Chief Executive Officer

Rancho Cielo; Salinas (CA); On-site; USD 170,000 - 215,000; Full time

Job summary

Rancho Cielo seeks a mission-driven Chief Executive Officer to guide the campus and its students toward measurable outcomes. The CEO will lead fundraising, institutional partnerships, and sustainability while maintaining a strong culture and Board-aligned governance.

The role focuses on long-range strategy, staff development, and ensuring safety, quality education, and community impact through transparent reporting and responsible resource allocation.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, management, finance, nonprofit administration, public administration, or related field required; Master’s degree preferred.
• 10+ years of leadership and management experience, including senior-level responsibility and measurable results.
• 7+ years of progressive professional experience in business, financial management, operations, planning, and resource development.

Responsibilities

• Keep mission and student outcomes at the center of major decisions and resource allocation.
• Oversee fundraising goals, donor relations, and grant administration to support programs and growth.
• Develop and monitor organizational systems, including budgets, dashboards, and reporting.
• Lead partnerships with education, workforce, government, and community partners.
• Support governance, risk management, and Board reporting with transparency and accountability.
• Ensure financial sustainability, audits, 990 filings, and compliance.

Skills

Fundraising & donor relations

Strategic planning

Financial management

Leadership & team development

Board relations

Public speaking

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business administration/related field

Master’s degree preferred

10+ years leadership experience

7+ years fundraising/financial sustainability experience

Job description

Position Overview

Status

Exempt

Reports To

Board of Directors

Position Type

Full-Time Executive

Location

Rancho Cielo Campus

Review

Board / CEO

Version

Board Review Draft

Date

October 2026

Primary Focus

Mission + Measurable Results

Salary Range: $170,000–$215,000

Position Summary

The Chief Executive Officer is a mission-first leader who builds trust, strengthens organizational systems, develops people, expands opportunity, protects financial and operational sustainability, and produces measurable results for students, staff, donors, partners, and the Board. The CEO keeps Rancho Cielo’s mission, students, staff, community, and long-term sustainability at the center of decisions and resource allocation while honoring the organization’s history and strengthening its culture.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Mission and Student Success

Keep Rancho Cielo’s mission and student outcomes at the center of major decisions and resource allocation.

• Monitor graduation and completion outcomes.
• Track job placement, further education, military, or career-pathway placement.
• Monitor student retention and attendance trends.
• Track student safety and well-being indicators.
• Establish and maintain a five-year alumni follow-up framework and reporting process.

Performance review cadence: Monthly / Quarterly

Evidence / accountable parties: CEO + Program Leads + Education Partners

Leadership and Culture

Create a respectful, safe, trusting, and accountable workplace that supports staff effectiveness and student success.

• Monitor staff engagement and pulse-survey results.
• Track turnover and retention trends.
• Maintain a documented staff communication cadence.
• Track conflict and employee-relations response and resolution.
• Advance leadership development and succession actions.

Performance review cadence: Monthly / Quarterly

Evidence / accountable parties: CEO + HR + Board Chair

Organization, Responsiveness, and Follow-Through

Be prepared, organized, responsive, and dependable in carrying out commitments, decisions, and organizational priorities.

• Deliver Board and committee reports according to established schedules.
• Track action-item completion and closure rates.
• Measure progress against stated goals, milestones, and commitments.
• Respond promptly to critical organizational matters.
• Maintain a priority calendar and accountability dashboard.

Performance review cadence: Monthly

Evidence / accountable parties: CEO + Board Chair

Financial Sustainability

Maintain strong financial controls, visibility, and long-term economic sustainability.

• Review the monthly financial package and profit-and-loss statement.
• Manage budget-to-actual variances.
• Maintain cash-flow and cash-runway visibility.
• Ensure completion of the audit and Form 990.
• Oversee grant compliance and restricted-fund tracking.
• Provide reporting to the Board Finance Committee.

Performance review cadence: Monthly / Annual

Evidence / accountable parties: CEO + CFO + Treasurer

Fundraising and Donor Development

Expand and diversify support through donors, grants, events, major gifts, endowment, and capital opportunities.

• Achieve annual fundraising goals.
• Increase new‑donor acquisition and donor retention.
• Maintain a major‑gift pipeline and moves‑management activity.
• Manage the grant calendar, submissions, and award tracking.
• Evaluate event performance and net revenue.
• Advance endowment and capital‑campaign progress when applicable.

Performance review cadence: Monthly / Quarterly

Evidence / accountable parties: CEO + Development Lead

Systems, Standard Operating Procedures, and Accountability

Build durable systems that reduce confusion, clarify ownership, and support responsible growth.

