Executive Director

BACKGROUND

Effective legal representation has proven to be one of the greatest needs of veterans facing poverty, homelessness and mental illness. The mission of Connecticut Veterans Legal Center (CVLC) is to help veterans recovering from homelessness and mental illness overcome legal barriers to housing, healthcare, and income. As a national leader in medical-legal partnerships and legal aid to veterans, CVLC’s work often occurs where veterans law intersects with economic and racial justice, human rights, and mental health.

CVLC provides free legal assistance to veterans on a range of critical legal issues, including housing law, VA benefits, discharge upgrade, and more. CVLC has a track record of achieving transformational results: for every $1 donated or invested in CVLC’s services, CVLC returns $20 to veterans in the form of increased income and reduced debt.

Since 2009, CVLC has co-located and collaborated with the VA Connecticut’s Errera Community Care Center to create the country’s first VA medical-legal partnership. This partnership is the essential component of CVLC’s success in helping to serve Connecticut’s most vulnerable veterans, allowing CVLC staff and volunteers to serve clients who are homeless or have serious mental illness within the context of their medical and social support system. Building upon the success of this model, CVLC has added three additional VA locations for on-site services throughout the state, including the VA Newington campus, CT's Department of Veterans Affairs in Rocky Hill, and the VA’s new clinic in Orange, CT. This co-location means easy access to free legal assistance for CVLC clients, with minimal transportation and scheduling barriers. This also creates unique opportunities for multi-disciplinary teamwork between VA social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, peer specialists, and CVLC staff and volunteers.

In addition to CVLC’s expansion to multiple sites, CVLC continues to innovate and grow in its programming. In the last year, CVLC: launched an elder law MLP to address the specific legal needs of CT’s elderly veteran population; stepped up to participate in the rollout of CT’s statewide Right To Counsel program to provide free legal representation to veterans facing eviction or loss of housing subsidy; and initiated a first-of-its-kind randomized control trial of medical-legal partnership services in collaboration with the VA.

In addition to its role as a national leader in VA medical-legal partnership, CVLC stands at the forefront of practice and policy in veterans' law through its Veterans Inclusion Project. CVLC and its Veterans Inclusion Project hold the conviction that all who serve in the U.S. Military are veterans who deserve to be treated with dignity. The mission of the Veterans Inclusion Project is to make veterans’ benefits accessible for all low-income veterans through a combination of national policy advocacy and capacity building for legal advocates. Significant accomplishments include the American Bar Association’s recent publication of the Military Discharge Upgrade Legal Practice Manual, a landmark publication in the field written by attorneys from CVLC and Harvard Law School’s Veterans Legal Clinic. CVLC attorneys regularly conduct national trainings on veterans’ law issues, pursue impact litigation, and push policy change initiatives to create systemic positive change for veterans.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

CVLC’s Executive Director plays the pivotal role of collaborating closely with the Board of Directors and a dedicated staff of lawyers, business, operations professionals, and volunteers, to articulate a vision and executive strategies that enable CVLC to achieve its mission, both in the near term and future growth on a national level.

The successful candidate will have demonstrated exceptional leadership capabilities with a track record of growth and increasing financial stability through partnerships, fund development and major donor engagement. The Executive Director will need to be acutely aware of the myriad issues adversely impacting the veteran population and must understand the holistic approach needed to serve that population. The Executive Director will be the external face of CVLC to a diverse group of stakeholders and partners, including the Veterans Administration and other government agencies, public officials, donors, volunteers, and clients. The ability to balance the externally facing role with the day-to-day responsibilities of effectively leading and managing the CVLC staff and maintaining a fiscally vibrant organization will require one who can balance competing priorities in a dynamic environment.

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES

• Maintain CVLC’s position at the forefront of veterans’ legal services; advocate, continue to encourage, develop, and implement innovative programs to meet veterans’ legal needs
• With the Board and staff, and building on the organization’s current successes, develop new strategies and operational goals consistent with CVLC’s compelling vision and mission; further improve the existing strategic plan for long term goals
• In collaboration with the Development Officer, develop an enhanced funding strategy to bring CVLC to the next level in its growth by leveraging Board members and staff, as well as external partnerships and funding sources, maintaining long-term financial stability
• Working closely with staff and key volunteers, continue to refine processes and practices to maximize effectiveness and efficiency of new and existing programs and services
• Provide day-to-day leadership of CVLC staff and ensure the attraction, engagement, development, support, and retention of team members who can effectively meet the needs of clients while maintaining the standards of a well-run non-profit
• Continue to build on the positive culture at CVLC with strong internal communication and camaraderie, recognition of contributions, and adequate resources/funding
• Enable and support team members’ ability to navigate bureaucracy without being obstructed by it
• Cultivate a strong and transparent working relationship with the Board and ensure open communication about measurement of financial, programmatic and impact performances against stated milestones and goals embedded in a strategic plan
• Recruit new Board Members to meet the organization’s needs and whose talents, interests and commitment will help further CVLC’s mission and expand funding opportunities

FUNDRAISING

• In collaboration with the Development Officer, increase development funding by implementing a comprehensive development strategy targeting major and individual gifts and events, foundation, corporate and government grants
• Deepen current community and donor relationships, and develop new key relationships for CVLC programs and donor giving including seeking and closing major gifts and long-term commitments
• Ensure that the Board is actively engaged with development strategy and is ensuring the success of fundraising efforts through networking, cultivating sponsorships and individual donations

COMMUNITY RELATIONS

• Serve as a leader and advocate in assuring CVLC and its vision, mission, programs, and services are positively and consistently represented to all key stakeholders
• Oversee the establishment and implementation of strategic communications that provide a clear and concise message about CVLC policies and programs that build awareness and relationships for the organization across all constituencies
• Promote CVLC visibility among the public policy community

QUALIFICATIONS

• Strong interest in, understanding of, and dedication to CVLC’s mission; knowledge of the critical need for legal services in addressing veterans’ issues
• Bachelor’s degree or relevant experience required; law degree strongly preferred; Veterans are encouraged to apply
• At least eight years of increasing responsibility with at least 5 years in a senior position; nonprofit experience is a plus
• A highly effective manager/leader with gravitas, and demonstrated ability to manage, collaboratively lead, inspire, develop, and engage skilled staff members within a culture of mutual respect and commitment to the mission; additional leadership qualities in goal setting, strategic thinking, communication and empowering of staff
• Demonstrated ability to create cultivation strategies that result in deeper donor relationships, increased giving and new gifts
• Financial acumen, budget oversight and forecasting skills with the ability to link strategic and operational goals to fiscal realities and program priorities
• Strong organizational skills with proven ability to focus, prioritize and implement
• Successful relationship building skills and demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with external partners, donors, and Board members to create stable and increasing financial assets
• Dynamic leadership ability, action oriented, entrepreneurial, innovative, and diplomatic personality who is comfortable being the “public face” of CVLC, interacting with a broad range of leaders and advocates developing mutually beneficial relationships; ability to build coalitions and establish strategic partnerships
• Experience working collaboratively with a committed Board of Directors in defining and executing mission and vision, creating, and implementing a strategic plan with measurable outcomes, addressing programmatic needs, and educating the Board concerning challenges ahead.

CVLC is highly interested in stability and commitment in its next Executive Director.

Salary and benefits are competitive and commensurate with experience.

The Connecticut Veterans Legal Center, located in West Haven Connecticut, is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, marital or veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected status.