Chief Executive Officer

ABOUT VOICES FOR CHILDREN

Founded in 1980, Voices for Children (VFC) transforms the lives of abused, neglected, and abandoned children in foster care in San Diego and Riverside Counties by providing them with trained, volunteer Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs). CASA volunteers advocate for a child or sibling group in foster care in court, at school, and in the community to ensure their needs are met. Voices for Children believes every child deserves a safe and permanent home and strives to provide a CASA volunteer to every child in the foster care system who needs one. Last year, Voices for Children CASAs and staff provided direct advocacy to more than 2,300 youth in foster care across San Diego and Riverside Counties, as well as case monitoring services to hundreds of other children in foster care who may need an advocate in the future.

Voices for Children carries out its work with an annual budget of over $8.8 million. It is led by a 29-member Board of Directors and a dedicated staff of 72. More than 1,200 CASA volunteers form the backbone of the organization, and through their tireless direct work, support children in the foster care system. Voices for Children is part of a statewide and national network of similar organizations.

OVERVIEW OF THE JOB

The CEO is an experienced and dynamic senior leader with the vision, expertise, and compassion needed to steward an organization that serves an exceptionally vulnerable population in San Diego and Riverside Counties. This leader is an inspiring and effective communicator with the ability to engage, motivate, and collaborate with an array of internal and external stakeholders including but not limited to Board members, staff, community leaders, individual donors, grant-makers, CASA allies, and other stakeholders in the child welfare system. Adept at continuous improvement, the CEO is an experienced fundraiser and advocate with a deep understanding of how to lead and manage all aspects of a mission-driven nonprofit organization. The successful candidate has a passion for the work and a familiarity with the challenges and opportunities inherent in leading an organization that seeks to protect the rights and well-being of marginalized children.

Among the CEO’s many duties, this leader is responsible for:

Strategic and Collaborative Leadership

Building a positive workplace culture that fosters cohesion and innovation among diverse staff and volunteers throughout San Diego and Riverside Counties
Engaging program and administrative staff in transparent, supportive conversations that energize staff and produce new strategies for approaching the work
Working with stakeholders throughout San Diego County, Riverside County, and the State of California to identify and foster collaborative efforts that positively affect the well-being of abused and neglected children
Stewarding change within the organization through visionary and strategic work that builds upon the integrity and quality of the existing work

External Relations and Fundraising

Raising the visibility of Voices for Children and increasing awareness of the needs of abused and neglected children through public speaking, promotional activities, and media messaging that inspires engagement
Collaborating with the Chief Philanthropy Officer to craft and oversee an agency-wide fundraising plan that includes large-scale donor events
Fostering relationships with individuals, corporations, government agencies, and foundations to promote Voices’ work and secure resources to support it
Advocating at the state and local levels for policies and resources that address the needs of at-risk children

Management

Operating with integrity, transparency, and accountability in all interactions with internal and external stakeholders
Overseeing the organization’s financial and operational activities in partnership with senior staff
Providing ongoing strategic recommendations to the Board based on new programmatic and funding opportunities, trends in the field, staff input and expertise, creativity, financial analysis, and risk assessment
Working closely with the Board to ensure that programmatic, fiduciary, and legal compliance responsibilities are fulfilled in a transparent and responsible manner

QUALIFICATIONS

A passion for and commitment to addressing the needs of abused and neglected children
A track record of successfully stewarding a mission-driven organization
The ability to monitor and oversee the operations of a nonprofit organization
Proven executive-level experience leading teams and communicating, negotiating, and collaborating with diverse internal and external stakeholders
The ability to speak persuasively to audiences of all types
Preferred: Graduate degree in a related field such as law, social work, psychology, management, or another relevant field

Salary range: $225,000-$250,000 with additional bonus incentives and generous benefits

Applications without a cover letter will NOT be accepted.

Application Deadline: August 14, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. PDT

Voices for Children is an equal‑opportunity employer committed to inclusive hiring and dedicated to equity, diversity, and culturally responsive service delivery.

Top Reasons to Work at VFC

We take pride in our extraordinary employees and their team spirit. Our staff members are dedicated to helping children in foster care and supporting the work of our CASA volunteers.

We work in a supportive team environment and we set a high bar for ourselves in regard to professionalism and work ethic.
We truly do make a difference in people’s lives. As an advocacy organization, every day we work to improve the lives and outcomes for abused and neglected children in foster care.
We are privileged to supervise and support talented and committed CASA volunteers.
We rely on our creativity and problem-solving skills to find solutions to the challenges and limitations of the child welfare system.
VFC offers opportunities for growth and career development in many areas, including public speaking and leadership.
We have ample opportunities to increase our advocacy skills and knowledge of the child welfare system through conferences and workshops.
Our employees play an instrumental role in developing our vision and pioneering new ways to meet the needs of the children we serve.
We enjoy full health benefits, including dental and optical, and a 403(b) retirement plan.
We enjoy 13 paid holidays (including all court holidays) in addition to vacation time off.

Voices for Children is an equal opportunity employer.

Voices for Children is committed to being a diverse and inclusive organization and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate against individuals, including employees, volunteers, clients, vendors, and contractors, on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, medical condition, marital status, pregnancy, physical and mental disabilities, genetic information, veteran status, caregiver status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws, or on the basis of any perception that an individual has any of these characteristics, or on the basis that an individual is associated with someone who has or is perceived to have these characteristics. We are committed to these standards in all practices including recruitment, advertising, job application procedures, hiring, firing, advancement, compensation, training, benefits, transfers, social and recreational programs, and any other terms, conditions, and privileges of involvement with Voices for Children.