About Community Solutions
Founded in 1972, Community Solutions (CS) has evolved to meet the dynamic and diverse needs of Santa Clara County and surrounding communities. Today, CS stands as one of the most comprehensive nonprofit human services agencies in the region, offering a wide array of prevention, intervention, treatment, and residential services. Serving over 6,000 clients annually, CS empowers individuals and families to navigate and overcome challenges such as mental health issues, substance use, trauma, severe family dysfunction, sexual and domestic violence, and human trafficking.
Community Solutions serves:
- Children & Youth – providing a variety of support programs for those who are struggling with mental health issues, experiencing behavioral challenges, involved in the juvenile justice system, are part of the foster care system, and/or in need of crisis intervention services and support.
- Adults & Older Adults – providing a broad spectrum of outpatient, intensive outpatient, housing and residential programs designed to assist those living with mental health and substance abuse challenges.
- Survivors of Violence – providing empowerment-based services to strengthen and support survivors of intimate partner abuse, sexual assault and human trafficking crimes; education and prevention services on these issues are also provided to schools, community groups and the public.
Community Solutions has a compassionate, strengths-based, client-centered, trauma-informed team and service delivery approach. Values of hope, kindness, equity, belonging, and collaboration guide the organization’s culture. This is a professional, operationally-sound agency with plans to continue to scale to meet the ongoing community need.
The Opportunity
Community Solutions seeks a senior program executive with strong business acumen who embraces innovation, data, accountability, and excellence, while providing inspiring leadership to a highly skilled, professional team.
Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Program Officer is a member of the Executive Team which includes the Chief Financial Officer, Chief People Officer, Chief Operations Officer and Chief Development Officer. The operating budget for fiscal year 2025 is $50M, with 90% derived from contracts. Community Solutions has a team of 400 professionals.
The Chief Program Officer (CPO) will be a mission-driven and innovative leader who leans into elevating the health and well-being of children, adults, and families. The CPO will join the CEO and other members of the leadership team in positioning CS to sustain and expand a dynamic portfolio of services. The CPO acts in alignment with agency values, exhibits the highest level of integrity, and is a strong partner in building Community Solutions’ strategic direction, ensuring mission- focused programming, and building partnerships and services that meet near-term and long-term strategic objectives. The CPO will be essential to designing and implementing the agency’s strategies, unifying and integrating programs, developing new processes, and building internal capacity and capabilities. The CPO will further strengthen the organization by staying current with trends in the sector and be a visible presence to advocate for systemic change.
The CPO will be a seasoned program executive with strong clinical experience who is adept at leading and inspiring teams to reach their program goals. The CPO will have a track record of building strong, positive relationships, both internally and with system partners. At their core, the CPO will have a foundational belief in, and approach to, leadership that is team-based, culturally- sensitive, and inclusive. Additionally, diversity and equity will guide their discussions and underpin all changes. The CPO must be committed to leading with this lens.
Candidate Profile
The ideal candidate will have the following professional attributes and competencies:
Commitment to Mission, Vision and Values
Demonstrates a passion for Community Solutions’ mission to create opportunities for positive change by promoting and supporting the full potential of individuals, the strength of families, and the well-being of the community, while building trust and fostering collaboration with team members, directors, and the broader community. Inspires others through accountability, adaptability, and emotional intelligence, embodying a leadership style that aligns with the organization’s values and goals.
Program Excellence and Client-Centered Service
The CPO must have a strong commitment to delivering exceptional service and high-quality care across all programs by leveraging data and client feedback to enhance outcomes. Drives programmatic excellence while fostering a culture of continuous improvement focused on measurable results and client satisfaction. Ensures all services align with mission-driven goals and are delivered consistently across behavioral health, gender-based violence, and housing & residential programs. Champions client-centered approaches at every level of the organization, fostering empathy, systemic understanding, and a deep commitment to meeting community needs.
Strategic and Operational Focus
Exhibits a strategic mindset by enhancing the quality and impact of client and community services, and housing programs. Prioritizes community needs, ensuring strategies deliver meaningful, mission-aligned results. Serves as a key thought partner to the executive team, contributing to long-term planning and strategy formulation. Leverages data to evaluate program efficacy, inform strategic goals, and optimize service delivery. Ensures programs are impactful, cost-efficient, and aligned with organizational objectives, identifying opportunities to streamline workflows and reduce redundancies. Utilizes technology to drive operational effectiveness and high-quality care. Builds and sustains professional relationships with key stakeholders to optimize agency influence and advance its mission.
Excellent Communicator and Collaborator
Demonstrates exceptional communication skills by fostering a culture of openness, collaboration, and transparency across teams. Effectively represents the organization in external forums, advocating for its mission and initiatives while building strong community connections. Ensures program feedback and staff input inform organizational decisions and goals, promoting an effective, inclusive decision-making process.
Development of High Performing Teams
The CPO fosters a culture of excellence by inspiring and motivating staff through strength-based, solutions-focused, and inclusive leadership. Provides coaching, supervision, and mentorship to senior leaders to support team cohesion and effectiveness. Establishes clear team accountabilities, sets performance goals, and nurtures a culture of growth, learning, and continuous improvement. Builds a learning-oriented culture that prioritizes continuous improvement, data literacy, and client-centered approaches.
In addition, you should have:
- Five+ years of senior level leadership in a complex human services agency or similar sector.
- A Clinical Master’s degree is strongly preferred or equivalent degree in management, public administration, or public health administration.
- A proven track record of managing effective teams and establishing new programs; nonprofit management experience and familiarity with Medi-Cal and managed care insurance billing and reimbursement is strongly preferred.
- Experience overseeing multiple programmatic areas over a geographic region and a working knowledge of community resources in Santa Clara County and surrounding areas is a plus. Knowledgeable in compliance, policies, practices, trends and information impacting the sector.
Compensation and Benefits
The starting compensation for this position begins at $200,000 based on experience and ability to have broad impact early and can range to $240,000. Community Solutions offers an excellent benefits package and encourages a strong work-life balance, supporting the whole person by providing 100% of premiums paid by the employer for employee and dependents for medical, dental, and vision insurance, parental leave, FSA/ HSA, retirement match, a generous PTO package, including days off for self-care, as well as short- and long-term disability, life insurance, and professional development training and support.
Koya Partners l Diversified Search Group 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.
Community Solutions is deeply committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are a team of dedicated professionals with backgrounds as diverse as the impact we achieve. We are committed to diversity in our workforce and to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply.