Executive Director

Reports To: Board of Directors

Salary Range: $80,000 - $120,000*

*The Willow Collective is committed to equitable compensation practices. Placement within the salary range will be determined based on the selected candidate's education, licensure, leadership experience, fundraising and organizational development expertise, and demonstrated qualifications relevant to the role.

Position Summary

The Executive Director serves as the chief executive and strategic leader of The Willow Collective, guiding the organization's mission to strengthen parental, infant, and early childhood mental health through relationship-based, trauma-informed care. Rooted in the belief that children thrive in safe, trusting relationships with supported caregivers, the Executive Director works to advance a community where all families with young children have access to the services, connections, and support they need to flourish.

Working closely with the Board of Directors, Clinical Lead, and Operations Director, the Executive Director provides leadership across organizational strategy, financial sustainability, resource development, community partnerships, and organizational culture. The Executive Director serves as the primary ambassador for The Willow Collective, cultivating relationships that strengthen the organization's impact while helping build a coordinated system of care for families in the perinatal and early childhood stages of life.

This leader will steward the organization's next chapter of growth by balancing vision with operational excellence, fostering a resilient and reflective workplace culture, and ensuring that Willow Collective remains a trusted source of healing, connection, and hope for children, caregivers, and communities throughout Northern Colorado.

Leadership & Organizational Management

● Develop and implement the organization's strategic vision, goals, and growth initiatives.

● Lead long-term planning to expand access to infant and early childhood mental health services.

● Supervise and support the Clinical Lead and Operations Director, ensuring alignment between clinical excellence, operational effectiveness, and organizational sustainability.

● Foster a culture rooted in relationship-based, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive care.

● Support Board development, governance, strategic planning, and committee engagement.

● Monitor organizational performance and implement continuous improvement strategies.

Resource Development & Sustainability

● Develop and implement a diversified revenue strategy to support long-term organizational sustainability.

● Cultivate and steward relationships with foundations, government agencies, healthcare partners, donors, and community stakeholders.

● Lead grant development, contract negotiation, fundraising efforts, and strategic partnership opportunities.

● Blend and braid multiple funding streams, including Medicaid reimbursement, grants, philanthropy, contracts, and private-pay revenue.

● Monitor policy, reimbursement, and funding trends and proactively adapt organizational strategy.

● Ensure responsible stewardship of organizational resources and alignment between mission, impact, and financial sustainability.

Operational Oversight

● Provide executive oversight of organizational operations, administrative systems, compliance functions, and infrastructure.

● Ensure effective systems for human resources, billing, documentation, quality assurance, and regulatory compliance.

● Support the Operations Director in maintaining efficient organizational processes and a high-functioning workplace culture.

● Oversee organizational communications, public relations, and brand strategy.

Community Partnerships & Systems Leadership

● Serve as the primary external representative and ambassador for The Willow Collective.

● Build and sustain strategic partnerships across behavioral health, child welfare, healthcare, judicial, early childhood, and community-based systems.

● Represent the organization in coalitions, collaborative initiatives, public forums, and advocacy efforts.

● Advance community awareness of infant and early childhood mental health and promote systems-level solutions that improve outcomes for children and families.

● Support the development of training, consultation, and workforce development initiatives that strengthen the broader IECMH ecosystem.

Required Qualifications

● Minimum of 5 years of leadership or management experience in behavioral health, infant and early childhood mental health, healthcare, nonprofit administration, or a related field.

● Demonstrated knowledge of infant and early childhood mental health principles, attachment theory, trauma-informed care, and family systems.

● Experience managing organizational budgets, financial operations, and multidisciplinary teams.

● Demonstrated experience navigating Medicaid-funded behavioral health systems, reimbursement structures, and regulatory requirements.

● Experience developing, managing, or overseeing multiple funding streams, including Medicaid, grants, contracts, philanthropy, and/or private-pay revenue.

● Experience building and maintaining community partnerships across behavioral health, healthcare, child welfare, early childhood, judicial, educational, or community-based systems.

● Strong interpersonal, organizational, communication, and relationship-building skills.

● Demonstrated ability to lead organizational change, strategic planning, and continuous improvement initiatives.

● Commitment to reflective practice, cultural humility, equity, and relationship-centered leadership.

Preferred Qualifications

● Master's degree in a relevant field, including Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, Marriage and Family Therapy, Public Health, Healthcare Administration, Nonprofit Management, Business Administration, or a related discipline.

● Licensed behavioral health professional (LCSW, LPC, LMFT, Psychologist, or equivalent).

● Experience serving in an executive leadership role within a nonprofit, healthcare, or behavioral health organization.

● Demonstrated success in fundraising, grant development, donor cultivation, and resource development.

● Experience supervising senior leaders, managers, or multidisciplinary leadership teams.

● Experience working with public funding sources, government contracts, or community-based behavioral health initiatives.

● Bilingual or multicultural competencies.

Core Competencies

● Relationship-centered leadership

● Strategic thinking and organizational vision

● Financial stewardship and sustainability planning

● Resource development and fundraising

● Change management and organizational development

● Emotional intelligence and reflective practice

● Community partnership development

● Medicaid and healthcare systems navigation

● Cultural humility and equity-minded leadership

● Collaboration, advocacy, and systems-building

CANDIDATES:

Please submit a cover letter and resume to contact@willowcollectivefoco.com by close of business on July 6, 2026.

Pay: $80,000.00 - $120,000.00 per year

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Fort Collins, CO 80525