Executive Director

Overview:

Child Advocates – Denver CASA advocates for the best interests of children who have experienced abuse or neglect by training diverse volunteers who create opportunities for children, youth and families to thrive. Denver CASA trains and supervises Court Appointed Special Advocate Volunteers who work with children and youth who have been abused and neglected and have a child welfare case open.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging:

Denver CASA is committed to building a diverse and inclusive culture that encourages, supports, and celebrates the distinct voices of our employees, volunteers, board members, and the children and families we serve. We strive to ensure that every employee feels valued, respected, and empowered to bring their authentic self to work. Denver CASA does not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, national origin, color, religion, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability, or physical challenge.

Purpose:

We are currently recruiting an Executive Director to partner with our Board and lead Denver CASA into its next chapter. The Executive Director provides overall leadership and management for the organization’s $1.1 million budget, over 200 volunteers, and a staff of three Directors and seven employees, overseeing all operational, administrative, programmatic, and fundraising activities. The right candidate will build and sustain strong community partnerships, increase revenue generation, and juggle multiple priorities while remaining hands-on in daily operations.

Job Description:

Strategic Leadership:

• Provide overall leadership and management of Denver CASA, overseeing all operational, administrative, programmatic, and fundraising activities.
• Develop and articulate an impactful and innovative strategic plan.
• Provide leadership in developing program, organizational, and financial plans and policies with the Board and staff, and carry out plans and policies approved by the Board.
• Maintain a working knowledge of significant developments and trends in the field.
• Lead the development and execution of strategies that ensure the long-term sustainability of Denver CASA, including diversified revenue streams, strategic partnerships, succession planning, volunteer pipeline development, and organizational capacity building.

Board & Community Relations:

• Cultivate a strong and transparent relationship with the Board of Directors and ensure open communication about the measurement of financial, programmatic, and impact performance against stated milestones and goals.
• In partnership with the Board, help build a diverse and inclusive Board of Directors representative of the community that is highly engaged and willing to leverage and secure resources.
• Build strategic partnerships, establish relationships with funders and key stakeholders, and actively identify new business opportunities.
• Work closely with stakeholders and community partners, including the Denver Department of Human Services, the Denver Juvenile Court, and the City and County of Denver.
• Build relationships with community partners that focus on child welfare issues in the city of Denver.
• Collaborate with the other 18 CASA programs in Colorado as well as the State Colorado CASA office; participate in the overall promotion and advocacy of the CASA program.

Staff Leadership & Culture:

• Manage a staff of three Directors and seven employees, with a focus on creating a professional culture of support and empowerment.
• Maintain a climate that attracts, keeps, and motivates a diverse staff of top-quality people.
• Facilitate cross-departmental collaboration and strengthen internal communications with staff throughout the organization.

Development & Fundraising:

• Work with the Development Director to plan and execute a development strategy that secures additional resources for the organization and increases visibility of the organization with a focus on achieving organizational sustainability.
• Oversee Denver CASA’s relationship with its contracted grant writer, ensuring the grant-writing strategy aligns with development priorities, and provide direct grant-writing support as needed.
• Demonstrate comfort and willingness to personally solicit donors and secure philanthropic support.

Program Oversight & Fiscal Management:

• Ensure programmatic excellence, rigorous program evaluation, and consistent quality of finance and administration.
• Ensure the children and youth we serve are being provided with consistent, effective, and ethical advocacy.
• Oversee all fiscal management of the organization, building an annual budget and ensuring that revenue and expense goals are adhered to.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Strong commitment to Denver CASA’s mission and the children and families we serve.
• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree in Social Work, Public Policy, Nonprofit Organizational Management, or a related field preferred. Candidates without an advanced degree who have comparable experience in child welfare or a related field will also be considered.
• Minimum of 5 years’ progressive management experience.
• Minimum of 5 years of related experience in the administration of a volunteer, nonprofit, or public service agency preferred.
• Strong and strategic leader; ability to create and articulate the organization’s strategic vision as well as implement the necessary steps to achieve it.
• Demonstrated success in securing and growing philanthropic support through foundations, corporations, government grants, major gifts, and individual donor cultivation.
• Demonstrated experience developing and implementing sustainable growth strategies that strengthen organizational impact, financial health, and community engagement.
• Previous experience working with volunteers and knowledge and understanding of child abuse and neglect, families in crisis, and other social services skills is ideal, but not required.
• Ability to create annual budgets, review monthly financial statements for accuracy, work directly with the accountant/bookkeeper and the treasurer for presentation to the Board to ensure that revenue and expense goals are monitored, forecasted, and achieved.

DESIRED SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Strong commitment and deep understanding of Denver CASA’s mission, vision, and values.
• Proven track record of creating and sustaining a positive organizational culture to ensure employees feel empowered and supported.
• Transparent, high-integrity, and collaborative leadership.
• Enjoys collaboration and working as a team.
• Ability to work to deadlines and prioritize workloads.
• Excellent public speaking and communication skills.
• Able to manage and analyze data from reports generated by CASA database to ensure that CASA Volunteers are fulfilling their expectations; Utilize data to evaluate the impact of our work; Review trends of CASA recruitment and retention to formulate strategies to build volunteer base.
• Experience in frequently monitoring expenses and revenue to ensure adherence to budget.
• Ability to work with people from diverse backgrounds.

Work Environment & Travel:

• Primarily local travel within the Denver metro area for meetings, with occasional statewide travel (approximately once or twice per year) to meet with CASA colleagues and partners elsewhere in Colorado.
• Standard office environment; two days per week in the office as part of a hybrid schedule.
• Valid Colorado driver’s license required for occasional local and statewide travel.

Salary Range: $135,000 – $148,000, commensurate with experience.

Benefits:

We offer a comprehensive benefits package including:

• Paid time off accrued based on years of service (health and vacation time combined into a single bank), plus paid holidays
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Short-term disability insurance
• Life insurance
• 403(b) retirement plan
• Hybrid work environment — two days per week in the office

TO APPLY:

Please submit a cover letter and a resume at this link.

In your cover letter, please incorporate your response to the following questions:

• What is your connection to, and why are you passionate about, Denver CASA and leading this organization?
• Our outgoing Executive Director leaves behind nearly seven years of leadership and a strong foundation. How would you build on that legacy and lead Denver CASA into its next phase — particularly as nonprofits navigate declining federal funding and the need to diversify funding portfolios? What is your vision for where we go from here?
• Describe your approach to leadership and working with a team. Our staff has shared that they are looking for a leader who is honest, calm during the storm, and invests in the development of senior staff.