Chief Executive Officer

Disability Rights Pennsylvania (DRP) is seeking its next Chief Executive Officer (CEO). DRP is a private, nonprofit organization established in 1977 as the federally mandated protection and advocacy agency in Pennsylvania. DRP maintains offices in Harrisburg, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Its identity, experience, and unique perspectives are centered on advancing health, well-being, and diversity within the disability community and the larger civil rights movement. DRP offers legal and advocacy services, training, information and referral, and outreach.

Reporting to the Board of Directors, the next CEO will lead a highly qualified team of approximately 50 attorneys, advocates, policy, training, technical assistance, special projects and administrative staff that deliver essential services for Pennsylvanians with disabilities. The CEO will oversee organizational development, supervise senior staff, and manage a roughly $8.5M annual budget. A compassionate leader with high emotional intelligence, the next CEO will foster a strong internal culture and lead strategic growth efforts to provide greater impact across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

The ideal candidate will have significant nonprofit leadership and management experience within disability rights, legal advocacy, or a closely related field. Strong candidates will demonstrate commitment to advocating for the rights of people with disabilities, motivating teams and fostering alignment, and mobilizing public and private support and partnership for the systems change and direct service work DRP does.

The next CEO will exhibit humble servant leadership and will have a strong ability to build relationships and gain the trust of the Board and staff at all levels of the organization. The CEO will represent DRP publicly and will continue to elevate the organization’s profile as a critical, impactful agency, both across the state and nationwide.

Based in one of DRP’s three offices (Harrisburg, Philadelphia, or Pittsburgh, PA), the salary range for the next CEO is expected to be between $180,000 - $210,000 including a generous benefits package and a flexible work policy.

ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW

Since 1977, DRP has been the protection and advocacy agency in Pennsylvania, operating under the authority of eight federal statutes and regulations and funded largely through federal appropriations. These federal programs exist to protect people with disabilities against abuse, neglect, and to provide legal and advocacy assistance to those whose rights are violated in areas like special education, housing, public access, employment, waiver services, and more.

DRP protects and advocates for the rights of people with disabilities so that they may live the lives they choose, free from abuse, neglect, discrimination, and segregation. For over 45 years, DRP has offered free legal and advocacy services statewide to people with disabilities on issues that fall within its annual program goals and objectives. To view DRP’s goal and objectives, visit https://www.disabilityrightspa.org/what-wedo/priorities/. DRP offers legal and advocacy services, training, information and referral, and outreach. All services are accessed through a toll-free intake system at 1-800-692-7443. DRP uses litigation, investigations and monitoring, policy advocacy, and education to achieve its mission.

DRP is part of a national system of protection and advocacy agencies created by Congress in the early 1970’s to stop abuse and neglect. Since then, DRP’s mandate has grown with the passage of laws that have expanded the rights of people with disabilities. To learn more about the protection and advocacy network, visit www.ndrn.org.

OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FACING THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

The next Chief Executive Officer (CEO) will be building on a legacy of impactful work across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania that has positioned Disability Rights Pennsylvania as one of the premier Protection and Advocacy (P&A) agencies in the country. The CEO will have 4 (four) direct reports to collaborate with in the day-to-day management of DRP: the Director of Finance and Operations, Director of Government Affairs, Legal Director, and the Executive Assistant/HR Generalist. With a deep commitment to providing the legal and advocacy services that persons with disabilities deserve to have access to, the bedrock principles of diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA), and an unshakeable belief in the benefits of effective work/life balance, the next CEO will be poised to undertake the crucial task of bolstering the services that DRP provides across the Commonwealth, namely:

• Providing legal representation, including individual and systemic litigation concerning issues that fall within DRP’s program goals and objectives.
• Targeted monitoring and investigations to protect and assist people with disabilities facing abuse, neglect, rights violations, and/or barriers to community-based support and services.
• Public policy advocacy to promote systemic access to services and full inclusion of people with disabilities in their communities.
• Information, advice, referral, and/or direct advocacy support to individuals through their Live Intake system.
• Community outreach and education on disability rights and issues impacting those rights.

