Executive Director

Accompany Doula Care (Pillar Search & HR Consulting)

the birth experience that everyone deserves

Job Description

Opportunity Overview: 

Accompany Doula Care is seeking its first full-time Executive Director as part of its exciting growth trajectory. Are you an experienced leader in the nonprofit or public sector with a passion for disrupting the status quo? This is a compelling opportunity for an experienced nonprofit or public sector leader to help make a significant and lasting impact, making doula care and quality maternal health accessible to all across Massachusetts while building an organization that supports those efforts now and for future generations.

About Accompany Doula Care: 

Accompany Doula Care (“Accompany”) is a Massachusetts-based nonprofit (501c3) doula collective working to integrate doula support into healthcare systems to increase access for families who otherwise face barriers to doula support. They have a team of amazing, diverse community doulas who support clients from a variety of backgrounds across Massachusetts. Through their work, they hope to expand access to doula services to birthing people of color and populations most at risk of birth and maternal health inequities.

Accompany Doula Care is different in that they do not currently take private or self-pay doula clients. They work with contracts tailored for healthcare institutions (insurance providers, hospitals, clinics, and others) who primarily serve MassHealth/Medicaid-eligible clients and/or other clients who have high risk factors. All referrals come through these contracts and doula services are provided at no cost to families.

Learn more about the important work that Accompany Doula Care does in Massachusetts at: https://youtu.be/Br0qRolYIx8?si=qFfalhVkYIreUNCn and https://youtu.be/UV_I613Qd4A?si=Hyv8U3wT99mUpefu, as well as their website at Accompany.

About the Executive Director Job:

Accompany Doula Care is looking for an Executive Director to support the growth and sustainability of the organization. This is a full-time position reporting to the Board of Directors.

Since its founding in 2017, Accompany has accomplished an incredible amount in a short period of time – paid contracts with MA healthcare payers allowing its team of outstanding doulas to provide high-impact service to women and birthing people across the state; a key seat and voice at the table for doula policy and advocacy discussions in MA (and nationally); and an important leader in critical doula-related research studies. Internally, the organization consists of a small and committed administrative team and a high-impact, mission driven racially & culturally diverse staff of doulas. Their culture is caring, supportive, collaborative, and equity centered, and values the ability to be both strategic and “roll up your sleeves”.

While there is a strong foundation for the continued execution of their mission and vision, they are at the point where they need a dedicated, full-time Executive Director to support moving the organization to the next stage of development to a sustainable and growth-oriented organization.

Key Responsibilities:

Development & Financial Sustainability: 

  • Develop a fundraising strategy (including annual goals) and engage in fundraising activities in partnership with the Board, staff and external resources as appropriate and explore and steward opportunities for support through local foundations, public funders, and individual donors relevant to the mission. Serve as Accompany’s primary professional fundraiser and strategic relationship manager with key partners and funders, securing the financial resources required for the organization to deliver on its mission and be on a path of long-term sustainability.
  • In cooperation with the Board and Leadership Team, ensure the organization’s fiscal integrity. Develop and monitor annual budget and work with Leadership Team to negotiate and secure annual doula service contracts and amendments to existing contracts and expand into new contracts.
  • Represent Accompany effectively internally and externally, becoming a respected thought partner in the maternal health arena.

Strategic Planning: 

  • In collaboration and with support from the Board and potential consultants, lead Accompany’s strategic planning process for the short and long term to support the strategic vision of the organization and set annual goals to move that work forward.
  • Communicate the vision and strategy for Accompany among relevant internal and external stakeholders.
  • Represent Accompany effectively internally and externally, becoming a respected thought partner in the maternal health arena.

Leadership & Team Management:

  • Lead with a human-centric and collaborative approach, fostering an inclusive, engaging and positive team culture, and building an inclusive environment between the administrative and doula teams. The administrative team currently has five (5) employees and there are twenty-five (25) doulas working through Accompany Doula Care.
  • Responsible for optimizing organizational design in line with strategic goals and hiring additional capacity for the organization (consultants, employees, etc.) as needed.
  • Develop a fundraising strategy (including annual goals) and engage in fundraising activities in partnership with the Board, staff and external resources as appropriate and explore and steward opportunities for support through local foundations, public funders, and individual donors relevant to the mission.
  • Comfortable making decisions balancing both a collaborative approach where input from others is sought while still being comfortable making and implementing decisions in the best interest of the organization’s current and future well-being.

The above is an overview of the primary responsibilities of the Executive Director role, though as a small, entrepreneurial organization with team members wearing many hats, additional responsibilities may be assigned. 

Required Skills and Qualifications:

  • Minimum of 8 years of nonprofit or public sector senior leadership experience, ideally as an entrepreneurial and hands-on administrator at a growth-oriented organization.
  • A best-in-class leader skilled in key areas such as strategic relationship management, project management, leading multiple departments including public-facing and internally facing support teams, strong communication and presentation skills, and someone who is proactive, organized, efficient, and a logical and rigorous thinker.
  • Passion for maternal health, public health, reproductive health, women’s health, women’s rights, gender equality, or social justice strongly preferred.
  • Deep understanding of and direct experience in organizational management and strategic planning strongly desired.
  • Experience managing budgets of, at minimum, $500K.
  • Must be based in Massachusetts and willing to work virtually with periodic in-person meetings across the state. Occasional evenings and weekends may be required, as well as occasional travel required across the state of MA and nationally as needed.
  • Preference for a candidate who has a demonstrated entrepreneurial spirit and experience creating new programs/initiatives and/or helping to significantly grow a nonprofit or public sector organization.
  • Track record of setting strategic goals and aligning resources, human capital, and organizational structures to achieve desired outcomes.
  • Experience supporting and managing diverse teams with a commitment to racial justice and equity. A personal commitment to diversity, equity, justice, inclusion, cultural competency, and a willingness to do the self-work within those areas necessary to exemplify this value to all internal and external stakeholders.
  • Track record of developing and executing diverse fundraising strategies and building the required infrastructure to support organizational sustainability.
  • Experience working with and/or reporting to a nonprofit Board of Directors to effectively provide strategic input and steward financial resources for an organization.
  • Ability to make decisions in collaboration with key stakeholders and create/manage change management processes.
  • Above all, the ideal Executive Director will have all of the above as well as a can-do, “if we can dream it we can do it” attitude to help propel Accompany Doula Care forward.

Additional Information: 

The salary range for the Executive Director is $95,000-$105,000 annually, as well as benefits including health and dental insurance and paid time off.

To Be Considered: 

Accompany Doula Care has partnered with Cindy Joyce of Pillar Search & HR Consulting on the search for the new Executive Director. Qualified candidates are encouraged to submit their resume and cover letter, highlighting experience across the primary responsibilities of the role, to jobs@pillarsearch.com. Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis until final interviews are conducted.

Accompany Doula Care’s Statement on Their Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: “Accompany Doula Care acknowledges the history of structural racism and its impact on maternal/reproductive health and the role that reproductive healthcare organizations (including us) have played in that history. We are committed to improving the birthing experience for all our clients while eliminating inequities caused by racism. At Accompany, we see racial justice as a process, not a destination. Through our relationships, our shared values and much trial and error, we are building a culture of racial justice, and we expect everyone on our team to join in that effort.”