We're seeking a visionary, effective, and authentic leader who connects deeply with our purpose, our teams and the communities we serve. As CEO, you'll lead Easterseals Northern California (ESNorCal) with both vision and hands-on guidance, working every day to make a meaningful difference for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. If you care deeply about creating a more equitable, inclusive and vibrant community—and want to use your leadership to help others thrive, we want to hear from you.
ESNorCal is a direct care provider that is part of a Family of Companies comprising four entities –Catalight (parent company), Catalight Care Services (provider network manager), Easterseals Northern California (direct care provider), and Easterseals Hawaii. The CEO reports to the Executive Vice President, Operations of Catalight. While not a direct reporting relationship, the CEO owns the relationship with the board of directors and is responsible for board communications and partnership.
What You'll Do (Your Impact)
Your leadership will directly shape the future of our organization and affect the lives of many people. These are the essential functions of the job:
- Set Vision and Strategic Direction: Define ESNorCal's vision and strategic direction, ensuring they align with Catalight's big bets and strategic goals, and that the organization evolves to meet the needs of our community. This includes identifying new opportunities for growth and impact.
- Empower High-Performing Teams: Cultivate a vibrant, supportive, and high-performing culture, attracting and retaining top talent. Empower staff, foster collaboration, and ensure teams have the resources they need to excel and thrive. Lead needed change management efforts, participate in and support all professional growth initiatives, and help drive a culture that values reflection and learning as steppingstones to greater impact.
- Drive Operational Excellence: Guide the collective effort of FoC cross-functional teams to develop and execute ESNorCal's annual plan as per the budget, ensuring efficiency, compliance, and the highest quality of service delivery. Ensure the delivery of effective and efficient programs and services that support both the participants and their families, and staff delivering those services.
- Ensure Sustainable Growth: Manage the organization's financial health, secure resources, and cultivate strong donors and funding relationships to ensure the long-term sustainability and expansion of our vital programs. Construct and execute the strategy to facilitate targeted development through grants and other community resources.
- Partner with the Board of Directors: Facilitate ESNorCal board meetings and attend committee meetings. Build effective working relationships with board members.
- Advocate for Our Mission & Values: Serve as the chief advocate for our organization, representing us to stakeholders, policymakers, and the public. This involves building strong relationships and effectively and authentically communicating our purpose in a way that inspires others to join us on our journey.
- Innovate for Greater Impact: Foster an environment of continuous improvement and innovation, exploring new programs, services, and partnerships that push the boundaries of what's possible in disability services.
- Drive Company-Wide Alignment: Participate in FoC leadership team activities to drive company-wide alignment and participate in the development and communication of a shared company-wide vision.
How You’ll Help Us Deliver on Our Purpose
Our company values guide all our actions. Here's how your expertise helps us embody them:
Bold
- Visionary Leadership: Ability to articulate a compelling future and inspire others to achieve ambitious goals, coupled with a highly self-motivated, accountable, and results-oriented drive.
- Strategic Risk-Taking: Comfort with identifying and thoughtfully pursuing innovative solutions and new ventures that can lead to significant positive change, including the ability to conceptualize, plan for, and implement best practices and innovative operational models.
- Adaptive Mindset: Capacity to navigate complex and rapidly changing environments, pivoting strategies as needed to maintain relevance and effectiveness. Ability to adapt to a fast-paced and quickly changing environment. Ability to prioritize and multi-task to meet critical deadlines without supervision.
- Decisive Action: Proven ability to make well-informed decisions, even under pressure or in crisis situations, consistently demonstrating good judgment and decision-making skills. Capacity to oversee complex and diverse operations and effectively perform and complete multiple duties and assignments concurrently.
Community-Centered
- Collaborative Partnership Building: Skill in forging strong, authentic relationships with community members, families, advocates, and other organizations to co-create solutions. This includes being able to work comfortably with individuals at all levels within the organization.
- Active Listening & Empathy: A deep commitment to understanding the diverse needs and perspectives of the individuals and families we serve, ensuring their voices guide our work.
- Stakeholder Engagement: Experience in effectively communicating with and mobilizing various groups, including boards, staff, clients, and external partners, towards shared objectives.
- Local Impact Focus: Dedication to tailoring programs and services to genuinely meet the specific needs and cultural contexts of the communities we serve, driven by a passion to make a difference.
Equity-Informed
- Inclusive Leadership: Demonstrated ability to create and lead diverse teams, fostering an environment where all voices are heard, valued, and respected.
- Systemic Awareness: Understanding of historical and systemic barriers faced by historically excluded groups, particularly within the disability community, and a commitment to dismantling them.
- Advocacy for Justice: Passion for advocating policies and practices that promote fairness, access, and opportunities for all individuals, regardless of background or ability.
- Culturally Responsive Practice: Ability to integrate principles of cultural humility and responsiveness into organizational strategies, programs, and interactions, demonstrating sensitivity to working with an ethnically, linguistically, culturally, and economically diverse population.
Well-Being Driven
- Person-Centered Approach: Commitment to ensure that all services and decisions are centered around the unique needs, preferences, and aspirations of the individuals we serve. This includes a commitment to the values of the organization while demonstrating flexibility and patience.
- Empathetic Leadership: A genuine concern for the holistic well-being of staff, clients, and their families, prioritizing their physical, mental, and emotional health.
- Supportive Culture Building: Experience in cultivating a positive, resilient, and psychologically safe work environment where individuals feel supported and can thrive, consistently demonstrating discretion and maintaining the highest level of confidentiality when dealing with sensitive matters.
- Work-Life Integration: Understanding the importance of sustainable practices for both individuals and the organization, promoting balance and preventing burnout.
- Organizational Excellence: Highly organized, detail-oriented, and possessing excellent follow-up/follow-through skills to ensure smooth operations and support overall well-being.
Key Responsibilities
The CEO is responsible for the overall success of the organization, ensuring alignment with the mission, driving financial performance, and fostering a high-performing culture.
1. Strategy, Vision, and Mission Execution
- Define and articulate the long-term vision and corporate strategy in partnership with the Board of Directors, specifically tailored to the dynamic nature of the healthcare services we deliver or need to contemplate within the markets we serve.
- Lead the organization in developing, implementing, and monitoring annual strategic goals that ensure sustainable growth and mission fulfillment.
- Ensure that all operational plans, services, and investments are aligned with the company's core values and strategic direction.
- Tell the company's story effectively to all internal and external stakeholders—including employees, funding sources, and the public—to drive engagement and brand