Executive Director

Foundation List; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 91,000 - 169,000; Full time

Job summary

Foundation List seeks an Executive Director to act as a strategic leader and senior operator, directly guiding staff, consumers, families, donors, and partners. The role drives budget oversight, program direction, fundraising, and governance, partnering with the Board of Directors to align resources with mission.

The position requires a Bachelor's degree with 5–7 years of nonprofit leadership, fundraising experience, and strong public speaking. On-site, California location with travel as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required with 5-7 years of progressive leadership experience in a nonprofit, health and human services, disability services, or another mission-driven environment.
• Demonstrated success managing budgets and organizational resources.
• Demonstrated fundraising, donor cultivation, and/or revenue-development experience.
• Proven experience working with a nonprofit Board of Directors.
• Experience utilizing strong written, verbal, interpersonal and public-speaking skills.
• Experience leading an organization through times of change, growth, and/or improvement.
• Experience effectively utilizing community resources.
• Proven success managing a high performance staff working in an environment with complex needs.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership and direct involvement in day-to-day operations.
• Oversee all agency operations to achieve long range goals and align programs with Board objectives.
• Oversee operating budget analysis and financial sustainability oversight.
• Monitor compliance with legal requirements.
• Lead development and implementation of strategic direction and organizational priorities.
• Cultivate fundraising and donor relationships to support growth and impact.
• Develop, implement, and direct programs, services, and human resources to align with the mission.
• Oversee day-to-day operations including contracts, HR, facilities, technology and risk management.
• Advocate for individuals with developmental disabilities and liaise with partners and agencies.

Skills

Leadership

Public speaking

Strategic thinking

Fundraising

Communication

Board liaison

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree preferred

Job description

As the senior-most leader of the organization, the Executive Director performs as a strategic leader and strong operator who oversees the agency with a senior management team while remaining directly engaged with staff, consumers and families, donors, and community partners

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

• Perform all responsibilities as a strategic leader while remaining directly involved in day-to-day operations.
• Oversee all agency operations with the purpose of achieving long range goals and steering the direction of programs and services to align with objectives established in tandem with the Board of Directors.
• Oversee analysis and creation of the operating budget and provide oversight of financial status and sustainability.
• Responsible for ongoing monitoring of all legal requirements and ensuring compliance.

SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Provide effective strategic leadership:

• Lead development and implementation of the strategic direction and establish clear organizational priorities.
• Identify opportunities for sustainable growth, innovation, partnerships, improved impact, funding, and cost containment.
• Ensure organizational resources and outcomes are aligned with mission and strategy.
• Foster a culture of accountability, respect, collaboration, and continuous improvement with a focus on serving the needs of consumers and their families.
• Act as the principal management partner to the Board of Directors, as an ambassador and spokesperson to the public, as a liaison to community partners, and as the agency representative with local, regional and national agencies. Maintain a direct interface with the endowment committee, the UCP Foundation.

Serve as a liaison to the Board of Directors:

• Serve as the Board of Director’s principal management partner by openly sharing accurate, timely, transparent, and candid information.
• Support effective governance by turning Board policies into daily action while ensuring decisions are responsible and ethical.
• Prepare the Board for strategic decisions. Support and encourage Board engagement in fundraising and advocacy.

Provide financial leadership:

• Oversee the preparation of the total operating budget in partnership with senior managers and the Board of Directors. Present on a regular basis to the Board of Directors for discussion and final approval.
• Monitor financial performance, cash flow, risk, controls, and sustainability.
• Ensure responsible stewardship of all assets and resources.

Provide leadership of fund development:

• Lead a culture of philanthropy in partnership with senior management, the Board, and all employees,
• Cultivate support and funding from major donors, corporations, government entities, and community partners by developing and maintaining strong relationships.
• Actively participate in fund raising efforts to include fund raising events, donor solicitation, donor development, and donor retention.
• Oversee and directly participate in the writing and timely submission of grants.

