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Executive Director

The Moran Company

Job Location:

San Diego, CA - USA

Yearly Salary: USD 145000 - 165000

Posted: 13 July 2026 (30+ days ago)

Application Deadline: 10 October 2026

Vacancies: 1 Vacancy

Job Summary

Executive Director
Friends of the Children San Diego
San Diego California

The Moran Company is pleased to partner with Friends of the Children-San Diego to recruit the organizations first Executive Director.

This is an exceptional opportunity for an entrepreneurial nonprofit leader to build a new chapter of a nationally proven professional youth mentorship model in San Diego. Friends of the ChildrenSan Diegos first Executive Director will build the team expand philanthropic investment and become the leading ambassador in San Diego for the nations most proven long-term professional youth mentoring model.

Organizational Background

Friends of the Children is a nationally recognized nonprofit organization with a powerful mission to impact generational change by empowering youth who face the greatest obstacles through relationships with paid professional mentors12 years no matter what. For more than three decades the Friends of the Children model has produced measurable outcomes for children and families across the country. Friends of the Childrens impact is evident - a longitudinal study by the Harvard Business School Association of Oregon confirmed that for every $1 invested in Friends of the Children the community benefits over $7 in saved social costs. Now Friends of the Children is bringing its proven model to San Diego.

Friends of the ChildrenSan Diego is launching with extraordinary momentum. Rather than building from scratch the organizations first Executive Director will inherit a remarkable opportunity to accelerate an already well-established vision. Over the past 18 months Friends of the Children National and local community leaders have worked together to establish a strong foundation for the organizations long-term success. Multi-year seed capital has already been secured relationships have been cultivated with philanthropic civic and nonprofit leaders throughout the region and the model has been enthusiastically welcomed into collaborative efforts such as the United 4 Youth Collaborative.

Friends of the ChildrenSan Diego will intentionally enroll children ages 4 to 6 and their caregivers who face the greatest challenges to long-term stability and well-being with an initial focus on former foster youth who are parenting and families most at risk of child welfare involvement. The chapter will launch as an independent 501(c)(3) supported by Friends of the Children National benefiting from a nationally proven operating model extensive leadership resources and a network of successful Executive Directors across the country.

Position Summary

Friends of the ChildrenSan Diego seeks a highly relational entrepreneurial and community-centered Executive Director to lead the successful launch and growth of this new chapter.The organizations first Executive Director will play a defining role in establishing Friends of the ChildrenSan Diego as one of the regions most trusted and influential organizations serving children and familieshiring the founding staff team building trusted relationships across San Diego County expanding philanthropic investment and working with the founding Board of Directors and the Friends of the Children National team to successfully launch the chapter. This is a rare opportunity to build an organization from the ground up while benefiting from the support resources and proven model of a nationally recognized network.

Reporting to the Board of Directors and working in close partnership with Friends of the Children National the Executive Director serves as the organizations chief executive chief fundraiser strategic leader and primary ambassador. The Executive Directors primary responsibility will be serving as the organizations fundraising leader and champion throughout the community. The successful candidate will be energized by building authentic relationships inspiring philanthropic investment and expanding awareness of Friends of the Children across San Diego County. The Executive Director will provide strategic oversight and ensure excellence and fidelity to the Friends of the Children model while empowering program leadership to oversee day-to-day service delivery. The primary focus of this role is building the relationships visibility organizational capacity and sustainable funding that will allow the programand the children and families it servesto thrive.

The Executive Director will be a passionate advocate for children and families facing lifes greatest challenges and a compelling communicator of both the urgency of the mission and the measurable outcomes of the Friends of the Children model. As the organizations primary spokesperson they will excel at cultivating relationships with donors corporate leaders foundations community partners and the families and communities served. The Executive Director will position the organization as a distinctive partner within San Diegos child- and family-serving community. They will bring a strategic mindset to build a high-performing organization humility to lead collaboratively and enthusiasm to serve as Friends of the ChildrenSan Diegos champion in the community.

This is an ideal opportunity for an accomplished nonprofit Executive Director or an experienced Chief Advancement Officer or Chief Development Officer who has successfully led teams secured significant philanthropic investment and brings entrepreneurial business acumen a deep commitment to mission and a desire to build and scale a high-impact organization in a new market.

Roles & Responsibilities

Leadership

Provide enthusiastic leadership inspiration strategic direction focus and long-term vision for the organization.
Be the lead fundraising champion and spokesperson ambassador and advocate for Friends of the ChildrenSan Diego.
Build trust across staff board community partners families and donors. Model professionalism and high ethical standards throughout the organization.
Recruit develop and lead a high-performing team.
Partner with Board leadership to ensure a strong and engaged Board culture and governance.
Lead and model Friends of the Childrens commitment to a children-first culture of engagement empowerment support belonging and mutual respect.
Foster a transparent approachable collaborative and servant-oriented leadership culture where staff feel heard valued and supported.
Work closely with the National CEO and National staff to ensure that Friends of the ChildrenSan Diego and National are working together as collaborators that the program is administered with fidelity and to promote and grow the mission locally and across the county.
Work closely with other Friends of the Children Executive Directors in the state of California to align around opportunities for leadership fundraising and statewide collaboration.

