Description

About the Organization: 

El Centro de Amistad (ECDA) is a community-based behavioral health organization serving children, adults, and families throughout the San Fernando Valley. ECDA is committed to providing accessible, culturally responsive services to Latino, immigrant, low-income, and other historically underserved communities.

Position Overview and Leadership Profile:

El Centro de Amistad seeks an experienced and mission-driven Executive Director to provide strategic, operational, financial, and organizational leadership.

The successful candidate will be a collaborative, strategic executive with experience leading complex nonprofit, behavioral health, healthcare, or human services organizations. They will bring sound judgment, integrity, and emotional intelligence, along with experience overseeing strategy, operations, finance, compliance, and program performance. They will have a track record of partnering with Boards, leading growth and change, and building strong relationships with staff, clients, funders, public agencies, and community partners. They will demonstrate knowledge of behavioral health, government funding, and regulatory requirements, along with a commitment to culturally diverse communities and a leadership style that balances empowerment with accountability.

Key Role and Responsibilities:
Strategic Leadership and Organizational Management

•  Partner with the Board and senior leadership team to implement ECDA’s strategic plan, establish organizational priorities, and ensure long-term sustainability.
•  Identify emerging community needs, organizational risks, funding opportunities, and opportunities for responsible growth.
•  Lead organizational planning, change management, and continuous improvement while fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, transparency, and inclusion.
•  Establish clear organizational performance measures and regularly report financial, program, compliance, and strategic plan progress to the Board.

Program, Financial, and Operational Excellence 

• In partnership with qualified clinical leadership, ensure the delivery of high-quality, culturally responsive behavioral health services through effective oversight of clinical operations, program performance, service quality, and client outcomes.
• Provide executive oversight of ECDA’s approximately $11 million annual operating budget, financial planning, internal controls, financial performance, and stewardship of resources. Oversee cash-flow management, audits, billing and reimbursements.
•  Promote effective coordination and consistent practices across ECDA’s programs and locations.
•  Ensure that ECDA has effective human resources, technology, facilities, and administrative systems to support all programs, staff and long-term sustainability.

Contracts, Compliance, and Risk

• Ensure compliance with government contracts, Medi-Cal requirements, licensing standards, grant conditions, and applicable laws and regulations.
• Oversee contract deliverables, billing, reimbursement, documentation, and reporting.
• Work with clinical, financial, compliance, and program leaders to identify and address organizational risks.
• Maintain effective relationships with public agencies, funders, regulators, and referral partners.

Leadership and Community Engagement

• Recruit, develop, support, and evaluate the senior leadership team while strengthening organizational culture, staff development, succession planning, and employee engagement.
• Partner closely with the Board to support governance, fundraising, and strategic decision-making.
• Serve as ECDA’s primary ambassador, building strong relationships with donors, funders, public agencies, community organizations, and other stakeholders to advance the organization’s mission and impact.
• Lead ECDA’s fundraising and revenue-diversification efforts.

The benefits of joining the ECDA team include (If eligible) health insurance, vision, dental, long-term disability, AD&D, life insurance, vacation, sick leave, paid holidays, jury duty, bereavement, and 401K matching.

Requirements

Required Qualifications and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in nonprofit management, business administration, public administration, behavioral health, social work, psychology, public health, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant executive experience.
• At least seven (7) years of progressively responsible senior management or executive leadership experience.
• Experience supervising staff and managing multiple organizational functions.
• Must have reliable transportation, a valid California driver's license, and current automobile insurance.

Preferred Qualifications and Experience:

• Master’s degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Public Health, or a related field.
• Executive experience in a behavioral health or community-based service organization.
• Experience with Los Angeles County behavioral health systems, Medi-Cal, and/or public contracts.
• Knowledge of the San Fernando Valley and the communities ECDA serves.
• Professional fluency in English and Spanish is strongly preferred.
• Experience leading an organization through growth, transition, restructuring, or strategic change.
• Experience with fundraising, grants, public funding, and revenue diversification.