Job Description
The Minnesota Autism Center (MAC) provides therapeutic support for children, adolescents, adults and families affected by autism spectrum disorder, or ASD. MAC was founded by parents of children with ASD who laid the groundwork for a revolutionary therapy approach centered around individualized programming that was geared towards skill growth and reduction of challenging behavior.
MAC has become the premier provider of autism therapy services in Minnesota. All MAC programs are based on the scientifically proven success of naturalistic developmental behavior intervention (NDBI), including applied behavior analysis (ABA), and performed under the instruction of licensed professionals educated in the field of mental and behavioral health.
MAC offers comprehensive center-based and in-home NDBI services, speech-language and occupational therapy, individual and family therapy, and diagnostic services. MAC currently provides services in 22 centers and through several additional partner locations and serves approximately 400 clients across Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa, with ongoing growth focused on underserved communities.
Position Summary
The CEO will be responsible for the overall strategic, operational, experiential and financial leadership of MAC. This inspirational leader will lead MAC’s continued expansion, drive for sustainable and diversified funding to include a philanthropic strength, and cultivate a positive, inclusive organizational culture. The CEO will drive transformation by leveraging MAC’s skilled leadership team and staff, focusing on key strategic pillars: customer focus, people, expansion, and sustainability. This role demands a balance of internal operational oversight and external relationship building to strengthen MAC’s financial future, its brand and impact.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) will provide vision, strategic direction and operational leadership for the organization. Supported by the Board, he or she will drive collaboration across the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) and people managers to realize functional excellence and cross-functional teamwork, organizational impact, and competitive advantage in the marketplace. A role model of MAC values and continuous learning, the CEO will set the tone for an inspiring and healthy culture and align the organization toward growth, innovation, and fulfillment of the MAC mission.
Reporting to the CEO is a six-member senior leadership team and 475+ employees overall who are onsite or work fully remote from a total of 10 states. The CEO reports to the Board of Directors, transparently communicating the short and long-term status of the organization and leveraging the strategic capabilities of the Board.
Primary Responsibilities:
1. Strategic Leadership & Growth
• Spearheads the development, communication and implementation of effective growth and diversification strategies, identifies new business development and partnership opportunities, ensures critical analysis of options and oversees implementation and accountability plans for growth initiatives.
• Ensures alignment across the organization to realize the strategic pillars of MAC for core and new endeavors: client experience, staff development, revenue diversification, and financial sustainability.
• Evaluates and develops partnerships with schools, healthcare providers, and other community organizations to integrate services and expand impact.
2. MAC Culture & The Team
• Drives a sustained organizational commitment to MAC culture through leadership and staff, exhibited inside and outside the organization. Promotes a healthy, values-based, inclusive workplace culture that enhances employee engagement, retention, and professional development.
• Cultivates a high-performing, motivated, aligned Executive Leadership and management team. Attracts, recruits and retains ELT team members, and coaches and mentors for the development of future executive leadership. Creates and ensures implementation of a succession plan and staff development.
3. Drive MAC to a Premier Standard of Care and Lead the Organization to Achieve & Surpass Business Goals
• Establishes and reinforces business and treatment service models that demonstrates the organization is a premier provider and first choice for partners, clients, and employees according to the services that MAC provides.
• Strategic Assessment – Approves the selection of sites, added services, construction/remodel of buildings, and key contracts for expenditures and commitments.
• Stays abreast of and reports competitive service offerings and funding trends that are likely to have an impact on the organization’s strategy, services and implementation plans to shift business models to meet future needs.
4. Financial Management
• Develops and monitors strategies for ensuring the long-term financial viability of the organization. Ensures financial monitoring systems to assess strategic and operational progress including effective budgeting, expense management and program funding. These systems also enable relevant Board communication.
• Working with financial leadership optimizes the organization’s banking relationships and initiates appropriate strategies to enhance cash position.
• Demonstrates sound knowledge of the organization’s funding streams, payer processes, cost reporting, and government funding and reports to the board and other stakeholders; manages the organization’s business models to meet fiscal restraints and opportunities.
