Reilly & Associates

Back to Index of Position Descriptions...

Position Description – Executive Director, Hospice of the Valley

Hospice of the Valley, located in San Jose California, is a prestigious, highly respected and visible, community-based, not-for-profit public benefit, Medicare Certified, and state licensed hospice serving Santa Clara County. Hospice of the Valley is the oldest non-profit, non-sectarian home care program in the area and has served many thousands of residents of Santa Clara County since 1979. Hospice of the Valley provides hospice care “as hospice care is meant to be done”. The organization offers high quality professional home care to support terminally ill patients and their families before, during and after the death of a loved one. Hospice of the Valley provides physical, emotional and spiritual support and comfort when a cure is no longer an option. Individuals can spend their final days with love and dignity. Hospice also supports loved ones by offering a Bereavement Program following the patient's death for a period of 13 months as well as a Community Grief Center to serve loved ones of community members who did not receive Hospice of the Valley care.

Organization

Hospice of the Valley has annual revenues in excess of $2 MM per year. Revenues are derived from third party payers such as Medicare, MediCal, private insurance and direct patient fees, as well as grants and donations, which represent one-third of annual revenues. The agency operates at a positive operating margin, and holds an excellent level of cash reserves that support its level of quality service and the caring and passionate delivery of a wide range of services. The agency includes 47 (26 FTE’s) paid employees, and 60 volunteers.

The long-term strategic goal of the agency is first and foremost to continue to provide the highest levels of hospice services, while improving the financial profile of Hospice of the Valley. Growth for the sake of growth is not a strategic imperative; however, the Executive Director will evaluate the market and present strategic options that are important for the Board to consider.

Organizational Structure

The direct reports to the Executive Director include: a) Director of Quality Improvement, b) Medical Director who is well known and highly respected, c) Director of Clinical Operations, who is responsible for all clinical functions including 14 nurses the majority of whom are part-time, a dietician, four home health aides, a Medical Records Administrator, and a lead social worker who supervises four social workers and a chaplain, d) Director of Finance who supervises an Insurance Coordinator , e) Director of Volunteer Services who manages 60 volunteers, f) Development Director who supervises a Development Assistant, g) Director of Bereavement who supervises a part-time counselor and assistant, h) part-time Community Education Liaison and part-time Clinical Outreach Manager and i) Administrative Assistant who supervises an IS Administrator and a Secretary. The agency is also served by the Service League, an auxiliary community fundraising and community outreach organization solely dedicated to HOV.

Reporting Relationship

The position of Executive Director reports to the Board of Directors.

Responsibilities

Formulates, recommends and reviews policies and procedures (administrative and patient care) for Board approval.
Prepares annual operating budget recommendation and is responsible for the management of the operational financial matters of the agency.
Responsible for maintaining and securing contractual agreements with outside agencies on behalf of Hospice of the Valley, and for meeting all legal requirements and obligations.
Responsible for development and implementation of third party reimbursement mechanisms and procedures.
Oversees a broad-based fund development program.
Has overall responsibility for maintaining proper medical, nursing and business records.
Supervises the management of all agency personnel (professional and lay, salaried and volunteer), including development of job descriptions, recruitment and employment, assignments and dismissals.
Provides for appropriate physical surroundings to ensure a proper Hospice setting.
Represents Hospice of the Valley professionally and interprets the organization’s operations and programs to the community by, a) working with public and private agencies, institutions and government entities; b) attending local, state and national meetings as a Hospice of the Valley representative; and c) supervising the agencies public relations program.
Has responsibility for the continued growth in a well developed Fund Development which has shown significant growth in the last several years.
Coordinates the Speakers Bureau, composed of volunteers who do public speaking in the community to increase the agency’s reputation and future patient referrals.
Supervises and leads information technology projects to increase productivity, efficacy and quality of care. In particular the agency needs improve its current financial applications and meld those systems together to ensure continued financial integrity in a more efficient manner.

Required Experience and Education

The successful candidate will have as a minimum, a Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Nursing, Social Work, or other related fields. Experience in not-for-profit organizations will be a plus. A minimum of one year of supervisory or administrative experience in hospice or related health care service and be qualified in one of the health professions; or (2) Preparation and a minimum of one year of experience in health services administration or the administrator may be a supervising physician or the director of patient care services."

The Executive Director will be a seasoned knowledgeable executive with demonstrated success in the operation of a Hospice, or related healthcare delivery experience, a healthcare service background is a must. It is preferable that he or she will have general management as their most recent experience, with overall responsibility for the financial management of day-to-day operations.

The successful candidate will have demonstrated strong leadership, management, financial, and interpersonal experience and skills. Previous fundraising, business development and operational experiences are highly desirable. He or she will have proven success in contracting, opening negotiations, and gaining contracts with payors, or healthcare delivery organizations. Additionally, a demonstrated skill in negotiations and completion of effective business agreements is a must.

As Hospice of the Valley is poised to move to a higher level, it is imperative that the successful candidate is first and foremost a proven leader. He or she will, in terms of both written and oral skills, be a superb communicator and have the style of a diplomat, i.e., able to influence and build consensus amongst the staff, volunteers and the Board of Directors. The Executive Director will be a person who possesses a strong work ethic, rejects setbacks and values accomplishments highly. An action-oriented personality that deals with specifics within a broad conceptual framework will be most effective in this position.

Personal Characteristics

The successful candidate will have an appropriate sense of urgency that allows him or her to react to situations quickly and decisively. A nonpolitical "speak your mind" approach will work most effectively with the organization’s culture.

The successful candidate will be an advocate for the quality of care and will be in sync with the staff and volunteers. The Executive Director will be able implement change while being sensitive to staff and volunteer feedback. In order to affect positive improvement, the process of change implementation needs to be done in a manner where the staff feels a sense of ownership. His or her management and communications skills and style will be paramount to the success of the agency and the success of the successful candidate.

The Executive Director needs to be an excellent communicator. He or she needs to be the fulcrum between the staff and the Board to ensure that changes and new strategies are represented to all parties in an open and positive fashion.

Hospice of the Valley is a special organization that has found its way to the heart of the community, as well as its management, the paid and volunteer staff and the Board of Directors. They are bound together by a time proven bond of collaboration, cohesion and extraordinary levels of deeply committed support. Hospice of the Valley’s passionate commitment to its patients and their loved ones creates an energy, that many have described as “being able to touch and feel”. All functions of the organization consistently operate in a spirit of teamwork, mutual respect and dedication. Besides the excellent internal dynamics of the organization, its high visibility and respect of the community and community leaders is reflected in the success of the Fund Development Program and the high level of volunteer involvement.

This opportunity as Executive Director will provide the successful candidate a platform in which to interact with top caliber individuals in their field, be a part of one of the most prestigious hospice organizations in Northern California and be a highly visible person in the community, while providing levels of support and care at the level that Hospice is meant to be.

The successful candidate will be a dedicated individual, who will thrive on working in harmony and concert with all the cross-functional groups within the agency which share a single-minded purpose, “the patients and loved ones come first”.

Compensation

Compensation is commensurate with the experience and accomplishments the successful candidate possesses. Standard health insurance programs and a deferred compensation program are part of the compensation package.

Contact

The Executive Search Firm, Reilly & Associates, has been retained by the Hospice of the Valley. Please direct all inquires to:
Bob Reilly - bob@reilly-search.com
Reilly & Associates
703 Alsace Lorraine Ave.
Half Moon Bay, CA 94019
Office: 650-726-2199
Fax: 650-712-8028
www.reilly-search.com