Chief Executive Officer

Job Description

Job Description

Mission Statement: “To empower and inspire people of all communities to identify, pursue and sustain healthy, meaningful lives”.

MHAW strives to develop an authentic, diverse workforce that embraces, creates, respects and demonstrates diversity, equity, and inclusiveness in the work environment, towards one another and those we serve. We recognize that our agency is strongest when we all embrace the full spectrum of diversity and experience. We actively seek to employ a diverse workforce representative of the communities we serve.

Position: Chief Executive Officer

Salary: $200,000 to $225,000 per year

Status: Full-time/Exempt

Location: Ronkonkoma, NY

The Association for Mental Health and Wellness (MHAW) seeks a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to lead the organization into its next phase of growth, innovation, and community impact.

The CEO serves as MHAW’s chief executive leader and primary strategic partner to the Board of Directors. This role is responsible for advancing mission alignment, long-term sustainability, organizational culture, and operational performance, while overseeing enterprise strategy, external relations, financial sustainability, program development, advocacy, and executive leadership development.

The ideal candidate is an experienced executive with a proven record of leading complex nonprofit, healthcare, behavioral health, or human services organizations. This individual will bring strong business acumen, emotional intelligence, and the ability to lead teams, build partnerships, and guide organizational change in a dynamic environment.

The CEO will work closely with executive leadership, including the CFO, CPEO, and senior leadership team, to strengthen operations, expand community partnerships, build workforce capacity, and ensure high-quality service delivery that responds to evolving community needs.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership and Organizational Growth

• Lead development and implementation of the organization’s strategic direction in partnership with the Board of Directors and executive team
• Drive organizational growth, innovation, and long-term sustainability across programs and services
• Identify and pursue opportunities for partnerships, funding and service expansion
• Build a culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement
• Align mission, strategy, operations and financial performance
• Promote a trauma-informed, recovery-oriented service delivery across the organization

Executive and Operational Leadership

• Lead and support the executive leadership team
• Oversee organizational operations to ensure efficiency, compliance and service quality
• Strengthen infrastructure, policies, and performance management practices
• Establish and monitor organizational goals, quality measures, and outcomes
• Support succession planning, leadership development, and workforce retention initiatives

Financial Stewardship and Sustainability

• Partner with the CFO and Board to ensure financial stability and sustainability
• Lead budgeting, forecasting, and long-term financial planning
• Ensure responsible stewardship of resources and regulatory compliance
• Develop funding opportunities including grants, contracts, and strategic partnerships
• Strengthen financial controls and risk management practices

Board and Community Relations

• Serve as the primary liaison to the Board of Directors
• Provide regular organizational updates, strategic and operational insights
• Build and maintain strong relationships with community stakeholders, government agencies, funders, healthcare systems, advocacy groups, and strategic partners
• Represent MHAW at community events, legislative meetings, coalitions, and public forums
• Advance the organization’s visibility, advocacy efforts, and reputation

Compliance, Quality, and Organizational Excellence

• Promote a culture of compliance, quality improvement, and ethical leadership
• Ensure adherence to federal, state, and local regulations, funding requirements
• Support program evaluation, accreditation readiness, and performance monitoring
• Stay informed on behavioral health and healthcare system trends and policy changes
• Ensure organizational responsiveness to evolving system and community needs

People and Culture Leadership

• Foster an inclusive, equitable, and supportive organizational culture
• Lead workforce engagement, leadership development, and retention efforts
• Encourage collaboration and alignment across departments and programs
• Lead with transparency, accountability, and integrity

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required, advanced degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Healthcare Administration, Nonprofit Leadership, or related field preferred
• 10+ years of progressive executive leadership experience in nonprofit, healthcare, behavioral health, human services, or similarly complex organizations
• Knowledge of nonprofit administration, behavioral health systems, healthcare environments, and/or human services strongly preferred
• Demonstrated success leading organizations through growth, change, and operational improvement
• Strong financial and operational leadership experience, including budgeting, forecasting, and strategic planning
• Experience working with Boards of Directors, community stakeholders, funders, and government agencies
• Experience with grant funding, public funding streams, managed care environments, and regulatory compliance preferred
• Strong executive communication, relationship-building and leadership skills
• Proven ability to lead and develop high-performing teams
• Strategic thinker with strong decision-making and analytical ability
• Commitment to MHAW’s mission and recovery-oriented, trauma-informed care
  

All full-time employees are eligible for our comprehensive benefits package including:

• Medical, Dental and Vision Coverage
• Paid Sick Time
• Paid Vacation
• Paid Floating Holidays
• 403b Retirement Plan
• Employee Assistance Program