Traveling Interim Executive Director

Job Description

Job Description

Northern & Southern California Communities

Compensation: $14,500 per month
Approved Travel Expenses Reimbursed
Active California RCFE Administrator Certification Required

The Opportunity

Gallaher Signature Living is redefining what it means to age well. With a legacy rooted in compassion, elegance, and operational excellence, our continuing care communities provide highly personalized, hospitality-driven experiences in environments of distinction. As Gallaher Signature Living continues to grow throughout California, we are seeking an experienced Traveling Interim Executive Director to provide interim executive leadership and operational support across our portfolio of senior living communities.

This opportunity is designed for an accomplished senior living Executive Director who thrives in changing environments, can quickly assess community needs, and is comfortable stepping into leadership assignments throughout both Northern and Southern California. The Traveling Executive Director will provide leadership coverage for vacant Executive Director positions, new community openings and builds, vacations, leaves of absence, leadership transitions, and other operational needs. Assignments will vary based on business needs and may require extended stays at individual communities.

Schedule & Travel

The Traveling Executive Director must be available to work a 10-days-on / 4-days-off rotation and be willing and able to travel between Gallaher Signature Living communities in Northern and Southern California based on operational needs. Flexibility regarding assignment location is essential. Assignments may change as community and organizational needs evolve. Approved business-related travel expenses will be reimbursed in accordance with Company guidelines.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the acting Executive Director and senior operational leader of an assigned community during vacancies, leaves, vacations, transitions, new builds, or other periods requiring executive coverage.
• Quickly assess community operations, leadership needs, regulatory status, staffing, resident experience, financial performance, and areas of operational risk.
• Provide visible, hands-on executive leadership while maintaining Gallaher Signature Living's mission, values, service expectations, and elevated brand standards.
• Ensure an exceptional, high-touch resident and family experience and respond appropriately to resident and family concerns.
• Provide leadership and accountability to department directors and community management teams.
• Support the recruitment, onboarding, development, and transition of permanent community leadership when appropriate.
• Maintain operational oversight of budgeting, financial controls, occupancy, revenue, expenses, labor management, and other key performance indicators.
• Partner with Sales and Marketing leadership to support occupancy goals, community positioning, and resident move-ins.
• Ensure continuous compliance with California Title 22 requirements, RCFE licensing requirements, resident rights and safety standards, and applicable federal, state, and local regulations.
• Maintain systems and documentation necessary for regulatory readiness, including staffing requirements, employee clearances, required training, emergency preparedness, reporting, and compliance documentation.
• Proactively manage licensing visits, surveys, audits, inspections, plans of correction, and other regulatory matters.
• Partner closely with clinical and community leadership to promote resident safety, quality outcomes, dignity, resident rights, and appropriate escalation of care concerns.
• Provide visible leadership during emergencies, disaster-response situations, evacuations, shelter-in-place events, and other significant community incidents.
• Promote a strong employee-safety culture and ensure community leaders follow Company safety, incident-reporting, and emergency-preparedness expectations.
• Identify operational or leadership concerns and communicate findings, recommendations, and action plans to GSL executive leadership.
• Assist with stabilizing community operations and facilitating an effective transition to the permanent Executive Director when an interim assignment concludes.
• Serve as a Gallaher Signature Living brand ambassador and model professionalism, integrity, hospitality, accountability, and executive presence.
• Perform other operational leadership responsibilities as requested based on community and organizational needs.

Required Qualifications

• Current and active California RCFE Administrator certification in good standing is required at the time of engagement. Candidates who do not currently hold an active California RCFE Administrator certification will not be considered.
• Minimum of 5 years of Executive Director or senior leadership experience in senior living; experience overseeing large, complex, or multi-site operations strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated success leading California RCFE communities.
• Strong working knowledge of California Title 22 regulations, RCFE licensing requirements, survey processes, resident safety requirements, and regulatory compliance.
• Experience assuming leadership of communities during transitions, vacancies, operational challenges, or periods of change strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated financial and operational leadership experience, including budgeting, labor management, occupancy, and P&L accountability.
• Ability to quickly build credibility and establish effective working relationships with residents, families, employees, leadership teams, regulators, and business partners.
• Exceptional leadership, communication, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Experience in luxury, boutique, hospitality-driven, or high-end senior living environments strongly preferred.
• Bachelor's degree preferred.
• Valid driver's license, appropriate automobile insurance, and an acceptable driving record.
• Ability and willingness to travel extensively throughout Northern and Southern California and work a 10-days-on / 4-days-off schedule.

Leadership Profile

The successful candidate will be a seasoned, confident senior living operator who can enter a community, quickly understand its needs, establish trust, and provide stability and direction.

This individual should be a visible, calm, and decisive leader who balances resident safety, regulatory compliance, hospitality, financial performance, and employee engagement. They must be comfortable operating independently while maintaining strong communication and alignment with Gallaher Signature Living's executive leadership.

The ideal candidate is adaptable, solutions-oriented, highly organized, and capable of moving seamlessly between communities and assignments while maintaining consistent GSL standards.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

GSL is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions based on merit. We want to have the best available people in every job. Company policy prohibits unlawful discrimination based on race, color, creed, sex (including pregnancy, perceived pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), religion (including religious dress and religious grooming), marital status, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, and legally protected medical condition or information, genetic characteristics, sexual orientation, gender (including gender identity and gender expression), family care or medical leave status, military caregiver status, military or veteran status, domestic partner status, hairstyles or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment including, but not limited to, hiring, placement, training, compensation, benefits, transfer, promotion, leave of absence, termination, layoff, and recall. GSL is committed to complying with all applicable laws providing equal employment opportunities. This commitment applies to all people involved in the operations of GSL and prohibits unlawful discrimination by any employee of GSL, including supervisors and coworkers.