Interim Executive Director

Interim Executive Director

Real Life Colorado, a non-profit (501(c) (3)), empowers, supports, and connects individuals who are non-speaking or limitedly verbal with the resources they need to actualize a full and healthy "real life" through total immersion in an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) environment. As The Learning Zone enters its next phase of growth, the board is focused on organizational leadership, on-site capacity-building, and an organizational transformation process directed at sustainability, thoughtful succession, and mission advancement. Core programs include:

• The Learning Zone: a fully immersive AAC K-8 CDE Facility School that provides research-based academic instruction to students with complex communication needs (CCN) and/or intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). We teach our students the skills they need to engage with the world through student-centered instruction in academics, social communication, self-determination, and independent living.
• Summer Enrichment Program: Our summer program includes a "camp" for new students to Learning Zone and our Extended School Year (ESY) program for current students.

The current team includes 2 administrators, 5 full-time; 3 part-time and consultants. A six-member volunteer board of directors. The annual operating budget is approximately $1 million, funded through a mix of school district fee-for-service, state/federal funding, foundation grants, and individual donors. Our team operates in person in the Denver metro area, in Littleton. The outgoing Executive Director, who served for four years, recently submitted their notice. The Board of Directors is seeking an Interim Executive Director to steward the organization during this transition. The Board recognizes that leadership transitions are both operational and adaptive. The Interim Executive Director is expected not only to maintain day-to-day operations but also to strengthen the organization's capacity, clarify priorities, and prepare the incoming Executive Director for long-term success.

The Interim Executive Director will stabilize, strengthen, and prepare the organization for its next permanent leader by maintaining operational excellence, advancing Board priorities, protecting organizational culture, and ensuring continuity with staff, funders, and partners. This engagement is designed to provide experienced executive leadership during an important organizational transition and to strengthen organizational readiness for the next Executive Director.

Board Partnership & Governance

• Serve as the organization's primary staff leader and public representative during the transition with the Board Chair.
• Advance the Board's Strategic Plan, annual priorities.
• Partner with the Board Executive Committee to prepare agendas, materials, and updates for monthly board meetings and committee work.
• Implementing policies across all facets of organizational operations.
• Partner with the Executive Committee to design and implement the search, selection, hiring, onboarding, and successful transition of the permanent Executive Director.

Team Management & Culture

• Adopt equitable hiring practices and annual development and review plans with the Board Vice Chair.
• Supervise, coach, and support the existing team; conduct regular 1:1 check-ins with direct reports.
• Foster a culture of transparency, accountability, collaboration, and trust while providing stability during the leadership transition.
• Assessment of current staffing/contractor roles and salary and benefit review.

Finance & Operations

• Oversee day-to-day financial management and due diligence in partnership with the Finance and Administrative Consultant and Board Treasurer: cash flow, cash flow forecasting, budget monitoring, financial risk assessment, grant compliance, internal controls, payroll, AP/AR, and monthly financial reporting to the Board.
• Partner with the Finance and Administrative Consultant and the Board Treasurer to develop an updated annual budget for 2027.
• Ensure the organization remains in good standing on all compliance matters (state registration, annual filings, insurance, lease, contracts).

Revenue Development & External Relations

• Maintain relationships with current major funders, donors, and institutional partners; represent the organization in funder meetings and check-ins.
• Execute on the existing revenue development strategy and plan.
• Support year-end or campaign activities with designated committee leads and contractors.

Programs

• In partnership with the Executive team, ensure appropriate coverage for effective program delivery
• Contracts, funders, and other stakeholders define program accountability.
• Support program leads as a thought partner; escalate any risks or decisions requiring the Board's attention.

Deliverables

• Monthly reporting of deliverables.
• Updated decision log and open-issues list, maintained throughout the engagement.
• Work closely with the board and subject-matter experts across HR, financial management, development/fundraising, and core programs to identify and close gaps in organizational processes.
• Maintain and revise the 'Vital Information' and provide recommendations for the Board and Successor covering organizational status, key relationships, active commitments, risks, and recommended near-term priorities.

We are looking for a seasoned nonprofit leader who can step in quickly and provide calm, confident, and transparent leadership.

Education: Bachelor's degree in Business, Management, Public Administration, Non-Profit Management, Education Administration, or equivalent combination of education and experience. A Master's or Doctorate degree is preferred.

Experience: Five years as an Executive Director, CEO, or school principal at a similarly sized or larger organization. Ideally, well-connected to the Colorado/Denver Metro Community, local and state partners and funders, and with an understanding of facility/specialty schools. Experience in leading a permanent ED search and onboarding a successor is preferred.

Knowledge: All management aspects of a non-profit, team, and relationship with a Board of Directors. Knowledge of cultural behaviors, norms, and the needs of students with complex communication needs (CCN) and/or intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), as well as their families, supports, and communities, is preferred.

Language Skills: Ability to communicate clearly, concisely, and consistently with all stakeholders in oral, written, and presentation communication.

Math Skills: Working fluency in nonprofit finance and accounting principles, including reading and interpreting a monthly P&L statement, balance sheet, and cash flow forecast.

Existing relationships: Educational institutions, facilities, and Colorado philanthropic or nonprofit communities, preferred.

The Interim Executive Director is empowered to make routine operational and personnel decisions consistent with the approved budget and organizational policies. Significant strategic, financial, or organizational decisions remain the responsibility of the Board of Directors.

Board of Directors

• Sets strategic direction, budget, and approves key decisions
• Provides fiduciary oversight and accountability
• Engages in revenue strategy and community leadership

Designated Board Liaison for the Agreement

• Primary liaison to the Interim
• Supports prioritization and alignment between the board and ED
• Scopes and navigates risk and adaptive challenges
• Ideally, it will provide weekly check-ins and support

Additional Contract Support in place or budgeted for:

• Book-keeper/accountant
• Grant Strategist / Writer (budgeted for 12 months)
• Communication and Marketing

Requires working extended days and weeks, including on-site during school/summer programming as needed, on-call, and attending meetings and conferences in support of the strategic plan and revenue development goals. May require extended periods of sitting and standing while presenting materials. Full or substantial capability to see, hear, and be mobile.

Proposals should be concise (ideally no more than 7 pages, excluding resumes and references) and include the following:

• Cover letter (1 page): Statement of interest; confirmation of Colorado residency and Denver-area availability; and confirmation of availability for a 6-9-month engagement beginning in August 2026.
• Individual/Firm background (1 page): Brief description of the proposer (individual consultant or firm), including relevant organizational context.
• Lead ED (1 page): Name and bio highlighting fit, expertise, and experience for this engagement. If the proposer is a firm, identify the named individual; we are not selecting a firm's bench.
• Relevant experience (1 page): 2–3 brief examples of comparable engagements (interim ED, fractional ED, senior nonprofit leadership roles), including the organization's size, duration, and outcomes.
• Approach: (2 pages) A narrative describing how you would approach the first 30, 60, and 9