Current opportunities.
The following executive searches are currently underway. Please click on the link to learn more.
Chief Executive Officer – New Hampshire Medical Society
Executive Director – The Alliance for Addiction and Mental Health Services Maine
Executive Director – Northeast Hearing & Speech
You don’t have to go it alone
The right choice in hiring your next executive leader can make your organization; the wrong choice can break it. It’s a daunting responsibility no board can afford to shirk. Some boards have the expertise and members willing to commit the necessary time to manage an executive search, but others benefit greatly from the support of a search consultant. In determining whether you need help managing your nonprofit executive search, carefully consider the time commitment required to maximize your professional network, reach-out to potential candidates, sift application materials, schedule interviews, conduct reference checks and communicate with applicants–and the skill set required.
Effectively managing a nonprofit executive search process takes time and a level of expertise that most individuals, boards, and organizations don’t have. Even fewer have the active professional networks from which to draw the kinds of leaders they really need—successful professionals who aren’t job hunting and might remain unaware of your opportunity. There are rarely any shortcuts to finding a highly qualified leader, and too much rests on getting it right the first time. You don’t want to repeat the process again anytime soon!
You also want your executive search to reflect well on your organization. A search process that drags on and on or fails to communicate with applicants in a timely manner will turn-off qualified candidates and send the wrong message at a time when you can least afford it. Keeping a search process on track and on time, with appropriate attention to detail, takes real focus. It is what we do, and we do it very well.
Our approach to executive search
Every executive search is different, and you can count on us to tailor a process to meet your unique needs, but we are prepared to provide the following:
Define the search criteria –We will meet with your board, your staff, and other key leaders to get to know your organization and learn what you’re seeking in your next leader. We will work with the board or the search committee to link their shared vision for the organization’s future to the development of a leadership statement to share with prospective applicants and guide the selection process.
Develop the strategy – Depending upon your requirements, we can employ a nonprofit executive search strategy that has a regional focus or that can be national in scope. In addition to developing an advertising and social media strategy that meets your needs, we will immediately activate our own referral networks to generate interest among qualified candidates who are not currently looking.
Evaluate and present candidates – Using the criteria we help you develop, we will identify those candidates whose leadership styles and accomplishments appear to match your needs, conduct evaluation interviews with the most promising candidates to assess their potential for success within your organization and ensure their serious interest.
Support during interviews – Once the candidates to be interviewed by the search committee have been selected, we will coordinate the details of the preliminary and follow-up interviews, helping you to narrow the search to a small number of finalists. We will help you optimize your time with each candidate to gain meaningful information and will offer advice and guidance based on our extensive experience.
Manage communication – As your executive search consultants, we will become your representative with potential candidates, fielding all inquiries and providing timely updates on the process. We ensure that every applicant is treated with respect, and we assist you in developing communications strategies that will keep your various constituencies appropriately informed.
Credential and reference checks – We will verify the accuracy of the credentials and employment history of the finalists and conduct formal reference checks.
Navigate speed bumps – We will help you navigate the challenges that emerge during an executive search—internal candidates, employees who expect to get a “vote” in the selection process, board members who want to apply, the development of exit agreements, or conflicts over compensation expectations—to keep your search positive and on track.
Offer of employment – Once you decide to extend an offer, we can assist you in preparing and negotiating a compensation package.
Supporting a successful launch – We don’t believe our work ends with acceptance of the position. We are prepared to assist in your business transition planning to help your new leader get off to a successful start.
We have developed a variety of resources and written extensively about leadership transitions and executive search, and you will find several articles and blog posts in the Starboard Blog section of our website.
Plan for the inevitable
Leadership turnover is inevitable in any organization, but it is not inevitable that it has to be traumatic or debilitating. Organizations that have engaged in succession planning, or business transition planning, rarely ask, “What do we do now?” Instead, when faced with a leadership transition, they say, “We have a plan.” Read more about succession planning here.
Completed searches
Starboard has proudly partnered with dozens of nonprofits across Maine to find exceptional leaders to advance their missions, including:
- Acadia Family Center
- Boothbay Railway Village
- Castine Historical Society
- Challenger Learning Center
- Charlotte White Center
- Cole Family Foundation
- Community Bicycle Center
- Community Concepts, Inc.
- Cultivating Community
- Dietel Partners
- Eastern Maine Community College Foundation
- Eastern Maine Development Corporation
- EqualityMaine
- Four Directions Development
- Frances Perkins Center
- Greater Portland Landmarks
- Habitat for Humanity of Greater Portland
- Island Nursing Home and Care Center
- Ketcha Outdoors
- LearningWorks
- Maine Association for Charter Schools
- Maine Cancer Foundation
- Maine Children’s Home
- Maine Coast Heritage Trust
- Maine Health Care Association
- Maine Medical Association
- Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners
- Maine Philanthropy Center
- Maine Restaurant and Maine Innkeepers Associations
- Maine Tourism Association
- Midcoast Maine Community Action
- Northeast Historic Film
- Penobscot Theatre Company
- Safe Voices
- SPCA of Hancock County
- Spectrum Generations
- The Cobscook Community Learning Center
- UCP of Maine
- United Way of York County
- Waldo Community Action Partners
Let’s talk
Our clients can count on us to begin every project with a conversation—a conversation that helps us to understand your unique needs and consider how best to assist you. Call now (207) 992-4406 to begin the conversation and learn more. All initial consultations are free of charge.
