Executive Director

About Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVDP)

The Belleville Council of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul is dedicated to helping the poor of Southern Illinois. Our members are committed to fighting hunger, homelessness, and poverty. The parish conferences and special works conference reach out to offer assistance with utilities, rent, food, clothing, automobile, gas, medical, prescriptions, and many other needs. We partner with other agencies, churches, and organizations and utilize community resources to help in the best way possible. Our faith guides our desire to serve.

Position Summary:

The Executive Director must be passionate about SVDP’s mission and manages all aspects of the organization. An excellent executive director is an influential manager with ability to lead, motivate and exhibit great communication skills; and take a holistic approach to managing the organization’s operations. In collaboration with the Board of Directors, the goal is to manage and lead the organization towards the realization of its mission.

This role is responsible for the financial management and health of the organization. The Executive Director creates sustainable financial objectives, including development of the annual budget for revenue and expenses, fundraising plans, and action plans to address gaps or trends.

The Executive Director is responsible for evaluating the organizations processes, resources, and infrastructure to elevate current practices to continue to deliver exceptional services to the community we serve.

The capable leader will bring the proven skills and emotional intelligence to the organization and demonstrate their ability to be a collaborative leader to motivate and build lasting relationships with volunteers, staff, and the community.

The SVDP Conferences are the basic unit of organization and the service they give is the heart of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. The Executive Director ensures all guidelines of the national council are followed consistently within the Belleville Council for Southern Illinois.

Responsibilities:

• Follows all guidelines and mandates set forth by the SVDP National Council and manages the Belleville Council, including conferences to meet the needs of all members.
• Collaborates with the Board of Directors to establish and accomplish annual goals and objectives. Attends board meetings and reports organizational health and program performance/outcomes.
• Evaluates and enhances programs and operations for efficiency and performance to meet strategic goals.
• Leads the strategic direction and overall operations of SVDP with the support of the Assistant Executive Director, including program results and activities, appropriate allocation of resources for greater program effectiveness and efficiency, and compliance with all health, safety, and case management guidelines.
• Responsible for the financial health of the organization. Creates and adheres to an annual budget.
• Holds organizational responsibility for the success of fundraising programs and serves as the lead fundraiser to ensure diversified donors for sustainable financial health. This includes management of foundation and corporate giving, government grants, special events, and individual giving.
• Ensures accuracy and timely submission of all operation related reporting for grants and donations.
• Explores, identifies, and develops entrepreneurial/alternative revenue generation.
• Advances the mission of SVDP and cultivates relationships throughout the community including other agencies, government officials, media, and public relations.
• Manages the volunteer program, relationships, recruitment, and retention to ensure all SVDP programs and administration continue to operate with strong volunteer support.
• Monitors and supervises state and federal grant and auditing requirements
• Researches and develops new services/programs
• Empowers and engages staff and volunteers through consistent leadership, development, team building and performance management.
• Applies broad principles of professional management and leadership to address emerging challenges for which conventional solutions do not exist.
• Negotiates and exchanges ideas, information, and opinions with others to formulate policy and programs.
• Devises remedial actions for any identified issues and conducts crisis management when necessary.
• Makes quick and sound decisions affecting the organization, related organizations, and segments of the general population.
• Oversight of the operations and site locations for all SVDP Programs with the support of the Assistant Executive Director and site supervisors.
• Works in an evolving environment with emerging knowledge and technologies, competing priorities, and political viewpoints.
• Manages all HR and staffing for the organization with support for administrative HR tasks
• Occasional evening and weekend work required.
• Other duties as assigned.

Desired Qualifications, Experience and Skills:

• A person of Catholic faith.
• Transparent and high integrity leadership with a passion for the mission.
• Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management, Social Work, Finance, Legal or equivalent field required.
• MBA, MSW or Master’s degree in related field preferred.
• A combination of education, training and experience in Business Management, Social Work, Finance, Legal or other relevant work may be accepted in lieu of formal education.
• 10+ years proven experience in a related field, at least five years of which shall have been in a leadership capacity. Proven background generating outcomes with accountability on financial results, operations, programs, and staff development.
• Experience with Financial Management, to include analyzing financial statements, budget creation/oversight, and internal controls. Demonstrated success in managing operating expenses of $1M+.
• Demonstrated ability in planning and executing development plans, to include fundraising, grant writing, and relationship building.
• Ability to interface effectively with multiple constituents/advocates/professionals (e.g. Board, staff, clients, and network of agencies) from different diverse backgrounds and experience levels. Able to effectively speak on behalf of SVDP in the media, conferences, and public events.
• Experience navigating complex social systems and agencies.
• High levels of empathy combined with a deep appreciation and understanding of the issues of trauma, homelessness, and poverty. Preferred experience / training (or willingness to be trained) in trauma-informed care.
• Valid Driver’s License required

Desired Competencies:

• Tolerant of changing conditions; patient with the ability to adjust quickly.
• Ability to manage conflict effectively
• Inspires and motivates others
• Ability to effectively negotiate
• Possesses emotional intelligence
• Utilizes benchmarking, key performance metrics and employee feedback to identify strengths and opportunities and to hold the organization accountable for results.
• Ability to interface and engage diverse volunteer and donor groups
• Strong organizational abilities including planning, delegating, program development and task facilitation
• Ability to think strategically, evaluate processes, and analyze data to make informed decisions.

Physical Requirements:

The physical requirements described below are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential duties of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties.

• Requires frequent sitting and typing using a computer with a mouse.
• Requires occasional walking, standing, bending, reaching and carrying.
• May require occasional lifting, lowering, pushing or pulling up to 50 lbs. 

Work Environment:

Generally, this position operates in a professional office environment, but frequently requires driving to other site locations throughout the community.

Workday evening hours, holidays, and weekends may be required.

Limitations and Disclaimers:

The above job description is meant to describe the general nature and level of work being performed; it is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required for the position.

All job requirements are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities. Some requirements may exclude individuals who pose a direct threat or significant risk to the health and safety of themselves or other employees.

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee occupying this position. Employees will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform other job-related duties requested by their supervisor in compliance with Federal and State Laws.

Requirements are representative of minimum levels of knowledge, skills and/or abilities. To perform this job successfully, the employee must possess the abilities or aptitudes to perform each duty proficiently. Continued employment remains on an “at will” basis.