Nonprofit jobs in San Diego, California
Updated November 9, 2026
ExecSearches has 4 senior nonprofit and public-sector openings in the San Diego metro, including Chula Vista, Carlsbad, Oceanside, Escondido, El Cajon, La Jolla, La Mesa, Vista and National City right now. This page reads our job board each time it loads, so new San Diego postings appear here the moment they are approved, and the page stays up with local facts even when no San Diego job is open.
Current openings in the San Diego area
Covers the San Diego metro, including Chula Vista, Carlsbad, Oceanside, Escondido, El Cajon, La Jolla, La Mesa, Vista and National City.
Senior Director, Major & Principal Gifts
Scripps Research
La Jolla · Posted October 28, 2026
Senior Director, Donor Relations & Volunteer Engagement
Scripps Research
La Jolla · Posted October 28, 2026
Chief Administrative Officer
San Diego LGBT Community Center
San Diego · Posted October 9, 2026
Associate Dean of Careers and Professional Services
California Western School of Law
San Diego · Posted October 5, 2026
To hear about new San Diego roles first, set up a free job alert. Employers hiring in San Diego can post a job on ExecSearches.
More openings in California
Human Resources Director / EEO Officer
California Science Center
Los Angeles · Posted November 8, 2026
Economic Development Director, Mayor's Office
City of San Jose
San Jose · Posted November 8, 2026
Executive Director, Risk Management & Safety
Kern Community College District
Bakersfield · Posted November 8, 2026
Chief Business Officer
Bellflower Unified School District
Bellflower · Posted November 8, 2026
Program Area Manager IV/V TS/SCI (National Programs Office - U.S. Space Force)
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Pasadena · Posted November 1, 2026
Sr Director Business Operations
El Camino Health
Mountain View · Posted October 31, 2026
Senior Manager/Director, Communications
Omidyar Network
San Francisco · Posted October 31, 2026
Legislative Director, CA
Common Cause
Sacramento · Posted October 31, 2026
For openings across the state, see our California nonprofit jobs page. This page covers the San Diego metro. Los Angeles is a separate metro area, and our nonprofit jobs in Los Angeles page covers it.
San Diego at a glance
| Metro population | 3,282,248 the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro is the same area as San Diego County; July 1, 2025 estimate. Source: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts, San Diego County |
|---|---|
| Median household income | $106,268 San Diego County, 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey five-year estimate, in 2024 dollars. Source: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts, San Diego County |
| Poverty rate | 10.1% all ages, San Diego County. Source: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts, San Diego County |
| Nonprofits in the county | more than 13,000 about a quarter of them have paid employees; the rest run on volunteers. Source: University of San Diego Nonprofit Institute, 2025 State of Nonprofits and Philanthropy |
| Price level | 111.9 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro, U.S. = 100, 2024; goods 108.0 and housing 179.3. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities |
| Nonprofit finances | 13% share of San Diego nonprofit leaders who called their finances very strong, against 18% in 2024 and 30% in 2023; 81% reported cuts in funding. Source: University of San Diego Nonprofit Institute, 2025 State of Nonprofits and Philanthropy |
What nonprofit leaders earn in San Diego
IRS Form 990 filings for fiscal years 2023 to 2026 put median chief executive pay in the San Diego metro at about $64,000 at community nonprofits under $1 million in revenue, $144,000 at $1 million to $10 million and $299,000 above $10 million. Education nonprofits have a median near $139,000. At organizations above $10 million, chief financial officers have a median near $197,000 and development directors near $183,000. These are reportable compensation figures, which can include more than base salary (ExecSearches analysis of IRS Form 990 e-file data; more of the detail is in our San Diego nonprofit executive salary guide). Prices in the San Diego metro run about 12% above the national average (111.9 on the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis 2024 Regional Price Parities, U.S. = 100). Housing carries almost all of the gap: the metro scored 179.3 on the housing index against 108.0 on goods, so a salary that reads well on paper buys a great deal less here than it does in most of the country.
Major nonprofit employers in the San Diego area
- Scripps Health, a health system, reported $5.1 billion in revenue for the fiscal year ending September 2025 (IRS Form 990 e-file data; Scripps Health's Form 990 filings are on ProPublica).
- Sharp HealthCare, a health system, reported $2.2 billion in revenue for the fiscal year ending September 2025 (IRS Form 990 e-file data; Sharp HealthCare's Form 990 filings are on ProPublica).
