President & Chief Executive Officer, The Children's ...

"We seek to be a lifelong partner to individuals with disabilities and their families. We offer an array of exceptional services and models of care through every phase of life, positioning our organization as a leading authority on disability, education, family support services and behavioral health."The OrganizationFor more than 120 years, The Children's Institute (CI) has served the complex needs of children and young adults, and their families with comprehensive care. Its history is steeped in the thousands of lives they've transformed, thanks to team members who bring their expertise, dedication, and experience to the children and families they care for every day. Today, The Children's Institute helps more than 7,400 individuals reach their full potential and lead their best lives. Simply said, their mission is: To Heal. To Teach. To Empower. To Amaze. The breadth and depth of services is unmatched:The Day School: Students, from ages 5-12, have complex needs yet enjoy the highest quality education, along with transition and therapy services, state-of-the-art classroom technology, and innovative facility features.Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and Autism Services: Centered around evidence-based practices, CI provides 1:1 and group therapies, including parent training, collaborative speech, occupational, and physical therapies.Behavioral Health Services: With both in-person and telehealth options available, CI's teams build custom therapy plans to foster growth for children, their families, and in group therapy sessions.Early Intervention: CI offers the highest quality, in-home care for children from birth to three years old at no cost to families. Physical, occupational, and speech therapies, among others, are provided.Family Support Services: With permanency as the focus, CI's services nurture, support, and maintain the family. Most in-home services require county referrals. Outpatient Therapies: As a recognized leader in pediatric therapy, CI's team of physical, occupational, and speech language therapists combine expert care with the power of play.Today, with over 400 employees, annual revenues of more than $25 million, and locations in Squirrel Hill, Irwin, and Bridgeville, The Children's Institute supports children and families with complex needs to reach their full potential. With support from the community, the organization has provided $3 million+ in uncompensated care each year to ensure that every child receives the same level of care, regardless of their family's ability to pay. To learn more about CI's inspiring story, innovative therapies, and compassionate care, watch "Hope and Healing," a recent documentary produced by WQED in Pittsburgh, by visiting or visit their website at OpportunityThe Board of Directors of The Children's Institute seeks a confident and forward-thinking President & CEO who will be a proven champion of the children and families served by the mission. With knowledge of the human services field as well as demonstrated strategic and financial prowess, this leader will be able to articulate the narrative of the organization and the critical nature of the programs. Savvy and intrepid, the new President & CEO will help The Children's Institute to innovate and grow so that the organization can sustain and thrive in the short and long term. The Children's Institute strives to remain well positioned to expand its role as a recognized leader and community collaborator. The new President & CEO, working collaboratively with a Senior Executive Team of six dedicated professionals and a committed Board of 19 Directors, will be a decisive leader, guiding The Children's Institute through the creation and execution of a new strategic plan. Courageous and determined, the President & CEO will evaluate and streamline programmatic and financial systems to deepen the ability to meet goals as well as to ensure financial stability, manage risk, and ensure compliance. The President & CEO will set the tone and culture for staff using their gifts for listening, learning and growing healthy teams to effectively manage and unify diverse departments while cultivating trust, accountability, and mutual respect. An adaptive leader, they will embrace ambiguity as an opportunity for growth, empowering staff to experiment, learn from challenges, and co-create innovative solutions that enhance impact and resilience.The President & CEO is primarily responsible for the following: Leadership & ManagementAssures The Children's Institute effectively achieves its mission by providing leadership and development innovation. This includes day-to-day operations, strategic planning, fiscal oversight, and fundraising.Collaborates with various senior management staff to establish and monitor policies and operating procedures to uplift the organization in meeting established goals. Manages the staff with transparency and respect, creating a professional and positive workplace. Supports the effort to identify and recruit strong talent with a proven track record of effective staff management, including recruiting, on-boarding, development, evaluation, and coaching. Creates a workplace that is professional and positive and one where growth is attainable.Maximizes staff capacity through clarity of purpose, definition of responsibility and alignment with individual strengths and the organization's priorities. This includes driving the development of action plans that prioritize employee engagement and drive accountability around cultivating diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging culture and talent. Assesses the effectiveness of organizational programs through measurable, objective, and quantitative evidence and shares data with appropriate stakeholders.Identifies opportunities for programmatic growth and expansion aligned with community needs and organizational values.Strategy & Financial HealthDevelops and implements the organization's strategic plan in collaboration with the Board of Directors and Senior Executive Team. Drives organizational growth, ensuring alignment between mission, values, and community needs.Collaborates with the CFO to ensure financial sustainability, effective budget management, and alignment with the strategic plan and other priorities.Oversees the development and monitoring of long-term capital plans, ensuring efficient resource allocation for infrastructure, equipment, and facility improvements.Ensures robust risk management strategies to protect organizational assets and maintain compliance with regulatory standards.External Relations & AdvocacyCultivates