The Wendt Center for Loss and Healing

Executive Director

Compensation band:  $170,000 to $200,000, based on various factors, including but not limited to, skill set and experience

Position logistics: Full-time, exempt, salaried staff position, Hybrid role with an office in Washington, DC

About the Wendt Center

The Wendt Center helps children, youth, and adults rebuild their emotional lives after loss, illness, violence and trauma.  Since 1975, the Wendt Center for Loss and Healing has helped people in the Greater Washington area rebuild a sense of safety and hope after experiencing a loss, life-threatening illness, violence or other trauma.  Nationally recognized for expertise in grief, trauma, and mental health, they provide an array of holistic services for children, teens, adults, families, and the local community.

Through office and community-based service sites across metropolitan Washington, DC, and with a focus on the needs of the underserved, the Wendt Center is a unique and critical resource for thousands of children, adults, and families each year.  Services are provided on a sliding scale basis according to need, or free under grants for those who qualify.  Many insurances are accepted.

The Wendt Center Purpose and values are the following:

We offer a pathway to healing.

We believe that healing from life’s worst moments is possible.

We express kindness to all. Caring and compassion are at the heart of all we do.

We practice collaboration and teamwork, recognizing that none of us can do it alone.

We strive to be lifelong learners, and actively seek opportunities to expand our personal and professional knowledge.

For more information, please visit www.wendtcenter.org.

About the Executive Director position

The Wendt Center seeks an empathetic, collaborative, and inclusive Executive Director to build on 50 years of impact helping people rebuild a sense of safety and hope after experiencing a loss, life-threatening illness, violence or other trauma. The new Executive Director will bring a deep sense of commitment to the Wendt Center philosophy and mission and will provide a caring and compassionate environment to inspire hope and healing in the Washington, DC Metro community. Reporting to the Board of Directors, managing three direct reports, and overseeing a dedicated clinical and program staff of 30, the new leader will oversee the delivery of services, fundraising, administration, financial management, and public relations. 

The ideal candidate has an ethos of connectedness, a record of leadership rooted in performance and accountability, and a focus on building trust with staff, the Board, key partners, and individuals and families across the Metropolitan DC area who rely on the Wendt Center.  In addition, the strongest candidates will bring a successful track record leading teams in a values-based nonprofit organization.

Key Responsibilities:

Team Management

• Foster a collaborative culture of genuine teamwork, unity, respect, and common purpose among all staff
• Lead and support a team of 3 senior leaders by facilitating regular meetings, ensuring effective ongoing communication, and organizing opportunities to foster team alignment and organizational growth
• Engage, empower, inspire, and hold staff accountable to fulfill their responsibilities and create a culture of performance and accountability across the organization
• Facilitate collaboration across departments, functions, and tenures, and strengthen internal communications to cultivate strong, trusting working relationships at every level
• Lead staff engagement and professional development while ensuring a strong, engaged, and well-supported staff

Fiscal Operations

• In collaboration with the Finance Director, oversee the development and implementation of the annual budget 
• Provide oversight of the annual audit each year in partnership with the Finance Committee of the Board
• Partner with the Board of Directors finance and audit subcommittees to ensure the organization is operating with efficiency and fiscal integrity
• Oversee financial policies and procedures 
• Encourage organization-wide ownership of the financial vision and value proposition.

Culture and Values

• Model and animate Wendt values, centering compassion, collaboration, teamwork, curiosity, and empathy in all interactions
• Facilitate unity and positive, collaborative, respectful communication among and between staff, board, and partners
• Practice deep listening and humility and foster an environment of openness, safety, understanding, and patience
• Co-create, implement, and uphold decision making processes that center staff voice and input and build reasonable timelines to ensure staff voice is taken into account in key decisions
• Recognize the challenging and traumatic environment in which Wendt staff work and hold space, time, and resources for staff wellness, restoration, and healing

Fundraising

• Ensure the Wendt Center has the revenue required to fulfill its mission, grow and innovate
• Develop and implement a fundraising strategy, which includes specific revenue targets for government and foundation grants as well as corporate and individual donors, to enable the organization to secure the financial resources necessary to advance and fulfill its mission
• Identify and cultivate new donors and strengthen relationships with current donors
• Oversee the Development Director and Board Level Development subcommittee to organize and carry out all fundraising efforts including, but not limited to, individual donors, private and corporate foundations and organizations, state and federal funders, and the Combined Federal Campaign and United Way

Program and Administration

• Update, develop, and oversee implementation of organization’s strategic plan to ensure the effectiveness of the organization’s mission and its long-term sustainability
• Direct development and implementation of programs to address gaps within the service delivery system and ensure accessibility
• Ensure all programs deliver effective, efficient, and high-quality service through thoughtful program evaluation 
• Ensure compliance with all private and government grant requirements and deliverables
• Ensure organizational compliance with all relevant local and federal regulations including but not limited to ensuring adequate coverage of all business insurance policies 

Public Relations

• Promote the visibility of the Wendt Center by serving as its primary spokesperson and communicating regularly and with transparency through means such as regular impact reports, an annual report, public events, traditional media outlets, newsletter, and social media
• Ensure representation of the Wendt Center and its mission at the local and national level in the grief and loss community through collaborative public presentations, special events, publications, training, and other opportunities including service on relevant community and government-based committees and coalitions
• Serve on relevant community and government-based committees to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the resources and needs within the broader mental health/grief/trauma service delivery system locally and nationally
• Cultivate and maintain relationships with other leaders in the grief and loss community, with business, civic, and community leaders, and with current, former, and prospective donors and clients of the Center

Board Development

• Partner with the Board of Directors and its subcommittees to ensure effective implementation of the organization's strategic plan
• In collaboration with the leadership team and staff, recommend appropriate actions and policy decisions for consideration by the Board
• Report to the Board on program implementation, financial status, infrastructure changes, and organizational health
• Other duties as assigned by the Board of Directors or the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors

Qualifications:

Please know the Wendt Center Search Committee recognizes that not every candidate will bring all of the skills, knowledge, and experiences listed below and welcomes candidates with a variety of experience.

• Passion and a deep authentic commitment to the mission of the Wendt Center
• Minimum 7 years professional experience in a leadership position in a values-based nonprofit organization
• Record of strong operational leadership and the ability to ensure effective and efficient policies and procedures 
• Demonstrated success in fundraising and serving as a chief external spokesperson for an organization
• A record of leading authentic, trust-based, and genuine organizational relationships and partnerships
• Experience and a record of success managing teams that center values
• Strong, clear, and transparent communication skills with the ability to engage, connect, and inspire the variety of individuals and groups who are a part of the Wendt Center
• Working knowledge of mental health (specifically grief and trauma)
• Established ability to nurture an ongoing commitment among the board and staff to further the mission of the Wendt Center 

How to Apply:

The Wendt Center has retained the executive search firm LeaderFit to partner with the Board and Search Committee on this search. Interested candidates should upload a brief cover letter and resume here.

At LeaderFit, all candidate materials are reviewed by experienced humans—never by AI. We believe that evaluating leadership potential, lived experience, and alignment with mission and culture requires human judgment, insight, and care. We leverage AI in other ways to ensure efficiency, optimized research, and allowing LeaderFit staff to focus on what humans do best, which is connecting, engaging, and building community.