President & CEO

About Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest

Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest (PPPSW) is a 501 (c)(3) organization, and one of the largest providers of sexual and reproductive health care in Southern California, operating twenty health centers throughout San Diego, Riverside, and Imperial counties. The mission of PPPSW is to ensure broad public access to sexual and reproductive health care through direct service, education, and advocacy.

The Southern California region where PPPSW operates is a diverse and complex geographic area that includes bustling urban centers like San Diego, suburban communities, and vast rural expanses that stretch along the Mexico and Arizona borders. It features a mix of cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds, with large populations of Latinx residents, immigrants, and military families. This unique blend of cultures, languages, and landscapes is the rich canvas on which PPPSW’s mission and vision are brought to life.

PPPSW’s Vision: A world where sexual and reproductive rights are basic human rights, where access to health care doesn’t depend on who you are or where you live, and where every person has the opportunity to choose their own path to a healthy and meaningful life.

As a prominent affiliate of an iconic health care organization, PPPSW is recognized for its wide array of services and outstanding education programs. PPPSW comprises a highly skilled team of health experts who strive to help their communities sustain and improve their health and well-being, adhering to the highest standards and protocols as they collaborate and care for people, without judgment. Together, PPPSW and its partners form a powerful movement and take pride in shaping the future of sexual health and reproductive rights.

With an operating budget of $120 million and a staff of over 730 (66% of whom are members of the SEIU-UHW union), PPPSW is one of the largest Planned Parenthood affiliates in the country. The agency serves its communities through the provision of a broad range of sexual and reproductive health care services; the delivery of comprehensive sex education; and the advocacy for the protection and expansion of reproductive rights and freedoms in California.

PPPSW serves close to 130,000 patients annually with contraceptive services, cancer screenings, STI testing and treatment, abortion, gender-affirming hormone therapy, options counseling, referrals, and much more. In addition, PPPSW serves 40,000 young people, parents, caregivers, and teachers each year through its in-person and virtual sexual health education trainings and programs.

The State of California remains committed to supporting, expanding, and defending access to abortion and reproductive care for all, serving as a national leader. In 2023, Planned Parenthood Action Fund of the Pacific Southwest, the political and advocacy branch of the organization, backed four priority statewide bills supporting patients and providers, which were signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom. With uncertainty around the country’s future political landscape, including the 2024 election outcomes, now is the time for PPPSW to lead with a bold vision and strategic urgency.

To learn more about the agency and its impact, please visit the PPPSW Website.

PPPSW is one of the 49 independent affiliate member organizations of Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA). PPFA has a presence in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. PPFA serves as the national office of Planned Parenthood, providing strategic support for affiliates across the country, which operate more than 600 health centers that provide care for over two million people annually. PPPSW’s CEO will collaborate with partners across this network to advance local, statewide, and national strategies.

Planned Parenthood Action Fund of the Pacific Southwest is a nonprofit 501 (c)(4) organization, with the mission to advance sexual and reproductive health and justice through non-partisan political action, advocacy, and education. The Action Fund has long served as a champion of sexual and reproductive health, rights, and freedom across its region. Partnering with other organizations, coalitions, movements, and individuals, the Action Fund has built a strong foundation to further its mission and build political power. PPPSW’s CEO will play a critical role in executing the Action Fund’s strategy. 

The Opportunity

Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest seeks an inspirational, dynamic, and adaptable leader to provide strategic direction and oversight for this vital organization. At this pivotal time in the history of Planned Parenthood and reproductive rights in America, the CEO will be part of a national network of Planned Parenthood CEOs and coalitions working to protect and expand access to comprehensive and quality health services for all people. This is a tremendous opportunity for a visionary leader with a passion for serving our local communities to join a storied organization and collaborate with its constituents to chart a pathway for PPPSW’s future growth and impact.

Reporting to the Board of Directors, the CEO is responsible for leading all aspects of the organization in partnership with a strong leadership team, harnessing and leveraging organizational growth, while continuing to strategically expand the organization’s reach. In partnership with the organization’s Board, employees, and community partners, the next CEO will execute the organization’s vision, define bold short-term and long-term goals, and co-create a cohesive, targeted strategic plan, working with a wide variety of stakeholders to implement, adapt, and modify it as needed.

