POSITION DESCRIPTION
June 2010
Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer
MISSION AND PHILOSOPHY
SCO Family of Services works with New York’s most vulnerable – those striving to overcome
the devastating impact of poverty, neglect, abuse, or developmental and mental challenges. SCO
responds to moments of crisis and prevents crises before they occur with a comprehensive array
of services. SCO gives individuals and families the support and tools needed for a healthy,
stable and successful future, building stronger communities throughout the area.
For more than 100 years, SCO has played a vital role for the people of New York City and Long
Island. SCO has an extraordinary reach and depth of knowledge, maximizing scarce resources to
provide unconditional, effective, personalized care.
Effective, vital services include:

Family Support – Providing a range of community-based services to nurture and sustain
children and families;

Education – Giving children, youth and adults the tools to succeed;

Special Needs – Helping children and adults with developmental disabilities, and those
who are seriously emotionally disturbed, realize their full potential;

Foster Care – Providing temporary homes for children while moving families from crisis
to safety;

Homeless Services – Providing shelter and support while working to break the cycle of
dependence.
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Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer
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THE ORGANIZATION & ITS HISTORY
SCO Family of Services, which has been providing shelter and care to people in need for more
than a century, was founded in 1895, when a group of wealthy women established the Country
Home for Convalescent Babies in upstate New York.
Two years later, a new home was built on 14 acres in Sea Cliff, Long Island. The Bakers,
Carnegies, Morgans, Phipps and Whitneys, in addition to many other prominent New York
families, supported the facility that provided care for destitute New York children. During
World War II, the facility closed briefly and then reopened in 1947 under the auspices of the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, when it was renamed St. Christopher’s Home.
Since 1973, the agency has continued to grow and flourish. In 1985, St. Christopher’s Home
merged with Ottilie Home for Children, a residential treatment center in Queens that provides
care for adolescents with serious emotional needs and mild mental retardation, to form St.
Christopher-Ottilie.
In 1996, a second merger took place with Madonna Heights Services in Dix Hills, Long Island.
Madonna Heights provides a variety of programs for women and girls in need in Suffolk and
Nassau Counties.
In 1999, St. Christopher-Ottilie merged with Family Dynamics, an organization dedicated to
improving the lives of children and families in Bushwick and Bedford Stuyvesant.
As a reflection of the tremendous growth in the scope and range of services, the organization
changed its name from St. Christopher-Ottilie to SCO Family of Services in December 2004.
The new name was chosen to honor the organization’s rich heritage and promising future in the
service of families. SCO Family of Services captures the essence of who it serves, how it
collaborates as an organization, and what it offers the children and families of New York.
Today, SCO Family of Services, with a budget of approximately $200 million and a staff of
3,100 and 122 locations, provides a comprehensive array of services to children and families
throughout New York City and Long Island. SCO is a major provider of services for the New
York City Administration for Children’s Services (foster care, residential care and preventive
services), the New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, the
New York State Office of Mental Health, the New York State Office of Children and Family
Services, the New York State Education Department, the New York City Department of Youth
and Community Development, and the New York City Department of Homeless Services.
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Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer
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BASIC FUNCTION
The Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of SCO Family of Services will provide the
overall leadership, management and vision for the agency and its programs and delivery of
services. In addition to overseeing day-to-day operations and activities, the Executive
Director/Chief Executive Officer will assume the critical role of serving as an external presence
and spokesperson – expanding current funding from public and private sources, developing new
and more diverse sources of revenue, representing the organization’s mission, purpose and
values, and raising its visibility.
Working closely with the Board of Directors and reporting to the Chair of the Board, the
Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer will ensure that SCO is fiscally and administratively
sound and that the organizational structure, technology, program development and
implementation, and fundraising efforts are well managed and balanced. The individual will
provide the strategy and direction to ensure that SCO’s programs and services continue to attain
the highest level of quality, efficiency and cost-effectiveness, while responding to the needs of a
diverse array of clients. The Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer will engender the trust
and confidence of the Board, staff and other constituents so that the organization including its
policies, programs and services are enhanced and supported.
It is of primary importance that the Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer provides the
commitment, credibility and passion for SCO’s mission and the continuity for its programs and
services. The Executive Director will inspire and motivate staff, clients, Board members,
volunteers and donors, and build on the established relationships that have flourished with city
and state decision makers and funders in order to serve New York’s most vulnerable populations.
PRIORITIES
The Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer will be a visionary leader whose initial priorities
will be to learn more about and assess this complex organization and develop a plan for its next
critical and exciting phase. He or she will:

