Executive Director

Mhaw; Town of Islip (NY); On-site; USD 160,000 - 175,000; Full time

Job summary

Association for Mental Health and Wellness seeks an Executive Director to lead our mission-driven nonprofit in Ronkonkoma, NY, with travel across Suffolk County. Immediate availability and a focus on advocacy, program development, and external relations drive our strategic outcomes.

The successful candidate will bring executive leadership, strong financial oversight, and a track record of partnership building with funders, government agencies, and care providers to advance trauma-informed,

Qualifications

• Proven track record leading large nonprofit or healthcare organizations through growth and change.
• Strong financial management, budgeting, and strategic planning experience.
• Experience with grant funding, public funding, managed care, and regulatory compliance.
• Excellent executive communication and relationship-building skills.
• Commitment to trauma-informed, recovery-oriented care.

Responsibilities

• Lead and support the program leadership team and oversee operations.
• Develop and implement the organization’s strategic direction with the Board.
• Strengthen partnerships, funding opportunities, and service expansion.
• Ensure financial stability, budgeting, forecasting, and regulatory compliance.
• Represent the organization at community events and with stakeholders.

Skills

Executive leadership

Financial leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Strategic planning

Communication

Team development

Education

Bachelor’s degree

MBA or related advanced degree

Job description

To Advocate. To Educate. To Empower. Together.

Salary: $160,000 to $175,000 per year; Exempt position

Hours: 37.5 hours per week

Location: Ronkonkoma, NY with travel throughout Suffolk County

Availability: Immediately

Position Description:

The Executive Director serves as the leader and primary public facing representative of the Association for Mental Health and Wellness. This role is responsible for advancing mission alignment, long-term sustainability, organizational culture, and operational performance, while overseeing external relations, program development, advocacy, and executive leadership development.

The ideal candidate is an experienced executive with a proven record of leading nonprofit, healthcare, behavioral health, or human services organizations. This individual will bring strong business acumen, emotional intelligence, and the ability to lead teams, build partnerships, and guide organizational change in a dynamic environment.

The Executive Director will work closely with leadership to strengthen program operations, expand community partnerships, build workforce capacity, and ensure high-quality service delivery that responds to evolving community needs.

Responsibilities:

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Lead and support the program leadership team
• Oversee program operations to ensure efficiency, compliance and service quality
• Strengthen infrastructure, policies, and performance management practices
• Establish and monitor organizational goals, quality measures, and outcomes
• Support leadership development and workforce retention initiatives

Strategic Leadership and Organizational Growth

• Join in the development and implementation of the organization’s strategic direction in partnership with the executive team and Board of Directors.
• Identify and pursue opportunities for partnerships, funding and service expansion
• Build a culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement
• Align mission, strategy, operations and financial performance
• Promote a trauma-informed, recovery-oriented service delivery across the organization

Financial Stewardship and Sustainability

• Partner with the CFO and Board to ensure financial stability and sustainability
• Join in and monitor budgeting, forecasting, and long-term financial planning
• Ensure responsible stewardship of resources and regulatory compliance
• Participate in development of funding opportunities including grants, contracts, and strategic partnerships

Board and Community Relations

• Serve as a liaison to the Board of Directors
• Provide regular organizational updates, strategic and operational insights
• Build and maintain strong relationships with community stakeholders, government agencies, funders, healthcare systems, advocacy groups, and strategic partners
• Represent MHAW at community events, legislative meetings, coalitions, and public forums
• Advance the organization’s visibility, advocacy efforts, and reputation

Compliance, Quality, and Organizational Excellence

• Promote a culture of compliance, quality improvement, and ethical leadership
• Ensure adherence to federal, state, and local regulations, funding requirements
• Support program evaluation and performance monitoring
• Stay informed on behavioral health and healthcare system trends and policy changes
• Ensure organizational responsiveness to evolving system and community needs

People and Culture Leadership

• Foster an inclusive, equitable, and supportive organizational culture
• Lead workforce engagement, leadership development, and retention efforts
• Encourage collaboration and alignment across departments and programs
• Lead with transparency, accountability, and integrity

Qualifications:

Required Skills/Abilities:

• Demonstrated success leading large programs or organizations through growth, change, and operational improvement
• Strong financial and operational leadership experience, including budgeting and strategic planning
• Experience working with community stakeholders, funders, and government agencies
• Experience with grant funding, public funding streams, managed care environments, and regulatory compliance preferred
• Strong executive communication, relationship-building and leadership skills
• Proven ability to lead and develop high-performing teams
• Strategic thinker with strong decision-making and analytical ability
• Commitment to MHAW’s mission and recovery-oriented, trauma-informed care

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree required, advanced degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Healthcare Administration, Nonprofit Leadership, or related field preferred
• 5+ years of progressive executive leadership experience in nonprofit, healthcare, behavioral health, human services, or similarly complex organizations
• Knowledge of nonprofit administration, behavioral health systems, healthcare environments, and/or human services strongly preferred