• Complete and implement priority departmental standard operating procedures.
• Maintain current role descriptions and reporting lines.
• Develop process maps for critical workflows.
• Maintain department scorecards and dashboards.
• Track milestones and ensure corrective‑action follow‑through.

Performance review cadence: Quarterly

Evidence / accountable parties: CEO + Department Leads

Partnerships and External Agencies

Strengthen relationships with education, workforce, health, government, employer, and community partners.

• Maintain a regular cadence of meetings with key partners.
• Ensure memorandum‑of‑understanding and contract compliance.
• Monitor partner satisfaction and resolve issues.
• Track shared outcomes.
• Expand internship, apprenticeship, and employment opportunities.

Performance review cadence: Quarterly

Evidence / accountable parties: CEO + Partner Leads

Board, Governance, and Strategic Execution

Support strong governance, transparent communication, and execution of Board‑approved priorities.

• Provide Board materials according to the established reporting schedule.
• Track strategic‑plan milestone progress.
• Support committees and ensure follow‑up.
• Provide risk and compliance reporting.
• Track Board action items to completion.

Performance review cadence: Monthly / Quarterly

Evidence / accountable parties: CEO + Board Chair

Safety, Facilities, and Campus Stewardship

Maintain a safe, secure, prepared, and well‑managed 100‑acre campus.

• Maintain the safety‑drill and emergency‑preparedness schedule.
• Review insurance coverage and risk.
• Maintain the incident‑reporting process and follow‑up.
• Ensure camera, gate, and security readiness.
• Maintain a preventive‑maintenance and capital‑needs plan.

Performance review cadence: Quarterly

Evidence / accountable parties: CEO + Operations + Facilities

Communication and Public Trust

Represent Rancho Cielo with credibility, clarity, and professionalism internally and externally.

• Maintain a consistent staff communication cadence.
• Lead donor and community communications.
• Represent the organization through public speaking and community presentations.
• Manage media relations and organizational reputation.
• Ensure consistency of organizational messaging.

Performance review cadence: Monthly / Quarterly

Evidence / accountable parties: CEO + Communications Lead

First 90-Day Leadership Milestones

First 30 Days — Listen, Learn, Stabilize, and Clarify

Meet with Board leadership, department leads, education partners, staff leaders, donors, and key agencies. Identify immediate risks, priorities, and communication needs.

Board‑ready deliverables: Listening summary; top 10 issues; early‑risk plan; communication cadence.

Days 31–60 — Organize and Align

Confirm reporting structure, role clarity, decision rights, active grants, donor pipeline, safety needs, and department‑level standard operating procedure priorities.

Board‑ready deliverables: Role‑clarity chart; draft SOP roadmap; financial/grant dashboard; donor plan.

Days 61–90 — Move from Assessment to Execution

Present 12‑month operating priorities, culture plan, fundraising plan, Board reporting structure, and measurable student outcome goals.

Board‑ready deliverables: 90‑day Board report; operating scorecard; strategic milestone plan; accountability calendar.

Leadership Competencies and Behaviors

• Lead with integrity, humility, preparation, respect, and professionalism.
• Seek first to understand; listen before reacting.
• Build trust across staff, students, volunteers, donors, Board members, and partner organizations.
• Mentor and develop others; share credit for success.
• Approach conflict as a problem solver and create shared accountability.
• Demonstrate reliability, responsiveness, and consistent follow‑through.
• Create clear systems, expectations, decision rights, and accountability.
• Keep students, staff, mission, community, and long‑term sustainability at the center of decisions.

Qualifications and Education

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, management, finance, nonprofit administration, public administration, or a related field required; master’s degree preferred.
• Minimum of 10 years of leadership and management experience, including senior‑level responsibility for leading teams, developing managers, managing organizational change, and achieving measurable results.
• Minimum of seven years of progressive professional experience demonstrating a strong business background, including financial management, organizational operations, strategic planning, and resource development.
• Experience with nonprofit management, fundraising, donor relations, grant administration, and financial sustainability preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to build effective teams, strengthen organizational culture, and establish clear systems, accountability, and operational processes.
• Experience working with a Board of Directors, community partners, education and workforce organizations, and other external stakeholders.
• Strong communication, relationship‑building, strategic‑planning, and problem‑solving skills.
• Commitment to Rancho Cielo’s mission and the success, safety, and well‑being of its students.

Measures of Success

Success in this role is measured by the CEO’s ability to honor Rancho Cielo’s history, strengthen its culture, build durable systems, grow financial and community support, follow through on commitments, and produce measurable progress for students and the organization.

Rancho Cielo is an equal‑opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.