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Chief Executive Officer

Employer
Amputee Coalition
Location
District of Columbia, United States
Salary
Competitive Salary
Closing date
Oct 10, 2022

View more

Position Type
Executive
Fields
Community Development, Social Services
Employment Type
Full Time

Founded in 1986, the Amputee Coalition is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with annual revenues over $7M and a staff of approximately 30. The Amputee Coalition is the leading national nonprofit that empowers people affected by limb loss and limb difference to achieve their full potential. In addition to peer support, education, and communication, the Amputee Coalition has been a leader in expanding resources for amputees as well as access to resources through its advocacy work. The organization operates with core values including service, respect, encouragement, integrity and excellence.

The Amputee Coalition is conducting a search for a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) who is ready to embrace its mission and work with its team of committed volunteers and staff to drive the organization forward to help more people reach their full potential. Reporting to the Board of Directors, the CEO will serve as the chief staff executive of the organization with full authority for the management of its affairs. The CEO will be responsible for overall strategic management, administration, day-to-day operations, stakeholder engagement, partnerships, development of staff, and implementation of the organization’s policies and priorities in alignment with the Board. The Amputee Coalition’s CEO will work primarily from the organization’s Washington, DC, office. The CEO will travel domestically on a regular basis to represent the Amputee Coalition and implement its objectives.

A five-year strategic plan covering 2018–2023 is in place and has Board agreement and alignment. The Board is looking for a CEO to champion the mission and values and to deliver on the objectives.  The CEO will also collaborate with the Board of Directors in the next year to build on this plan and draft the next strategic plan for the years of 2024–2029.

About the Amputee Coalition

Approximately 2.1 million Americans have experienced amputations or were born with limb difference. Another 28 million people in the US are at risk for amputation. Through the network of over 400 support groups and 800 active certified peer visitors, as well its National Limb Loss Resource Center (NLLRC), the Amputee Coalition helps people with limb loss, their families, and caregivers to recover, readjust, and live fully with limb loss/difference.

The Amputee Coalition has historically received the majority of its funding through a grant from the United States Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Community Living. This funding supports the Amputee Coalition’s NLLRC, which delivers programs and publications designed to help people return to an active lifestyle and function as productive members of society.

Another key initiative, the Paddy Rossbach Youth Camp, which began as a safe place for kids to learn more about living with limb loss, has grown into a traditional full-service summer camp complete with canoes and campfires (pre-Covid). The Camp gives young people from 10 to 17 years of age the opportunity to increase their independence and test themselves, while building new friendships through fun and exciting activities. By blending counselors who live with limb difference or limb loss with an accessible traditional camp, the youth gain a transformational experience in a supportive and caring environment.

In addition to this annual youth camp for amputees, the Amputee Coalition hosts an annual National Conference that brings together about 1,000 amputees and families for a week of educational and motivational sessions, hands-on clinics, and adaptive activities. The conference is also an opportunity for amputee support group leaders to meet the Amputee Coalition staff and to network with other support group leaders from around the country.

In 1991, the Amputee Coalition began a certified peer-visitor program that trains amputees to meet new amputees to give them inspiration, hope, and information about living well with limb loss. The Amputee Coalition also works to ensure amputees have access to, and reimbursement for, prosthetic devices from their health-care providers. These efforts have resulted in revisions to legislation in over 20 states affecting an estimated 300,000 amputees and millions of Americans who are at risk for amputation.

For more information about the Amputee Coalition, visit https://www.amputee-coalition.org/.

The Chief Executive Officer Role

 Essential Duties and Responsibilities

  • In collaboration with the Board of Directors, implement the strategic vision and direction of the organization with well-defined deliverables and goals.
  • Providing strategic leadership by establishing intermediate and long-range goals, strategies, plans and policies as well as defined programmatic performance indicators.
  • Overseeing successful programs and operations, including effective financial management, reporting, risk management, and compliance.
  • Overseeing the recruitment, development, and management of all employees of the organization.
  • Developing and fostering relationships with volunteers, key partners, including foundations, nonprofit partners, corporate supporters, government agencies, and Board members.
  • Serving as the principal spokesperson and advocate for the Amputee Coalition and creating new external opportunities to expand the Coalition’s influence among the amputee population.
  • Collaborating with the Board in annually reviewing the strategic plan, alignment of performance with the plan, successes, and identifying mid-course corrections or modification as necessary.
  • Establishing annual fundraising goals and developing strategies and approaches to increase revenue and partnerships with corporations, foundations, individuals and with grants.
  • Securing resources though grant writing, annual campaigns, events, and sponsorships.

