Chief Executive Officer

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Position Description

Chief Executive Officer

AIDS Services Coalition (ASC), Hattiesburg, Mississippi

• Start Date: Fall 2025
• Application Period: July 1 – August 15, 2025
• Salary Range: $110,000 – $150,000, with excellent benefits

Summary of Requirements

Applicants must have:

• A minimum of 5 years leading nonprofit organizations
• An advanced degree in social services or a related field
• Experience with marginalized populations
• Proven management of people and budgets
• Experience working in partnership with a Board of Directors

Ideal candidates will demonstrate leadership marked by compassion, connection, emotional intelligence, people management skills, and a commitment to self-awareness and lifelong learning.

Organizational Overview

AIDS Services Coalition (ASC), based in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, is a mission-driven nonprofit providing comprehensive services to people living with HIV, those at risk, individuals experiencing homelessness, and others living on society’s margins.

ASC delivers:

• Housing support
• Medical case management
• Mental health services
• Nutritional assistance
• Prevention and education initiatives

Currently, ASC operates with a $5 million+ annual budget, a staff of 30+, and multiple satellite offices serving five of Mississippi’s nine public health districts. Currently there is limited private funding. The organization is grounded in equity and committed to diversity across race, age, gender expression, and lived experience to reflect the communities served.

Mississippi Context

Mississippi is home to approximately 2.9 million residents. The state faces ongoing challenges related to public health, housing instability, and poverty:

• An estimated 12,000 Mississippians live with HIV, though 25% may remain undiagnosed
• LGBTQ+ communities face stigma and legal obstacles in accessing care
• High poverty rates (~19%) create systemic barriers to health, housing, and opportunity
• Homelessness persists, often undercounted, with limited supports in place

Despite these challenges, Mississippi has a rich cultural history and resilient communities. ASC seeks a visionary CEO who can build upon this strength, connect across diverse populations, and lead with courage and innovation.

Leadership Opportunities

The current CEO has led ASC for nearly 20 years. The organization has moved beyond its founding phase and is entering a transformative period of performance and growth.

Mississippi’s cultural and political environments require a culturally competent, strategic leader who can navigate complex systems, work across sectors, and advance public health.

Key opportunities include:

• Clinical measures for staff with health outcomes for those assisted to measure and evaluate effectiveness of services in individuals and across the service population.
• Expanding ASC’s statewide role as a trusted housing and HIV services provider
• Scaling partnerships in mental health, substance use treatment, and housing
• Strengthening state and national advocacy efforts
• Advancing ASC’s infrastructure, board development, and fundraising strategies

A recent $1.25 million grant from the Jeff Bezos Day One Fund for family homelessness demonstrates ASC’s capacity to attract national investment. These funds remain largely reserved to leverage broader housing expansion initiatives.

Position Vision

To position ASC as Mississippi’s nonprofit for housing and supportive services—serving individuals affected by HIV, mental illness, chemical dependency, and homelessness.

The CEO will develop a high-functioning Board of Directors, elevate ASC’s statewide visibility, and lead efforts to diversify and grow funding while maintaining programmatic excellence.

Position Mission

To guide ASC through a critical leadership transition and ensure its continued growth and impact. The CEO will lead the Board and staff in building a future that secures performance on current programs and expands reach and resources throughout Mississippi. Internal management will require the majority of time up front as the transition and new funding become absorbed and the full staff is recruited, oriented, and trained.

Core Responsibilities

The Chief Executive Officer will:

• Lead the organization, ensuring alignment of staff, programs, finances, and policies with ASC’s mission
• Expand statewide relationships to ensure service access and program impact
• Grow contributed and contracted revenue annually
• Establish internal systems and standards for personnel, operations, and accountability
• Build and maintain an engaged, statewide Board of Directors
• Advocate for those served at local, state, and national levels
• Guide strategic planning, using data and community voice to set direction
• Operate using a “nothing about us without us” philosophy (listening to lived experience)
• Manage all organizational resources toward strategic goals
• Ensure transparent, high-quality communications across all audiences
• Oversee program implementation with quality, confidentiality, and outcomes tracking
• Deliver balanced budgets and accurate financial reporting
• Lead fundraising efforts from individual, corporate, foundation, and government sources
• Monitor staff performance and ensure strong supervision across all teams
• Direct hiring, retention, and staff development
• Manage ASC’s public image and messaging for mission alignment and impact
• Ensure compliance with all audit, grant, and reporting requirements
• Maintain and evolve the organizational vision through data, feedback, and collaboration

Required Qualifications

• Compassion, passion, and driven to cure discrimination and stigma
• At least 5 years in nonprofit leadership
• Knowledge of grants management and compliance
• Expertise in housing and/or HIV services
• Proven personnel management and organizational development experience
• Experience leading in the U.S. South
• Strong understanding of behavioral health issues (mental illness and substance use)
• Lived or demographic connection to the populations ASC serves

Preferred Qualifications

• Public speaking experience
• Background in social science research or advocacy
• Lived experience working in Mississippi and/or with impacted populations

Application Instructions

This national search is administered by R2 Consults, LLC

Please submit:

• Resume
• Cover letter detailing your interest, experience, and connection to social services leadership
• Responses to required application questions on website

Apply online at: www.r2consults.llc
Address cover letter to: (DO NOT MAIL)
Randall Russell
R2 Consults, LLC

NOTE: PLEASE, save your cover letter and resume as follows in file name BEFORE UPLOAD.  Thank you.

Lastname-Firstname-ASC Cover

Lasname-Firstname-ASC Resume

1. Submit resume, cover letter, and application questions via the website

1. Complete a 5–10 minute online assessment (link provided upon application)
2. Based on materials and assessment, applicants will be placed into one of three groups:
   • Group 1: Candidates selected for initial phone interviews
   • Group 2: Qualified candidates held for potential future interviews
   • Group 3: Applicants not meeting required qualifications
3. Group 1 candidates may be asked to complete a written essay
4. Finalists will be interviewed in person by the Search Committee
5. The Search Committee will recommend a final candidate to the ASC Board

The Predictive Index (PI) will be used as part of this process. This assessment is the only U.S. Department of Labor- and EEOC-approved employment screening tool for evaluating innate characteristics. Applicants may request their assessment results.