Executive Director

Position Profile

Executive Director |FOCUS, Inc. |Eagle River, Alaska

The Position: Executive Director

FOCUS, Inc. (FOCUS) seeks a seasoned leader with a collaborative, relationship-based approach to serve as its next executive director. This 35-year-old nonprofit organization is unique among developmental disabilities agencies in its family-centered and birth-to-adulthood approach to serving the needs of special needs individuals. The new leader will have the opportunity to work closely with a dedicated staff and board to set a path of growth and innovation that responds to community needs and to shifts in funding levels and requirements, and that ensures FOCUS can meet its important mission well into the future. The ideal candidate will combine a passion for helping people with special needs live a meaningful life with a history of successfully leading organizations through change and demonstrated experience nurturing and building strong team environments and authentic relationships with community partners and funders. The new Executive Director must have experience working with the special needs population and supporting their families.

The Organization

FOCUS, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) organization that has provided quality support services to individuals and families with special needs primarily in Eagle River and Chugiak Alaska for over 30 years. The organization has deep roots in these communities and has a stellar reputation that reflects its core values: family-centered, inclusive, compassion, and respectful partnerships. It is known for providing caring and tailored support to individuals and families, holding long-term relationships with clients, responding with innovation to community needs, and making disabilities and special needs visible and normal by engaging their clients and families in community activities and affairs.

FOCUS’ fifty compassionate employees are guided by their mission to offer personalized family-centered therapies, encouragement, resources, and education to clients of all ages. The organization serves approximately 250 clients each year and is governed by a seven-member board of directors who oversee an annual budget of $3.5 million.

Services and Programs

Most of FOCUS’ clients are in the Eagle River, JBER, and Chugiak region, but it also draws families from Anchorage and has a satellite Infant Learning Program that serves families in the Cordova-Valdez region. FOCUS was originally founded to support children birth to age three with special needs; over time, it evolved and expanded to meet the needs of those early clients as they aged, and it now offers a suite of programs that provide support from birth through adulthood:

• Infant Learning Program provides Early Intervention/Infant Learning Program (ILP) services to approximately 60 families with children ages 0-3 years with special needs. This program is supported through a federal Early Intervention grant under IDEA. Services are provided primarily in the home by developmental specialists, speech-language pathologists and occupational therapists.
• Medicaid Waiver Services Program supports approximately 50 individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities who qualify for IDD and ISW waivers. Direct Support Professionals provide Day Habilitation, In Home Supports, Supported Living, and Respite services to qualifying individuals ages 3 to 64.
• IDD Assisted Living Home (‘Palos Verdes’) is located in Eagle River and licensed for up to 4 residents. Here our individuals live, learn life skills, and experience increased independence and social connection in a supported, home environment.
• Next Steps Adult Group includes approximately 20 adults with developmental disabilities who meet Tuesday- Friday, 11AM- 4PM. The group participates in a combination of center- and community-based activities focused on increasing independence, strengthening friendships through peer collaboration, developing recreational and leisure skills, building self-advocacy skills, and expanding social and communication skills.
• Pediatric Outpatient Therapy Clinic offers pediatric physical, occupational, and speech therapy services to approximately 65 families per week. This program provides individualized evaluation and ongoing treatment to children and adolescents with varying needs and diagnoses.
• Adult Pain Clinic improves outcomes for adult patients with persistent pain through neuroscience education and highly-specialized care.

Salary

Starting at: $100,000/ Year

The Leadership Opportunity and Strategic Priorities

FOCUS has been remarkable in its ability to adapt and innovate in response to a series of challenges in recent years: shifts in Medicaid regulations and funding have strained service delivery; the 2018 earthquake severely damaged their building and forced the organization to relocate; COVID hit on the heels of that and challenged their ability to deliver services to their clients; and most recently, the tight job market, along with Medicaid reimbursement rates, has impacted their staffing levels, which of course strains their service delivery.

The organization has a number of core strengths to carry it forward: a highly committed and professional staff team, a positive and longstanding reputation in the community, a strong financial position, and a work culture that values innovation, collaboration, and open communication. The new leader will build on these strengths and partner with the board to chart a path for FOCUS that responds to the new realities of the Medicaid system, leverages opportunities for growth, increases the funding base, and strategically aligns resources and programs to meet the needs of the community, and ensures a sustainable future. With strong social skills, the executive director will build on current partnerships and form new community relationships that support the FOCUS mission.

