Chief Executive Officer - Family Connects International

The Opportunity  
Family Connects International (FCI) is a growing not-for-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that every newborn and family receives the support and care they need during the critical postpartum period. Our mission is to strengthen connections for families with newborns by linking them directly to supportive community care resources. Our values of universal inclusion, collaboration, and integrity guide everything we do. 

During a more than 20-year partnership between Duke University and The Duke Endowment, the Family Connects program was developed, implemented, and evaluated. FCI launched as an independent organization in July 2022, enabling it to disseminate the program with community partners across the US. Based in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina, Family Connects International now partners with family-serving programs, including hospitals and health care systems, in 20 US states. The organization has an annual budget of $5.2M and a staff of 26 talented, diverse individuals. In early December 2024, FCI reached a milestone of serving over 100,000 families since its launch in 2017. 

FCI seeks a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) with the vision and management skills to take it out of the “startup” phase, building a durable, effective infrastructure to underpin the organization’s success for the long-term and for a more widely disseminated program. 

The Board of Directors seeks a mission-focused, seasoned, strategic, and supportive leader with experience scaling an organization, leading a management team, and developing a performance culture among talented individuals. The CEO must be a leader who can help others deliver measurable, effective results that help make the organization's vision a reality. Notably, the CEO will have the skills, emotional intelligence, and personal confidence to tap into the power each team member brings to this mission. At the same time, the CEO must bring efficient and effective systems to increase the organization's productivity.  

Learn more about FCI at https://familyconnects.org/. 

Responsibilities of the Role 
The CEO of Family Connects International will play a pivotal role in leading FCI to fulfill its mission and achieve its vision. Reporting directly to the Chair of the Board, the CEO will oversee all aspects of the organization's operations, programs, and strategic initiatives. The CEO’s leadership will be essential in maximizing the sustainability and effectiveness of FCI’s evidence-based programs to improve critical outcomes for newborns and their families. 

The CEO’s key responsibilities include: 

Leadership and Management 

• Provide visionary leadership to the organization, inspiring staff, partners, and board members to work towards shared goals. 
• Supervise, coach, and lead staff, fostering a positive and inclusive work culture. 
• Enforce financial policies and guidelines to effectively and efficiently utilize the organization's assets and resources. 

Strategic Planning and Governance 

• Collaborate with the Board of Directors to develop, refine, and implement the organization's strategic plans to achieve its goals and objectives.  
• Work closely with the Chair of the Board to address leadership, staff, and management issues, providing regular updates on the organization's finances and performance. 

Partnership Development and Fundraising 

• Cultivate relationships with current and potential community partners, funders, stakeholders, and donors to support the organization's programs and initiatives. 
• Serve as a dynamic spokesperson for the organization to current and potential community partners, funders, and members of the media and the public, advocating for FCI’s mission and vision. 

Growth Management and Quality Assurance 

• Facilitate and manage the delivery of high-quality programs and services, ensuring they meet the needs of families with newborns, and adhere closely to the proven Family Connects model. 
• Ensure the rigorous and secure collection, storage, management, analysis, and interpretation of implementation and impact data to document the processes and evaluate the implementation successes of local programs. 
• Manage current and future growth, overseeing program expansion and development to reach more families within existing partner communities and across the US, particularly in under-resourced regions and populations. 

Stakeholder Engagement and Relationship Building 

• Engage effectively with a wide range of stakeholders, including clinical care providers, donors, funders, government agencies, healthcare providers, home visiting and family support services, researchers, and like-minded organizations across the country. 
• Represent the organization at public events, conferences, and meetings, raising awareness of FCI’s work and building support for its initiatives. 

The Ideal Candidate Profile 
As a prerequisite, the successful candidate must believe in the core values of FCI and be driven by the mission. The candidate should demonstrate a passion for leading social change through the nonprofit sector.  

Beyond that, we are seeking a candidate with proven experience in scaling a nonprofit organization who demonstrates the ability to lead and build the capabilities of a driven, bright, diverse team. The candidate should demonstrate a track record of success in building and managing sustainable nonprofit organizations. Experience managing a fast-growing, entrepreneurial, and/or startup organization will be highly prized. If a candidate resides outside of the Durham, NC metropolitan area, a change of residence to the Research Triangle area is required. 

The Board is also seeking the following characteristics in FCI’s next CEO: 

• Strategic vision: The ability to think strategically, anticipate future consequences and trends, and incorporate them into the organizational plan. An understanding of how to navigate a complex organization toward the strategic vision while managing nuanced challenges like culture, virtual work environments, and varying staff needs. 
• Leadership and management: Exceptional capacity for modeling effective leadership and staff management with a focus on talent retention, building morale, and creating safe pathways for staff growth; a team builder who can connect with staff both on an individual level and in groups; the capacity to value and enforce accountability. 
• Fundraising: Strong understanding of nonprofit finance and fundraising principles. Successful track record securing funding and managing donor relations; experience identifying, cultivating, and soliciting diverse funding sources. 
• Maternal/infant, parent-child interaction, and public health knowledge: Understanding of maternal and child health, including maternal mental health, healthy child development, parent-child relationships, and broader healthcare systems. Experience in community-based healthcare delivery, healthcare administration, home visiting programs, and/or a related field are valued. 
• Business acumen: Strong understanding of nonprofit governance and board relations. Broad experience with business functions and systems, including strategic development and planning, budgeting, business models, finance, information systems, human resources, and marketing. A track record of meeting goals and a bottom-line orientation with successful profit and loss management. The ability to balance the delivery of programs against the realities of a budget. 
• Evidence-based: Experience using rigorously collected and well-managed data to evaluate implementation goals and make decisions accordingly. Demonstrated experience with implementation research and/or program evaluation is preferred. 
• Relationship building: Experience engaging with community partners, funders, donors, healthcare and family support providers, and other key stakeholders; advocacy skills, including engaging with policymakers and navigating the shifting political and funding landscape. 
• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion: Demonstrated commitment to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion within the organization and in its programs. Ability to lead initiatives that address health disparities and ensure equitable access to services. 
• Solid educational background: Undergraduate degree required; master’s or similar advanced degree in a related field is highly preferred.  

The ideal candidate will also bring: 

• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and relationship-building skills  
• Humility and the ability to foster trust and empower staff at all levels 
• A balance between visionary leadership and incremental, thoughtful change management 
• Creativity and resourcefulness 
• Willingness to take appropriate and measured action, even if limited information is available 

How to Apply 
To apply, click on the link to the Chief Executive Officer – Family Connects International position profile at ArmstrongMcGuire.com/jobs. You will see instructions for uploading your compelling cover letter, resume, salary requirements, and professional references. Please provide all requested information to be considered. In case of any technical problems, contact [email protected]. No phone calls, please, and no applications will be accepted by email or directly from third-party posting sites. 

Annual salary is commensurate with the requirements of the position and begins at $200K. Benefits include medical, dental, vision, life, and accidental death and dismemberment insurance, with additional employee paid options; flexible spending account; 401(k) retirement plan; annual professional development funds; remote work stipend; employee assistance program (EAP); 10 paid holidays and paid organization-wide holiday during the last week of December; 15 days accrued vacation; 12 days accrued sick time; and paid medical, parental, bereavement, and volunteer leave. Consideration will be given to the reimbursement of reasonable relocation costs. 

Family Connects International actively seeks a diverse pool of candidates. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, geographic location, veteran, or disability status.