The Midnight Mission

(Los Angeles, CA)

Title: President & CEO

View Position Brochure Here

THE ORGANIZATION

Founded in 1914, The Midnight Mission offers paths to self-sufficiency to individuals and families who have lost direction. Its emergency services and 12-step recovery, family living, job training, education, and workforce development programs offer a compassionate bridge to achieve and maintain healthy, productive lives. The Midnight Mission removes obstacles and provides the accountability and structure that people who are experiencing homelessness need to be productive in their communities. The conviction and commitment to their success propel The Midnight Mission to achieve real change.

As a comprehensive homeless shelter and homeless services provider serving the Los Angeles homeless community, The Midnight Mission takes an approach that fuses care and compassion with meaningful accountability, providing the structure and the resources that people experiencing homelessness need to truly improve their lives. Grounded in the belief that everyone deserves to live with dignity no matter what they’ve been through, The Midnight Mission takes a multi-faceted approach to homeless services, helping community members make the changes that last.

With two facilities located in Southern California (Los Angeles & South Bay), The Midnight Mission is dedicated to helping those most in need in our community.  But the organization offers more than a homeless shelter: it offers a net of resources and support services that help its guests and program participants get back on their feet and into productive lives. The Midnight Mission’s 12-step recovery, family living, job training, education, emergency services, and workforce development programs offer a compassionate bridge to help homeless individuals achieve and maintain healthy, productive lives.  

The Midnight Mission is the oldest continuously operating human service organization in the Los Angeles region. Centered in the Skid Row area of downtown Los Angeles, The Midnight Mission runs one of the most efficient direct service operations in the country.  With only five executive managers throughout its over 100-year history, The Midnight Mission has been a consistent beacon of light for those with nowhere else to turn.

With a current annual operating budget of approximately $14.5 million, and a diversified revenue stream with approximately 50 percent of its revenues from philanthropy, The Midnight Mission has a dedicated staff of 133 FTEs and welcomes thousands of volunteers each year who are an integral part of how the organization is able to provide a rich service environment in its continuing service to those in need across Los Angeles.

Mission:

To make available the necessities of life and offer a bridge to self-sufficiency for people experiencing homelessness through food, shelter, clothing, personal hygiene needs, medical care, recovery services, counseling, education, training, workforce development, and continued care services.

Values:

• To offer the 12-step philosophy approach to recovery.
• To serve homeless people with empathy and respect without sermonizing.
• To provide services as an independent human service organization.

For additional information, please visit www.midnightmission.org.  

THE OPPORTUNITY

With a vision to be a premier provider of life changing services to people experiencing homelessness in Southern California, The Midnight Mission is well-positioned to benefit from a visionary, strategic, impact-oriented and mission-driven leader as its next President & Chief Executive Officer (CEO).  

Through a collaborative approach, in partnership with staff and board, the CEO will shape the future of The Midnight Mission to achieve its strategic goals and objectives, which include but are not limited to:

• Expansion of Recovery Program.
• Increased shelter and emergency services, and number of clients served.
• Improved core program quality, performance and service delivery.
• Improved organizational competence through talent development and retention, reduced turnover in skilled positions, and investments in individual professional growth and skill enhancement.
• Growth of alumni engagement and participation.
• Expanded collaborative relationships.

THE POSITION

The CEO provides strategic direction and overall leadership to The Midnight Mission by articulating vision, setting goals, strengthening culture, and empowering the executive team, while working collaboratively with the Board of Directors. The CEO is responsible for ensuring that The Midnight Mission’s fiscal, operational, fundraising, marketing, human resources, technology, and program strategies are effectively implemented throughout the organization.

Reporting to the Board of Directors, the CEO directly supervises the Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Development Officer, Director of Public Affairs and Communication, and the Executive Assistant.

Specifically, the CEO has the responsibility to:

