St. Joseph Center

(Los Angeles, CA)

Title: President & CEO

View Position Brochure Here

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION

St. Joseph Center – Hope Through Empowerment

St. Joseph Center’s mission is to provide working poor families, as well as homeless men, women, and children of all ages with the inner resources and tools to become productive, stable and self-supporting members of the community.

Founded in 1976 by two Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in a small storefront on Rose Avenue in Venice, California, St. Joseph Center has evolved into a multi-faceted leading social service empowerment organization, reaching over 13,000 people each year through more than 25 programs throughout LA County. With a staff of over 400 and more than 400 regular dedicated volunteers, St. Joseph Center helps people get back on their feet so they can live their healthiest, happiest lives.

St. Joseph Center provides services at multiple locations around Los Angeles County. With major service centers in Venice, South LA, and Downtown Los Angeles along with program offices in Santa Monica, Mar Vista, Palms, and Whittier, St. Joseph Center also provides supportive services to formerly homeless individuals and families in subsidized apartments and housing developments across the region. The diversity of its programs is among the greatest strengths of St. Joseph Center, providing clients with a coordinated and comprehensive web of services designed to make sure that no one falls through the cracks.

St. Joseph Center’s programs are organized into four pillars of service: Outreach & Engagement, Housing, Mental Health, and Education & Vocational Training. Its efforts are designed to be integrally related and supportive of one another, so they form a seamless continuum that helps people rebuild their lives.

Recognizing the dignity that every person possesses is the cornerstone of St. Joseph Center’s approach. Working to advance equity through both the services offered as well as its hiring practices, St. Joseph Center is an inclusive, diverse force for change. 

Hope is embedded in St. Joseph Center’s DNA. Staff, board and volunteers look forward to a time when their services are no longer required, but until that day arrives, they remain committed to caring for the community’s most vulnerable members with dignity, compassion, and respect.

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

THE OPPORTUNITY

With a seasoned executive leadership team, the dedicated Board of Directors and volunteers, and the backing of many supporters and partners in place, St. Joseph Center is seeking a visionary, strategic, impact-oriented and mission-driven leader as its next President & Chief Executive Officer. St. Joseph Center’s impact, geographic reach and scope of services have grown significantly under the 15-year term of its previous CEO, Dr. Va Lecia Adams Kellum, from a local agency with a staff of 100 and a budget of $5 million, serving 6,000 people each year, into a leading regional social service provider employing nearly 400 people with a $50 million budget and reaching 13,000 people annually. Dr. Adams Kellum left the organization in February 2023 to join the administration of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass to launch the Mayor’s Inside Safe initiative and then take the helm at the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) as its new Chief Executive Officer. 

Through a collaborative approach, in partnership with staff and the Board, the next CEO will bring a new vision to the future of this highly respected and vitally important organization as it meets the ever-increasing demand for its services.

THE POSITION

The President & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) provides strategic direction and overall leadership to St. Joseph Center (the Center) by articulating vision, setting goals, strengthening culture, and empowering the executive management team, while working collaboratively with the Board of Directors. The CEO is responsible for ensuring that the Center’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 Program Officer, the Vice President of Finance & Chief Financial Officer, the Vice President of Human Resources, the Vice President of Administration, and the Vice President of Systems and Innovation.

Specifically, the CEO has the responsibility to:

• Define the strategic direction of the Center 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 the Center’s strong, distinctive culture and operational values, centered around equity and inclusivity. Nurture a culture of continuous improvement achieved through an ongoing process of defining goals, developing strategies, implementing systems, and measuring and rewarding performance results.
• Lead the executive management team to strengthen and support the programmatic, financial and operational goals of the Center, including attracting, retaining, developing, and motivating qualified staff. Ensure opportunities for ongoing staff development and mentorship, including setting goals and measuring results to drive organizational performance and outcomes.
• Serve as the primary spokesperson and advocate for the Center and promote its 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.
• Support an engaged Board of Directors in advancing 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:

• Be a visionary and inspiring leader.
• Convey a personal passion for serving others and working with the community’s most vulnerable members.
• Exhibit empathy, humility, compassion, integrity, honesty, trustworthiness, emotional intelligence, strong ethics, and fairness.
• Possess exceptional communication and relationship-building skills, connecting with diverse stakeholders internal and external to the organization.
• Bring demonstrated experience with and a strong commitment to applying an equity lens to their work and a track record of centering Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Access as organizational values.
• Demonstrate a deep understanding of the Center’s work and the ability to effectively communicate its vision and impact to broad audiences.
• Foster collaboration, trust, and transparent communication through an open and empowering leadership style.
• Inspire and mentor teams, combining a strategic perspective with effective execution of day-to-day priorities.
• Demonstrate critical thinking, financial acumen, organizational skills, and logical priority-setting abilities.

CAREER TRACK LEADING TO THIS POSITION

Competitive candidates will bring a track record of excellence in senior leadership positions, ideally from other complex nonprofit human service organizations recognized for their commitment to exemplary service to the community and their clients. 

In addition to demonstrated leadership experience, competencies in the following areas are expected:

• Strategy development
• Culture building/change management
• Talent development
• Fundraising
• Operational excellence
• Technology and innovation
• Board relationships
• 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 would be an asset and a commitment to the implementation of best practices for delivery of services is essential.

COMPENSATION & ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS

The annual salary range for this position is $275,000 to $325,000 plus the potential for a performance-based bonus. Relocation assistance, if needed, is negotiable. A comprehensive and competitive benefits package will be provided. 

St. Joseph Center staff are currently working on a hybrid in-person / work-from-home schedule. The President & CEO is expected to have a regular presence in the office and be available for frequent in-person meetings with staff, Board members, donors, and community members.

St. Joseph Center is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. St. Joseph Center is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, religious creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, disability, medical condition, marital status, sex, gender, gender identification, sexual orientation, age, status as a veteran and/or military status, political affiliation and any other status protected by state or federal law.