Caregiving Institute Director

Caregiving Institute Director

The Caregiving Institute Director at Senior Friendship Centers will be a visionary and entrepreneurial leader responsible for designing, launching, and scaling a comprehensive education and certification institute focused on dementia care, aging services, and caregiving workforce development. This role will lead all aspects of curriculum development, training delivery, instructor recruitment, certification management, partnership cultivation, and strategic growth initiatives. The Director will establish the Institute as a regional center of excellence and expand its reach through virtual learning platforms, employer partnerships, and national collaborations. The position requires a dynamic leader who combines operational excellence, educational expertise, business development acumen, and a passion for improving the quality of care for older adults and individuals living with dementia.

This role is not just a job- it is a founding leadership opportunity to build the Caregiving Institute from concept through launch, growth, partnerships, certification, and national reach. More importantly, it’s an opportunity to create lasting impact for older adults, families, caregivers, employers, and communities.  

About the organization:

For more than 50 years, Senior Friendship Centers has served as a trusted safety net for older adults across Southwest Florida, providing programs and services that support wellness, independence, connection, caregiving, nutrition, lifelong learning, adult day services, economic assistance, and social engagement. This role offers the chance to join a respected nonprofit with deep community roots, strong partnerships, and an ambitious vision for the future of aging services. For more information visit:

About Sarasota:

Located on Florida’s beautiful Gulf Coast, the Sarasota area offers an exceptional quality of life for professionals seeking both meaningful work and an inspiring place to call home. Known for its award-winning beaches, year-round sunshine, vibrant arts and cultural scene, waterfront dining, outdoor recreation, and welcoming coastal communities, the region blends relaxed Florida living with sophisticated amenities. Sarasota is widely recognized as Florida’s Cultural Coast®, offering museums, galleries, performing arts, festivals, and a strong civic and philanthropic community. The area offers the rare opportunity to build a high-impact career while enjoying a lifestyle centered on wellness, connection, nature, culture, and community. To learn more about Sarasota visit:

Essential Functions:

Strategic Leadership & Institute Development

• Lead the development and launch of a new Caregiving Institute at Senior Friendship Centers aligned with organizational mission and long-term growth objectives.
• Establish and execute against strategic goals, operational plans, and performance metrics for the Institute.
• Build scalable systems and infrastructure to support regional and national expansion.
• Identify emerging trends, best practices, and workforce needs in dementia care and caregiving education.
• Collaboratively develop annual budgets, forecasts, and sustainability plans for Institute operations.
• Represent the Institute at conferences, industry meetings, and community events.

Curriculum Development & Educational Oversight

• Design and oversee development of caregiver training curricula, including dementia-specific education programs.
• Ensure curriculum reflects evidence-based practices, regulatory requirements, and adult learning principles.
• Develop certification and re-certification standards and processes.
• Lead continuous curriculum evaluation and revision to ensure relevance and effectiveness.
• Create pathways for in-person, hybrid, and virtual training delivery.
• Ensure educational content is culturally responsive, accessible, and aligned with workforce demands.

Training Operations & Quality Assurance

• Recruit, hire, train, and supervise instructors, trainers, and educational consultants.
• Oversee scheduling, delivery, and quality management of all training programs.
• Establish evaluation systems to measure participant outcomes, satisfaction, and competence achievement.
• Maintain compliance with accreditation, certification, and applicable state or industry standards.
• Implement quality assurance practices for both live and virtual learning environments.

Certification Program Management

• Explore opportunities for continuing education credits, licensure recognition, and industry accreditation.
• Implement existing and potentially develop new credentialing processes and documentation systems.
• Develop and administer caregiver certification and re-certification programs.
• Ensure integrity and consistency of assessments and competency validation.

Partnership Development & Community Engagement

• Build strategic partnerships with healthcare providers, senior living organizations, home care agencies, hospitals, educational institutions, and community organizations.
• Develop referral pipelines for individuals seeking caregiver training and certification.
• Cultivate partnerships with employers seeking dementia-specific workforce education and certification.
• Identify opportunities for sponsored training programs, grants, and collaborative initiatives.
• Promote the Institute through outreach, presentations, networking, and business development activities.

Business Development & Growth Strategy

• Develop programs and services targeted toward professional caregivers, private-duty caregivers and family caregivers.
• Expand the Institute’s geographic reach through virtual education and national partnerships.
• Identify revenue-generating opportunities including corporate training, certifications, licensing, and consulting services.
• Support marketing and recruitment efforts to increase enrollment and employer engagement.
• Collaborate with leadership to position the Institute as a recognized leader in caregiver education and dementia training.

Preferred Leadership Characteristics:

The ideal candidate is:

• Mission-driven and passionate about improving care for older adults and individuals living with dementia.
• Innovative and entrepreneurial.
• Collaborative and relationship-oriented.
• Strategic yet hands-on.
• Comfortable building systems from the ground up.
• Skilled at balancing educational excellence with operational growth and sustainability.

Qualifications:

Education, Experience, Licenses and Certifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration, Education, Gerontology, Nursing, Social Work, Public Health, Business Administration, or related field preferred.
• Minimum of 5–7 years of progressive leadership experience in education, workforce development, healthcare training, aging services, or related field.
• Experience developing curriculum and training programs required.
• Experience in dementia care, caregiving services, aging services, or healthcare workforce development strongly preferred.
• Experience managing virtual learning platforms and online education delivery preferred.
• Demonstrated success in partnership development and business/community engagement.

Competencies:

• Ability to build programs from concept through implementation and growth.
• Expertise in adult learning methodologies and instructional design.
• Exceptional leadership, organizational, and project management skills.
• Strong understanding of dementia care principles and caregiver workforce needs.
• Strong business development and relationship-building capabilities.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation communication skills.
• Experience with certification management, accreditation, or compliance standards preferred.
• Ability to analyze data and use outcomes to drive continuous improvement.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with ability to innovate and scale programs strategically.
• Proficiency with learning management systems (LMS), virtual training technologies, and Microsoft Office Suite.

Additional eligibility requirements:

• Satisfactory clearance of a fingerprint based, level II background screening and pre-employment substance abuse testing is required. 
• Must be authorized to work in the United States.

EEO statement: It is the policy of Senior Friendship Centers to provide equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law. This policy relates to all phases of employment, including, but not limited to, recruiting, employment, placement, promotion, transfer, demotion, reduction of workforce and termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation, selection for training, the use of all facilities, and participation in all company-sponsored employee activities.