Executive Director

The Moran Company is pleased to partner with Friends of the Children-San Diego to recruit the organization's first Executive Director. This is an exceptional opportunity for an entrepreneurial nonprofit leader to build a new chapter of a nationally proven professional youth mentorship model in San Diego.

About the role

Friends of the Children–San Diego’s first Executive Director will build the team, expand philanthropic investment, and become the leading ambassador in San Diego for the nation's most proven long-term, professional youth mentoring model. The chapter will launch as an independent 501(c)(3) supported by Friends of the Children National, benefiting from a nationally proven operating model, extensive leadership resources, and a network of successful Executive Directors across the country.

Friends of the Children–San Diego will intentionally enroll children ages 4 to 6 and their caregivers who face the greatest challenges to long-term stability and well-being, with an initial focus on former foster youth who are parenting and families most at risk of child welfare involvement.

Friends of the Children–San Diego seeks a highly relational, entrepreneurial, and community-centered Executive Director to lead the successful launch and growth of this new chapter. The Executive Director will play a defining role in establishing Friends of the Children–San Diego as one of the region's most trusted and influential organizations serving children and families—hiring the founding staff team, building trusted relationships across San Diego County, expanding philanthropic investment, and working with the founding Board of Directors and the Friends of the Children National team to successfully launch the chapter.

Reporting to the Board of Directors and working in close partnership with Friends of the Children National, the Executive Director serves as the organization's chief executive, chief fundraiser, strategic leader, and primary ambassador. The Executive Director's primary responsibility will be serving as the organization's fundraising leader and champion throughout the community. The successful candidate will be energized by building authentic relationships, inspiring philanthropic investment, and expanding awareness of Friends of the Children across San Diego County.

Responsibilities

• Provide enthusiastic leadership, inspiration, strategic direction, focus, and long-term vision for the organization.
• Be the lead fundraising champion and spokesperson, ambassador, and advocate for Friends of the Children–San Diego.
• Build trust across staff, board, community partners, families, and donors. Model professionalism and high ethical standards throughout the organization.
• Recruit, develop, and lead a high-performing team. Partner with Board leadership to ensure a strong and engaged Board culture and governance.
• Lead and model Friends of the Children’s commitment to a “children-first” culture of engagement, empowerment, support, belonging, and mutual respect.
• Foster a transparent, approachable, collaborative, and servant-oriented leadership culture where staff feel heard, valued, and supported.
• Work closely with the National CEO and National staff to ensure collaboration, program fidelity, and mission growth locally and across the county.
• Work closely with other Friends of the Children Executive Directors in California to align around opportunities for leadership, fundraising, and statewide collaboration.
• Lead all fundraising and resource development efforts, including establishing clear fundraising goals, objectives, and results, and serving as the organization’s sole fundraising professional during the launch years.
• Personally define, prioritize, cultivate, solicit, and steward major donors, foundations, and corporations, including local and regional funding opportunities that deepen community investment.
• Partner with the Board on fundraising and explore and develop diversified revenue opportunities that strengthen long-term sustainability.
• Represent the organization throughout San Diego's philanthropic, civic, business, and nonprofit communities.
• Serve as the organization's chief storyteller and external relationship builder.
• Work closely with public officials to develop a funding base that includes an appropriate amount of public funding (city, county, state, and federal).
• Empower program staff to implement and sustain strategic partnerships and collaborations that advance program outcomes.
• Partner with the Friends of the Children Chapter Grants team to bring in new opportunities, review grant proposals, and ensure ongoing reporting for grant deliverables.
• Partner with the Friends of the Children Chapter Web/Marketing team to tell stories, build the brand, and amplify the impact of Friends–San Diego.
• Develop and execute strategic plans, annual operating plans, budgets, revenue and expense projections, and growth initiatives.
• Identify opportunities for expansion, innovation, and increased community impact.
• Monitor organizational performance and proactively manage risk. Partner with the Board and National leadership to achieve long-term goals.
• Ensure fidelity to the Friends of the Children model and ensure the resources necessary to uphold program excellence.
• Support and empower program leadership in delivering exceptional service and outcomes for youth and families.
• Monitor outcomes and foster continuous improvement. Cultivate quality feedback loops for program participants (youth, caregivers).
• Support the ongoing training and development of program staff to meet the requirements of the program with regard to skills, knowledge, and understanding of program content.
• Maintain alignment of the organizational structure and staffing to maximize effectiveness and results.
• Provide sound financial stewardship and organizational sustainability.
• Recruit, develop, supervise, and retain a high-performing team; ensure effective supervision, guidance, development, and evaluation of all staff, and a work environment that results in positive morale and employee retention.
• Maintain accurate and timely communications with the Board of Directors and staff.
• Maximize organizational effectiveness without compromising program and organizational performance.
• Collaborate with, and benefit from, National team Finance and Operational resources to maximize effectiveness.

Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.
• Ten or more years of progressively responsible executive leadership experience in nonprofit or related environments is desired.
• A passionate appreciation for child development, youth outcomes, and long-term mentoring models.
• Significant fundraising experience and demonstrated ability to successfully secure major gifts and diversify revenue streams.
• Strong executive presence and credibility with donors, board members, community leaders, and public stakeholders.
• Established relationships and credibility within San Diego County, or a demonstrated record of quickly building trusted relationships with philanthropic, business, civic, and community leaders, is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated success leading an organization and motivating others within a fast-paced, start-up work environment.
• Strategic thinker with experience building, scaling, launching, and leading organizational growth initiatives.
• Demonstrated success leading across fundraising, operations, finance, strategy, and people leadership.
• Cultural competence and sensitivity when working with diverse communities and family structures.
• Exceptional listening skills and an approachable, empowering leadership style.
• Outstanding storytelling, written and verbal communication skills, and public speaking abilities.
• Exceptional decision-making, organizational, and time management, delegation, and follow-up skills.
• Effective leadership and supervisory skills; ability to collaboratively set goals, provide direction, ensure accountability, and motivate others to achieve and overcome barriers.
• Ability to assess opportunities and mitigate strategic risks.

About the organization

Friends of the Children is a nationally recognized nonprofit organization with a powerful mission to impact generational change by empowering youth who face the greatest obstacles through relationships with paid professional mentors—12+ years, no matter what. For more than three decades, the Friends of the Children model has produced measurable outcomes for children and families across the country. A longitudinal study by the Harvard Business School Association of Oregon confirmed that for every $1 invested in Friends of the Children, the community benefits over $7 in saved social costs.

Friends of the Children–San Diego is launching with extraordinary momentum. Over the past 18 months, Friends of the Children National and local community leaders have worked together to establish a strong foundation for the organization's long-term success. Multi-year seed capital has already been secured, relationships have been cultivated with philanthropic, civic, and nonprofit leaders throughout the region, and the model has been enthusiastically welcomed into collaborative efforts, such as the United 4 Youth Collaborative.