mutually beneficial partnerships with stakeholders including universities, advocacy organizations, and community leaders, to enhance resources and impact. Fosters strong relationships with donors, partners, and stakeholders to support organizational growth and sustainability.Represents The Children's Institute at community activities, public functions, and key industry events to enhance visibility and build relationships.Participates in national, regional, and affinity groups in order to stay connected and aligned within the communities served by the Children's Institute.Board RelationsDevelops, maintains, and supports a high-performing and passionate Board of Directors; serves as ex-officio of each committee, seeks and builds Board involvement with strategic direction for ongoing operations.Provides ongoing education to the Board of Directors on emerging issues and unmet needs.Generates and tracks metrics that monitor the organization's performance with respect to the mission and critical objectives.Provides leadership in developing program, organizational, and financial plans with the Board of Directors and Board Committees, and carries out plans and policies authorized by the Board.The Candidate The Children's Institute seeks a President & CEO who will lead with an appreciation of the remarkable impact their staff, programs and services make in the community. The President & CEO will excel in articulating the narrative of the organization with authenticity and passion. With the combined strength of the leadership team and 400 committed staff members, the President & CEO will take the Children's Institute into its next iteration of innovation, growth and community impact. As a complex adaptive organization, The Children's Institute requires a leader who thrives in navigating uncertainty, fostering innovation, and empowering teams to adapt to ever-evolving community needs. The ideal candidate will bring a systems-thinking approach, balancing strategic direction with the agility to pivot in response to emerging challenges and opportunities.This position necessitates an experienced leader who has demonstrated excitement and passion for the work, as well as business acumen and maze-bright personality to achieve organizational goals. As the central voice of the Children's Institute, the successful candidate will be able to communicate a shared vision for the organization and can articulate this clearly to all staff and external stakeholders.All candidates should have exceptional and proven nonprofit management, leadership, relationship management, and strategic planning experience, as well as possess a combination of the following skills and attributes:Passion for and commitment to the Children's Institute's mission and vision. Educational background and work experience aligned with the requirements of the position. Past success working collaboratively with partners, including but not limited to philanthropic leaders, like-minded organizational partners, and a strong Board of Directors. Significant experience in leading an organization through a comprehensive strategic plan and can execute on that plan.Demonstrated success in creating and promoting a diverse, inclusive, and respectful workplace environment that encourages growth and retention. A working style that is transparent, encouraging, and collaborative. An adept team-builder who can tackle culture, remove siloes, and gather staff towards a unified vision, particularly in complex and dynamic organizations.Evidence of continuously seeking opportunities for different and innovative approaches to addressing organizational problems and mitment to quality programs and data-driven program evaluation.Financial acumen that extends to evaluating financial performance of the organization with regards to long-term operational goals, budgets, and forecasts.Experience and confidence with public speaking before a wide range of professionals and community audiences.High level of interpersonal and communication skills, with a track record of building strong relationships with a diverse group of individuals at all levels. Can build consensus for ideas and can be effective in navigating sensitive topics internally and externally.Values an inclusive work environment and can demonstrate cultural competence. Capable of maintaining the highest standards of ethics and personal integritPerformance ObjectivesIn the near term, the new President & CEO will continue to deliver outstanding outcomes while successfully addressing the following in the first 6-12 months:Become immersed in the programs and people of the Children's Institute. Examine methods to synchronize community demand with services provided, closely examining capacity, competitors and bringing staffing levels in alignment with those needs.Work cooperatively with Board to delineate clear goals through a strategic planning process.Review the organizational structure for maximum efficacy, prioritizing the recruitment and hiring of the Chief Operating Officer role to better manage internal affairs, leaving the President & CEO to manage overall culture, planning, and external pensation & Workplace EnvironmentAs the visionary leader of culture and operations, the President & CEO will work full-time in the offices of the main campus, located in Squirrel Hill, frequently travelling to locations in Bridgeville and Irwin and other satellite locations. The position offers a competitive salary range of $340,000 - $360,000 with executive level benefits that include healthcare, time-off, retirement and a host of progressive and generous benefits.How to ApplyThe Children's Institute has retained Nonprofit Talent to assist with this important organizational change process. Specific questions related to the position may be emailed to Michelle Pagano Heck, President, at [email protected]. Please direct all inquiries related to this position to Nonprofit Talent, and do not contact the Children's Institute.Resume, position-specific cover letter, and salary expectations can be uploaded here via this web portal.APPLICATIONS ARE DUE BY 5PM ON April 2, 2025About Nonprofit TalentNonprofit Talent is a boutique executive search firm with a deep understanding of the nuanced cultural and financial landscape of the nonprofit and philanthropic community. We know the organizations and the people that commit to the sector. Our candidates, through regional and targeted national recruitment, frequently come from the same communities as our clients. We firmly believe in uplifting the extraordinary talent of our region in addition to seeking out new and vibrant talent through national networks.

Created: 2025-03-02