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Executive Director

Description: 

Background
One of the greatest needs of veterans facing poverty, homelessness or mental illness is effective legal representation. The Connecticut Veterans Legal Center (CVLC) provides such representation at no cost to help veterans overcome legal barriers to mental health assistance, affordable healthcare, stable housing and income.

CVLC’s team of lawyers assists veterans with a wide variety of issues, yielding tremendous successes. They have helped 86% of their clients facing eviction increase, their housing stability. A 2016 VA study found that legal assistance in five areas (eviction and foreclosure, child support, driver’s license restoration, outstanding warrants and fines and discharge upgrades) constituted 5 of the top 11 unmet needs of homeless veterans. CVLC’s lawyers are successfully engaged with veterans on these and other crucial issues.

Since 2009, CVLC has co-located and collaborated with the VA Connecticut’s Errera Community Care Center to create the country’s first VA medical-legal partnership. This partnership is the essential component of CVLC’s success in helping to serve Connecticut’s most vulnerable veterans. The warmth of the Errera Center, the richness and depth of the attorney relationships with the client groups and clinicians on site, and the seamless integration of attorneys as part of the mental health care available to veterans at Errera allow CVLC to be truly accessible to veterans.

The medical-legal partnership model allows CVLC staff and volunteers to serve clients who are homeless or have serious mental illnesses (including schizophrenia, bipolar and major depression) within the context of their medical and social support system. This colocation means easy access to free legal assistance, without transportation or scheduling barriers. This also creates unique opportunities for multi-disciplinary teamwork between VA social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, peer specialists and CVLC staff and volunteer lawyers, paralegals and law students.

Building upon the success of this model, in 2014, CVLC added the VA CT Newington campus as a second VA medical-legal partnership location for on-site services. In 2017, CVLC added CT's Department of Veterans Affairs in Rocky Hill as its third site.

Executive Director
The Executive Director plays the pivotal role of collaborating closely with the Board of Directors and a dedicated staff of lawyers, business and operations professionals and volunteers to articulate a vision and executive strategies that enable CVLC to achieve its mission, both in the near term and with an eye toward future growth.

The successful candidate will have demonstrated exceptional leadership capabilities within relevant nonprofit organizations, with a track record of growth and increasing financial stability through partnerships, fund development and donor engagement. The Executive Director will need to be acutely aware of the myriad of issues adversely impacting the veteran population and must understand the holistic approach needed to serve that population. The Executive Director will be the external face of CVLC to a diverse group of stakeholders and partners, including the Veterans Administration and other government agencies, public officials, donors, volunteers and clients. The ability to balance the externally facing role with the day-to-day responsibilities of effectively leading the CVLC staff and maintaining a fiscally vibrant organization will require one who can balance competing priorities in a dynamic environment.

Leadership and Management Responsibilities

  •      Maintain CLVC’s position at the forefront of Connecticut’s veterans’ legal services
  •  With the Board and staff, define a compelling vision for CVLC and develop strategies and operational goals consistent with that vision and CVLC’s mission
  •  Leverage the Development Director, Board members and staff, as well as external partnerships and funding sources to grow the financial resources of CVLC to enable organizational growth and long-term financial stability
  •  Working closely with staff and key volunteers, continue to refine processes and practices to maximize effectiveness and efficiency of new and existing programs and services
  •  Provide day-to-day leadership of CVLC staff and ensure the attraction, engagement, development and retention of team members who can effectively meet the needs of clients while maintaining the standards of
  • a well-run non-profit
  •  Continue to build on the positive culture at CVLC with strong internal communication and camaraderie, recognition of contributions and adequate resources/funding
  •  Enable and support team members’ ability to navigate bureaucracy without being obstructed by it
  •  Cultivate a strong and transparent working relationship with the Board and ensure open communication about measurement of financial, programmatic and impact performances against stated milestones and goals to be developed in a strategic plan
  •  Recruit new Board Members to meet the organization’s needs and whose talents, interests and commitment will help further CVLC’s mission and expand funding opportunities


Fundraising

  •      In collaboration with the Director of Development, increase development funding by implementing a comprehensive development strategy targeting foundation, corporate and government grants, major and individual gifts, and events; goal is to increase development funding
  •  Deepen current community and donor relationships, and develop new key relationships for CVLC programs and donor giving including seeking and closing major gifts and long-term commitments
  •  Ensure, in collaboration with the Director of Development, that the Board is actively engaged with development strategy and is ensuring the success of fundraising efforts through networking, cultivating sponsorships and individual donations


Community Relations

  •      Serve as a leader in assuring CVLC and its vision, mission, programs and services are positively and consistently represented to all key stakeholders
  •  Oversee the establishment and implementation of strategic communications that provide a clear and concise message about CVLC policies and programs that build awareness and relationships for the organization across all constituencies
  •  Promote CVLC visibility among the public policy community



 

Requirements: 

Qualifications

  •     Strong interest in, understanding of and dedication to CVLC’s mission; knowledge of the critical need for legal services in addressing veterans’ issues
  •  Bachelor’s Degree or relevant experience required; law degree a plus but not required; Veterans are encouraged to apply
  •  At least eight years of increasing responsibility with at least 5 years in a senior position in a nonprofit organization
  •  Demonstrated ability to collaboratively lead, inspire, develop and engage skilled staff members within a culture of mutual respect and commitment to the mission
  •  Demonstrated ability to create cultivation strategies that result in deeper donor relationships, increase giving and new gifts
  •     Financial acumen, budget oversight and forecasting skills with the ability to link strategic and operational goals to fiscal realities and program priorities
  •  Strong organizational skills with proven ability to focus, prioritize and implement
  •  Successful relationship building skills and demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with internal Development Director, external partners, donors and Board members to create stable and increasing financial assets
  •  Dynamic leadership ability, action oriented, entrepreneurial, innovative and diplomatic personality who is comfortable being the “public face” of CVLC.
  •  Experience working collaboratively with a committed Board of Directors in defining and executing mission and vision, creating and implementing a strategic plan with measurable outcomes, addressing programmatic needs and educating the Board concerning challenges ahead.

Salary and benefits are competitive and commensurate with experience.

The Connecticut Veterans Legal Center is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, marital or veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected status.

To Apply: 

The Connecticut Veterans Legal Center has retained the services of BSBSearch. Please email a cover letter and resume in confidence to:

Barbara Brown
Managing Director
BSBSearch
bbrown@bsbsearch.com
718.884.2133

Information

Submission Deadline: 
November 18, 2018
Organization Information: 
Connecticut Veterans Legal Center
114 Boston Post Road, 2nd Floor
West Haven, CT 06516
United States
Phone: 203-794-4291