The environment around PPPSW has shifted with new options for care, changing patient expectations, trends in sexual behavior, and the prevalence of over-the-counter birth control. Additionally, regulatory and legal threats create a competitive and complex operating environment, on top of operational and workforce pandemic-related challenges common to the health care industry.

Amid these dynamics, the PPPSW CEO will need to focus on sustainability and resilience, addressing these issues by ensuring cross-department collaboration, reducing expenses, increasing philanthropic support, and  improving productivity and operational performance. The ideal candidate will work to further develop and leverage the expertise of a strong internal team to evaluate systems and services, find opportunities for creative solutions and innovative care, and take into account the diverse regional needs of the organization.

External priorities include fortifying trust and collaboration with PPPSW's external partners and expanding PPPSW's influence, particularly as abortion access declines in other states. As California increasingly becomes a destination state for abortion and gender-affirming care, there will be greater stress on PPPSW's network and a need for PPPSW to model successful strategies of care. PPPSW has the opportunity to strengthen relationships and cement Planned Parenthood as a critical voice in the regional and national conversation related to forward-thinking systems of care.

To make systemic and equitable change, the next CEO must effectively manage day-to-day operations while simultaneously focusing on the bigger strategic picture. In so doing, it will be imperative that the CEO acknowledges and listens to all voices within the PPPSW community by maintaining open and consistent communication with staff and stakeholders.

The CEO’s key responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Provide high-integrity leadership and direction to ensure the mission and core values of PPPSW are supported throughout the agency’s service area.
• Direct the strategic planning process and lead the formulation, integration, implementation, and measurement of operating objectives and actions to support business strategy.
• Work with the Board, management team, and staff to develop, enhance, and implement policies, procedures, and systems that will grow and diversify revenue streams; improve productivity and the overall capacity of the organization’s structures, processes, and operations; and ensure quality and effectiveness in the delivery of services.
• Continue to build and develop a cohesive staff culture, fostering an environment of trust and open dialogue  across the organization’s functions; motivating staff and ensuring strong internal communication and retention.
• Promote collaboration; including fostering a healthy and productive working relationship with union members and representatives.
• Ensure PPPSW’s regional locations feel connected and are operating as one, aligned with the organization’s mission and vision while honoring the unique needs of PPPSW’s regional communities.
• Hold leaders and staff accountable for embedding equity and belonging throughout the organization, sustaining a healthy staff- and patient-centered culture of care, respect, and trust.
• Promote the organization and articulate PPPSW’s unique value proposition to a wide range of stakeholders across a diverse geographic region; provide thought leadership; and cultivate relationships with communities, partners, funders, policymakers, advocates, media, and other key stakeholders.
• Grow and diversify opportunities for partnerships and philanthropic support.
• Support the future growth and development of an engaged and dedicated Board of Directors, collaborating closely with its committees.
• Ensure the organization complies with all federal, state, and local laws and regulations governing nonprofit organizations and the provision of services.
• Comply with PPPSW’s Code of Conduct and maintain the highest level of professional and ethical standards.

Candidate Profile

While no one candidate will possess every quality outlined for this position, strong candidates will bring many of the following professional and lived experiences, skills, and attributes:

Visionary & Strategic Mindset  

• Strategic leader with a transformational style and the ability to inspire staff, Board, and stakeholders to foresee where PPPSW could, and should, be going.
• Eager and energized to develop an innovative vision within a complex health care and political environment for the next chapter of a multifaceted organization with a rich history.
• Engaging and supportive, with a track record of motivating others, including large teams, to achieve impact through creativity, teamwork, and leveraging individual strengths to meet organizational goals.  
• Ability to quickly pivot and act decisively in the face of emerging situations and circumstances while still maintaining focus on big-picture vision and strategy.
• Individual of unquestioned integrity, ethics, and values. Needed characteristics of trustworthiness, high emotional and social intelligence, and humility – skilled at bringing others along in an elegant way.