5. Philanthropy Revenue & Funding
• Lead advocacy efforts to secure sustainable funding through state programs, philanthropic channels, and diverse revenue streams.
• Is visible inside and outside MAC, telling the story in various settings in the community, with donors, legislators, and partners always widening MAC outreach.
• Provides oversight to fund development professionals and philanthropic strategies and plans to support the long-term mission of the organization.
• Ensures appropriate systems and processes for donor management and for the pursuit of grant applications.
6. Operational Oversight & Organizational Effectiveness
• Collaborates with the ELT to develop and implement plans and accountability systems for the operational infrastructure of systems, processes and personnel to achieve the ongoing service, impact and growth objectives of the organization, maximizing talent and their effectiveness, productivity.
• Continually assesses and evaluates human resource needs to address organizational growth and changes in service delivery; implement relevant organizational structure changes for teamwork and resource optimization.
• Align clinical and operational functions and roles, ensuring clarity and accountability throughout the organization.
• Ensure technology strategies and decisions to enhance service delivery and digital outreach.
• Lead metrics review by the ELT to ensure high-quality care experience, staff retention, and financial efficiency. Ensure effective quality review and governance for a regulated business including licensure management, accreditation, etc.
7. External Relations & Advocacy / Keeper of the Brand
• As MAC’s primary ambassador, is visible inside and outside MAC, representing the organization and its brand, fostering relationships and speaking to its value at various venues, including community organizations and events, MAC and affiliate sites, and settings with national and local stakeholders or industry peers.
• Represent MAC at legislative and industry settings to help shape policies impacting ASD services. Utilize lobbyists as relevant.
• Develops professional connections and networks with other providers and leaders that widens MAC’s reach and will position the organization as a partner and service leader at a local, regional, and national level.
Essential Qualifications
• Skilled leader who has served in one or more executive-level leadership roles (e.g., CEO, Executive Director, General Manager) in impactful and expansive senior roles with oversight responsibilities for a range of functions. Prior experience working with or reporting to a board of directors.
• Experience in service-based healthcare in special needs (e.g. therapies, services, vocational, housing) or direct experience in healthcare funding, delivery systems and its organizational frameworks.
• Proven ability to maintain the financial health of a multi-site organization, ensuring short and long-term financial strategies for a complex operation (e.g. multi-site or multi-service line operation). Experience would include a history of effective decision making and priority-setting regarding where and how to grow, change, diversify or invest, utilizing data, finance professionals and relevant inputs.
• Demonstrated ability to lead the growth of an entity through new market entry and/or products or services. Experience with addressing a wide range of opportunities and challenges is important.
• High level of skill in coaching and managing staff and high-performance teams, setting objectives and building accountability and commitment and developing others to build capacity. Skilled in assessing and retaining talent.
• History of inspiring employee engagement and retention strategies for the organization, its senior leader team and workforce – especially through change.
• Demonstrated skills in effectively setting a winning tone through mission, values, and organizational brand internally and externally. Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
• In-person relationship building skills, with an ability to show passion for the mission and willingness to be highly visible across organization sites.
Preferred Qualifications
• Experience in and exposure to autism is highly valued. Some experience working in or with non-profits preferred and experience reporting to or serving on a Board of Directors valued.
• BA/BS required; MBA, MHA or related advanced degree or equivalent experience preferred. PhD or clinical experience is a plus.
• Has some experience in overseeing philanthropic strategies, building relationships and carrying the brand of MAC with donors and partners preferred. Experience with advancing a Foundation would be a plus.
• Experience or exposure to healthcare policy and the state legislative process, with an understanding of state funding agencies.
MAC is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate in terms or conditions of employment on the basis of sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), race, traits associated with race (including hair texture and style), color, national origin, religion, creed, age once having reached the age of majority, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, military status, veteran status, disability, marital status, familial status, genetic information, status with respect to public assistance, or any other characteristics that are protected by federal, state or local laws.
How to Apply
Please click on the link to Apply.
CEO Position
When applying, mention you saw this opening listed on Disability Scoop.
