Associate Executive Director

Job Description

Job Description

About The Heritage Community

The Heritage Community is a nationally recognized provider of specialized treatment and educational services for adolescents. Through our four specialized service lines- Spark Academy, Spark Homestead, Spark Balance, and Elevate Academy -we provide life-changing support for neurodiverse youth and those impacted by trauma, attachment challenges, and emotional dysregulation.

Position Summary

We are seeking an exceptional executive leader to drive sustainable growth, expand market presence, strengthen admissions performance, and position Heritage as a premier provider in the behavioral health and special education landscape.

This is not a traditional marketing position. This is a high-impact, strategic executive role responsible for leading growth initiatives across multiple service lines while serving as a key member of the organization's leadership team. The Associate Executive Director will develop and execute a comprehensive growth strategy that drives census, expands referral relationships, increases direct-to-parent engagement, and strengthens our overall brand reputation.

Working closely with executive leadership, you will evaluate emerging markets, identify expansion opportunities, and ensure Heritage remains highly competitive in a rapidly evolving behavioral health environment.

Core Responsibilities

• Strategic Growth: Develop and execute a unified marketing strategy across multiple specialized business units (SBUs).

• Admissions Optimization: Audit, refine, and continuously improve the admissions funnel for each SBU.

• Referral Network Management: Maintain and expand referrals from Educational Consultants and governmental agencies, while aggressively pursuing direct-to-parent digital strategies.

• Market Adaptation: Lead the tactical response to regulatory shifts by identifying new funding pathways and geographic markets.

• Digital Brand Shielding: Proactively manage the organization's digital footprint and LLM/AI presence to counter negative industry perceptions and improve online reputation.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Proven Performance: 5+ years of leadership experience demonstrating the ability to utilize data, strategy, and execution to drive measurable growth, operational excellence, and positive culture change.

• Growth Leadership: Demonstrated success developing and executing growth strategies that increase revenue, census, enrollment, market share, or customer acquisition.

• Data Literacy: Advanced ability to analyze financial reports, admissions metrics, marketing performance, and operational data to inform strategic decision-making and forecasting.

• Relationship Architect: Exceptional ability to build trust, influence stakeholders, and develop strategic partnerships with referral sources, families, community leaders, and internal teams.

• Executive Presence: Ability to communicate vision, lead organizational change, present to executive leadership, and align teams around strategic priorities.

• Strategic Agility: Demonstrated ability to identify market trends, adapt to changing regulatory environments, and capitalize on emerging opportunities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Clinical Intelligence: Understanding of neurodiverse populations, trauma-informed care, attachment theory, and adolescent behavioral health (or a demonstrated ability to quickly develop expertise in these areas).

• Marketing Acumen: Experience leveraging digital marketing, brand strategy, reputation management, SEO, AI search visibility, and consumer engagement strategies to drive measurable results.

• Admissions Optimization: Experience evaluating and improving admissions processes, conversion funnels, CRM systems, customer experience, and operational efficiency.

• Business Development Expertise: Experience developing referral networks, cultivating strategic partnerships, and expanding services into new markets or geographic regions.

• Behavioral Health Experience: Prior leadership experience in behavioral health, residential treatment, healthcare, special education, or other mission-driven human services organizations.

Education

• Required: Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Communications, Healthcare Administration, Education, Behavioral Health, or a related field.

• Preferred: Master's degree in Business Administration (MBA), Healthcare Administration (MHA), Marketing, Organizational Leadership, or a related field.