Job Description

THE OPPORTUNITY

For over 130 years, Emmaus has walked alongside adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to provide whole-person support and residential resources to enable independent living in local communities. Founded in 1893, Emmaus has since grown into a sophisticated nonprofit organization with a $40M+ budget and dedicated team of 600+ direct service providers and administrative employees who support 200+ individuals across four Missouri counties. Learn more at

At the heart of Emmaus’ mission is a deeply held commitment to four core values: Customer Centered, Collaboration, Integrity and Initiative. These values guide daily decisions, shape relationships, and define how Emmaus serves its clients, families, team members and community partners.

Poised for continued success after 15+ years of transformational leadership by Cindy Clark, Emmaus is seeking its next President & CEO (“CEO”). Reporting to the Board of Directors, the next CEO will thrive on balancing operational excellence with strategic innovation, serve as a fearless advocate for disability services and Medicaid funding, and build upon a century of impact with deep community roots to drive revenue diversification and a sustainable future for high-quality, client-centric programs and services.

YOUR MISSION AS CEO

• ADVANCE THE EMMAUS MISSION [Heart-Based Strategic Leadership + Board Relations] – Partner closely with the Board of Directors and Leadership Team to maintain the momentum of the current three-year strategic plan while ensuring stability of organizational funding with increased diversification efforts. Proactively and transparently engage the Board in financial and operational priorities while cultivating a culture of customer-centric decisions and high-quality programs.

• INSPIRE A HIGH-PERFORMING TEAM & COLLABORATIVE CULTURE [Team Leadership] – Lead and align an empowered senior leadership team across human resources, accounting/finance, client services, facilities, operations, fund development, communications, advocacy and government relations. Oversee and communicate organizational policies and priorities. Foster a culture of customer centered collaboration built on trust, mutual respect, and shared accountability. Uphold the highest standards of personal and professional integrity, and encourage initiative at all levels.

• BUILD + EXPAND ORGANIZATIONAL RESOURCES [Fund Development + Financials] – In close partnership with the Board and senior leadership, manage annual budget, maximizing its impact. Ensure diversification and continuity of revenue streams while navigating funding volatility through strategic scenario-based planning. Personally cultivate relationships with individual and corporate donors to drive new philanthropic revenue.

• SERVE AS FEARLESS ADVOCATE [Advocacy, PR, Community Engagement, Thought Leadership] – Serve as primary nonpartisan spokesperson and public face of Emmaus, consistently and effectively identifying opportunities to represent Emmaus locally and beyond. Proactively cultivate relationships with community partners, government officials and legislators, trade organizations and relevant media sources. Serve as a fearless advocate and thought leader within the larger intellectual and developmental disability community.

• ENSURE HIGH QUALITY SERVICES [Program Excellence + Client Experience] – Ensure quality and measure impact across Emmaus programs and services. Support requirements for CARF accreditation and Medicaid compliance. Ensure adherence with all applicable City, State, and Federal laws and regulations. Strengthen a culture that promotes compassion, quality of care, continuous improvement and risk management.

IS THIS A MATCH FOR YOU?

• You have a passion and heart for the mission and clients of Emmaus, including an unwavering belief that all abilities deserve whole-person care and a life of independence and inclusion.

• You have gained 10-15+ years of progressive leadership experience of people, processes, and organizational resources, including oversight for a broad base of functional areas. Ideal candidates bring prior nonprofit or mission-based experience within a direct service provider setting.

• You offer no less than 5 years of experience as a member of or leading a senior team , building organizational culture, shaping strategy and translating vision into outcomes across human resources, finance, facilities, operations, programs and services, marketing, communications, and/or fundraising and development.

• You have the aptitude, comfort and desire to serve as a visible and nonpartisan advocate in local and state policy discussions. Prior familiarity with advocacy, legislation and government relations is a plus.

• You have solid financial acumen with prior P&L or budget management experience . Ideal candidates bring a track record or aptitude for identifying key resources and diversifying revenue streams. Prior experience or familiarity with government funding sources such as Medicaid is a plus.

• You have the aptitude and desire to drive increased mission-based storytelling, PR and communications and donor cultivation to fuel new philanthropic revenue. Understanding best practices and/or involvement in annual giving, special events, grants, corporate partnerships and/or major gifts is a plus.

• You bring familiarity and/or experience working with or serving on nonprofit boards . You demonstrate a high standard of ethics and instill mutual trust and confidence as you lead.

• You are well-versed in proactively communicating with internal and external stakeholders in a visible and authentic manner . You build strong relationships and foster inclusivity and collaboration with team members, external stakeholders, and clients, reacting genuinely with diplomacy and tact.

• You are a hands-on leader with the ability and desire to flex between strategic and tactical priorities . Superior project management skills, solution-based problem solving, and an entrepreneurial mindset are must-haves.

• You have a solid business acumen , strong technology skills and a data-driven approach. Four-year college degree required. Advanced degree and/or related certifications preferred.

WHY JOIN US?

• LEAD OUR NEXT CHAPTER OF GROWTH – Come build upon a 130-year legacy of empowering adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live with independence, inclusion, and self-advocacy. Emmaus offers an empowered and high-performing Leadership Team and an engaged Board of Directors, committed to service continuity alongside intentional and sustainable growth.

• MAKE A FOREVER IMPACT – Enable whole-person care in a faith-inspired community committed to self-advocacy and independence. With dedicated team members at every level, you will guide an organization ready to deepen its impact in the life of every client served.

• CHAMPION DISABILITY SUPPORT SERVICES – As a key grassroots advocate in the fight for funding, you will ensure that Emmaus is recognized by state and local stakeholders and remains a credible and trusted leader in disability support services and Medicaid policy discussions.

COMPENSATION PACKAGE

Emmaus offers a competitive compensation package, including base salary commensurate with experience in the range of $225,000.00 to $300,000.00, along with a comprehensive benefit package, including medical, dental, vision, life and employee-paid STD/LTD insurance; PTO; paid holidays; employee assistance program; and a 403(b)-retirement savings plan with match. Insurance benefits offer both employee and dependent coverage.

WORK LOCATION + TRAVEL + RELOCATION

This position requires a consistent presence at our primary office location at 3731 Mueller Road, Saint Charles, Missouri, 63301, and affords professional flexibility with a hybrid work schedule. Frequent in-person collaboration with the Emmaus Leadership Team and a close partnership with the organization’s Board of Directors, key funders, donors, local and state government contacts and community partners is expected. Occasional evening and weekend hours and some travel expected. Relocation stipend available and immediate relocation desired.

READY TO APPLY?

Apply via LinkedIn or direct at Although you may not check every box and or your experience may look a little different from what we have outlined, we encourage you to apply if you believe you can bring value to Emmaus!

We ask that you direct all questions, candidate referrals, and applications to our retained search consultants at Occhio Search & Recruitment. Contact Sarah Krueger (sarah@occhiosearch.com), Angie Akerman (angie@occhiosearch.com) or Elly Richards (elly@occhiosearch.com). All inquiries will be held in strict confidence. Emmaus is committed to ensuring digital accessibility for all applicants. If you need assistance or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or recruiting process, please let us know.

Emmaus is committed to achieving workforce diversity reflective of our communities. As an equal opportunity employer, we welcome differences in form of gender, race, ancestry, ethnicity, physical or mental disability, socioeconomic status, age, political affiliation, marital status, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, and veteran status. All applicants who share this goal are encouraged to apply and we look forward to hearing from you!

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