Understand every aspect of SCO – its history, mission, organizational structure, programs,
clients and revenue/funding sources; while honoring and respecting SCO’s past history, find
ways to actively promote, advance and support the organization and its operations, providing
a smooth transition of leadership, and growth and sustainability for the future;

Quickly understand the elements of SCO’s finances, including sources of funding from
various state and city agencies; with the Treasurer and the Chief Financial Officer, ensure
that financial systems, budgets and planning strategies accurately reflect the financial
realities of the organization; achieve realistic and attainable revenue projections and ensure
fiscal stability;
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Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer
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
Thoroughly understand SCO’s programs and clients; know whom the agency is serving, how
its programs are structured and funded, how money is being spent, and what it costs to
deliver high quality services efficiently; set priorities for program spending and be
responsible for maintaining bottom line accountability throughout the organization without
losing the commitment to the clients being served; ensure that SCO’s programs are supported
to the maximum extent possible by appropriate government grants and contracts; develop
strong and collaborative relationships with the government agencies that fund SCO;

Establish a solid working partnership with the Board, the Chair and Executive Committee,
gaining their confidence and forging relationships that will continue to uphold good
governance and bring forth their best ideas and efforts, including fundraising; work closely
with the Board and its committees to identify, formulate and review policies and procedures
for the organization;

Assess SCO’s organizational structure, staff and departmental functions; continue to shape
strategies for the Cabinet and Executive Council, making changes where necessary to ensure
a balance between SCO’s programs, operations and financial realities; refine, support,
manage and implement the organization’s strategic priorities; test and evaluate strategic
assumptions in light of internal and external circumstances, modifying as appropriate;

Secure a sound private funding base for the organization; broaden and strengthen individual,
corporate and foundation fundraising so that giving meets the organization’s current and
future needs in a changing funding environment; work with the development department and
the Board to increase and facilitate all fundraising, marketing and branding activities;
proactively raise private support for SCO;

Promote SCO as a leader with its external stakeholders and with the media; engage and
coalesce constituents around the mission; continue to enhance SCO’s profile among
government officials, donors, other service providers and the general public, and sustain
SCO’s reputation for programmatic and organizational excellence in the field.
RESPONSIBILITIES
The Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer will:
LEADERSHIP

Lead from a strategic and externally-focused perspective while keeping a finger on the pulse
internally of day-to-day operations, programs, services and activities;
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Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer
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
Working in partnership with the Board and staff, develop a comprehensive strategy with
plans for implementation to position SCO for the future.
PROGRAM

With the program staff, ensure that existing grants and contracts are maintained; identify new
sources of public and private funding to support programs;

Ensure ongoing evaluation of SCO’s programs and services as they relate to the
organization’s overall strategy and mission; as clients’ needs change, work with the Chief
Program Officers and their staffs to develop and implement new programs that are
responsive and financially viable;

Play a significant role in maintaining and building relationships with key decision makers in
Albany and New York City; oversee SCO’s relationship with accrediting bodies;

Together with staff, monitor key trends and issues in all program areas with the support of
continuing education in relevant areas; communicate their implications to staff and Board
with recommended action.
DEVELOPMENT AND EXTERNAL RELATIONS

Plan and execute, with staff and Board, effective and innovative ways of raising money from
individual donors, foundations, corporations, as well as from new government sources;

With the development team and the Board, ensure that a sound fundraising strategy is in
place, plans are implemented, goals achieved, timely reports generated and information
shared; make donor stewardship a priority; anticipate changes in funding before needs
become critical;

Oversee the creation of fundraising and marketing initiatives and events that capitalize on the
importance of SCO’s mission and the strength of its programs;

Along with the Board, represent the organization when appropriate; implement methods to
improve communication across the organization; make effective presentations, both orally
and in writing, to the external community, staff, Board and funders; continue to strengthen
relationships with other nonprofit organizations, such as child welfare agencies, other human
service and mental health agencies, government leaders, and the media; participate in
conferences, seminars and the like;

Heighten SCO’s visibility and continue its marketing, branding and communications
initiatives.
SCO Family of Services
Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer
Page 6.
GENERAL MANAGEMENT, ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE

In collaboration with the Cabinet and Executive Council, use superior management skills,
outstanding leadership and clear communication to: implement systems of accountability to
achieve positive outcomes; and ensure that SCO’s day-to-day operations and programs are
professionally and efficiently administered, holding the organization to the highest levels of
transparency, accountability and consistency;

