Executive Director

Executive Director

About CARDV

For more than four decades, the Center Against Rape and Domestic Violence (CARDV) has stood as a trusted refuge and resource for survivors in Linn and Benton counties. Founded on the belief that every person deserves to live free from violence, CARDV has grown from a grassroots response to crisis into a comprehensive, survivor-centered organization with deep roots across the communities it serves.

Based in Corvallis and serving Linn and Benton counties, CARDV provides a continuum of services that meet survivors wherever they are. Those services include a 24-hour crisis and support line, confidential shelter, crisis response, legal advocacy, support groups, live chat, and robust community education programming.

CARDV’s mission is twofold: to provide direct services and support to those affected by sexual and domestic violence, and to lead education and advocacy efforts that address the societal conditions which allow these forms of violence to persist. This dual commitment—to individual healing and to systemic change—distinguishes CARDV as both a service provider and a catalyst for community transformation.

CARDV’s work is grounded in a clear set of organizational values—respect, inclusion, leadership, support, trust, growth, and responsiveness—and its Principles of Unity reflect an unwavering commitment to survivor autonomy, anti-oppression, and community-wide change. CARDV recognizes that domestic and sexual violence are rooted in inequity and that lasting change requires engaging the whole community: survivors, families, institutions, and allies alike.

Learn more about CARDV at https://cardv.org/.

The Opportunity 

The Center Against Rape and Domestic Violence (CARDV) seeks a values-driven, strategic, and compassionate leader to serve as its next Executive Director. This is a meaningful opportunity to lead a well-known, community-embedded organization at an important moment in its history—and to shape the next chapter of CARDV’s impact across Linn and Benton counties.

CARDV has stood alongside survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault for more than 40 years, offering safety, healing, and advocacy while also working to shift the cultural and systemic conditions that allow violence to persist. The organization’s dual mandate—direct services and community-wide prevention—makes this a uniquely expansive leadership opportunity for someone who cares both about individual impact and structural change.

The next Executive Director will join CARDV at an important moment and will build organizational stability, deepen staff support and retention, strengthen systems and external partnerships, and help guide a mission-aligned path forward. CARDV is looking for a leader who can steward this work with clarity and courage—a trusted internal presence, an effective public representative, and a thoughtful, collaborative partner to the Board of Directors.

This role calls for someone who can lead both people and systems well—who brings warmth and directness in equal measure, holds complexity without losing sight of what matters most, and leads with the kind of integrity and steadiness that earns trust across a diverse organization and community.

The successful candidate will be someone who can:

• Lead with integrity, steadiness, values-alignment, and strong judgment
• Center survivors while supporting staff wellbeing and retention
• Partner effectively with a volunteer Board of Directors
• Oversee fiscal health, compliance, and operational excellence
• Cultivate donors, grants, and community support
• Represent CARDV with credibility in public and partner settings
• Advance strategic priorities through collaboration, accountability, and care

Candidate Profile

We recognize that there is a spectrum of lived and professional experience that will set candidates up for success in this role. While no one candidate will have every experience outlined in the position description, ideal candidates will display the following professional and personal qualities, skills, and characteristics across five core competency areas:

Strategic & Transformational Leadership

• Demonstrated success in strategic planning and implementation, with the ability to set direction, assess organizational needs, and align people and resources around shared goals.
• Experience leading organizations or teams through periods of change or transition, maintaining stability while advancing a long-term vision.
• The ability to balance the urgency of internal priorities with the longer-term imperatives of growth, innovation, and sustainability.
• Proven ability to lead with integrity, steadiness, and sound judgment, inspiring confidence among staff, the Board, and community stakeholders alike.
• Track record of advancing strategic priorities through collaboration, accountability, and disciplined follow-through.

Fundraising and Relationship-Building / Relationship Management

• Experience cultivating and stewarding a diverse portfolio of funders, including individual donors, foundations, government agencies, and corporate partners.
• Demonstrated success in administering donor, grant, and public funds responsibly, with strong attention to compliance, reporting, and accountability.
• The ability to build and sustain trusting, collaborative relationships with funders, nonprofit peers, community leaders, and public agency partners.
• Sound public visibility and reputational judgment—able to represent CARDV with credibility and enthusiasm across diverse audiences while navigating community dynamics with sensitivity.

