Vice President, ESH Programs

Easterseals Hawaii (ESH) provides home and community-based services to children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and their families. We deliver care to diverse communities with justice, equity, and inclusion as guiding principles.

ESH is part of a Family of Companies (FoC) comprising four entities –Catalight (parent company), Catalight Care Services (behavioral health provider network), ESH, and Easterseals Northern California (ESNorCal). The FoC works together in support of a shared purpose, guided by a core set of shared values, and each company has a deep commitment to creating meaningful societal impact.

The Vice President (VP) Programs will ensure ESH programs improve the well-being of stakeholders – clients, team members, funders, and donors, and are based on an evolving, first principles business model. This role is responsible for the execution of ESH program operations and developing sustainable financial and clinical delivery models that empower individuals and families to choose their path.

About You:

You are a seasoned leader with a deep, internal understanding of what clinical excellence looks like in practice, specifically within core service areas such as ABA, Early Intervention, or HCBS. You bring a sophisticated level of financial acumen, viewing budgeting, forecasting, and data modeling not as formalities, but as vital tools for informed decision-making. Having successfully led multisite operations, you possess the unique ability to align teams across different islands and time zones, dismantling silos to foster true cross-program cohesion.

Your leadership is defined by your deep roots in Hawaii’s human services and IDD communities, as well as your direct ownership of the recruitment and retention strategies that build strong, diverse teams. Above all, you are a leader people can be candid with. You excel at building trust and facilitating the healthy, transparent dialogue necessary to guide complex organizations toward sound and timely outcomes.

Core Responsibilities & Essential Job Functions

• Oversee ESH clinical and program operations across the state, building a highly inclusive culture that ensures team members thrive and organizational outcomes and core operating and clinical responsibilities are met.
• Serve as the senior clinical and programmatic voice for ESH across ABA, Early Intervention, HCBS, and Employment Services, building scalable models with a clear eye on both quality and long-term financial viability.
• Successfully execute against ESH budgets, strategic plans, and operating plans, including forecasting and financial modeling, and translate what the numbers are saying into clear recommendations that move the organization forward.
• Develop and lead a strong program management team that focuses on quality, learning, and removing barriers, and is dedicated to their own and their teams’ professional growth while actively reducing silos across service lines so the whole organization moves with more cohesion and purpose.
• Advocate for equitable, inclusive, accessible, and justice-driven care. Champion and advance FoC justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts.
• Champion workforce well‑being by creating sustainable, human-centered recruitment and retention approaches that support attracting and keeping great talent.
• Maintain and build trusted relationships with key customers, clients, partners, and stakeholders and work cooperatively with individuals in ways that reflect the collaborative and shared cultures of ESH, ESNorCal, and the FoC.
• Engage your Hawaii network to foster meaningful community partnerships and strengthen referral pathways, collaborating with senior leadership to connect program strategy to the broader priorities of ESH and the Family of Companies.
• Collaborate with program, ESNorCal and FoC leadership to identify opportunities for and direct sustainable program expansion to support stated strategic business objectives.
• Support ES Board-related activities, and development and business development initiatives.
• Adhere to company, federal, state, and local business requirements, enforcing compliance and taking action when necessary.
• Travel as required locally and nationally.

Qualifications:

Minimum Education, Experience & Training Equivalent to:

We believe humans with a diverse range of experiences may be suited for the work at hand. We are avoiding education and experience minimums with an acknowledgment that these can be barriers for historically excluded groups. We’re looking for someone who brings deep expertise in people-centered work and is excited to grow with us. This role is well suited for someone who has:

• Experience working with individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities in a multi-disciplinary team setting highly preferred.
• Minimum of ten (10) years’ experience in leadership or senior management in human services, behavioral health, or a related nonprofit environment.
• Significant background in improving client, employee and provider satisfaction required.
• Experience in program development and managing multisite teams preferred.

Requests:

• Ability to think critically and analytically, connecting the dots between different departments within the FoC.
• Capacity to oversee complex and diverse operations and effectively perform and complete multiple duties and assignments currently.
• Ability to create and champion a culture of operational excellence, collaboration and curiosity and drive efficiency and continuous quality improvement through innovation.
• Prior non-profit experience is ideal, management of multi-location organization preferred.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities (organized by our company values): 

Community oriented: 

• Seeks to understand the underlying needs, desires, and values of colleagues. 
• Proactively builds spaces for others to engage in learning and community.
• Appreciates and demonstrates collaboration across teams. 
• Serves as a role model, bringing our core values to life in your work. 
• Works well with employees at any level of employment.
• Appreciation for cross-departmental collaboration.
• Work in an exciting, fast paced high energy environment while effectively multitasking and managing day-to-day responsibilities without supervision.
• Personable; able to work comfortably with individuals at all levels within the organization.
• Excellent verbal and writing communication skills; frequent proofreading and checking documents for accuracy.
• Strong project management skills.

Equity informed:

• Knowledge of multiple historically excluded groups with knowledge in I/DD (intellectual and developmental disability) communities.

• Interest in working with and elevating employee needs. 
• Approaches work with a growth mindset, welcome feedback, and understand that humans all have biases and are imperfect as a baseline. 
• Experience working and communicating with families.
• Sensitivity to working with an ethnically, linguistically, culturally, and economically diverse population.

Bold:

• Navigates ambiguity with an excitement for problem solving. 
• Effectively manages programs from visioning to implementation + impact measure.
• Commitment to meet agreed upon deadlines on time or ahead of schedule. 
• Transparent on action, pursuits, and outcomes.
• A commitment to the values of the organization while demonstrating good judgment, sound decision-making skills, flexibility, patience, and discretion when dealing with confidential and sensitive matters.

Wellbeing driven:

• Willingness and commitment to self-reflection and re-thinking.  
• Ability to understand your physical, mental, social, and financial wellbeing needs with a willingness to co-create boundaries that allow you to sustainably show up and honor your humanity.
• Capacity to contribute to and help cultivate effective + sustainable wellbeing driven spaces.
• Willingness and ability to travel as required, both locally within the Hawaiian Islands and nationally to the mainland, to foster cross-departmental collaboration and support organizational initiatives across the family of companies.

Physical Requirements:

• Must be able to communicate effectively within the work environment, read and write using the primary language within the workplace.
• Visual and auditory ability to work with clients, staff and others in the workplace continuously.
• Frequent speaking and listening (25-75%) to clients, staff, and others in the workplace.
• Frequent use of computer (25-75%) to communicate with clients, staff, and others in the workplace.
• Frequent proofreading and checking documents for accuracy.
• Ability to utilize computer and cell phone (iPhone)
• Frequent sitting.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

• Ability to obtain and maintain criminal record clearance through the Department of Justice (DOJ). The People & Performance Department must analyze DOJ/FBI live scan reports in accordance with applicable Federal, State, and Local laws, as well as fitness for the position.
• Able to travel to multiple work sites. Reliable transportation needed.
• Must have valid Hawaii Driver’s License/insurance and maintain a clean driving record.
• Ability to obtain and maintain clearance through the Office of Inspector General.