Executive Director

TITLE:                              Executive Director

DEPARTMENT:               Executive Department

REPORTS TO:                 Board of Directors

STATUS:                          Exempt

SALARY:                         $175,000 - $225,000

Are you passionate about the welfare of Children in New York and want to make an impact? Are you currently an Executive Director or Chief Operating Officer or Program Officer at another human services organization, who is looking for an extraordinary opportunity? Come join our dynamic team committed to positively impacting the lives of Children.

About New Yorkers for Children:

New Yorkers for Children (NYFC) improves the well-being of youth and families in the child welfare system with an emphasis on older youth aging out of the system.  NYFC provides direct educational, financial and emotional support and develops programs to fill gaps in the system in partnership with foster care agencies, community organizations, and the NYC Administration for Children’s Services.

NYFC is a $6.7 million hybrid nonprofit that operates direct scholarship programs for over 1,000 foster youth annually while also managing over 30+ grants with promising program practices in the field of NYC child welfare. Half of its annual budget is dedicated to subgrants to community partners or expert consultants.  Most recently, NYFC has been highlighted for its trailblazing efforts in ensuring that youth aging out of foster care have access to unconditional cash transfers and it is a leading advocate for Universal Basic Income for all youth aging out of foster care.

The Position:

New Yorkers For Children (NYFC) is seeking a visionary leader to bring this 25+ year old organization to its next stage of growth and execute on an ambitious strategic plan.  NYFC seeks a strategic-minded, seasoned, and passionate individual to serve as its next Executive Director and lead the organization into its next chapter after several years of tremendous growth and program expansion.

As a strong advocate for youth in foster care with a keen understanding and appreciation for the importance of education as a driver for change, the next Executive Director will be fearless fundraiser with a deep understanding of programs as well as demonstrated capacity for overseeing complex budgets.

Serving as the primary spokesperson for the organization, the Executive Director is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the organization, including cultivating longstanding and new external partnerships fundraising, stakeholder engagement, communications and external relations, program and fund development and financial management.

NYFC and the New York City’s Administration for Children’s Services have shared a rich and 25+ year partnership history and the next candidate should have experience with an appreciation of or keen understanding of how the City’s child welfare system operates to both maintain and build upon that relationship.  An ideal candidate will have a demonstrated history and passion for child welfare, youth development, family well-being and education.

Job Description

Executive Leadership & Management:

• Provide leadership, vision, and strategy in the expansion and development of program areas in alignment with NYFC’s mission and organizational priorities.
• Engage a diverse staff to promote top performance, trust and teamwork.
• Drive and support internal and external communication.
• Identify opportunities to cultivate existing and develop new partnerships with government agency, nonprofit, and funder partners. 
• Share best practices with child welfare community, participate in advocacy and policymaking efforts, and build NYFC’s presence as a thought leader in the child welfare community.
• Grow the infrastructure of the organization while committing to growing capacity.
• Exhibit financial literacy skills and the ability to make sound, collaborative financial decisions within an organization.
• Position NYFC as a backbone organization to promote collective impact to improve New York City child welfare with a focus on older youth in foster care, in collaboration with the Board.
• Report to a 25+ person board; providing regular information and updates to them via committee and quarterly board meetings.

Program Development and Management:

• Oversee the delivery, expansion, and quality of NYFC existing signature educational and youth development programs including the Nick’s Scholar program, Back-to-School Package program, Youth Advisory Board, and other scholarship programs- along with other innovative programs (LifeSet, Post-Permanency Support Program and the NYC Small Grants Program).
• Oversee a robust suite of scholarship programs and direct cash support programs for youth in foster care.
• Lead the development, incubation and scaling of new pilot programs and initiatives that include program planning, guidance, and technical assistance to partners to ensure various stakeholders are on track with program vision, goals, and milestones.
• Coordinate with cross-sector stakeholders to design and evaluate new program models, and successfully operationalizing innovative programs.
• Oversee, direct and organize the work of three divisions: 1. Finance and Administration, 2, Programs, and 3. Grants, Development and Communications.
• Define and develop strategy for the implementation of NYFC’s evaluation practices.
• Plan and coordinate data collection and evaluation plans to meet programmatic goals and targets.
• Work with Director of Programs to assess programmatic progress and impact and use data to inform decision-making.
• Partner with ACS, CUNY and other partners on data collection efforts to track progress of youth in foster care enrolled at CUNY and other postsecondary institutions.
• Engage people with lived experience, to hear their voices, and respond.

External Relations, Development and Communications:

• Maintain, grow and cultivate existing donor base comprised of individuals, institutional and government support.
• Oversee program development and expansion and cultivation of Institutional support.
• Work closely with an external Lobbying and Communications firm to elevate the work of NYFC and share best practices.
• Work closely with ACS, City Council and City Hall to drive positive results for New York City youth in foster care.
• Actively diversify fundraising efforts, in addition to events, and engage a diverse donor base.
• Oversee one or more fundraising events and work with an external event planning firm to raise funding to support NYFC.
• Define and develop strategy for the implementation of NYFC’s evaluation practices.
• Assess programmatic progress and impact and use data to inform high-level decision-making.
• Partner with ACS, CUNY and other external partners and funders on data collection efforts to track progress of youth in foster care enrolled at CUNY and other postsecondary institutions.
• Exhibit a level of comfortability in speaking publicly on behalf of the organization while serving, at times, as the face of NYFC.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s Degree preferred.
• Minimum of 10+ years professional work experience in program management, youth development, foster care and/or higher education.
• Current CEO/ED/CPO or COO a plus.
• Demonstrated ability to interact and work collaboratively with diverse populations internally and externally including team members, NYFC Board and Friends Committee members, youth, government and agency partners, and funders.
• Possess superior interpersonal and relationship-building skills across sector lines and proven experience navigating and negotiating within complex systems.
• Financial and operational knowledge of various industries.
• Innovative and entrepreneurial mindset, motivational abilities, and the ability to find and retain employees.
• Strong project management skills managing complex, multi-faceted projects resulting in measurable successes and program growth.
• Self-starter with the ability to be a proactive, flexible, and creative problem solver in a fast-paced work environment.
• Strength in managing, developing, coaching and empowering individuals and teams.
• Excellent organizational skills with attention to detail combined with the ability to maintain big-picture view.
• Excellent leadership, interpersonal as well as written and verbal communication skills.
• Personal qualities of integrity and commitment to and passion for NYFC’s mission.

Additional Information

Competitive salary commensurate with experience. Comprehensive benefits include medical, dental, and ancillary benefits; vacations and holidays; life insurance; flexible spending pre-tax plans and commuter pre-tax benefits. 

The position is based in office in New York City. The Executive Director may be expected to travel in the New York City Area up to 10% of the time annually.

More about the Team:

The Executive Director will directly supervise three team leaders and a staff of ten along with three AmeriCorps VISTAs. This position reports to a very passionate, dedicated and engaged Board of Directors.

COVID Mandate for All Staff:

All staff are required to be fully vaccinated upon hire, in accordance with CDC regulations, as of their first day of employment with NYFC. Upon hire, all are expected to provide verification of their vaccination during the onboarding process.

Resumes submitted without a cover letter will not be reviewed. No phone calls, please.

Deadline: Apply by November 30th, 2022

AAP/EEO Statement:

NYFC is an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth and pregnancy-related conditions), gender identity or expression (including transgender status), sexual orientation, marital status, military service and veteran status, physical or mental disability, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws and ordinances. NYFC’s management team is dedicated to this policy with respect to recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, transfer, training, compensation, benefits, employee activities, access to facilities and programs and general treatment during employment.