Fundraising & Community Relations

Lead all fundraising and resource development efforts including establishing clear fundraising goals objectives and results and serving as the organizations sole fundraising professional during the launch years.
Personally define prioritize cultivate solicit and steward major donors foundations and corporations including local and regional funding opportunities that deepen community investment.
Partner with the Board on fundraising and explore and develop diversified revenue opportunities that strengthen long-term sustainability.
Represent the organization throughout San Diegos philanthropic civic business and nonprofit communities.
Serve as the organizations chief storyteller and external relationship builder.
Work closely with public officials to develop a funding base that includes an appropriate amount of public funding (city county state and federal).
Empower program staff to implement and sustain strategic partnerships and collaborations that advance program outcomes.
Partner with the Friends of the Children Chapter Grants team to bring in new opportunities review grant proposals and ensure ongoing reporting for grant deliverables.
Partner with the Friends of the Children Chapter Web/Marketing team to tell stories build the brand and amplify the impact of FriendsSan Diego.

Strategic Planning and Annual Operations

Develop and execute strategic plans annual operating plans budgets revenue and expense projections and growth initiatives.
Identify opportunities for expansion innovation and increased community impact.
Monitor organizational performance and proactively manage risk.
Partner with the Board and National leadership to achieve long-term goals.

Quality Program Delivery

Ensure fidelity to the Friends of the Children model and ensure the resources necessary to uphold program excellence.
Support and empower program leadership in delivering exceptional service and outcomes for youth and families.
Monitor outcomes and foster continuous improvement.
Cultivate quality feedback loops for program participants (youth caregivers).
Support the ongoing training and development of program staff to meet the requirements of the program with regard to skills knowledge and understanding of program content.
Maintain alignment of the organizational structure and staffing to maximize effectiveness and results.

Financial Administrative & Human Resources Leadership

Provide sound financial stewardship and organizational sustainability.
Recruit develop supervise and retain a high-performing team; ensure the effective supervision guidance development and evaluation of all staff and a work environment that results in positive morale and employee retention.
Maintain accurate and timely communications with the Board of Directors and staff.
Maximize organizational effectiveness without compromising program and organizational performance.
Collaborate with and benefit from National team Finance and Operational resources to maximize effectiveness.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have the following qualifications:

A bachelors degree required; advanced degree preferred.
Ten or more years of progressively responsible executive leadership experience in nonprofit or related environments is desired.
A passionate appreciation for child development youth outcomes and long-term mentoring models.
Significant fundraising experience and demonstrated ability to successfully secure major gifts and diversify revenue streams.
Strong executive presence and credibility with donors board members community leaders and public stakeholders.
Established relationships and credibility within San Diego County or a demonstrated record of quickly building trusted relationships with philanthropic business civic and community leaders is strongly preferred.
Demonstrated success leading an organization and motivating others within a fast-paced start-up work environment.
Strategic thinker with experience building scaling launching and leading organizational growth initiatives.
Demonstrated success leading across fundraising operations finance strategy and people leadership.
Cultural competence and sensitivity when working with diverse communities and family structures.
Exceptional listening skills and an approachable empowering leadership style.
Outstanding storytelling written and verbal communication skills and public speaking abilities.
Exceptional decision-making organizational and time management delegation and follow-up skills.
Effective leadership and supervisory skills; ability to collaboratively set goals provide direction ensure accountability and motivate others to achieve and overcome barriers.
Ability to assess opportunities and mitigate strategic risks while monitoring progress and making timely course corrections.
A team player with a commitment to collaboration and partnership with National and peer leadership.

Compensation & Benefits

The salary range for this position is $145000$165000 including incentive compensation depending on qualifications and experience. Friends of the Children offers a benefits package and a culture that values collaboration belonging professional growth and work-life harmony.

Statement of Non-Discrimination

Friends of the Children is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to addressing discriminatory practices. The equal employment opportunity policy of Friends of the Children provides fair and equal opportunities for all employees and job applicants. Friends of the Children hires and promotes individuals solely based on their qualifications for the job to be filled.

Application Process

The search for the Friends of the Children-San Diego Executive Director is being conducted by The Moran Company. Questions about the position can be directed to Angie Heer The Moran Company: angie (at) .

Interested candidates should submit a resume and cover letter to Angie Heer The Moran Company. The resume should include all professional education and experience examples of nonprofit leadership and fundraising accomplishments dates of employment (month and year) position/title and organization names. The cover letter should highlight your relevant experience passion for Friends of the Children-San Diegos mission fundraising experience and your approach to building and scaling an organization. Applications should be submitted by July 31.

PLEASE NOTE: All email correspondence from The Moran Company will originate from our official @ domain or using our applicant tracking system domain @.

Required Experience:

Director

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