Executive Director

North Bay Regional Center (NBRC), one of 21 regional centers in California, is a private non-profit (501(c)3) established to assist individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. NBRC identifies and develops services and programs within communities to help individuals lead more independent lives. Established by the Lanterman Act and regulated by Title 17 of California’s Government Code, NBRC serves as the entry point into the state’s developmental services system, providing lifelong support to over 13,000 children and adults in Napa, Solano, and Sonoma counties. Guided by a dedicated Board of Directors and supported by approximately 400 staff and 1,500+ service providers, NBRC’s mission is to empower, respect, and serve individuals with developmental disabilities while promoting their health, well-being, and community inclusion.

About the role

The Executive Director serves as the Chief Executive Officer of North Bay Regional Center, accountable to the Board of Directors for the overall leadership, performance, and stewardship of the organization. This role advances NBRC’s mission by providing strategic leadership, ensuring operational excellence, safeguarding public funding, and fostering a culture of integrity, collaboration, and person-centered practices. The Executive Director leads a complex organization within California’s developmental services system, ensuring compliance with the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act and responsiveness to individuals, families, employees, service providers, and communities. The role emphasizes that organizational excellence is achieved when strong systems support strong relationships, and when those relationships strengthen performance.

Responsibilities

Executive Accountabilities

• Advance the mission, vision, values, and strategic direction established by the Board of Directors, developed in partnership with community members.
• Ensure the delivery of high-quality, person-centered services in compliance with applicable laws, regulations, contractual requirements, and ethical standards.
• Align strategy, operations, people, and resources to achieve organizational priorities and improve effectiveness and efficiency.
• Strengthen organizational capacity through sound leadership, workforce development, succession planning, operational improvement, and responsible stewardship of financial and public resources.
• Cultivate an organizational culture characterized by trust, accountability, responsiveness, collaboration, learning, and respect.
• Build enduring partnerships with individuals receiving services, families, employees, service providers, community organizations, governmental agencies, advocacy organizations, and other stakeholders.
• Represent North Bay Regional Center with credibility, professionalism, and integrity to strengthen public confidence in the organization and its mission.
• Further strong relationships with state leaders, including the Department of Developmental Services (DDS), the Association of Regional Center Agencies (ARCA), and state Legislatures.

Strategic Leadership

• Lead the implementation and ongoing evaluation of the organization’s strategic plan and long-range priorities.
• Anticipate emerging trends, legislative developments, service delivery challenges, and opportunities that may affect the organization’s future.
• Align organizational resources, operational priorities, and leadership initiatives with strategic objectives established by the Board of Directors.
• Promote thoughtful innovation while ensuring organizational readiness, fiscal responsibility, and continuity of high-quality services.
• Establish measurable organizational goals and performance indicators to support continuous improvement and accountability.
• Foster organizational fluidity and adaptability to meet changing dynamics and state directives.
• Encourage a culture of strategic thinking, organizational learning, and continuous improvement.

Operational Leadership

• Ensure compliance with all applicable federal and state laws, regulations, contractual requirements, Board policies, and Department of Developmental Services directives.
• Provide executive oversight for all organizational programs, services, administrative functions, and support operations.
• Promote operational effectiveness through process improvement, organizational responsiveness, timely decision-making, and continuous evaluation of performance.
• Establish and model organizational systems that support accountability, quality assurance, risk management, and continuous quality improvement.
• Monitor organizational performance through data evaluation, including quality indicators, performance measures, and stakeholder experience.
• Ensure organizational readiness to respond effectively to emerging issues, risks, public health emergencies, and changing service delivery needs.
• Promote collaboration across departments to improve communication, coordination, and consistency.
• Strengthen organizational effectiveness through the integration of technology, innovation, and operational best practices.

Financial Stewardship

• Develop and administer the organization’s annual operating budget in partnership with the Board of Directors and executive leadership.
• Ensure responsible stewardship and effective management of all financial resources, assets, contracts, and public funds.
• Maintain financial systems and internal controls that support accountability, transparency, regulatory compliance, and sound fiscal management, including:
  • Monitoring financial performance.
  • Implementing strategies for long-term financial sustainability.
  • Managing resource allocation in accordance with organizational priorities.

Qualifications

Candidates for the Executive Director role should demonstrate a deep commitment to the mission of North Bay Regional Center and possess the leadership qualities necessary to guide a complex, mission-driven organization. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of strategic leadership, operational excellence, and financial stewardship, with experience in the developmental services sector or a related field. Strong interpersonal skills, cultural competency, and the ability to build and sustain meaningful relationships with diverse stakeholders are essential.