Develop, implement, and direct programs, services, and human resources:

• Ensure programs maintain the highest standards in quality, are person-centered, compliant, and aligned with the mission.
• Regularly monitor outcomes and use data to review, improve, and evaluate the availability of services.
• Ensure sound personnel practices in human resources matters such as staff recruitment, evaluation, salary, termination and employee benefits.
• Recruit, develop, retain and evaluate such personnel as are required to fulfill the purpose of the agency, including but not limited to administrative, professional and management roles.
• Oversee appropriate management, financial and personnel record-keeping practices.

Provide day-to-day operational leadership:

• Oversee organization operations to include compliance, contracts, human resources, facilities, technology, insurance, safety, and risk management.
• Meet with direct reports regularly to develop and assess program goals, implementation plans, outcomes, and review any personnel, staffing and/or budget issues.
• Ensure policies and systems support effective and sustainable operations across the organization.
• Establish and enforce organization policies and procedures with advisement and approval by the Board of Directors as needed.

Promote advocacy for individuals with developmental disabilities and their families:

• Maintain strong relationships with individuals served and their families.
• Build relationships with outside partners for advocacy to include leaders in government, healthcare, and other philanthropic organizations.
• Be personally involved as a leader and advocate for persons with developmental disabilities. This involves actively serving on interagency committees to exchange knowledge and skills.
• Ensure agency programs adhere to IDEA-compliant timelines, documentation and service standards.
• Take a leadership role on external committees that will directly benefit consumers and their families and/or to further the agency’s mission.
• Establish and maintain liaison with local, state, governmental and non-governmental agencies and the UCP state and National Associations.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree required with 5-7 years of progressive leadership experience in a nonprofit, health and human services, disability services, or another mission-driven environment. Master’s Degree preferred.
• Demonstrated success managing budgets and organizational resources,
• Demonstrated fundraising, donor cultivation, and/or revenue-development experience.
• Proven experience working with a nonprofit Board of Directors.
• Experience utilizing strong written, verbal, interpersonal and public-speaking skills.
• Experience leading an organization through times of change, growth, and/or improvement.
• Experience effectively utilizing community resources.
• Proven success managing a high performance staff working in an environment with complex needs.
• Direct experience working in disability services is strongly preferred but not required.

Required Skills and Abilities:

• Ability to effectively present verbal and/or written information to Board of Directors, staff, consumers and their families, volunteers and the general public.
• Ability to provide motivation and training to staff and volunteers.
• Ability to analyze, interpret and apply government regulations and technical procedures as they pertain to agency business.
• Ability to effectively write documents such as reports, grants, public relations materials, business reports, and policies and procedures.
• Ability to effectively and efficiently resolve practical and/or complex problems that have changing variables and where there may be limited standardization.
• Must be able to respond appropriately to emergencies while completing work within deadlines and addressing frequent interruptions.
• Ability to adapt quickly to changing priorities.
• Ability to prioritize and organize multiple priorities effectively.

Physical Ability:

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by the employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodation may be made.
• The job requires the employee to sit for long periods, use hands to write or control objects and tools, talk and hear.
• The employee in this position is required to travel by car and/or airplane on business related matters.

Work Environment:

• Able to work a flexible schedule which may require evenings, weekends and travel.
• Noise level in the office is low to moderate.
• Off-site environments may vary.

Salary : $91,000 - $169,000/year Work Schedule : M - F, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm - Evenings, weekends, and travel required Location : On-site - Administration Office - 8665 Gibbs Dr., San Diego, CA 92123

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of all activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the position. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change, or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice.

In the spirit of pay transparency, we are excited to share the full base salary range for this position. If you are hired with UCP, your final base salary within this range will be determined by considering factors such as education, knowledge, skills, and experience, as well as internal pay equity among our current team members. While the posted range represents the full salary range for the role, offers at the maximum of the range are not typical, as we aim to preserve opportunities for future salary growth.

TB Test, health screening, LiveScan background clearance and a Social Media screening are required for employment with the United Cerebral Palsy Association of SD County