Outreach Community Ministries, Inc. (OCM or Outreach) and its partner churches are dedicated to putting this mission into action by providing a full range of charitable, educational, religious and community development activities. These activities help people and the communities they live in realize their God-given potential as uniquely gifted individuals, in their family and community relationships, and in the relationship that they can have with God through faith in Jesus Christ.

OCM has provided more than 40 years of continuous service to the people of Central-Western DuPage County. The original organization, Wheaton Youth Outreach (WYO), was formed in 1973 by a coalition of local clergy concerned about teenagers and families in distress. Since then, the organization has grown from a few foster care homes for teenage boys into the myriad of programs now offered from sites in Wheaton, Warrenville, Carol Stream, West Chicago and Villa Park. Since Chris Ellerman, CEO, signed on as the agency’s only employee in 1977, Outreach has grown to a staff of over 80 full- and part-time employees and over 600 active volunteers. The philosophy of ministry includes a commitment to neighborhood and community-based services, and a strong commitment to develop and provide services within these communities as long as there are unmet needs requiring creative responses.


Outreach Community Ministries serves communities through five, multi-purpose sites. The Outreach Community Center (OCC or the Center) in Carol Stream is the largest of these sites and serves as the flagship of Outreach’s efforts. This multi-purpose, neighborhood resource center offers five unique programs that cater to the needs of the residents of all ages in the southern section of Carol Stream. The Center’s primary goal is to help neighborhood residents build a stronger community through youth and family services, targeted at strengthening the family unit and developing youth. The Center’s staff are professionally trained in education, human services and youth ministry. In their work, they share a common commitment to minister to each client’s physical, social and spiritual needs.
 
The Opportunity: Site Director
 
Within the overall structure of Outreach Community Ministries, the Site Director at the Center will serve as the leader and face of the organization to the Carol Stream community and the Center’s partner churches. Every day is a blessing at the Center, and OCM seeks a faith-filled and service-oriented leader that will strive to foster community, supervise and coach staff, and implement best practices for OCC’s programming. The Site Director is responsible for providing overall leadership and management of the site’s day-to-day activities. This position directly supervises 7 staff members serving as program coordinators overseeing a site staff of 21 members. The Site Director serves on the Management Staff of OCM. The role reports directly to Vanessa Roth, Chief Operating Officer of Outreach Community Ministries.
 
This role provides an opportunity to bring creative leadership and vision to retain Outreach’s position as a beacon in the community, while simultaneously implementing new strategies to further the organization’s strategic goals. The Site Director will provide executive leadership to all functions of the Center, which has an annual budget of approximately $1.5 million. The Site Director will lead strategic efforts to inform and educate volunteers, donors, prospective donors, and the larger community about the mission and unique impact of OCC’s efforts in Carol Stream and its neighboring communities.
 
Performance Objectives
 
Leadership

• Lead, develop, motivate, supervise, delegate (when necessary), and maintain a highly effective, productive and cohesive staff with both professional/technical expertise and operational talent, resulting in effective programs with excellent outcomes.
• Guide and manage staff and volunteers through lens of flexibility, openness to suggestions, and the ability to resolve/mitigate conflict.
• Provide input and perspective on OCC, as part of the overall Management Team, to ensure the principles and priorities are dually and holistically represented.
• Provide the resources and leadership necessary to develop staff personally and professionally, through educational, spiritual and communal meetings and events.

 
Community Relations and Outreach

• Form and maintain relationships with church leadership, government officials, and other key stakeholders in the service area of OCC.
• Speak publicly at events at OCC and within the community, with additional emphasis on speaking to congregations at local churches.
• Effectively represent the programs and point of view of OCC to individuals, agencies, organizations and the general public.
• Manage the OCC community board, providing program updates and representing the needs of the Center.
• Partner with the Resource Development Department to raise awareness and garner philanthropic support with donors and supporters specific to the work of OCC.
• Work collaboratively with staff and the OCC Community Board to ensure consistent messaging and branding in all written, electronic, and verbal communications, including fund raising, assuring that OCC is a highly professional organization and a valued human service agency throughout the community.

 
Programming and Mission Development

• Develop and implement a strategic program development plan that standardizes OCC’s services as industry best practice in the areas of youth and family services and services to older adults.
• Seek additional opportunities to expand and strengthen ongoing services to increase the impact of the ministry.

 
Management and Operations

• Develop and monitor performance goals and standards, keeping mission and best practices at the forefront.
• Serve as a daily resource to staff and volunteers, providing guidance and answering questions and concerns in a timely, professional and compassionate manner.
• Develop and manage the annual budget, including program budgets, of OCC in collaboration with staff and the COO.
• Manage and monitor program expenses within the established budget.
• Ensure the OCC building is in good repair and establish a yearly maintenance plan.

 
The Qualified Candidate
 
Outreach Community Ministries seeks a high-energy leader with proven knowledge of social services and experience working with underserved populations. In the average day at OCC, the Site Director will be expected to transition fluidly between interactions with youth to adults to seniors, cultivate and foster relations with churches and other faith communities, and provide supervision and counsel to the staff and volunteers at the site. A flexible leader is necessary, with the needs of employees and clients coming first.
 
With faith as the driving motivation for their work, the ideal candidate will have a firm understanding of the programs at OCC and their impact, and be able to constructively shape the site to become a symbol of best practices in the social services arena. The next Site Director will bring a keen awareness of issues that overlap/intersect with Outreach’s mission and how they impact the organization’s programs and funding. The ideal candidate will bring prior experience in senior staff management and Board level interactions, and knowledge and expertise of the unique issues faced by the clientele that OCC serves and demonstrated success in financial stewardship and some fundraising experience.
 
Specific Requirements Include:

• Passion for Outreach Community Ministries and its mission, preferably augmented by demonstrated experience in similar programmatic and ministry-driven areas, as well as a willingness to commit to the OCM Statement of Mission and Faith.
• A minimum of 7 years of progressive experience in leadership and management, particularly in a nonprofit and/or social services environment.
• Proven ability to build strong external relationships with a variety of volunteers, public and church leaders, partner organizations and other stakeholders.
• Proven success in supporting strong and productive work teams with a focus on mentoring and nurturing staff development.
• Capacity to empathize and employ compassion on a daily basis, bring excitement to the ministry, and lead with enthusiasm.
• Preferably live within the western suburbs, in the Carol Stream area, and/or consider relocation to fully immerse in the community. Must have a car and valid driver’s license, and be able and willing to travel to the site and surrounding community at a moment’s notice, if need be.
• Bachelor’s Degree required with a Master of Social Work preferred.

 
This position offers a competitive salary and benefits package. Relocation assistance is negotiable.
Outreach Community Ministries is a Christian, interdenominational, community service organization and will consider applicants for all positions without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, age or any other characteristic protected by applicable state or federal civil rights law. OCM, Inc. reserves the right to make faith-based hiring decisions as permitted under Title VII, 42 U.S.C. Section 2000e-1(a).
 

To Apply

To apply, candidates should submit their cover letter and resume and complete the online application at https://alfordexecutivesearch.applicantstack.com/x/openings or by clicking the link at the bottom of the page and thereon submit their cover letter and resume. No applications will be accepted via email. Questions may be addressed to Dylan Tromblay at dtromblay@alfordexecutivesearch.com.
 
ALL INQUIRIES WILL BE HELD IN STRICT CONFIDENCE.
 
Alford Executive Search, a division of Kistner Eddy Executive Services (KEES), is a retained search firm dedicated to providing recruitment services of exceptional quality and strengthening the nonprofit community through professional staffing solutions.