Chief Executive Officer, Maternity Care Coalition

Posted by Maternity Care Coalition on March 12, 2018

On behalf of our client, Maternity Care Coalition, Raffa Executive Search is conducting a retained search for their
Chief Executive Officer

Maternity Care Coalition seeks an innovative and passionate CEO to build on the organization’s exceptional record of improving the lives of pregnant women, parents, and their children in southeastern Pennsylvania through services, advocacy and education.

The Organization
Maternity Care Coalition’s (MCC’s) mission is to improve health and well-being for pregnant women and parenting families, and enhance school readiness for children ages 0-3. The mission is achieved through direct community service, advocacy, and research in collaboration with individuals, families, providers, and communities. MCC was founded in 1980 when seven groups in Philadelphia came together to reduce preventable infant deaths by improving the accessibility and prevention efforts of existing maternity services, and to help targeted neighborhoods develop new community-based services. Over the years, MCC’s operations have expanded to include early education, and MCC currently operates in Philadelphia, Montgomery, Delaware and Bucks counties. The organization continues to be a leader in all these areas across the city and state, with national and global recognition for key efforts and initiatives.

Maternity Care Coalition offers the following programs:
MOMobile – A community-based home visiting continuum of programs that provide free support and education to help families with the changes and challenges that come with pregnancy and parenting. MOMobile’s goals include reducing infant mortality and improving maternal and child health. MOMobile’s staff are trained to provide critical support to pregnant women, new parents and families with children ages 0-3. MOMobile programs include the home-based services Safe Start, Healthy Start, Healthy Families America, and the Parenting Collaborative, as well as the MOMobile program at Riverside Correctional Facility.

MOMobile Managed Care – A program that works with two Medicaid Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) in Philadelphia to improve birth outcomes and reduce the rate of infant mortality and pregnancy-related complications. The program provides various levels of support to pregnant women from different racial, social, and economic backgrounds to ensure early and consistent prenatal care, promote positive health behavior, and coordinate access to needed health and social services.

Early Head Start – An early care and education program that provides services to pregnant women and families with children ages 0-3. EHS offers quality educational and family support; free developmental and health screenings for children; services for children with disabilities; connections to community resources for job training; English as a Second Language (ESL) or English Language Learners (ELL) classes; medical and dental care; and baby basics such as diapers, gently used clothing and infant formula.

Breastfeeding – MCC offers services provided by Certified Lactation Counselors (CLCs) who visit moms in their homes and connect pregnant women with community-based doula services. MCC provided onsite support and managed private nursing/pumping rooms at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.
Cribs for Kids – MCC’s program to provide families in need with safe sleep education and portable cribs to reduce unsafe sleep environments and prevent accidental deaths and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Since 2005, Cribs for Kids has given away approximately 2,500 free cribs each year.

Text4Baby – Maternity Care Coalition partners with Text4baby – the first free texting service that provides health information to pregnant women and new moms from pregnancy through a baby’s first year.

Maternity Care Coalition is governed by a 27-member board of directors. The organization’s current budget is approximately $11M. Current staffing includes 148 staff, with an Executive Team of 6 and a 16-member Leadership Team (which includes the Executive team). JoAnne Fischer retired in January 2018 after 29 years as Executive Director. She has been an outstanding leader and a hardworking advocate for children and families in Philadelphia and the surrounding counties. Interim Executive Director Caroline Boyce joined MCC in mid-December 2017 and will complete her tenure upon the hiring of the new top executive, whose title will be changed to Chief Executive Officer.

Major Accomplishments
• In 2017, the MOMobile programs, Early Head Start (EHS), Cribs for Kids, North Philadelphia Breastfeeding and community education programs served nearly 5,000 clients.
• MCC continued to be the largest EHS provider in Pennsylvania in 2017: over 300 families received Early Head Start services, and 87% of children demonstrated improved approaches to learning.
• After merging with Child, Home and Community (CHC) in 2017, MCC expanded its services to include classes and training sessions for teens and young adults, and added Bucks County as a service region.
• In 2017, MCC underwent organizational restructuring and updated its internal communications processes as a result of a COMPASS consulting project. MCC also developed a new Strategic Plan for the next 3-5 years based on in-depth research and analysis, which was approved by MCC’s Board in January 2018.
• MCC initiated a multi‐media marketing campaign in 2017 with the University of Pennsylvania Health System to increase awareness of safe sleep.
• MCC and Temple University together launched the Duet Project in 2016: an intervention within the home visiting program that focuses on early language and literacy learning.
• MCC’s award-winning leadership and governance is reflected in 2016/17 and 2018/19 Barra Foundation Awards for exemplary leadership, performance and adaptability.
• MCC became PA’s largest Healthy Families America (HFA) provider after it achieved official HFA Accreditation in 2016, serving over 325 families in the Philadelphia area through this program.
• MCC was instrumental in the passage of Philadelphia’s City Council Bill 130992 in 2015, amending the City’s Fair Practices Ordinance to facilitate expression of breast milk in the workplace.
• MCC’s work has been highlighted in various media sources and publications.

