Executive Director

Minnesota Direct Care and Treatment; Minnesota; Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

The Minnesota Direct Care and Treatment agency leads the Minnesota Sex Offender Program (MSOP), delivering constitutionally sound, evidence-based treatment while protecting public safety. It provides strategic direction across clinical, operational, fiscal, legal, and administrative functions.

This Executive Director will guide budget development, oversee clinical programming, and ensure compliance with laws, accrediting bodies, and best practices.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (behavioral health, psychology, public admin, etc.).
• 5+ years executive leadership in behavioral health/forensic/secure treatment or corrections.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams with diverse backgrounds.
• Experience in performance management conversations with staff.
• Ability to shape organizational strategy and drive change.
• Experience operating in regulated or legal environments.
• Budgeting and financial management experience over $50M.
• Experience working with internal/external stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Oversee deinstitutionalization and community reintegration while ensuring public safety.
• Set MSOP direction, policy, and service delivery within budget.
• Develop biennial MSOP operating budget and monitor expenditures.
• Oversee clinical programming for research-based treatment and medical services.
• Manage operations of secured facilities to ensure safety and therapy.
• Provide thought leadership to maximize program effectiveness.
• Liaise with DCT, state agencies, judiciary, legislature, and public.
• Direct and lead MSOP human resources through management team.
• Shape strategic direction to achieve objectives.
• Foster respectful, professional relationships with staff and partners.

Skills

Executive leadership

Budget management

Stakeholder engagement

Strategic planning

Regulatory compliance

People management

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree preferred

Job description

The Executive Director serves as the executive leader of the Minnesota Sex Offender Program (MSOP) and is responsible for ensuring the program fulfills its statutory mission to provide constitutionally sound, evidence-based treatment to individuals civilly committed as sexually dangerous persons or persons with a sexual psychopathic personality while protecting public safety. The Executive Director provides strategic leadership for all clinical, operational, fiscal, legal, and administrative functions of MSOP; ensures compliance with state and federal law, court orders, accreditation standards, and professional best practices; advances treatment effectiveness and successful community reintegration where appropriate; and serves as the principal advisor and representative of MSOP to Direct Care and Treatment (DCT), the Governor's Office, Legislature, judiciary, local governments, regulatory bodies, and the public.

The clients we serve are civilly committed to Direct Care and Treatment, including an estimated 760 clients in facilities and 75 provisionally discharged clients in the community in 2026, as well as clients in contracted correctional facilities. Other clientele include internal MSOP management and DCT agency-wide staff; Federal, County, and State legislative, judicial, and governmental agencies (State and County), professional/technical services vendors and consultants, victims' advocates, and community advocates and providers; Office of the Ombudsman for Mental health and Developmental Disabilities, media and community-at-large, and the public.

Responsibilities will include:

• Oversee the on-going implementation of client deinstitutionalization and reintegration services to promote successful community transition while maintaining public safety.
• Oversee the purpose and vision of MSOP to provide direction for organizational structure, policy development and maintenance, and service delivery within established budgets.
• Direct the development of MSOP’s biennial operational budget, post-allocation spending plan, and monitoring of actual expenditures to ensure cost-effective use of resources within the limits of legislative appropriations.
• Oversee development and delivery of clinical programming to ensure the provision of appropriate research-based treatment, rehabilitation opportunities, and medical services.
• Oversee the operational activities of MSOP’s secured facilities to ensure the provision of a safe and therapeutic environment for staff and clients.
• Provide on-going thought leadership in the oversight of MSOP operations and clinical services to maximize program effectiveness and client outcomes.
• Provide consultation, education, and serve as primary MSOP liaison with DCT staff, other state agencies, the legislature, the legal community, and the public to promote an understanding of MSOP services and purpose.
• Direct and lead the human resources activities of MSOP through a subordinate management team.
• Influence and shape the strategic and tactical direction of MSOP to support to overall ability to achieve short and long-term objectives.
• To be deliberate in fostering positive interpersonal relationships with coworkers, managers, and customers, so all are treated in a respectful, professional, and humane manner.

All DCT leaders are expected to demonstrate and develop the competencies from the enterprise-wide leader competency model, which includes:

• Leading Self
• Leading Others
• Leading the Organization
• Leading Outside the Organization
• Getting Work Done

Telework options for this position are dependent on where the employee lives. With approval, employees that live within 50 miles from the primary work location may telework up to 50%. Employees that live 50 miles or more from the primary location and live in Minnesota may telework more than 50% with approval.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

To be qualified for and considered for this position, applicants must meet all of the minimum qualifications listed below. Ensure that your resume contains descriptions of your work experiences sufficient for comparison against the requirements stated below and indicate the beginning and ending month and year for each job held

• Bachelor’s degree in behavioral health/science, psychology, social work, public administration, public health, criminal justice, business or health care administration, or a closely related field.
• 5 years executive leadership experience leading an organization that supports complex behavioral health, forensic services, secure treatment, or corrections.

Experience must demonstrate the following:

• Managing multidisciplinary teams by communicating with individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives
• Experience in managing team members and engaging in performance management-based conversations
• Organizational strategy and the ability to influence others and/or compel changes throughout an organization.
• Experience operating within a highly regulated or legal environment
• Experience with budgeting and financial management, exceeding 50 million dollars
• Experience working with internal and external stakeholders to identify areas that impact or may impact the organization and finding ways to navigate such areas

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in behavioral health/science, psychology, social work, public administration, public health, criminal justice, business or health care administration, or a closely related field.
• Knowledge of the civil commitment process and/or Minnesota’s Commitment Act, specifically Chapters 253B and 253D
• Experience with a unionized workforce
• Working directly with courts or the judicial system
• Experience with accreditation, licensing, and corrective action
• Experience leading a 24-hour, secure facility