- Rady Children's Hospital San Diego, a children's hospital, reported $1.8 billion in revenue for the fiscal year ending June 2025 (IRS Form 990 e-file data; Rady Children's Hospital's Form 990 filings are on ProPublica).
- University of San Diego, a private university, reported $741 million in revenue for the fiscal year ending June 2025 (IRS Form 990 e-file data; the University of San Diego's Form 990 filings are on ProPublica).
- The Scripps Research Institute, a biomedical research institute in La Jolla, reported $699 million in revenue for the fiscal year ending September 2025 (IRS Form 990 e-file data; Scripps Research's Form 990 filings are on ProPublica).
- San Ysidro Health, a community health center network filing as Centro de Salud de la Comunidad de San Ysidro, reported $616 million in revenue for the fiscal year ending December 2024 (IRS Form 990 e-file data; San Ysidro Health's Form 990 filings are on ProPublica).
- Family Health Centers of San Diego, a community health center network, reported $488 million in revenue for the fiscal year ending June 2025 (IRS Form 990 e-file data; Family Health Centers of San Diego's Form 990 filings are on ProPublica).
- Zoological Society of San Diego, which operates as San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, reported $438 million in revenue for the fiscal year ending December 2024 (IRS Form 990 e-file data; the Zoological Society of San Diego's Form 990 filings are on ProPublica).
- YMCA of San Diego County, a YMCA association, reported $372 million in revenue for the fiscal year ending June 2025 (IRS Form 990 e-file data; the YMCA of San Diego County's Form 990 filings are on ProPublica).
Recent San Diego-area roles posted on ExecSearches
These are closed. They show who hires senior staff around San Diego and, when the employer printed it, what the job paid.
- September 2026: Development Director, School Engagement, American Heart Association, La Jolla.
- August 2026: Director, Talent Acquisition, Scripps Research, $182,500 to $215,000.
- August 2026: Senior Development Manager, International Rescue Committee, $105,370.
- July 2026: Chief Executive Officer, Voices for Children, $225,000 to $250,000.
- July 2026: Development Director, San Diego, Susan G. Komen, $75,000 to $96,000.
- July 2026: Executive Director, Friends of the Children, San Diego.
- June 2026: Deputy Director, Departmental Operations, Aging and Independence Services, County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency, $170,000 to $174,000.
- April 2026: President and Chief Executive Officer, San Ysidro Health.
- March 2026: City Manager, City of National City, $285,000 to $315,000.
Our San Diego guide
Our San Diego nonprofit executive jobs and salary guide covers what nonprofit leaders earn there, the major foundations and employers, the sectors that hire most, the search firms that recruit in the region and what it costs to live and work in San Diego.
Frequently asked questions
How many nonprofit executive jobs are open in San Diego right now?
The count at the top of this page is live: it reads the ExecSearches job board each time the page loads and lists every open senior role in the San Diego metro, including Chula Vista, Carlsbad, Oceanside, Escondido, El Cajon, La Jolla, La Mesa, Vista and National City. When none is open, the newest California roles show instead.
What does a nonprofit executive director earn in San Diego?
IRS Form 990 filings for fiscal years 2023 to 2026 put median chief executive pay in the San Diego metro at about $64,000 at community nonprofits under $1 million in revenue, $144,000 at $1 million to $10 million and $299,000 above $10 million. Education nonprofits have a median near $139,000. At organizations above $10 million, chief financial officers have a median near $197,000 and development directors near $183,000. These are reportable compensation figures, which can include more than base salary (ExecSearches analysis of IRS Form 990 e-file data; more of the detail is in our San Diego nonprofit executive salary guide).
How does the cost of living in San Diego affect nonprofit pay?
Prices in the San Diego metro run about 12% above the national average (111.9 on the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis 2024 Regional Price Parities, U.S. = 100). Housing carries almost all of the gap: the metro scored 179.3 on the housing index against 108.0 on goods, so a salary that reads well on paper buys a great deal less here than it does in most of the country.
How do I hear about new San Diego nonprofit jobs?
Set up a free ExecSearches job alert for California and you get an email when a matching role posts. ExecSearches does not sell job seeker data.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts, San Diego County, for population, household income and poverty.
- University of San Diego Nonprofit Institute, 2025 State of Nonprofits and Philanthropy, for the county nonprofit count and the sector finance figures.
- IRS Form 990 e-file data, for pay medians and employer revenue, as analyzed by ExecSearches.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, for prices, goods and housing (2024).
- ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, for Form 990 filings for each employer named.
- ExecSearches posting records, for the closed San Diego-area roles listed above.