JOB TITLE:        Executive Director, Friends of the Children - Dallas                         

STATUS:             Exempt, Full time

REPORTS TO:      Board of Directors

SALARY RANGE:  $140,000 - $150,000 (bonus opportunities may be discussed with the Board)

BENEFITS:          Comprehensive package includes employer-paid medical, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance benefits; paid vacation and sick leave; retirement plan with employer match

LOCATION:         Friends of the Children has chapters in Dallas, Austin, and Houston. This posting is for the DALLAS chapter. Candidate must reside in or be willing to relocate to the Dallas area.

Organization Overview: 

Friends of the Children revolutionized the youth mentoring field by creating the first and only long-term professional mentoring program in the country. Friends of the Children - Dallas is a chapter in a national network of Friends of the Children chapters across the United States, as well as a Texas network led by Friends of the Children - Texas. Friends of the Children’s model is distinct and proven.  We intentionally identify the community’s most vulnerable children when they are kindergarten age, enroll them for 12+ years, and commit to supporting them through achieving high school graduation while developing a plan for what is next and avoiding the juvenile justice system and teen parenting.  We support children to achieve these outcomes through relationship, pairing each child with a full-time, salaried, professional mentor called a Friend. Friends of the Children - Dallas will accomplish generational change by hiring and training Friends whose full-time jobs are to support our youth to succeed, despite the extremely challenging situations most experience, from as early as age 4 through high school graduation – 12+ years, no matter what. 

Position Overview: 

The Executive Director is responsible for building and leading the chapter. The Executive Director provides the leadership, management, strategic vision, and accountability for results for Friends of the Children - Dallas. The Executive Director must embody our values: Put Children First, Build Relationships on Love, Commit to Empowerment, Pursue Goals Relentlessly, and Unlock All Potential. The Executive Director must have an entrepreneurial spirit as they establish and grow Friends of the Children in Dallas, the strategic skills to envision what Friends of the Children - Dallas can become, and the operational management capabilities to make it a reality.  

The Executive Director builds and leads the executive team and is responsible for managing all aspects of the organization to establish and maintain effective operations and continuous development of Friends of the Children - Dallas. The Executive Director is responsible for ensuring a diversified and sustainable foundation of funding support for Friends of the Children - Dallas, ensuring that the organization has the resources it needs to keep its 12+ year commitment to every child served. The Executive Director is accountable to the Board of Directors, staff, and program participants to establish, implement, and maintain effective programming and administrative operations. This position reports to the Board of Directors and represents the organization with investors, community leaders, and partner organizations.  

Friends of the Children - Dallas is part of a national network and a Texas network. The Executive Director works with the national team and Texas team, and particularly the National Chief Executive Officer of Friends of the Children and Executive Director of Friends of the Children - Texas, to build a highly performing, sustainable organization that leverages network best practices, partnerships, and over 30 years of impact. 

Essential Functions and Responsibilities: 

Leadership:                       

• Provide steady leadership, inspiration, strategic direction, focus, and long-term vision for the organization. 
• Be the lead fundraising champion and enthusiastic spokesperson, ambassador, and advocate for Friends of the Children - Dallas.
• Establish high standards and disciplined processes for recruiting a top-tier leadership team and building a mission-aligned, strategic founding board. 
• Demonstrate a strong commitment to statewide impact by leading Friends of the Children - Dallas as a high-performing, collaborative chapter.  
• Model and ensure high professional and ethical standards throughout the organization.
• Collaborate closely with the Friends National and Friends Texas staff to ensure the program is administered with fidelity.
• Work closely with other Executive Directors in the state of Texas to align around opportunities for leadership, fundraising, and statewide collaboration.
• Collaborate with National, Texas, and network leadership to promote and grow Friends of the Children both locally and across the country. 

Development: 

• Establish long-term strategic direction resulting in clear development goals, objectives, and results. 
• Cultivate and sustain meaningful relationships with major donors. 
• Define, prioritize, and participate in major development efforts. 
• Drive effective and positive public and community relations.  
• Work closely with the public officials to develop a funding base that includes an appropriate amount of public funding (city, county, state, and federal). 
• Work with the nonprofit community to implement and sustain strategic partnerships and collaborations. 

 Strategic Planning and Annual Operations: 

• Develop and maintain long and short-term plans, including strategic plans, annual operating plans and budgets, and revenue and expense projections. 
• Work with the Board of Directors to develop, and with staff to implement, strategic plans that identify three, five, and ten year goals and objectives.  

Program: 

• Ensure program fidelity. 
• Ensure that youth and their caregivers are receiving the highest quality of service. 
• Ensure quality feedback loops for program participants (youth and caregivers). 
• Set expectations for organizational performance and monitor program performance outcomes. 
• Work with the Program Director to ensure that systems are in place to validate effective program implementation. 
• Ensure training and development of program staff to meet the requirements of the program with regards to skills, knowledge, and understanding of program content. 
• Ensure appropriate organizational structure within the program to maximize effectiveness and results. 

Financial Management, Human Resources, Administrative: 

• Monitor and drive financial performance, including revenue and expenditures. 
• Ensure accurate and timely communications with the Board of Directors and staff. 
• Maximize human resources; ensure the effective supervision, guidance, development, and evaluation of all staff, and maintain a work environment that results in positive morale and employee retention.   
• Maximize organizational effectiveness without compromising program and organizational performance. 
• Collaborate with, and benefit from, National and Texas team Finance, HR and Operational resources. 

Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities: 

• Demonstrated fundraising and development results. 
• Strategic thinker, with the ability to research, design/develop, integrate, implement, and sustain programs, projects, and ideas related to the business of the organization.   
• Ability to anticipate problems and focus on details. 
• Experience working with a community-based organization and working for children’s issues. 
• Working knowledge and experience in the Dallas philanthropic and business communities; ability to cultivate and sustain relationships with these resources, including those at senior levels. 
• Ability to cultivate and sustain relationships and work effectively with a wide variety of constituencies, including staff, program children, current and potential donors, Board members, and community partners.  
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills. 
• A team player, with exceptional interpersonal skills at all levels. 
• Strong decision-making, organizational and time management, delegation, and follow-up skills.
• Strong and effective leadership and supervisory skills; ability to collaboratively set goals, provide direction, ensure accountability, and motivate others to achieve and overcome challenges. 
• Ability to develop, maintain, and inspire others to buy into the vision of a growing organization. 
• Proven ability to solve problems and meet deadlines and budgets in a fast-paced, startup-type environment.  
• Ability to assess opportunities and mitigate strategic risks, while monitoring progress and making timely course corrections. 

Education and Experience Required: 

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred. 
• Ten years’ experience in non-profit or similar management and fundraising capacity, in progressively responsible roles. 
• Demonstrated success leading an organization and motivating others within a fast-paced, constantly-changing work environment.  

The statements above are intended to describe the general nature and level of work to be performed by individuals assigned to this position.  They are not intended as a comprehensive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified.

Friends of the Children is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The equal employment opportunity policy of Friends of the Children provides fair and equal opportunities for all employees and job applicants regardless of race, color, religious creed, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, marital status, familial status, disability, or genetic information, incompliance with applicable federal, state, and local law. Friends of the Children hires and promotes individuals solely on the basis of their qualifications for the job to be filled.