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 organization's first Executive Director.

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 mentors—12+ 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 Children’s 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 Children–San Diego is launching with extraordinary momentum. Rather than building from scratch, the organization's 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 organization's 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 Children–San 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.

Friends of the Children–San Diego seeks a highly relational, entrepreneurial, and community-centered Executive Director to lead the successful launch and long-term growth of this new chapter. As the organization’s chief executive, chief fundraiser, strategic leader, and primary ambassador, the Executive Director will build trusted relationships across San Diego County, expand philanthropic investment, hire and support the founding staff team, and work closely with the founding Board of Directors and Friends of the Children National. The Executive Director will ensure excellence and fidelity to the Friends of the Children model while strengthening the visibility, capacity, and sustainable funding needed for the program and the children and families it serves to thrive. This opportunity is ideal for an accomplished nonprofit executive or senior advancement leader with strong fundraising success, entrepreneurial business acumen, and a deep commitment to building a high-impact organization in a new market.

The Executive Director will provide enthusiastic leadership, strategic direction, and long-term vision while serving as Friends of the Children–San Diego’s lead fundraising champion, spokesperson, ambassador, and advocate. They will build trust across staff, board members, community partners, families, donors, and Friends of the Children National, while recruiting and developing a high-performing team and fostering a collaborative, children-first culture. The Executive Director will lead all fundraising and resource development efforts, personally cultivate major donors, foundations, corporations, and public funding opportunities, and strengthen the organization’s visibility throughout San Diego’s philanthropic, civic, business, and nonprofit communities. They will develop and execute strategic plans, annual operating plans, budgets, growth initiatives, and risk management strategies in partnership with the Board and National leadership. The Executive Director will ensure fidelity to the Friends of the Children model, support excellent program delivery and outcomes, provide sound financial and administrative stewardship, and build the organizational capacity needed for long-term sustainability.

The ideal candidate will have a bachelor’s degree, with an advanced degree preferred, and ten or more years of progressively responsible executive leadership experience in nonprofit or related environments. They will bring a deep appreciation for child development, youth outcomes, and long-term mentoring models, along with significant fundraising experience and a demonstrated ability to secure major gifts and diversify revenue streams. Strong candidates will offer executive presence, credibility with donors and community stakeholders, and either established relationships within San Diego County or a proven ability to quickly build trusted relationships with philanthropic, business, civic, and community leaders. The successful candidate will be a strategic, collaborative, and empowering leader with experience building and scaling organizations, leading across fundraising, operations, finance, strategy, and people, and motivating teams with cultural competence, sound judgment, accountability, and strong communication skills.

The salary range for this position is $145,000–$165,000, 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.

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) morancompany.com. 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 Diego’s mission, fundraising experience, and your approach to building and scaling an organization. Applications should be submitted by July 31.

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Pay: $145,000.00 - $165,000.00 per year

Work Location: In person