After assessing the organization, incorporate the existing strategic priorities into a well
formulated operating and business plan;

Completely understand the financial status of the organization, including the budget process,
financial and cost reporting and analysis, expenses, levels of funding, and cash flow; oversee
the development of SCO’s operating and capital budgets; work closely with the CFO and the
Board Treasurer to ensure that sound financial controls are in place and that funds are spent
wisely to preserve the organization’s financial wellbeing;

Supervise, motivate, evaluate and enhance the skills of the staff at all levels and provide
professional development opportunities to strengthen overall management; help facilitate
effective succession planning;

Ensure that all facilities are well maintained, operated legally and efficiently, and achieve
maximum safety and security; in collaboration with the Board and Chief Administrative
Officer, oversee SCO’s real estate activities;

Ensure that SCO is in compliance with government and other regulations.
BOARD RELATIONS

Work with Board leadership to build consensus around strategic and operational priorities
and, if appropriate, structure a plan for Board development;

Implement Board policies, goals and objectives; become familiar with SCO’s bylaws and
policy procedures;

With the Executive Council, prepare and present detailed management, program and
financial reports as needed for Board information and governance;

With the Chair of the Board, engage and coordinate efforts of various Board committees and
task forces; work especially closely with the Development Committee of the Board to
maximize fundraising opportunities.
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Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer
Page 7.
IDEAL EXPERIENCE
The Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer should thoroughly embrace and represent SCO’s
mission, values, purpose and culture and have the following experience and qualifications:

Proven leadership, managerial, problem-solving and strategic planning capability and
commensurate fiscal acumen as an executive with a nonprofit organization, government
agency or, possibly, the business community; if the individual is from the government or
business community, he/she will have demonstrated commitment to and/or prior experience
in the fields of child welfare, youth services, education, healthcare, human services and the
like;

Credibility with and knowledge of relevant New York City and State funding agencies, their
policies, leaders and trends; relationships with key stakeholders in many of the areas critical
to SCO’s programs and services;

A record of success in having managed a large and complex organization with multifaceted
programs and locations;

Credibility as a hands-on manager of integrated financial, administrative and management
information systems, with a thorough understanding of how technology can be used to
further an organization’s well-being;

Proven skills to be a dynamic fundraiser and marketer, with the ability to secure financial
support from diverse sources – major donors, foundations, corporations and government,
particularly in a climate of increasing constraints and shrinking resources;

The ability to interact professionally with dedicated board and staff members who have
diverse professional skills and perspectives; the skill to establish and implement
organizational strategy and manage through growth and change, while building strong teams
and consensus;

A demonstrated commitment to New York’s most vulnerable populations;

A demonstrated ability to partner with and engage staff, trustees, donors, volunteers and
other stakeholders;

Excellent oral and written communication skills, including formal and extemporaneous
presentations to a broad public;

An understanding of and appreciation for the importance of diversity at all levels of staff;
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Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer
Page 8.

An advanced degree in social work, public administration, business, mental health, or other
relevant field is preferred.
PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS
The Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer will have an unquestionably high level of
integrity, and should also be:

Passionately committed to SCO’s mission, clients and staff and have values congruent with
the organization’s founding principles;

A visionary with the maturity, confidence, wisdom and collaborative skills necessary to
garner the trust and confidence of the Executive Council, other staff, Board and funders;

A strong, caring leader and catalyst able to articulate a vision and motivate and engage
others; able to promote consistent and enduring high quality programs and services
throughout the organization;

An individual with a naturally consultative and inclusive management style who can act
decisively when necessary; able to manage the inherent conflicts of decision making and
change;

A seasoned professional who is organized, strategic, financially-aware and politically-astute;
able to develop and maintain a sense of team spirit; capable of maintaining high morale in a
group of deeply committed professionals in the field of social services;

A diplomatic leader who is able to maximize the contributions of the staff and Board;

An analytical and creative problem solver and skilled negotiator who can anticipate, initiate
and implement rather than just respond to challenges as they arise;

Someone with a proactive and positive can-do attitude; able to address problems head-on,
without fear of conflict;

An individual whose sense of humor and maturity allows him/her to maintain perspective
and a sense of balance.
Please send application, including cover letter and résumé, or nominations to Becky Klein and
Debra Oppenheim at SCO@PhillipsOppenheim.com.
SCO Family of Services
June 2010