Executive Director

AgUpdate; Palm Desert, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 155,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance

401(k) retirement plan

Job summary

United Cerebral Palsy of the Inland Empire (UCPIE) in Palm Desert, California, seeks an accomplished Executive Director to steer the organization through growth, impact, and service. You will lead strategy, people, programs, finances, fundraising, and operations while strengthening connections across Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

The role requires a mission-driven leader who can translate priorities into measurable goals, mentor management, ensure quality programs, and sustain long-term

Qualifications

• Seven+ years of progressively responsible management and leadership experience, including significant supervisory responsibility.
• Nonprofit or human services leadership experience, with preference for work with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
• Strong financial management and budgeting experience with ability to evaluate program sustainability.
• Experience working with a Board of Directors and translating data into clear reporting.
• Fundraising, donor relations, sponsorship, grant development, and resource development experience.
• Experience developing or expanding programs in a regulated environment with understanding of required infrastructure and compliance.
• Exceptional communication, public speaking, decision-making, and coordination skills.
• Commitment to rights, dignity, independence, inclusion, and quality of life for people with disabilities.
• Bilingual English/Spanish preferred.
• Knowledge of California’s developmental-disabilities system including DDS, Inland Regional Center, and related programs.

Responsibilities

• Translate Board priorities into measurable organizational goals and communicate them clearly across the organization.
• Lead and mentor a strong management team and foster a connected organizational culture across the workforce.
• Ensure high-quality, person-centered programs and services while building partnerships with individuals and families.
• Maintain strong financial stewardship, budget discipline, and long-term sustainability.
• Strengthen fundraising by maintaining donor relationships and expanding funding sources.
• Guide development of new programs considering community need, staffing, funding, and regulatory requirements.
• Provide clear analyses and executive-level summaries of performance to the Board.
• Represent UCPIE as a public ambassador and build relationships with families, donors, and partners.

Skills

Executive leadership

Financial management

Fundraising

Board reporting

Strategic thinking

Public speaking

Spanish/English bilingual

California disability system knowledge

Job description

Executive Director

United Cerebral Palsy of the Inland Empire (UCPIE)
Palm Desert, California

Lead with purpose. Build for the future.

United Cerebral Palsy of the Inland Empire is seeking an accomplished, mission-driven Executive Director to lead the organization through its next chapter of growth, impact, and service.

UCPIE serves individuals with developmental disabilities and their families throughout Riverside and San Bernardino counties. The organization is committed to advancing independence, inclusion, dignity, and quality of life through community-based programs and services.

This is an opportunity for a strong executive leader who combines mission-driven leadership, financial and operational acumen, Board partnership, fundraising capability, and a genuine commitment to the individuals and families UCPIE serves.

The Opportunity

Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Executive Director will provide overall leadership for UCPIE’s strategy, people, programs, finances, fundraising, community relationships, and operations. The organization employs approximately 363 employees, including a large field-based respite workforce, and the Executive Director will play a central role in strengthening connection, communication, and trust across the organization.

The successful candidate will be a collaborative and visible leader who can:

• Translate the Board’s strategic priorities into measurable organizational goals and communicate those priorities clearly and transparently throughout the organization.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a strong management team while strengthening a healthy, connected organizational culture, with particular attention to engagement across the respite workforce.
• Ensure high-quality, person-centered programs and services while building strong partnerships with the individuals and families UCPIE serves.
• Maintain strong financial stewardship, budget discipline, and long-term organizational sustainability.
• Strengthen fundraising by protecting established donor relationships, expanding donors and sponsors, and partnering with the development team on a sustainable resource-development strategy.
• Guide thoughtful development of new programs by evaluating community need, infrastructure, staffing, funding, regulatory requirements, and long-term financial sustainability.
• Serve as a trusted partner to the Board of Directors, providing clear analysis, actionable information, and an executive-level summary of organizational and financial performance.
• Represent UCPIE as a respected, energetic ambassador throughout the Inland Empire and build strong relationships with families, donors, community partners, and service-system stakeholders.

What We’re Looking For

UCPIE is seeking a leader with a strong combination of executive presence, strategic thinking, operational discipline, relationship‑building skills, and a collaborative, mentorship‑oriented leadership style. The successful candidate will be a strong communicator and public speaker who listens and learns before implementing significant change.

