About Forestdale

Forestdale was founded in 1854 and has a mission to ensure that children and families have the fundamental assets needed to thrive and live independently.

Forestdale is one of the premiere New York City child and family service agencies, working to end the intergenerational transmission of poverty and trauma. Families that have undergone a crisis or trauma often come to Forestdale seeking help to recover, take care of their children and find a stable and happier future. Forestdale actively pursues cutting-edge, evidence-based approaches to address the changing needs of low-income families across Queens and Brooklyn, serving about 3000 families annually. Forestdale has three primary service goals:

1. Help Families Heal from Trauma. Our highly regarded preventive programs, family enrichment center, foster care program, and integrated health services work with families to understand the after-effects of trauma and help families take steps to heal and find a path to future growth.

2. Support Parents Raising the Next Remarkable Generation of Children. We are known for our parenting programs, Strong Fathers and Strong Mothers, which combine educational courses with peer support, individual counseling, and mental health supports to help parents become the parents they want to be.

3. Successfully Launch Youth into Adulthood. Our career, education, housing, and life coaching services help young people set and achieve goals on their way to leading more fulfilling lives.

Although Forestdale's primary work is in providing services to children and families, we also work to change policies, as we know that many of the families we serve have dealt with trauma resulting from oppression and that systems must become more equitable and person-focused to break cycles of poverty and trauma.

Responsibilities

The Executive Director will be leading a successful family services organization into the next decade and beyond by guiding policy, ensuring high quality services that allow for better client outcomes, and working with the community to be sure that Forestdale's work is responsive to the priorities of the people we serve and that resources and infrastructure are sufficient to deliver on the promise of expertise and dedication that our clients require.

Service Delivery. Leading a service organization, the primary responsibility of the Executive Director is to work with the CPO, executive team, staff, clients, communities, and partners to make sure that services are responsive to family and community needs and are of the highest quality. To produce outcomes of child well-being requires well-run services, and a sound feedback loop to facilitate continuous quality improvement.

Resource Development. The Executive Director is the primary person responsible for ensuring that revenue is sufficient to operate high quality services. Working with the Development team and Board, the ED will obtain public and private grants, and donor contributions to meet the agency's budget needs. Forestdale has enjoyed robust financial stability, with government contracts covering much of the basic programmatic funding, while private philanthropy, donors, and a modest annual draw from the agency reserves have helped to enrich programs and stimulate innovation.

Budget and Finance. The Executive Director works with the CFO and Finance Committee of the Board to develop and monitor spending and revenue to ensure a balanced budget. The ED also supports the CFO and Finance team to obtain clean audits, demonstrating proper controls and compliance with all accounting standards.

Operations and Infrastructure. Work with the Director of Operations and operating teams to make sure that systems and infrastructure, including IT, communications, human resources, and facilities, reflect the high level of dignity we accord to our clients and staff. The Executive Director is also expected to lead the agency in a manner that facilitates staff satisfaction, as recruitment and retention of talented individuals is essential to the quality of our work. The ED also works with the General Counsel and others to ensure compliance and legal standards are met.

Policy, Advocacy, and Community Relations. The Executive Director is expected to lead Forestdale's efforts to change systems and policies, and champion legislation to eliminate child poverty, make essential services available to children and families, and support anti-oppression efforts. This is accomplished through advocacy, work in coalitions, and work with the communities we serve to lend support to pro-child and pro-family initiatives.

Strategy and Governance. The Executive Director is responsible for working in partnership with the Board, staff, community members, and partners to manage the agency's strategic direction. The ED is responsible for helping the Board of Directors achieve its fiduciary responsibilities of sustaining the organization through oversight of sound financial management, risk mitigation, strategic planning, governance, ethical, and legal practices. The Executive Director will also ensure that the Board and Board Committees have the staff support required to effectively carry out these responsibilities.

Qualifications

The successful candidate is expected to have the leadership qualities and experience necessary to sustain and elevate the performance of Forestdale as a key community resource. This would include:

• Advanced degree in Social Work or a related field
• Understanding of the New York City human services landscape, with understanding of child welfare practice highly valued
• Extensive experience in program development and oversight; past experience as a practitioner a plus
• A clear understanding of what expert family programming looks like and how it is implemented and sustained; demonstrated ability to manage to outcomes in the human services field
• At least 5-10 years of successful executive experience
• Experience successfully managing budgets, government contracts, and fundraising from private foundations and donors
• Experience effectively leading a large staff
• Experience in effective policy advocacy
• A demonstrated history of partnership with the communities Forestdale serves
• Advanced communication skills
• Experience interacting with a Board of Directors a plus
• Outstanding interpersonal and team-building skills required. Good sense of humor a plus.

Salary Range: $320,000-$350,000

Benefits: Join the Forestdale Team and Enjoy Excellent Benefits:

Four weeks' vacation

Medical/dental/vision/life/disability insurance

401(k), 7% employer contribution + 2% match

Tax-deferred health care/dependent care/commuter plans

Flexible Schedule

Opportunities for educational scholarships

Additional Information:

Forestdale Inc. is an equal opportunity employer that is proudly committed to becoming an anti-racist and multicultural organization that stands up for justice and equity. We welcome prospective employees from diverse backgrounds, for administrative support and direct service and leadership roles, who will join us on that journey, uphold our values and approach, and believe in our mission. Additionally, we aim to have a racially representative leadership and workforce that is reflective of the communities we work in partnership with.

Forestdale Inc. is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of our staff, participants, volunteers, subcontractors, and vendors. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of our activities or operations. These activities include, but are not limited to, hiring and termination of staff, selection of volunteers and vendors, and provision of services.