Executive Director - Confidential Developmental Services

Job Title
:
Executive Director - Confidential Developmental Services

Location
:
New York, NY

FLSA Status
:
Full Time – Exempt

Supervisory Responsibilities
:
Yes X No

Salary
: $250,000 - $300,000 annually

Position Summary: Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is responsible for the strategic leadership, direction, programmatic quality, financial integrity, management, operations, and overall sustainability of the Confidential Developmental Center. The CEO oversees all agency programs, operations, finances, facilities, and personnel while ensuring excellence in service delivery, regulatory compliance, organizational culture, and mission impact. The CEO serves as the organization’s strategic leader, representative, and primary public advocate, while ensuring high-quality educational and developmental outcomes for children and families, workforce stability, strong internal systems, and operational accountability.

The CEO should possess substantial expertise in preschool special education, developmental disabilities services, multidisciplinary educational staffing models, and highly regulated school-based operations.

The role requires a leader with demonstrated experience managing complex educational and human service environments, including facilities oversight and capital construction / renovation projects. The CEO will lead and work closely with an executive team composed of the Chief Program Officer (CPO), Chief Finance Officer (CFO), Senior Director of Workforce Innovation and Director of Operations and Finance.

• Provide strategic leadership and organizational direction aligned with the agency’s mission, values, and long-term sustainability.
• Lead strategic planning efforts that anticipate policy, regulatory, demographic, and funding changes affecting preschool special education and developmental disability services.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, operational excellence, and continuous improvement across the organization.
• Partner closely with the Board of Directors to support governance, strategic oversight, and public advocacy.
• Drive organizational innovation and growth by identifying opportunities to expand services, strengthen community partnerships, and enhance long-term organizational impact.

• Oversee all preschool special education, related service, and developmental disability programs to ensure high-quality educational, therapeutic, and developmental outcomes.
• Ensure compliance with all NYSED, NYSDOL, NYCDOE, DOHMH, and other applicable regulatory and contractual requirements.
• Maintain expertise in multidisciplinary staffing structures and operational requirements for special education environments, including teachers, therapists, psychologists, nurses, paraprofessionals, and related providers.
• Oversee program census, classroom utilization, staffing models, and operational performance across all educational and program sites.
• Ensure ongoing program evaluation, quality improvement, and implementation of best practices in early childhood special education.
• Provide strategic oversight of workforce development initiatives designed to train unemployed and underemployed adults as certified special education teacher assistants and teachers.
• Develop workforce partnerships that strengthen recruitment pipelines and address staffing shortages in special education and related service professions.
• Lead agency-wide talent strategy, succession planning, recruitment, retention, and leadership development efforts.
• Ensure strong human resource practices, performance management systems, and professional development structures across the organization.
• Oversee the sourcing and stewardship of public and private funds for workforce initiatives.
• Ensure the organization’s long-term financial health through sound fiscal management, operational planning, and resource allocation.
• Oversee audits, financial reporting, risk management, adoption of emerging technologies including AI, and compliance activities in coordination with finance staff and external partners.
• Direct…