Executive Director (at Center for Safe Alaskans)

NOTE: The Foraker Group is supporting the search for the next Executive Director at Center for Safe Alaskans. This is not a full job posting. To read the more detailed full posting, please visit https://www.forakergroup.org/site/index.cfm/cboard-view/11621

Location: Anchorage, AK (on-site)

Center for Safe Alaskans seeks its next Executive Director to carry forward a legacy of evidence-based public health work, injury prevention, and youth development across Alaska. Following the planned retirement of its longtime Executive Director, Safe Alaskans is well positioned for this transition: financially stable, trusted by partners across Alaska and beyond, and home to a committed team that is widely regarded as the organization's greatest strength. The next Executive Director will build on this strong foundation, deepening the organization's impact while diversifying its funding base and growing its partnerships.

The ideal candidate will bring leadership experience in public health, community health, or a related mission-driven field and genuine connections to Alaska. This is a role for someone who leads with curiosity, takes time to understand what is working, and builds from there.

About Center for Safe Alaskans

The core purposes of the Center for Safe Alaskans are to prevent injuries, promote wellbeing, and improve safety for all Alaskans. Founded in 1998 as the Alaska Injury Prevention Center through a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration "Safe Communities America" grant, the organization has grown into a statewide, national, and international leader in evidence-based public health programming, community engagement, and youth development.

In 2015, the Anchorage Youth Development Coalition (AYDC) became a part of the Alaska Injury Prevention Center, broadening the organization's work to include wellbeing promotion and positive youth development alongside injury prevention. The organization rebranded as the Center for Safe Alaskans to reflect this expanded purpose. AYDC is housed at Safe Alaskans with its own mission, leadership team, and strategic plan. AYDC is not a separate legal entity; it operates as a coalition within Safe Alaskans, with its leadership team providing guidance and supporting the coalition's work. The Safe Alaskans Executive Director provides organizational oversight and decision-making authority. The next Executive Director will need to understand and steward this unique relationship, supporting AYDC's distinct mission and collaborative leadership structure while ensuring alignment with Safe Alaskans' overall strategic plan, core purpose, and values.

Safe Alaskans has an annual budget of approximately $2.0 million, a staff of nine full-time and 5 to 10 temporary employees, and a board of up to 15 directors. The organization is funded primarily through state and federal grants and contracts, supplemented by grants, donations, and other private support. Safe Alaskans is guided by five core values: Innovative, Collaborative, Inclusive and Respectful, Data-Driven, and Strength-Based, and uses a public health approach grounded in the Shared Risk and Protective Factors framework. Based in Anchorage, Safe Alaskans works locally and statewide, with partnerships and initiatives that extend nationally and internationally.

Services and Programs: For more information on specific programs and services, please visit: https://safealaskans.org/

Key Responsibilities

The Executive Director reports to the Board of Directors and is responsible for the overall leadership and management of the Center for Safe Alaskans. Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Executive Leadership

• Provide strategic leadership for the organization and work with the board to set and advance organizational priorities.

• Oversee all programs and services, including injury prevention initiatives, positive youth development, and leadership of the Anchorage Youth Development Coalition.

• Lead, support, and develop staff, sustaining a collaborative, flexible, and people-first work environment.

• Ensure the organization's work remains grounded in data-driven practices, the public health model, and appropriate prevention frameworks, including the Shared Risk and Protective Factors approach.

• Be present: maintain a visible presence in the office and the community, available for the conversations and connections where trust and teamwork are built.

Community Outreach and Partnerships

• Lead by example as an external representative of Safe Alaskans, building and maintaining strong relationships with funders, government partners, community organizations, and coalition members.

• Support and empower staff to take leadership roles in their areas of expertise, and advocate for public policy that advances the organization's mission.

• Maintain and grow the organization's partnerships across local, state, national, and international networks.

• Actively engage with a variety of communities, lived experiences, and cultures to ensure the organization's work is responsive and effective across the populations it serves.

Financial Strategy and Fund Development

• Provide executive oversight and maintain accountability for the organization's financial management, including budgeting, financial reporting, and grant compliance.

• Maintain and expand the organization's funding and revenue sources.

• Oversee fund development and lead business planning to ensure sufficient and sustainable funding to support the organization's operations and strategic priorities.

Communications and External Relations

• Provide leadership for the strategic communications plan, strengthening Safe Alaskans' visibility and reputation, elevating the organization's work and expertise, and ensuring communications advance its mission and strategic priorities.

Qualifications of the Ideal Candidate

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

Experience

• Significant leadership experience in a nonprofit, public health, or mission-driven organization.

• Alaska experience and cultural fluency, including a working understanding of the state's communities, systems, and geography.

• Demonstrated experience building and maintaining partnerships with government agencies, funders, and community organizations.

• Experience leading and investing in staff, including the ability to build trust, share accountability, and steward a healthy workplace culture.

• A track record of working for or under a board of directors, governance body, or similar oversight structure.

• Experience with evidence-based programming, evaluation, research, and data-driven decision making, including the ability to assess data quality and interpret findings.

• Familiarity with state and federal funding structures, grant management, and compliance.

Skills and Attributes

• Values listening and learning, with respect for the organization's people, culture, history, and established strengths.

• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills, with the ability to manage staff with professionalism, empathy, and sound judgment.

• The ability to navigate a changing nonprofit landscape, including shifts in federal and state funding environments.

• A positive, abundance-focused mindset with the ability to maintain energy and optimism through complexity.

• Business acumen appropriate for a mature, complex organization.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

• A commitment to equity, inclusion, and the practice of these values in programming, hiring, and governance.

• A connection to Safe Alaskans' mission and a commitment to long-term leadership.

Compensation and Application Process

The salary range for this position is $120,000 to $135,000 annually, commensurate with qualifications and experience. This is a full-time, in-person position based in Anchorage.

Safe Alaskans provides competitive benefits including 100% employer-paid employee health, dental, and vision coverage, and an employer contribution to a health savings account. Retirement with 3% employer contributions and up to a 3% match beginning after 12 months. Generous paid time off, nearly 30 days per year plus 12 paid holidays.

This role requires flexibility, including travel within Alaska and nationally, and evening or weekend availability when necessary. Safe Alaskans values work-life harmony for its team, and the Executive Director plays a central role in protecting that for staff while also meeting the specific demands of this position.

This position is eligible for up to 20% of routine remote work each week or while traveling for work, consistent with the schedule for most staff.

Relocation assistance is available at a negotiated amount, with a tiered repayment provision if employment ends within the first two years. The new Executive Director must live within a commutable distance of the Anchorage office within 60 days of hire.

Finalists will be required to complete a criminal background check.

To apply:

Email a resume and cover letter describing interest and qualifications to safealaskansED@forakergroup.org. For questions, contact Joe Kiefer, Leadership Transition Guide, at joe.kiefer@forakergroup.org. Communications will be treated in confidence. Resumes will be accepted until November 5, 2026. Resume reviews begin immediately.

Center for Safe Alaskans 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.