POSITION SUMMARY

The role serves as a strategic partner to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and a key connector across Schizophrenia & Psychosis Action Alliance (S&PAA). The role extends the CEO's capacity by translating organizational vision and priorities into coordinated action, strengthening alignment across teams, and advancing high-priority initiatives and assessing outcomes.

We are looking for a leader who can blend the business acumen to scale a fast-growing mission impact organization with the clinical judgment to know what people living with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and psychosis often need, and the organizational skill to turn that knowledge into programs, partnerships, and decisions that create mission alignment, growth and impact.

Working across the organization through collaboration, evidence-based approaches, facilitation, and executive partnership, the role provides strategic counsel, supports executive decision-making, identifies risks and dependencies, and helps ensure priorities result in clear ownership, accountability, and follow-through.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Execution, Alignment & Organizational Effectiveness- 25%

• Implement and monitor S&PAA's strategic priorities, organizational goals, milestones, and measures of progress.
• Maintain executive-level visibility into strategic commitments; identify risks, barriers, dependencies, and competing priorities; and bring together the appropriate leaders to resolve them.
• Ensure strategic decisions translate into clear ownership, accountability, and follow-through while functional leaders retain responsibility for execution within their areas.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen organizational effectiveness, decision-making, communication, and accountability, engaging the appropriate leaders when changes involve systems, processes, policies, technology, staffing, or infrastructure.
• Strengthen cross-functional communication, collaboration, and alignment around organizational priorities and, as appropriate, S&PAA's affiliated organization (Schizophrenia Policy Action Network/ SPAN).
• Facilitate leadership discussions and decision-making on issues spanning multiple departments; clarify roles, responsibilities, decision authority, and ownership when work crosses functional boundaries.
• Surface unresolved dependencies, conflicting priorities, emerging risks, and decisions requiring CEO or leadership-team attention.
• Track significant leadership commitments and promote shared accountability, productive communication, and connection between departmental work and S&PAA's mission and strategy.

1. Executive Leadership & CEO Partnership - 20%

• Serve as a trusted strategic partner and thought partner to the CEO on organizational priorities, challenges, opportunities, and significant decisions.
• Help the CEO prioritize strategic objectives; anticipate issues requiring executive attention; and synthesize information, research, and perspectives to support sound decision-making.
• Translate CEO priorities into clear initiatives, outcomes, responsibilities, and timelines, and represent the CEO in internal or external settings when delegated.
• Handle sensitive organizational and executive matters with discretion, professionalism, and sound judgment.

1. Strategic Projects & Executive Initiatives - 20%

• Lead or coordinate high-priority strategic projects and emerging organization-wide initiatives assigned by the CEO.
• Define objectives, stakeholders, responsibilities, decision points, timelines, and desired outcomes; convene appropriate leaders and subject-matter experts; and monitor progress.
• Identify and elevate barriers requiring executive attention and establish appropriate long-term ownership as initiatives transition into ongoing work.
• Conduct research, benchmarking, environmental scanning, and analysis to identify growth opportunities, inform strategy and executive decision-making.

1. Clinical strategy and program quality - 20%

• Own the clinical quality framework across our programs, covering access, participant experience, content accuracy, ethical practice, and outcomes. Establish the clinical consultation, escalation, and risk-management practices that let staff know what to do when someone needs more than education or navigation.

1. Board, Governance & Strategic Stakeholder Engagement - 15%

• Serve as a key liaison between the CEO and Board, facilitating communication, coordination, preparation, and follow through while the CEO retains primary responsibility for the management-Board relationship.
• Coordinate with organizational leaders to ensure the CEO and Board receive accurate, timely information, while collaborating with staff responsible for Board administration, records, logistics, and systems.
• Prepare the CEO for significant engagement with donors, partners, researchers, advocates, policymakers, community leaders, and other stakeholders; represent the CEO or S&PAA when delegated.
• Coordinate cross-functional preparation and follow-through for significant external partnerships and commitments, ensuring alignment with S&PAA's priorities and capacity.

QUALIFICATIONS

• An advanced degree in business administration, nonprofit management, public administration, communications, public health, social sciences, or a related field.
• Behavioral health clinical experience is strongly preferred, particularly experience supporting individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) and those experiencing a first episode of psychosis. Candidates may have backgrounds in clinical care, clinical administration, behavioral health program leadership, mental healthcare operations, or recovery-oriented SMI services. Independent clinical licensure or advanced clinical credentials are preferred, including LCSW, LCPC, LMFT, PsyD, PhD, PMHNP, Psychiatric Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS), or MD. This is a non-caseload role, and we support continuing education and license renewal to help you maintain your professional credentials
• 10 or more years of progressively responsible experience in a nonprofit, mission-driven, healthcare, mental health, advocacy, or similarly complex organization.
• A track record of moving complex, cross-functional work from concept to implementation to program evaluation by building alignment, outcomes measurements and accountability.
• Direct experience with schizophrenia spectrum disorders, psychosis, early psychosis, or serious mental illness recovery.
• Experience working with nonprofit Board of Directors, and in a small or fast-growing organization where roles are still taking shape.
• Skill in translating business, clinical and scientific information for varied audiences, and in applying evidence to real program and partnership decisions.
• Lived or family experience of psychosis or serious mental illness. We especially welcome these candidates, as well as candidates moving from clinical administration into enterprise leadership.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & CORE COMPETENCIES

• Exceptional strategic thinking, problem-solving, executive judgment, and organizational awareness.
• Strong project and priority management skills, with the ability to move complex initiatives from concept through execution.
• Ability to synthesize complex information, anticipate challenges, and communicate key issues clearly and concisely.
• Excellent written, verbal, facilitation, interpersonal, and stakeholder-management skills.
• Ability to influence, build alignment, and create accountability across teams while navigating ambiguity, competing priorities, and organizational change.
• High emotional intelligence, discretion, adaptability, and the ability to build trusted relationships across roles and perspectives.
• Strong proficiency with technology and contemporary workplace collaboration and project-management tools.
• Commitment to S&PAA's mission and to improving the lives of people affected by schizophrenia and psychosis-related conditions.

WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

This role reports directly to the CEO and works closely with organizational leadership, staff, the Board of Directors, and external stakeholders. The role relies heavily on executive partnership, collaboration, influence, facilitation, and coordination. Direct supervisory responsibilities or delegated decision-making authority will be established by the CEO based on organizational needs.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

This position primarily operates in a remote professional office environment and requires extended computer-based work and participation in virtual and in-person meetings. Periodic travel may be required for Board meetings, organizational meetings, conferences, retreats, or other S&PAA activities. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

OTHER DUTIES

This job description describes the general nature and level of work performed and is not an exhaustive list of duties, responsibilities, or qualifications. Responsibilities may evolve based on S&PAA's needs and priorities.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

S&PAA is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran or military status, pregnancy, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. Employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit, and organizational needs. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive team, and we encourage applications from people with lived experience of mental illness.