Executive Director / CEO

The Value Maximizer; Florida; On-site; USD 99,000 - 121,000; Full time

Job summary

Children’s Advocacy Center seeks an Executive Director/CEO to drive strategic leadership, financial sustainability, and program excellence in Pasco County. This role reports to the Board and leads fundraising, partnerships, and compliance while guiding trauma-informed services for children and families.

The successful candidate will bring 7–10 years of nonprofit leadership, strong fundraising experience, executive presence, and a commitment to mission-driven impact.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in nonprofit management, business administration, public administration, social work, or related field.
• Master’s degree preferred in business, public administration, nonprofit leadership, or related field.
• 7–10 years of progressive leadership experience in nonprofit settings.
• Deep expertise in child advocacy, trauma-informed care, and victim services.
• Experience with budgets, grants, compliance, and fundraising.
• Strong communication, public speaking, and donor engagement skills.
• Ability to lead through complexity with sound judgment and integrity.

Responsibilities

• Set strategic direction with the Board and translate strategy into measurable execution.
• Be the primary operating partner to the Board while empowering day-to-day management.
• Ensure financial health through disciplined planning, reporting and controls.
• Lead organizational culture initiatives and staff development.
• Lead fundraising and diversify revenue streams for long-term stability.
• Oversee program quality, compliance, and trauma-informed service delivery.
• Maintain organizational clarity, accountability, and professionalism.
• Represent the organization publicly and build key relationships.
• Ensure risk management and ethical conduct across all operations.

Skills

Leadership experience

Fundraising & donor engagement

Financial management

Strategic planning

Trauma-informed care

Child advocacy

Communication skills

Board reporting

Change management

Risk management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in related field

Master’s degree

Job description

Company: Children’s Advocacy Center Position: Executive Director / CEO Compensation: $110K with Bonus Opportunity Reports to: Board of Directors Location: Pasco County Work Authorization: USC Only Position Overview The Executive Director / CEO serves as the chief executive leader and is accountable for advancing the organization’s mission to prevent, intervene in, and help heal the impacts of child abuse, neglect, and family trauma. This is a mission-critical executive role requiring a leader who can combine compassion with disciplined execution. The CEO is responsible for organizational strategy, financial sustainability, operational performance, program quality, fund development, community partnerships, government relations, compliance, and staff leadership. The ideal candidate will be a visible, credible, and accountable leader who can strengthen the organization’s internal operations while expanding its external influence, funding base, and community impact. This individual must be comfortable leading through complexity, making difficult decisions, developing people, managing risk, and ensuring that the organization is financially and operationally positioned for long-term sustainability.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in nonprofit management, business administration, public administration, social work, human services, healthcare administration, or a related field.

Preferred Education

Master’s degree in business, public administration, nonprofit leadership, social work, healthcare administration, or a related field.

Experience

• Minimum of 7-10 years of progressively responsible leadership experience, preferably in nonprofit, human services, healthcare, child welfare, behavioral health, or community-based organizations
• Deep expertise in child advocacy, trauma-informed care, and comprehensive victim services, with a strong understanding of best practices and the ability to apply and lead the delivery of compassionate, high-quality, evidence-based services for children and families impacted by abuse and trauma
• Demonstrated experience managing budgets, financial reporting, grants, compliance requirements, and operational performance
• Proven ability to lead teams, manage organizational change, and hold staff accountable
• Experience with fundraising, donor cultivation, grants, community partnerships, or revenue development
• Strong communication skills, including public speaking, writing, board reporting, donor engagement, and stakeholder communication
• Ability to make difficult decisions in a mission-sensitive environment
• High emotional intelligence, sound judgment, professional maturity, and personal integrity

Preferred Experience

• Experience with child advocacy centers, child welfare, trauma-informed care, family services, behavioral health, or victim services
• Familiarity with government funding, reimbursement models, grant compliance, and restricted fund accounting
• Experience working with a nonprofit Board of Directors
• Established relationships in Pasco County and the surrounding Tampa Bay region
• Experience leading an organization through financial stabilization, growth, restructuring, or operational improvement

Responsibilities

• Will work in partnership with the Board of Directors to set the strategic direction of the organization and ensure that strategy is translated into measurable execution
• Serves as the primary operating partner to the Board and is responsible for helping the Board govern effectively without becoming involved in day-to-day management
• Is ultimately accountable for the financial health of the organization and must ensure disciplined financial planning, reporting, controls, and sustainability
• Lead the development and distribution of a survey to address culture and team morale, ensuring timely administration, strong team participation, and alignment with organizational goals. Analyze results and develop targeted action plans to address areas of low performance, including clear follow-up and progress tracking
• Must serve as the organization’s chief fundraiser and lead a diversified revenue strategy that supports long-term sustainability
• Is responsible for ensuring that all programs are high-quality, compliant, mission aligned, trauma-informed, and evaluated for impact
• Must ensure that the organization operates with clarity, accountability, efficiency, and professionalism
• Is responsible for building and maintaining a healthy, accountable, mission focused organizational culture
• Serves as the public face and chief relationship builder for the company
• Must ensure strong compliance, ethical conduct, and risk management