Executive Director

Fairwinds - Nantucket's Behavioral Health Center is the island's oldest and largest nonprofit behavioral health provider of mental health and substance use services and an important part of Nantucket's healthcare and human services community.

Founded in 1962, Fairwinds serves children, adolescents, adults, and families across the island. Services include outpatient mental health and substance use treatment, psychiatric and medication management, children's behavioral health services, psychological assessment, urgent behavioral healthcare, and 24/7 crisis response.

Fairwinds serves more than 1,000 individuals and families each year. Generating roughly $6M annually, the organization is supported through a mix of service revenue, Medicaid/Mass Health, commercial insurance, government and foundation grants, charitable contributions, and fundraising.

Fairwinds is seeking an experienced and mission-focused Executive Director to provide overall leadership for the organization and its continued growth and development.

Working closely with the Board of Directors and leadership team, the Executive Director will be responsible for the strategic, financial, operational, and organizational direction of Fairwinds while ensuring the organization continues to meet the behavioral health needs of the Nantucket community.

A major priority will be maintaining strong financial and operational performance. The next leader should be comfortable working in a nonprofit behavioral health environment that includes fee-for-service reimbursement, Medicaid, grants, payer relationships, revenue cycle management, budgeting, forecasting, and the day-to-day connection between clinical services and financial results.

The Executive Director will also play an important role outside the organization. Fairwinds needs a leader who can build strong relationships with donors, foundations, government leaders, healthcare partners, community organizations, and other stakeholders across Nantucket and Massachusetts.

Fundraising and development will be an important part of the role. In partnership with the Board and development team, the Executive Director will help cultivate donor relationships, participate in community and fundraising events, communicate Fairwinds' impact, and strengthen philanthropic support for the organization.

Internally, the Executive Director will provide visible and accessible leadership to Fairwinds' multidisciplinary staff. The new leader will be expected to communicate clearly, develop the leadership team, establish priorities and expectations, and create an environment where employees feel supported while remaining accountable for their work and results.

Fairwinds is looking for a seasoned nonprofit behavioral health executive with the experience and judgment to lead an organization of its size and complexity.

Candidates should have led, or held significant operating responsibility for, an organization or business unit with at least approximately 45 to 50 employees and annual revenue of approximately $6 million or more.

The strongest candidates will bring experience in behavioral health, mental health, substance use treatment, community health, human services, or a closely related healthcare setting, along with working knowledge of:

• Medicaid and managed care
• Government and foundation grants
• Commercial insurance and payer relationships
• Budgeting, forecasting, and financial performance
• Nonprofit governance and Board relations
• Workforce leadership and organizational development
• Fundraising, donor cultivation, and community engagement

Fairwinds needs a leader who can work collaboratively without losing the ability to make decisions and move the organization forward. The Executive Director should be comfortable listening to different perspectives, setting direction, addressing difficult issues when needed, and maintaining accountability across the organization.

Executive presence will also be important. The successful candidate should be comfortable representing Fairwinds with donors, foundations, public officials, healthcare leaders, community partners, employees, and other stakeholders. The ability to communicate the organization's work and impact in a clear, genuine, and compelling way will be particularly important to Fairwinds' continued development efforts.

Given the close-knit nature of Nantucket, the role also requires a leader with strong interpersonal skills, good judgment, integrity, and the ability to build trust…