Chief Executive Officer

Position SummaryThe Chief Executive Officer is a mission-first leader who builds trust, strengthens organizational systems, develops people, expands opportunity, protects financial and operational sustainability, and produces measurable results for students, staff, donors, partners, and the Board. The CEO keeps Rancho Cielo’s mission, students, staff, community, and long-term sustainability at the center of decisions and resource allocation while honoring the organization’s history and strengthening its culture.Salary Range: $170,000–$215,000Essential Duties and ResponsibilitiesMission and Student SuccessKeep Rancho Cielo’s mission and student outcomes at the center of major decisions and resource allocation.Monitor graduation and completion outcomes.Track job placement, further education, military, or career-pathway placement.Monitor student retention and attendance trends.Track student safety and well-being indicators.Establish and maintain a five-year alumni follow-up framework and reporting process.Performance review cadence: Monthly / QuarterlyEvidence / accountable parties: CEO + Program Leads + Education PartnersLeadership and CultureCreate a respectful, safe, trusting, and accountable workplace that supports staff effectiveness and student success.Monitor staff engagement and pulse-survey results.Track turnover and retention trends.Maintain a documented staff communication cadence.Track conflict and employee-relations response and resolution.Advance leadership development and succession actions.Performance review cadence: Monthly / QuarterlyEvidence / accountable parties: CEO + HR + Board ChairOrganization, Responsiveness, and Follow-ThroughBe prepared, organized, responsive, and dependable in carrying out commitments, decisions, and organizational priorities.Deliver Board and committee reports according to established schedules.Track action-item completion and closure rates.Measure progress against stated goals, milestones, and commitments.Respond promptly to critical organizational matters.Maintain a priority calendar and accountability dashboard.Performance review cadence: MonthlyEvidence / accountable parties: CEO + Board ChairFinancial SustainabilityMaintain strong financial controls, visibility, and long-term economic sustainability.Review the monthly financial package and profit-and-loss statement.Manage budget-to-actual variances.Maintain cash-flow and cash-runway visibility.Ensure completion of the audit and Form 990.Oversee grant compliance and restricted-fund tracking.Provide reporting to the Board Finance Committee.Performance review cadence: Monthly / AnnualEvidence / accountable parties: CEO + CFO + TreasurerFundraising and Donor DevelopmentExpand and diversify support through donors, grants, events, major gifts, endowment, and capital opportunities.Achieve annual fundraising goals.Increase new-donor acquisition and donor retention.Maintain a major-gift pipeline and moves-management activity.Manage the grant calendar, submissions, and award tracking.Evaluate event performance and net revenue.Advance endowment and capital-campaign progress when applicable.Performance review cadence: Monthly / QuarterlyEvidence / accountable parties: CEO + Development LeadSystems, Standard Operating Procedures, and AccountabilityBuild durable systems that reduce confusion, clarify ownership, and support responsible growth.Complete and implement priority departmental standard operating procedures.Maintain current role descriptions and reporting lines.Develop process maps for critical workflows.Maintain department scorecards and dashboards.Track milestones and ensure corrective-action follow-through.Performance review cadence: QuarterlyEvidence / accountable parties: CEO + Department LeadsPartnerships and External AgenciesStrengthen relationships with education, workforce, health, government, employer, and community partners.Maintain a regular cadence of meetings with key partners.Ensure memorandum-of-understanding and contract compliance.Monitor partner satisfaction and resolve issues.Track shared outcomes.Expand internship, apprenticeship, and employment opportunities.Performance review cadence: QuarterlyEvidence / accountable parties: CEO + Partner LeadsBoard, Governance, and Strategic ExecutionSupport strong governance, transparent communication, and execution of Board-approved priorities.Provide Board materials according to the established reporting schedule.Track strategic-plan milestone progress.Support committees and ensure follow-up.Provide risk and compliance reporting.Track Board action items to completion.Performance review cadence: Monthly / QuarterlyEvidence / accountable parties: CEO + Board ChairSafety, Facilities, and Campus StewardshipMaintain a safe, secure, prepared, and well-managed 100-acre campus.Maintain the safety-drill and emergency-preparedness schedule.Review insurance coverage and risk.Maintain the incident-reporting process and follow-up.Ensure camera, gate, and security readiness.Maintain a preventive-maintenance and capital-needs plan.Performance review cadence: QuarterlyEvidence / accountable parties: CEO + Operations + FacilitiesCommunication and Public TrustRepresent Rancho Cielo with credibility, clarity, and professionalism internally and externally.Maintain a consistent staff communication cadence.Lead donor and community communications.Represent the organization through public speaking and community presentations.Manage media relations and organizational reputation.Ensure consistency of organizational messaging.Performance review cadence: Monthly / QuarterlyEvidence / accountable parties: CEO + Communications LeadFirst 90-Day Leadership MilestonesFirst 30 Days — Listen, Learn, Stabilize, and ClarifyMeet with Board leadership, department leads, education partners, staff leaders, donors, and key agencies. Identify immediate risks, priorities, and communication needs.Board-ready deliverables: Listening summary; top 10 issues; early-risk plan; communication cadence.Days 31–60 — Organize and AlignConfirm reporting structure, role clarity, decision rights, active grants, donor pipeline, safety needs, and department-level standard operating procedure priorities.Board-ready deliverables: Role-clarity chart; draft SOP roadmap; financial/grant dashboard; donor plan.Days 61–90 — Move from Assessment to ExecutionPresent 12-month operating priorities, culture plan, fundraising plan, Board reporting structure, and measurable student outcome goals.Board-ready deliverables: 90-day Board report; operating scorecard; strategic milestone plan; accountability calendar.Leadership Competencies and BehaviorsLead with integrity, humility, preparation, respect, and professionalism.Seek first to understand; listen before reacting.Build trust across staff, students, volunteers, donors, Board members, and partner organizations.Mentor and develop others; share credit for success.Approach conflict as a problem solver and create shared accountability.Demonstrate reliability, responsiveness, and consistent follow-through.Create clear systems, expectations, decision rights, and accountability.Keep students, staff, mission, community, and long-term sustainability at the center of decisions.Qualifications and EducationBachelor’s degree in business administration, management, finance, nonprofit administration, public administration, or a related field required; master’s degree preferred.Minimum of 10 years of leadership and management experience, including senior-level responsibility for leading teams, developing managers, managing organizational change, and achieving measurable results.Minimum of seven years of progressive professional experience demonstrating a strong business background, including financial management, organizational operations, strategic planning, and resource development.Experience with nonprofit management, fundraising, donor relations, grant administration, and financial sustainability preferred.Demonstrated ability to build effective teams, strengthen organizational culture, and establish clear systems, accountability, and operational processes.Experience working with a Board of Directors, community partners, education and workforce organizations, and other external stakeholders.Strong communication, relationship-building, strategic-planning, and problem-solving skills.Commitment to Rancho Cielo’s mission and the success, safety, and well-being of its students.Measures of SuccessSuccess in this role is measured by the CEO’s ability to honor Rancho Cielo’s history, strengthen its culture, build durable systems, grow financial and community support, follow through on commitments, and produce measurable progress for students and the organization.Rancho Cielo is an equal-opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.