• Define the strategic direction of The Midnight Mission (TMM), in partnership with the Board and senior staff, consistent with the vision, mission and culture of the organization.  
• Provide oversight of all operational functions of the organization, including program development, management and administration, financial management, community relations, fund development, human resource management, volunteer leadership, facilities management, and infrastructure growth.
• Ensure the organization is operated on a sound fiscal basis.  Working with the Chief Financial Officer and other senior staff members, oversee the development of the organization’s budget, manage within the budget, and keep the Board of Directors regularly informed of the financial status of the organization.  Lead the process to secure, manage and administer all revenue streams, including philanthropy, corporate and government contracts and grants.
• In partnership with senior management, maintain and enrich TMM’s strong, distinctive culture and operational values.  Instill a culture of continuous improvement achieved through an ongoing process of defining goals, developing strategies, implementing systems, and measuring performance results.
• Lead a senior management team to strengthen and support the programmatic, financial and operation goals of TMM, including attracting, retaining, developing, and motivating qualified staff.  Ensure opportunities for ongoing staff development and mentorship, including the setting of goals and measuring of results to drive organizational performance and outcomes.
• Support efforts to expand the impact of services to people experiencing homelessness while managing quality service delivery, including building and strengthening our mission to provide 12-step recovery services to those who need help addressing their Substance Use Disorder.
• Serve as the primary spokesperson and advocate for TMM to promote the mission by clearly articulating its programs and impact on the community.  Establish and grow mutually beneficial relationships with nonprofits, government agencies, elected government officials, corporations, funders, community leaders, educational institutions, media, and others to support the growth and development of the organization.
• Play a major role in fundraising, pursuing an agenda of donor outreach and exceptional donor stewardship to increase the organization’s financial resources.  Develop effective partnerships, collaborations, and strategic alliances with government agencies, foundations, corporations and individuals and other sources of funding and service partners.
• Encourage an engaged Board of Directors in the work of the organization.  Provide timely and accurate information to the Board so it can effectively execute its oversight role.  Facilitate the Board’s operations and administration and contribute to the selection and recruitment of new Board members.

TRAITS AND CHARACTERISTICS DESIRED

The ideal candidate will have empathy and compassion for people experiencing homelessness and in need of the services of The Midnight Mission. The CEO will have a passion for serving others and embody the values of the organization.  The CEO will be a visionary, big picture thinker with an ability to think strategically and creatively about achieving The Midnight Mission’s organizational priorities.  The CEO will be a compelling, credible leader with a high level of emotional intelligence who can move an organization forward by inspiring and motivating people while being an active and intuitive listener who builds genuine relationships with staff, board, donors, and partners.  

The CEO will have exceptional communications skills and be a persuasive and inspiring leader with the ability to serve as a spokesperson and represent the organization to its various constituencies.  A demonstrated ability to reach out, form effective relationships and work collaboratively in a diverse community is important, as is an ability to facilitate group discussion, decision-making and action.

The successful candidate will have unquestioned integrity and the ability to provide inspirational leadership in a mission driven environment. Candidates should have proven success leading and growing a highly qualified and effective staff and believe in the power of volunteers to build the capacity of nonprofit organizations.  The knowledge and experience to motivate, coach and develop staff and to meet objectives including anticipating challenges, identifying issues and developing solutions is imperative.  The CEO must be an authentic, trustworthy, and transparent leader who has a clear and consistent management style that supports collaborative, team-oriented approaches to the work.

CAREER TRACK LEADING TO THIS POSITION

The successful candidate will bring a track record of excellence in senior leadership positions, ideally from a complex nonprofit human service organization recognized for its commitment to exemplary service to the community and its clients. Individuals with transferable for-profit or government experience who demonstrate a compelling passion for the organization’s mission will also be strongly considered.

In addition to demonstrated leadership experience, competitive candidates will bring competencies in the following areas:

• Strategy development
• Change management/culture shifting
• Talent development
• Fundraising
• Technology and innovation
• Board relationships
• Operational excellence
• Financial management

The CEO must demonstrate an ability to recruit, develop, inspire, and collaborate with a diverse staff, and will have a management philosophy that supports a positive team culture, high performance as well as employee development and retention. Excellent relationship-building skills and success in forming strong community partnerships are also essential.  

The ideal candidate will be a dynamic and forward-thinking individual who has shown success in generating widespread support for an organization, broadening its reach and scale to increase its impact.

The CEO must have a solid understanding of effective, forward-looking fiscal management, with wisdom and prudence in the deployment of financial resources and sufficient fiscal management experience to be conversant with the fiduciary responsibility of a complex organization with a large asset base.  Familiarity with the process and accountability required for government funding is strongly preferred.

Demonstrated successful experience in fundraising, program development and board relations will be highly valued. The successful candidate will have strong donor relations skills and success at cultivating major donors, asking for and obtaining major gifts.

A degree in social work, human services management, public administration, nonprofit management, business administration, or a related field is preferred. However, a demonstrated successful track record serving in a senior leadership position of a similar organization will be considered of equivalent value to a degree. An understanding of current issues surrounding homelessness and 12-step recovery, either personally or professionally, would be an asset, and a commitment to the implementation of best practices for delivery of these services is essential.

COMPENSATION & ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS

The annual salary range for this position is $250,000 to $300,000 based on experience. Relocation assistance, if needed, is negotiable.  A comprehensive and competitive benefits package will be provided. This is a full-time exempt position with the expectation of regular in-person work.