The Position
The new CEO will lead an organization that is highly regarded for its knowledge, expertise, care and quality of service. The new CEO will assume leadership of the day-to-day operations of the organization, and provide guidance as the organization grows in both program scope and number of persons served. The new CEO should be passionate about MCC’s work, visionary about MCC’s future direction, and provide strong, credible, hands-on leadership to the organization.

Strategic Priorities
The CEO provides leadership both inside and outside the organization, continually increasing MCC’s mission impact. Toward these ends, strategic priorities as outlined in MCC’s newly adopted strategic plan include:
• Guiding MCC’s excellence in design, delivery and impact of programs that seek to address community needs
• Strengthening and developing programs that anticipate and address community needs
• Enhancing brand visibility and awareness with donors, partners, clients, staff and community
• Developing a comprehensive donor strategy that anticipates and addresses changing demographics and leverages board and staff stewardship
• Exploring additional revenue opportunities in the academic, healthcare and corporate sectors
• Enhancing the organizational culture and effectiveness of MCC
• Continuing to develop the board to reflect best practices in governance
• Establishing and developing successful leaders and the leadership system throughout the organization

Key Responsibilities
Reporting to the Board of Directors, the CEO will provide leadership to the organization and manage its day-to-day affairs. Primary responsibilities are to:
• Be the face of the organization to the stakeholders and community at large, and be highly adept at relating to diverse communities
• Provide vision and direction to the executive management, and inspiration to MCC’s workforce by encouraging innovation, entrepreneurship and continuous development
• Foster an organizational culture that values high quality services, successful and measurable outcomes, and rigorous evaluation
• With the board, provide leadership in setting and pursuing the organization’s vision and direction, and interpret that vision and direction to the staff for implementation
• Foster collaborative relationships with all stakeholders, including families, government, policy makers, change agents, funders, health care system providers and payers, community leaders and the media
• Nurture and support board leadership efforts to ensure exemplary organizational governance, board education, maximum board member participation and effective oversight of all MCC activities
• Provide direction and oversight to efforts to identify new revenue sources and funding streams, including opportunities for public/private collaborations and among multiple funders
• Foster recognition of MCC as a leader at the local, state and national levels in the advancement of sound maternal and child health policies, practices and research
• Oversee the development of the organization’s annual budget in light of anticipated expenses and partner with Board of Directors to ensure the annual budget is adequately funded
• Recruit, hire and continuously develop a high-performing team, foster an environment of professional development, and ensure an on-going process of succession planning for all leadership positions within the organization

Experience and Attributes
Ideal candidates for this position will share MCC’s deep and unwavering passion for maternal and child health. Ideal candidates will also bring a variety of experiences and attributes to MCC, including:

• Demonstrated commitment to MCC’s mission
• Demonstrated success in building sustainable organizations and strong staff teams through dynamic and visionary leadership
• A masterful relationship-builder with a track record of building strategic relationships: strong ability to lead in an environment that requires effective collaboration with partner organizations, stakeholders, individuals, and skilled volunteers
• Experience and expertise identifying strategic opportunities to expand an organization’s footprint and overall programmatic impact
• Proven track record of managing successful fundraising from foundations, corporations, individuals, and other revenue producing strategies
• Strong business acumen and a high degree of financial literacy
• Experience with advocacy and public education campaigns
• Excellent communication skills – both written and verbal – and the ability and willingness to be the face of the organization, including a willingness to speak with media outlets
• Understanding of an urban region is desirable; some understanding of the Philadelphia region is a plus, but not required
• At least 10 years’ successful management experience in a nonprofit
• BA/BS required, advanced degree preferred in business administration, public health, or a related field
• Expertise in maternal/child health and/or early learning preferred

Salary will be competitive and commensurate with experience.

Application Process
To apply, e-mail resume, cover letter and salary requirements to: MCC@raffa.com (e-mail applications are required). Only complete applications will be considered. For other inquiries contact James Sunshine at jsunshine@raffa.com.
MCC provides equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, pregnancy or recent childbirth or related medical condition, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, the use of a guide or support animal because of blindness, deafness or physical handicap of any individual, citizenship, veteran or military status, genetic information, marital status, familial status, domestic or sexual violence victim status, possession of a GED instead of a high school diploma, or any other protected characteristic under applicable federal, state or local laws. Resume reviews begin immediately.

About Raffa, PC
On behalf of MCC, Raffa, PC is working with the Board of Directors and leading the CEO search. Founded in 1984, Raffa is, and always has been, a mission-driven professional services firm seeking to do more for nonprofits and socially conscious companies. We exist to do meaningful work for organizations like MCC who are making a difference in our communities and our world.

Learn more about Raffa at http://www.raffa.com.