Executive Director

Mental Health Association in Suffolk County; Town of Islip (NY); On-site; USD 160,000 - 175,000; Full time

Job summary

Mental Health Association in Suffolk County seeks an Executive Director to lead, inspire and represent the organization across Suffolk County. You will align mission with strategy, drive organizational culture, and oversee external relations, program development, advocacy, and leadership development.

The ideal candidate will bring a track record of nonprofit/healthcare leadership, strong business acumen, emotional intelligence, and the ability to guide change in a dynamic environment.

Qualifications

• Proven 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.

Responsibilities

• Lead the program leadership team and oversee program operations for 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.
• Represent the organization at community events and build strategic partnerships.

Skills

Leadership

Financial acumen

Strategic planning

Stakeholder relations

Executive communication

Team development

Change management

Trauma-informed care

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Advanced degree preferred

Job description

Mission Statement: “To empower and inspire people of all communities to identify, pursue and sustain healthy, meaningful lives”.

MHAW strives to develop an authentic, diverse workforce that embraces, creates, respects and demonstrates diversity, equity, and inclusiveness in the work environment, towards one another and those we serve. We recognize that our agency is strongest when we all embrace the full spectrum of diversity and experience. We actively seek to employ a diverse workforce representative of the communities we serve.

Position

Executive Director

Compensation

$160,000 to $175,000 per year; Exempt position Location: Ronkonkoma, NY with travel throughout Suffolk County

Hours

37.5 hours per week

Start Date

Immediately

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

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

Benefits

Our full-time employees are eligible for a comprehensive benefits package, which includes:

• Medical, Dental and Vision Coverage
• 403b Retirement Plan
• Paid vacation
• Paid sick time
• Floating Holidays
• Personal time off
• Mileage Reimbursement
• Employee Assistance Program