Empowering & Collaborative Leadership

• Fosters a culture of high engagement for all team members regardless of background and role, empowering individuals within the agency to lead and contribute to the overall success of an organization.
• Experience building consensus and supporting a culture of inclusion and collaboration across an organization's functions.
• Models analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills that support and enable sound and shared decision-making. Decisive and comfortable making unpopular decisions when needed.
• Proactive, transparent, and persuasive communicator – a natural and discerning listener who ensures all voices are heard. Promotes strong internal communication and dialogue.
• Experience leading in or valuing unionized environments/employees. Understands the relationships delineated in collective bargaining agreements.

Strong Health Care & Business Acumen  

• Brings an understanding of the unique opportunities and challenges in the health care field, with ideas for innovative care models and best practices in operations and finance.
• Experience partnering with boards and teams to develop and implement short- and long-term operational strategic plans and budgets, moving organizations toward greater effectiveness, efficiency, and productivity.
• Demonstrates best-in-class management practices and planning, including continuous monitoring of day-to-day operations for accountability and sustainability. Uses the voices of others as well as data and metrics to drive business decisions and achieve strategic objectives.
• Experience leading high-quality, efficient, accessible, culturally responsive, and comprehensive services and programs that are patient- and/or community-centered.
• Understands the importance of a robust and productive partnership with a Board of Directors to ensure it is achieving its primary responsibilities of excellence in governance.

Champion for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion  

• Empathetic and authentic leader who can relate to a wide range of people from diverse socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic backgrounds.
• Enthusiastic to foster an open and dynamic culture, elevating and expanding the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) work PPPSW is championing.
• Demonstrates cultural humility and brings a track record of experience in successfully championing DEI and belonging strategies for an organization through operations, partnerships, and workplace culture.
• Looks at all things through a lens of equity and prioritizes inclusion and belonging as a strategic imperative.
• Resolute in fostering a culture of physical and psychological safety for staff and patients.

Relationship & Community Builder 

• Natural relationship and consensus builder who brings a track record of building support and influence with key stakeholders, including donors, Board members, policymakers, staff, union representatives, and other administrators.  
• Promotes a powerful sense of shared purpose and engagement to all constituents. Possesses a compelling public presence with strong communication and public speaking skills, inspiring confidence and credibility.  
• Ability to work within a national network of affiliates and collaborate with Planned Parenthood California affiliate CEOs, as well as leaders across the PPFA national network, to promote the national agenda while advocating for PPPSW and its communities.
• Politically savvy with a demonstrated ability to quickly build trust with others, internal and external to PPPSW.
• Brings experience in fundraising and building organizational capacity to creatively diversify fundraising opportunities from a range of public and private funding sources.

Passion for the Mission 

• Above all, possesses an unwavering dedication to broadening public access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care, education, and information.
• Commitment to advocating for the protection and expansion of reproductive rights and freedoms for all people.
• Brings a genuine passion for community-focused work and exhibits boldness and courage in their advocacy for justice.
• Outcomes- and impact-oriented leader with a focus on addressing health disparities. This leader must recognize the current societal urgency of Planned Parenthood’s work and be energized by the opportunities ahead, ready to lead with resilience, fortitude, and passion.
• Proactive, confident, curious, and humble, with a strong desire to embrace PPPSW's community and culture, modeling Planned Parenthood’s ‘In This Together’ values.
• Empathetic with a sense of humor; someone who leads with optimism and is eager to problem-solve in a collaborative environment.

Compensation & Benefits

Compensation is competitive and commensurate with experience. The salary range for this role is $500,000 - $650,000 with a generous benefits package, including the following: Health, Dental, Vision, 401(k) Retirement with immediate match and vesting, Life Insurance,  Short Term Disability, Long Term Disability, Paid Time Off, and more. 

Contact & How to Apply 

Koya Partners has been exclusively retained for this engagement, which is being led by Molly Brennan and Corina Benitz.

Expressions of interest will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Earlier expressions of interest may receive priority consideration. We encourage all interested candidates to submit their applications promptly by filling out our Talent Profile. Should you have questions or nominations, please email [email protected]. All inquiries and discussions will be considered strictly confidential.

Koya Partners is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please email [email protected]. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.

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Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Please visit PPPSW’s careers page for more information: www.pppswcareers.org.