Ideal candidates will bring

• At least seven years of progressively responsible management and leadership experience, including significant supervisory responsibility.
• Experience in nonprofit or human services leadership, with meaningful experience serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities strongly preferred.
• Strong financial management and budgeting experience, including the ability to understand financial performance, manage within established budgets, and evaluate the financial sustainability of programs.
• Experience working effectively with a Board of Directors and translating operational and financial information into clear, transparent, and actionable reporting.
• Demonstrated fundraising, donor relations, sponsorship, grant development, or resource‑development experience, including both stewardship of existing relationships and expansion of new funding sources.
• Demonstrated experience developing or expanding programs in a regulated environment, with an understanding of the infrastructure, staffing, funding, compliance, and operational requirements necessary for successful implementation.
• Exceptional communication, public‑speaking, decision‑making, and organizational skills, with the ability to build credibility across employees, families, donors, community partners, and the Board.
• A demonstrated commitment to the rights, dignity, independence, inclusion, and quality of life of people with developmental disabilities.
• Bilingual Spanish/English preferred.
• Knowledge of California’s developmental‑disability service system is highly desirable, including familiarity with the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act, the California Department of Developmental Services (DDS), Inland Regional Center, the Department of Rehabilitation, government‑funded programs, and applicable federal, state, and local requirements.
• Experience working directly with Inland Regional Center is particularly valued.
• Familiarity with CARF accreditation, including survey preparation and corrective‑action processes, is a plus.

Leadership Style

The successful candidate will be:

• Mission‑driven and values‑centered.
• Strategic and thoughtful, with a willingness to spend time listening, learning, and understanding the organization.
• Financially and operationally strong.
• Collaborative, transparent, and mentorship‑oriented.
• Accountable and decisive.
• Skilled at building trust with staff, including field-based respite workers, as well as the Board, donors, families, and community partners.
• Positive, engaging, and comfortable serving as the public face of the organization.

Location

This position is based in Palm Desert, California, with regular engagement throughout the Inland Empire.

Compensation

Salary – $155,000 to $175,000, depending on qualifications and experience, plus the opportunity for a performance‑based bonus tied to organizational goals.

Benefits

• Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance and a 401(k) retirement plan.

About UCPIE

United Cerebral Palsy of the Inland Empire (UCPIE) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life, independence, inclusion, and opportunities of individuals with developmental disabilities and their families throughout Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

UCPIE’s work is grounded in the belief that people with disabilities should have the opportunity to live full, meaningful, and self‑directed lives in their communities. The organization supports individuals with cerebral palsy and a broad range of other developmental and mobility‑related disabilities through programs designed to strengthen independence, social connection, family stability, and community participation.

UCPIE provides a diverse range of services that support individuals and families across different stages of life. Programs include in‑home respite care, after‑school and summer programming, adaptive recreation and activities, family empowerment, an adaptive bicycle program, virtual programming, and resource and referral services. UCPIE also collaborates with community organizations to expand access to educational, recreational, and supportive opportunities. Through its Resource & Referral Program, UCPIE helps families connect with public agencies, educational resources, independent‑living supports, employment services, legal resources, recreational opportunities, and other community‑based services that may fall outside UCPIE’s direct scope.

The organization’s philosophy of helping people live a “Life Without Limits” extends beyond direct service delivery. UCPIE works to help individuals with disabilities participate more fully in family life, education, recreation, and their communities while also providing families with the information and support they need to navigate complex systems of care.

UCPIE has also developed strong relationships throughout the Inland Empire with healthcare organizations, businesses, foundations, municipalities, charitable organizations, and community partners. These relationships help support programs and expand opportunities for the individuals and families UCPIE serves. Its supporters have included regional healthcare organizations, foundations, financial institutions, local businesses, cities, and community organizations throughout the Coachella Valley and greater Inland Empire.

Based in Palm Desert, California, UCPIE operates in a service environment that requires strong collaboration with families, community organizations, governmental agencies, service providers, and California’s developmental‑disabilities system. Many families served through respite services are Spanish‑speaking, making bilingual English/Spanish capability especially valuable. The organization’s next Executive Director will have the opportunity to build upon this foundation while strengthening culture, programs, partnerships, fundraising, operational effectiveness, and long‑term sustainability.

At its core, UCPIE is an organization centered on dignity, independence, inclusion, and quality of life. The Executive Director will serve not only as the organization’s chief executive, but also as an advocate and ambassador for the people and families UCPIE serves.