and experiences that build understanding, trust, engagement, and confidence among constituents.

The Leader We Are Seeking

The strongest candidates will be equal parts strategist, storyteller, brand builder, data-driven leader, and relationship architect. They will understand that effective engagement is more than communication; it is creating meaningful experiences, building trust, demonstrating value, and helping people and ministries succeed.

The successful candidate will also bring executive presence, creativity, curiosity, and a service-centered leadership style. This leader will see the big picture while building the systems, processes, teams, relationships, and insights necessary to achieve measurable results. They will be energized by leading transformational change, creating meaningful connections, and helping a mission-driven organization maximize its impact.

Essential Functions

Constituent engagement strategy: Develops and executes a comprehensive strategy that integrates awareness, engagement, adoption, satisfaction, and long-term participation across all constituent touchpoints.
Brand, marketing, and communications leadership: Provides strategic leadership for brand management, marketing campaigns, digital communications, website strategy, content development, email communications, storytelling, and promotional activities.
Relationship development and service awareness: Leads efforts to build, strengthen, and sustain relationships with constituents through outreach, events, consultations, customer success initiatives, service adoption activities, lead generation, and feedback collection.
CRM, data, and analytics: Establishes the CRM as GCFA’s single source of truth for constituent interactions and oversees constituent segmentation, performance analytics, dashboard reporting, and measurement of awareness, engagement, adoption, satisfaction, and revenue outcomes.
Cross-functional collaboration: Facilitates collaboration between Marketing and Communications, Connectional Relations, and other GCFA teams to identify constituent needs, promote services, coordinate campaigns, support organizational initiatives, and ensure successful follow-up on opportunities, partnerships, conferences, and strategic relationships.
Constituent experience: Leads the development and continuous improvement of the end-to-end constituent journey, including awareness, interest, engagement, service usage, retention, and advocacy.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Business Administration, Public Relations, Nonprofit Management, or a related field required; master’s degree preferred.
At least ten years of progressive leadership experience in marketing and communications, constituent or customer engagement, relationship management, or business development required.
Significant experience developing and executing enterprise-level marketing, communications, brand, or constituent engagement strategies.
Demonstrated experience leading teams, managing organizational resources, and building high-performing, collaborative cultures.
Experience developing brands, organizational narratives, integrated communication strategies, constituent engagement strategies, or customer experience strategies.
Experience using CRM systems, data, analytics, dashboards, and performance measures to evaluate engagement effectiveness and inform strategy.
Strong written, verbal, interpersonal, and presentation skills, with the ability to translate complex organizational concepts into clear, compelling, and accessible communications.
Demonstrated ability to build relationships across diverse constituencies and communicate in ways that are accessible, engaging, theologically appropriate, and relevant to varied audiences.
Experience working in a religious, denominational, nonprofit, association, or mission-driven organization required.
Experienced marketing professional, administrative, financial, technology, data, or other shared services preferred.
Understanding of the structure, culture, and ministry context of a connectional church or similar religious organization preferred.

Additional Considerations

This is a hybrid position with some in-office work required. GCFA is located in Nashville, TN.
Must be willing to travel up to 40% to build constituent relationships, represent GCFA, support organizational initiatives, and strengthen engagement throughout the connection.
Must be able to work a flexible schedule when executive responsibilities, constituent engagement, travel, events, or significant organizational needs require evening or weekend availability.

About the General Council on Finance and Administration

The General Council on Finance and Administration supports the financial and administrative ministry of The United Methodist Church. GCFA provides leadership, systems, expertise, and services that help the denomination steward its resources faithfully, strengthen accountability, and equip ministries to fulfill their missions. Serving a diverse and interconnected network of annual conferences, agencies, bishops, treasurers, boards, committees, and ministry partners, GCFA plays a unique role in bringing people, information, and resources together across the connection. Its work extends beyond administration by creating the infrastructure, insight, shared solutions, and trusted relationships that enable ministry to thrive locally and globally.

Please apply with the link below to help shape GCFA’s story, strengthen constituent engagement, and advance the mission of The United Methodist Church.

Chief Officer of Marketing and Engagement

GCFA is an Equal Opportunity Employer and actively seeks and encourages applications from minorities, women, and individuals with disabilities. All offers of employment are subject to the applicant successfully completing background, reference, and other applicable checks.
No Staffing Agencies or Recruitment Firms.

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