FOCUS has taken a planful and strategic approach to the challenges it’s faced in recent years. To stay ahead of shifting regulations and funding of the Waiver Services Program, it took calculated risks in starting new programs that offered critical services to their clients and created new revenue streams. Throughout the earthquake and COVID, board and staff continually revised goals and strategies that sustained operations and kept a laser focus on mission. The next executive director will partner with the board and staff to deliver on the identified short- and long-term priorities.

Key Responsibilities

The Executive Director is the internal driver and external face of FOCUS, Inc. and oversees its day-to-day operations. Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Partner with the board of directors to provide visionary and strategic leadership that sets the organization’s course and advances the mission
• Foster a healthy, compassionate workplace environment for staff
• Oversee the business operations of the organization and ensure financial resiliency
• Ensure staff members are fully equipped to implement programs with adequate training, information, and tools
• Represent FOCUS, Inc. within the community and at the state level
• Encourage collaborative partnerships with a variety of community groups and members
• Work effectively with the board of directors and its committees to facilitate FOCUS’ mission; regularly report the organization’s status and progress
• Ensure that organizational activities are carried out in accordance with policies and procedures approved by the board of directors, monitor the appropriate of policies, and advise the board of any needed changes
• Develop annual budget and work closely with the financial manager to manage resources and maintain sound financial practices within the operations budget approved by the board
• Lead the organization’s strategic fund development activities; implement strategies to maximize sources of unrestricted revenue
• Oversee grant funding sources and support team navigation of programmatic requirements
• Evaluate programs based on funding source guidelines and program goals and quality of services
• Assist in aligning with the state’s shared vision for developmental disabilities

Qualifications of the Ideal Candidate

While no one candidate will embody all the qualifications listed below, the ideal candidate will possess many of the following professional and personal abilities, attributes, and experiences:

Attributes

• Demonstrated passion for helping individuals with special needs live a meaningful life connected to family, friends, and community
• A good listener with strong emotional intelligence and relationship skills who is approachable and compassionate, who engages people, and possesses a spirit of warmth, humility, and patience
• A creative, entrepreneurial, and innovative approach to planning

Skills and Experience

• A collaborative, approachable, visionary leadership style with a demonstrated history of building and maintaining strong working relationships with staff and board members and of creating an environment of safety, openness, trust, and respect
• Five years experience minimum, ten years preferred, leading and managing; this includes managing staff, nurturing a strong team environment, and setting and achieving strategic objectives; experience leading and managing in a nonprofit environment is preferred
• Demonstrated success in leading an organization through change: able to design and implement a strategic and structured approach to lead the organization through a time of change, and able to hold a long-term view while rapidly making and moving on tough decisions
• Proven ability to nurture and sustain relationships with key community partners, funders, and community leaders
• Financial management skills: demonstrated experience in developing and monitoring budgets, managing cash flow, and efficiently and strategically aligning and maximizing resources
• Experience diversifying and expanding revenue streams, including grants management and individual fundraising
• Ability to communicate effectively and comfortably in person, in writing, and in remote platforms; able to passionately articulate FOCUS’ mission and deliver compelling presentations to public and private audiences
• Familiarity with Alaska state agencies required; experience navigating them is desirable
• Experience with special needs individuals and their families is desirable
• Familiarity with FOCUS’ local community is desirable
• Bachelor’s degree (master’s preferred) from an accredited institution, concentrating in special education, social work or related fields required; or a bachelor’s degree (master’s preferred) in any field, combined with relevant experience

Benefits

• *Medical and dental benefits offered after 60 days
• Employee Assistance Program at no cost to employee
• Paid personal leave
• Sick leave days
• 4 floating holidays
• 10 paid FOCUS holidays
• Liability insurance coverage
• 401k retirement account with employer match (up to 3%), with vesting at 5 years
• Professional license renewal fee reimbursement, if required for position
• FOCUS qualifies for federal loan forgiveness (with qualified loan)

Application Process

The salary range is commensurate with qualifications and experience. FOCUS, Inc. provides competitive benefits.

Applicants should include a resume and cover letter describing interest and qualifications. Communications will be treated with confidence and resumes will be accepted until the position is filled. Resume reviews begin immediately. Position begins January, 2026.

FOCUS, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender identity, national origin, age, religion, creed, disability, veteran's status, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: From $100,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Application Question(s):

• Please describe your experience working with and supporting individuals with special needs and their families.

Education:

• Bachelor's (Preferred)

Experience:

• Senior leadership: 5 years (Preferred)

Ability to Commute:

• Eagle River, AK 99577 (Required)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $4 - $100,000