Executive Director

Position Summary

Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Middlesex County is seeking a dynamic Executive Director (ED) to lead the organization in continued growth and excellence.

CASA of Middlesex County is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving abused and neglected children who are living in out-of-home placements. CASA recruits, trains, and supervises volunteers to advise the courts and advocate for the children’s best interests.

At CASA of Middlesex County, we are committed to maintaining an inclusive and productive culture, recognizing that the varying experiences of our staff, board, and volunteers allow us to better understand and meet the needs of the children we serve.

Qualifications

Education: The ED must have at least a Bachelor’s Degree, preferably in social work, business, or a related field.

Leadership: The ED must have interpersonal skills which demonstrate and instill confidence and the ability to coalesce diverse constituents around shared goals.

Management: The ED must have requisite management experience relative to the role as lead executive. They will foster a collaborative environment among staff and maintain a focus on the staff’s professional development.

Communications: The ED must be able to effectively communicate issues, policies, ideas, and proposals to staff, volunteer advocates, the governing board, the Court, affiliate CASA programs, funders, other related organizations, legislators, and others. This person must in turn be able to listen to, and understand, the ideas and concerns of these groups and others. This requires an individual who has a genuine respect for the views of others and who is able to maintain an honest and respectful dialogue with many types of people and organizations.

Planning and Organization: The ED, with direction and input from the Governing Board of Trustees, will need to set and communicate priorities, establish goals and objectives, and develop logical, practical implementation plans. They will be a creative problem-solver.

Technological: The ED must have experience with technologies necessary to manage budgets, write grants and record information. At a minimum, the ED must be proficient with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and databases.

Ethical Standards: The Executive Director holds a position of trust with the Court and judicial systems, the DCP&P system, CASA volunteers, the staff, the Board of Trustees and the children the organization represents. This position requires an individual with the highest standards of integrity, ethics, and personal and professional behavior. Background checks will be completed as part of the screening process.

CASA Knowledge: Experience working, volunteering, or serving as a board member for a CASA program preferred. Experience working or volunteering with children is also preferred.

Responsibilities

Program Oversight

• Ensure the continuity and integrity of the volunteer recruitment, screening, and training procedures
• Resolve organizational and interpersonal conflicts, including participation in decisions and procedures challenging case and advocate situations
• Develop and utilize tools for assessing and improving the quality of services and volunteer support

Fundraising and Fund Development

• Oversee the research and writing of grant proposals and reports and adhere to grant reporting requirements
• Cultivate individual and corporate donors
• Maintain or ensure the maintenance of the donor database
• Coordinate and/or oversee the planning of fundraising events

Finance

• Produce, with support of the bookkeeper, an annual budget for approval by the Board of Trustees
• Manage the organization’s revenues and expenses in accordance with the approved budget
• Maintain a relationship with the organization’s approved banking depository for the purposes of managing cash flow, periodically transferring funds between accounts and investing excess funds, as approved by the Board of Trustees
• Ensure adherence to fiscal management policies
• Participate in and ensure completion of annual audits

Stakeholder Relations

• Maintain contact with court staff, judges, and DCP&P managers, working to resolve any challenges that arise
• Participate in statewide meetings for CASA Executive Directors and ensure the program’s participation in other statewide efforts
• Ensure program maintains good standing with National CASA/GAL and CASA of NJ
• Communicate as CASA representative with media sources

Governing Board Collaboration

• Prepare governing board agendas with Executive Committee
• Assist with sourcing and training new governing board members according to board priorities
• Implement governing board decisions and policies

Strategic Planning

• Participate in the development, evaluation, and modification of the strategic plan
• Track strategic plan progress and report significant findings to the Governing Board of Trustees
• Ensure compliance with National CASA and judiciary standards
• Ensure compliance with all state and federal regulations

Human Resources

• Hire and terminate staff; develop new positions as necessary
• Support and manage staff, including facilitating staff meetings and staff evaluations