To guide DRP successfully, the next CEO will engage in the following tasks and duties:

Team Leadership

The next CEO will be a leader with high emotional intelligence who brings a wealth of people management experience to the role. Work/life balance is a highlight of the current work culture at DRP and while a CEO may be required to work beyond traditional “in-office” hours, it will be crucial to maintain the flexibility that DRP staff currently enjoy. As an organization that is physically siloed across three offices in Harrisburg, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh – in addition to the natural siloing of teams along administrative, advocacy, litigation, and operational lines – the next CEO will be a skilled connector with the ability to tap into “the why” behind the reason DRP staff wake up every day to do the work that they do.

Board Engagement

A robust, collaborative culture of transparency, active communication, and trust starts at the top of any organization. Modeling these principles, the next CEO will cultivate a strong working relationship with the Board of Directors and providing clarity of focus between their fiduciary responsibilities as the long-term stewards of DRP’s mission, and the day-to-day work of the staff to implement their vision.

Financial Management and Fundraising

The P&A landscape faces unprecedented pressures that cannot all be addressed by DRP and other likeminded organizations. The next CEO will be a creative financial manager, ideally from a nonprofit environment, that can identify the levers that need to be adjusted to ensure the fiscal health of the organization. An opportunity exists to hire for senior level talent to be a collaborative thought partner in the financial management work, and to build out the development function to further increase DRP’s long term ability to offer the crucial services that it provides.

Collaboration and External Relationships

As the federally designated P&A agency for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, DRP is uniquely placed to be a force multiplier of protection and advocacy efforts across Pennsylvania. The expertise that exists within DRP’s staff has and should continue to be utilized in the furtherance of cementing the protections and rights accorded to persons with disabilities. The next CEO will be tasked with ensuring that DRP continues to provide this expertise, especially where intersectional issues of ableism and denial of rights continue to affect the community. DRP’s already excellent reputation should be enhanced by the next CEO’s efforts to continue to raise the visibility of the agency’s work.

QUALIFICATIONS OF THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

The opportunities and challenges described above will likely lead the Board of Directors to select a candidate that possesses many of the following professional and personal, abilities, attributes, and experiences:

• An inclusive, compassionate, and transparent executive leader with demonstrated experience effectively inspiring and empowering staff, Board members, and partners toward greater impact through effective collaboration and communication.
• Knowledge of and comfortability with the eight federal statutes and regulations that govern the agency’s work across Pennsylvania, and the reporting requirements associated with protection and advocacy agencies like DRP.
• Deep appreciation of, and success in carrying out and managing, advocacy, training, impact legislation, and/or policy change for the rights of people with disabilities. Applicants with lived experience are highly encouraged to apply.
• Demonstrated leadership in a complex and dynamic organization, including fiscal oversight, reporting, compliance, budget development experience, revenue stewardship, and familiarity with fundraising from federal, state, and other sources.
• Experience developing systems to support organizational capacity, with an eye toward opportunities for process improvement and refinement, particularly as it pertains to people management.
• Demonstrated success, internally and externally, as a consensus builder and collaborator who can earn and maintain trusting relationships.
• Excellent writing, analytical, and communication skills.
• A demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, and an understanding of and deep respect for the distinctive culture of, specific challenges faced by, and assets unique to people from disability, LGBTQIA+, and BIPOC communities, including clients and colleagues.
• Sensitivity and low ego as conducive to stepping into an agency that has experienced some turnover in senior leadership and seeks stability in service of future growth.
• Ability to represent DRP to a variety of stakeholders and intermediaries across the state and around the country in a credible and influential way.
• Self-starter with strong ability to manage a distributed, diverse, driven, and successful staff including those with a long history at the agency and those who have joined more recently.
• An optimistic outlook, along with the humor, integrity, patience, and perseverance necessary to support mission-driven staff in challenging but essential work.