Communication / Collaboration / Culture

• Written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to craft compelling narratives for donors, policymakers, media, and the public.
• A leadership style grounded in deep listening, transparency, and authentic relationship-building—someone who communicates directly, diplomatically, and consistently.
• Demonstrated ability to foster a healthy organizational culture grounded in respect, accountability, shared purpose, and psychological safety.
• Skill in intercultural communication, with experience serving and building trust with marginalized and vulnerable communities.
• Experience with conflict resolution and relationship-centered approaches to navigating complex interpersonal and organizational dynamics.

Staff Management and Functional Operational Expertise

• Nonprofit management or executive leadership experience, including direct supervision of professional and direct-service teams, with a coaching and mentoring orientation.
• Ability to lead staff through clear expectations, consistent supervision, and accountability structures while trusting in staff expertise and supporting professional growth.
• Strong fiscal management skills, including budgeting, forecasting, and financial reporting, with the ability to ensure compliance and operational excellence across the organization.
• The ability to exercise sound judgment in complex, time-sensitive situations, maintaining consistent service quality and organizational integrity under pressure.
• A commitment to supporting staff wellbeing and retention, recognizing that CARDV’s effectiveness depends on a stable, skilled, and supported workforce.

Mission Motivation, DEI Values, and Survivor-Centered Judgment

• Experience working with survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, or related human services fields—or a deep and demonstrated commitment to this work and the communities it serves.
• A genuine commitment to CARDV’s mission and values, including survivor autonomy, anti-oppression, equity, inclusion, and community-wide social change.
• Grounding in trauma-informed practice and the ability to apply that lens to both program decisions and organizational culture.
• Ability to hold confidentiality, survivor safety, and organizational integrity as non-negotiables, even when navigating competing pressures or public scrutiny.
• The wisdom to balance DV/SA field expertise with the broader demands of nonprofit executive leadership—centering survivors while also stewarding an organization.

Preferred qualifications include prior executive or senior leadership experience in a nonprofit setting, supervision of direct-service teams, trauma-informed leadership practice, a successful fundraising track record, and a bachelor’s degree or equivalent lived and professional experience.

Corvallis

Home to Oregon State University, Corvallis offers the livability of a smaller city with the energy and amenities of a university community. Corvallis has a strong culture of education, civic engagement, local arts, and outdoor recreation. Located in the heart of the Willamette Valley, Corvallis provides easy access to rivers, forests, the Oregon Coast, and nearby mountain recreation, while also offering a vibrant downtown, local restaurants, farmers markets, and extensive multi-use trails.

For candidates considering relocation, Corvallis offers a strong sense of community, a high quality of life, and a setting that supports both meaningful work and everyday balance.

Compensation and Benefits

The salary range for this position is $150,000 to $160,000.

CARDV offers an excellent benefits package that includes full family medical (including contributions toward the deductible), dental, and vision, as well as other great benefits such as four weeks’ vacation and 17 paid holidays.

Contact 

DSG | Koya has been exclusively retained for this engagement, which is being led by Molly Brennan and Dina Tyler. Submit a compelling cover letter and resume by filling out our https://talent-profile.dsgco.com/search/v2/23133. All inquiries are strictly confidential.

DSG | Koya is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please email NPSIpractice@dsgo.com. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.

CARDV is committed to equal employment opportunity and to maintaining an inclusive, respectful workplace. CARDV does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, age, disability, ancestry, religion, national origin, medical condition, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity, or other protected status under applicable law. Reasonable accommodations are available in the application process.

About DSG | Koya

DSG | Koya, a DSG Global company, is the nation’s premier search firm dedicated to mission-driven leadership. Since its founding in 2004, DSG | Koya has had an exclusive focus on mission-driven clients and was founded on the belief that the right leader can transform an organization and have a deep and measurable impact on our world. DSG | Koya works with nonprofits & NGOs, responsible businesses, and social enterprises in local communities and around the world.

DSG Global is consistently recognized by Forbes on its top 10 list of “America’s Best Executive Recruiting Firms” and is an industry leader in recruiting transformational leaders for a changing world. The firm is deliberately different in its approach, with best-in-class teams who have decades of experience in cultivating inclusive leaders, understanding the dimensions of diversity, and building equitable teams.

Learn more about DSG | Koya via the firm's https://www.dsgco.com/industry/nonprofit-and-social-impact/

To apply, visit: https://apptrkr.com/7177762