The Arc of New Jersey
Executive Director
New Brunswick, NJ
Salary: $190,000-$210,000
BACKGROUND
The Organization
The Arc of New Jersey is the state's largest organization advocating for and serving children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families. The Arc of New Jersey is an affiliated chapter of The Arc US, and community-based services are available statewide through a strong network of 20 local County Chapters across New Jersey.
The Arc of New Jersey promotes and protects the human rights of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and actively supports their full inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetimes; and is committed to enhancing the quality of life of those individuals and their families through advocacy, empowerment, education and prevention.
The organization provides a variety of supports to individuals with IDD and their families, including Children’s Advocacy, Criminal Justice Advocacy, Health Care Advocacy, Governmental Affairs, The Family Institute, Project HIRE, Self-Advocacy, as well as Training & Consultation Services.
To learn more about The Arc of New Jersey, visit www.arcnj.org.
Year Founded
Regions Served
Budget Size
Staff
State Chapters
1949
New Jersey
(21 counties)
$3.84M
47 FT including
3 direct reports
20
The Position
The Executive Director will serve as the strategic and operational leader of The Arc of New Jersey. This role is responsible for driving the organization's vision, ensuring strong programmatic impact, cultivating stakeholder relationships, and leading a passionate team in advancing advocacy and government relations, public policy, community relations, and direct support services. This role reports directly to the Board of Directors and is supervised by the Board President.
The Executive Director will partner closely with a senior leadership team of three, as well as the Board of Directors, to ensure long-term sustainability, effective fundraising, and continued advocacy efforts at the local and state levels. This is an opportunity for a visionary, collaborative, and person-centered leader to champion equity and empower individuals and families across New Jersey’s IDD community.
ROLE OVERVIEW
Executive Leadership and Management:
- Lead, inspire, and develop the team, fostering an environment aligned with The Arc of New Jersey’s values, mission, and goals.
- In collaboration with staff and board, create and communicate a shared strategy and priorities for The Arc of New Jersey for 2026 and beyond.
- Align staff resources, operational systems, processes, and procedures to meet the goals of The Arc efficiently and effectively.
- Spearhead the development of program enhancements to remain responsive to the needs of those served, support funder interests and priorities, and reflect service trends.
- Seek and obtain diverse funding to support current programs and expand services, programs, and advocacy efforts.
- Foster a success-oriented, accountable teamwork environment throughout the organization.
Advocacy and Government Relations:
- Actively engage in advocacy and government relations, ensuring The Arc’s voice is influential in public policy.
- Monitor changes in current federal and state regulations.
- Strategically innovate and guide the organization through complex challenges, governmental changes at the state and federal level, and create unique opportunities with a forward-thinking approach.
- Ensure all advocacy services and programs meet high standards of excellence, quality, and safety.
- Organize and lead meetings with legislators, government officials, lobbyists, and executive staff to ensure our voice is heard on matters important to The Arc.
Community Relations and Relationship-Building:
- Build partnership and trust within the network of local and national chapters of The Arc.
- Passionately share The Arc of New Jersey’s story of impact across the state, inspiring and asking community leaders and individuals to partner and invest.
- Represent the organization and serve as chief spokesperson publicly at events, conferences, and partnership meetings, and ensure The Arc of New Jersey is well-regarded and represented at disability-related venues.
- Direct efforts to enhance the visibility and presence of The Arc of New Jersey and its programs by increasing public awareness and knowledge of both the organization as well as the needs, rights, and abilities of citizens with disabilities.
- Seek and respond timely, compassionately, and expertly to the concerns and interests of individuals served, their caregivers, and other stakeholders.
- Develop and maintain strong, collaborative relationships with the Executive Directors of The Arc’s 20 chapters, recognizing the importance of continuous engagement and trust-building to support alignment and shared organizational goals.
Board Relations:
· Report to the Board of Directors; support and engage board members while building transparent and collaborative relationships with all board and committee members.
· Collaborate with and build the Board of Directors to sharpen strategic focus, diversify skillset, ensure financial health, and increase efficiency and future growth.
· Communicate effectively with the Board by providing members with all the necessary information to make informed decisions in a timely and accurate manner.
THE IDEAL CANDIDATE
The ideal candidate for the Executive Director position possesses the following competencies:
Additional Qualifications
- Deep commitment and connection to the mission and values of The Arc of New Jersey and the IDD community.
- Bachelor’s Degree required, with a strong background in nonprofit management and financial acumen with broad leadership experience in the IDD space (10+ years)
- Robust experience in advocacy and government relations. Has existing relationships with New Jersey’s Division of Developmental Disabilities, Department of Health, and/or Department of Children and Families.
- Understanding of (and ideally experience with) membership organizations.
- Relationship builder who enjoys being a spokesperson and ambassador, getting out in the community, and galvanizing excitement with Board, donors, chapter leadership, partner agencies, local, state, and federal legislators, and volunteers.
- Strong communicator who can engender trust, respect, and confidence quickly; active listener who is focused on understanding before responding.
- Strong team management skills; approachable to all levels of staff with the ability to nurture creativity, innovation, and professional development.
- Can effectively leverage the Board for strategic guidance and direction; will bring strong board relations and activation skills.
WHO WE ARE
Work Environment
The Arc of New Jersey operates from an office in North Brunswick, New Jersey. The Executive Director position is an on-site position, which additionally requires the ability to travel throughout the state as needed, performing advocacy, lobbying activities, and attending events. The Executive Director must additionally be able to attend evening and weekend networking and advocacy events.
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
Salary: $190,000-210,000 with eligible bonus
Selection of Benefits:
- Comprehensive benefits including medical, dental, and vision through Horizon
- Extensive paid time off, including 18 days (which increases with tenure) of PTO and up to 42 hours of accrued sick time
- Pension (401K plan) with 3% contribution from The Arc, plus an additional 1% potential match
- Additional benefits, including medical and dependent care FSA, basic/supplemental life insurance, short-term and long-term disability insurance
Natalia Kepler
Senior Talent Consultant
Nina Cogan
Talent Consultant
Submit an application HERE.