Critical Competencies for Success

  • Integrity & Credibility: Is recognized as an effective leader and embodies the organization’s values.
  • Vision: Thinks in big-picture terms; articulates a broad perspective to mobilize people and coordinate their efforts. Sets high standards for organization, staff, and self; produces excellent results within established deadlines and resources.
  • Participation and Community: Generates mutual commitment that inspires the highest performance from those who work with him/her. Inspires others to support one another and function as a team.
  • Operational Implementation: Translates strategic plans into operational activities and implements them successfully. Manages projects efficiently and tracks results using metrics and dashboards.
  • Diversity: Encourages and cultivates an appreciation of the positive aspects of people’s differences and encourages a culture of mutual individual respect.
  • Creativity: Pays close attention to people’s talents, leans on their strengths, manages around their weaknesses; supports independent, challenging thinking.
  • Efficiency: Invests in technologies or practices that improve productivity of staff and volunteers.

Governance

  • Ensure best practices on nonprofit governance and operations to meet the organization’s strategic plan, including Board of Directors, committees, advisory panels and volunteers.
  • Supports the Board’s knowledge-based decision-making process.
  • Keeps the Board informed of appropriate matters in a timely way; willing to convey negative information; provides succinct information with appropriate detail.
  • Provides useful guidance/advice to assist the Board in making appropriate decisions.
  • Displays initiative in advising or recommending to the Board/Board committees new policies, programs or changes to existing programs; willing to openly discuss difficult subjects with Board/Board Committees.
  • Acts as liaison with the Board/Board Committees; knows when to contribute information in meetings; tactfully enters discussions to voice concerns, clarify issues, and present ideas.
  • Diplomatically assists Board in considering potential officers, committee chairs, and other representatives in best interests of organization.
  • Prepares effective presentations for Board meetings and committee discussions.

Strategic Thinking

  • Helps shape and execute the organization’s strategy and advances its mission through a well-defined strategic planning process.
  • Sets appropriate performance outcomes and metrics for the strategic plan based on allocation of available resources and sound budgeting.

Managing People

  • Recruits and retains a staff team necessary to meet the strategic plan and priorities of the organization.
  • Manages volunteers, independent contractors, and advisors to the organization, including but not limited to legal counsel, external audits, and other critical support functions consistent with nonprofit practices.
  • Creates an effective organizational structure that maximizes the strengths of staff while addressing development gaps.
  • Leads performance management processes and identifies formal and informal development opportunities for employees as needed.
  • Cultivates a culture that fosters cross-collaboration, empowerment, and respect with all internal teams.
  • Recommends and establishes an effective compensation plan and competitive benefit plans, using appropriate salary surveys.
  • Ensures training of staff members under direct supervision and organization-wide as evidenced by effectiveness of employees at assigned tasks.
  • Assures staff members function effectively at Board and committee meetings and are informed and aware of their roles.

Organizing

  • Manages time and resources effectively to accomplish multiple objectives simultaneously.
  • Identifies and deals effectively with unknowns and risk, including providing regular trends and forecasts to the staff and Board.

Implementing & Initiating 

  • Maintains focus on defined objectives; has good understanding and knowledge of projects underway, schedules, and progress made.
  • Takes a plan from the “drawing board” to implementation and is able to make changes as needed according to circumstances and obstacles.
  • Makes sound decisions on known facts; takes responsibility for decisions. Rapidly recognizes key factors in making a decision; is not distracted by irrelevant data; balances amount of information required with the time in which a decision must be made.
  • Provides effective conflict resolutions, negotiations, and relationship management with stakeholders and aligns outcomes to the organization’s vision and strategic plan.

