Executive Director

Child’s Voice, a leading national organization in listening and spoken language education for children with hearing loss, is seeking a talented and committed individual to succeed our beloved Dr. Michele Wilkins, who is retiring after 23 years as Executive Director.

Child’s Voice is a special place – we are a school, a family, and a resource. We also have remarkable assets that make the role of our Executive Director a unique and exciting opportunity. Most importantly, we have a gifted group of teachers and staff who bring out the very best in the children and families we serve. They are supported by a committed board of directors with a tremendous depth of experience, a loyal set of long-standing donors, and a devoted group of volunteers and supporters who are passionate about our mission and vision.

The children served by Child’s Voice come to us at a critical time. The early years are essential for children with hearing loss to receive the kind of specialized education and supports needed to optimize their listening, speaking, reading and self-advocacy skills. Without those supports, they can fall far behind in their education and struggle for years to catch up.

Child’s Voice has a tradition of success in empowering our children to be successful in all educational and social settings. We were started by families who sought out the best deaf educators, speech language pathologists and audiologists to help children with hearing loss develop to their fullest potential. That legacy of success has been repeatedly validated and recognized by peer institutions and professional colleagues in our field.

The Board of Directors is excited to offer this opportunity to join our organization at an important moment in our journey, as we look to further expand the reach of Child’s Voice and its services beyond the Chicago region and firmly establish Child’s Voice as a national leader in listening and spoken language education. We will look to our new Executive Director to further advocate for Child's Voice, advance our mission, inspire our teachers and staff and strategically lead our plans for effectiveness, sustainability and growth.

Our two physical locations are in suburban Wood Dale and on the north side of Chicago, and in 2020, Child’s Voice began to offer teletherapy for Early Intervention.

The successful Executive Director candidate will strategically advance Child’s Voice’s plans for organization effectiveness and growth.

Key responsibilities include:

Leadership – Provide overall direction and management for program implementation including curriculum, staffing, and overall operational leadership

Planning – Lead strategic and operational planning activities, including the development and tracking of key performance indicators

Innovation – Consistently explore ways to further enhance the relevance and sustainability of Child's Voice through emerging technologies and additional services

Community Engagement - Be highly engaged and community-oriented in educating the general public and other stakeholder groups about programs, the needs they serve and how they benefit the community

Partnerships - Maintain market awareness of key trends to anticipate future needs and developing new partnerships that best meet those needs

Fundraising – Help ensure adequate operational resources for programs by forging relationships with donors and sponsors

Ideal candidates will possess:

• Versatility, adaptability and flexibility
• Personal drive, energy and engagement
• Strong set of interpersonal and communication skills
• High level of sociability
• Passion for serving children

Ideal candidates will have the ability to:

• Maintain an external focus by creating innovative solutions and fostering wide-ranging stakeholder relationships
• Deliver results through skillfully allocating resources, driving accountability and establishing operational excellence
• Set strategy and exemplify a continuous improvement mindset
• Take ownership for decisions and initiative for actions
• Manage through complex and ambiguous circumstances
• Build strong teams by developing, motivating and engaging others

Ideal candidates will have:

• ISBE License or can obtain (required)
• Masters degree in relevant field (advanced degree desired)
• Listening and Spoken Language Certificate—LSLS Cert. AVT or AVED –or will obtain
• 10+ years of experience in senior position(s) at organization(s) with focus on deaf education, audiology or communication sciences
• Successfully developed and rolled out new programs/initiatives
• Led key stakeholder relationships in the community, including with individual and institutional donors, clients, vendors, sponsors and partners
• Led volunteers and staff
• Been visible in the community, conducted public speaking and worked with the media
• Overseen organization finances and facilities
• Worked with a nonprofit board of directors and an understanding of how it functions