Center Director

OPPORTUNITY:

With the opening of a new, state-of-the-art facility in Rancho Mirage in the fall of 2026, Braille Institute has a bold vision for its work in the Coachella Valley. This new, permanent home will serve as a community cornerstone for independence, connection, and support for individuals and families living with blindness or vision loss. Leading with its innovative suite of Low Vision services, Braille Institute is creating a world-class Center designed to meet the unique needs of Coachella Valley communities and to ensure that anyone facing vision loss has a clear, supported path forward.

This position offers a unique opportunity to bring new leadership and vision to a growing organization and to make a direct impact on the lives of Coachella Valley residents. The Center Director will join a passionate and skilled team of staff and volunteers committed to eliminating barriers to a fulfilling life caused by sight loss. In this high-impact, high-visibility role, the Center Director will build and steward relationships across the Valley and cultivate partnerships with community, civic, business, and philanthropic organizations to ensure that Braille Institute’s life-changing programs and services are available and accessible to all who need them.

REPORTING:

Reports to Lisa Jimenez, Vice President of Programs & Services. Leads a Center-based team of five, including one direct report, a Center Relations Coordinator, and four indirect reports: Occupational Therapist (OT), Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA), Social Worker, and Customer Experience Associate/Intake Specialist – all of whom also report directly to a Programs & Services team leader. Collaborates with colleagues across Braille Institute’s Programs & Services, Facilities, Marketing & Communications, Development, and Volunteer Management teams.

THE POSITION:

The Center Director is responsible for daily oversight and administration of Braille Institute’s Coachella Valley Center. The Director will lead the Center’s people, programs, and operations with a focus on the following strategic priorities:

• As Braille Institute’s representative and ambassador in the region, continue to elevate the organization’s visibility and profile through outreach, partnerships, and community engagement
• Oversee daily operations and nurture positive relationships with all internal stakeholders – staff, students, volunteers, vendors, etc. – to ensure the Center operates as smoothly and efficiently as possible
• Expand awareness of Braille Institute’s programs and services in the Coachella Valley with the goal of increasing the number of individuals served at the Center
• Lead and motivate the Center team, fostering a collaborative, high-performing, and mission-driven culture
• Partner with Programs & Services and Development teams to steward relationships with local donors and funders, civic and philanthropic leaders, and other community partners

The Center Director will also play a lead role in the opening of Braille Institute’s new, permanent home (currently under construction) in Rancho Mirage and will help facilitate the transition of programs, services, and staff to the new location – ensuring the new Center is fully staffed, operational, and ready to serve the community when it opens.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

This position is a broad-based, cross-functional leadership role that requires a combination of skills, experience, and capacity across these key areas of responsibility: General Management, Community Engagement & External Relations, Operations & Administrative Oversight, Programs & Services Support, and Staff Management & Team Building.

CANDIDATE PROFILE:

The Center Director will be an experienced, outgoing, and people-centric leader who combines professional skills and business acumen with the heart and passion required for mission-driven nonprofit work. The ideal candidate for this role will also be an action-oriented manager who enjoys building relationships with external partners, has a natural affinity for engaging others in building community, and thrives on stewarding connections and scaling social impact. In addition to talent for managing and supporting teams to achieve their highest potential, successful candidates for this role will bring the experience, skills, maturity, and energy to expand the market for Braille Institute’s programs and services in the Coachella Valley.

Preferred professional background includes Executive Director/Deputy Director/General Manager or head of Programs, Operations, Community Relations, Partnerships, or Fundraising roles in a similar nonprofit sector, such as voluntary health, social/human services, healthcare, mental/ behavioral health, disability services, youth/family welfare, senior services, philanthropy, or community development, or a directly aligned, mission-driven business setting. Regardless of professional history, a personal commitment to improving the lives of those living with blindness or vision loss is critical.

REQUIRED SKILLS & EXPERIENCE (must have):

• Minimum of five to seven years of professional experience, including a minimum of three years in a supervisory position
• Solid knowledge of nonprofit operations and cross-functional work experience that includes programs, operations, community engagement, donor relations, and/or general management
• Excellent organizational, decision-making, and problem-solving abilities
• Strong leadership and staff motivation skills, including the ability to manage in a matrixed reporting structure
• Fiscal management skills and experience in creating, monitoring, and evaluating budgets
• Outstanding interpersonal skills and the ability to connect authentically with a diverse range of internal and external audiences and stakeholders
• Proven ability to creatively network and a history of building and stewarding mutually beneficial community, programmatic, and/or funding relationships
• Exceptional written and verbal communications skills, including strong presentation and public speaking abilities
• An undergraduate degree or equivalent lived/professional experience in a related field

DESIRED SKILLS EXPERIENCE: (nice to have)

• Previous experience in a nonprofit organization(s) providing direct programs and services to targeted individuals and/or communities
• Knowledge/experience in the Coachella Valley and familiarity with its nonprofit, philanthropic, civic, and/or business communities
• Ability to organize and execute the logistics of events and programs, including materials, information, and people power to optimize efficiency
• History and experience in organizations serving people or communities who are differently abled
• Familiarity with vision impairment and related research, technologies, or treatments
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) abilities are an added plus