Advocacy

  • Supports the Amputee Coalition’s public advocacy work and crafts a roadmap for expansion of revisions at the federal, state, and local levels.
  • Maintains and develops strong, productive, and continuing relationships with federal grant-making agencies.

Communications and Contributing to Organizational Success

  • Effectively and professionally represents and promotes the Amputee Coalition with internal audiences (e.g., employees and volunteers) and with external audiences (e.g., peer support network, governmental agencies, and potential funders, including corporations and private foundations).
  • Crafts a communication strategy to reach more amputees and increase awareness of the Amputee Coalition’s resources and accomplishments.
  • Communicates clearly and persuasively to engage diverse audiences and partners.
  • Prepares effective and timely written correspondence for the Board and public.
  • Prepares and delivers effective presentations to the Board and other audiences.

Financial Management/Administration

  • Assures financial transactions are managed according to generally accepted accounting principles, as evidenced by passing an annual independent audit.
  • Prepares realistic annual and attainable budgets; understands specific budget items; can articulate the rationale for costs and ensures staff can provide detail when appropriate.
  • Adheres to the annual budget with reasonable degree of accuracy recommends adjustments with logical rationale. Understands the difference between the annual budget and cash flow; plans expenditures and manages income stream to maximize cash availability.
  • Adheres to standards of practices regarding oversight with appropriate third-party audits and oversight by the Treasurer and appropriate Board committees.

Fundraising

  • Identifies and cultivates diverse funding sources and creates a detailed plan to initiate and steward new funders.
  • Builds and empowers a high-performing team focused on increasing foundation, corporate, and individual giving. Ensures that this work is done collaboratively to support and deliver a comprehensive giving program.
  • Ensures internal team members and Board of Directors involved in major-giving efforts have a shared vision, work collaboratively, and have the information and tools needed to be successful in executing their roles.
  • Helps develop and implement successful marketing and communications strategy tailored to donors and prospects.

Required Skills, Experience, and Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent from an accredited college or university.
  • Ten or more years of experience as a senior executive with a nonprofit organization managing personnel in complex activities, including fundraising and advocacy programs.
  • Proven ability to help shape and execute an organization’s strategy and successfully advance its mission.
  • Track record of successfully translating strategic plans into executable operational activities, processes, systems, or structures that achieve the strategic goals.
  • Experience leading an organization’s programmatic development and execution.
  • Demonstrated success in creating strong and collaborative cultures with inspired teams.
  • Previous experience managing and coaching a talented leadership team. Experience working with an engaged Board of Directors.
  • Demonstrated aptitude for cultivating strong relationships with existing and new funders and effectively engages external audiences.
  • Exceptional presentation skills and ability to convey ideas effectively.

Personal Qualities and Competencies

  • Takes a plan from the “drawing board” to implementation and is able to make changes as needed according to circumstances and obstacles.
  • Manages time and resources effectively to accomplish multiple objectives simultaneously.
  • Identifies and deals effectively with unknowns and risk.
  • Makes sound decisions on known facts; takes responsibility for decisions. Rapidly recognizes key factors in making a decision; is not distracted by irrelevant data; balances amount of information required with the time in which a decision must be made.
  • Maintains focus on defined objectives; has good understanding and knowledge of projects underway, schedules, and progress made.
  • Commitment to cultivating a culture of continual learning and development.
  • Exceptional oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
  • Skilled influencer who can build positive relationships and persuade internal and external stakeholders.
  • An ability to relate and engage diverse audiences.
  • Candidates from historically under-represented populations are encouraged to apply.

Compensation

A competitive compensation package will be offered to attract an outstanding candidate.

To Apply

To apply, please send a cover letter and current resume (Microsoft Word® format preferred). The cover letter should outline how your experience fits the requirements of the position as this will be an important factor in considering your candidacy.

Sterling Martin Associates is committed to providing equal opportunity for employees and applicants in all aspects of the employment relationship, without regard to race, religion, color, age, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), marital status, parental status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, ancestry, national origin, citizenship, political affiliation, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.

 

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