Executive Director

Career Opportunity 

NAMI North Carolina seeks a collaborative and experienced nonprofit executive to serve as its next Executive Director. The right leader will pair a deep respect for lived experience and grassroots leadership with the operational discipline, emotional intelligence, and strategic vision needed to guide a complex statewide organization. 

The organization has a strong and recognizable mission, a passionate and knowledgeable staff, respected evidence-based programs, an established advocacy voice, and a network of dedicated local affiliates and volunteers. These assets offer a powerful platform for growth and greater statewide impact. 

NAMI North Carolina also has important opportunities to strengthen Board governance, clarify roles, improve communication, and deepen alignment among the Board, staff, affiliates, and volunteer leaders. Building on work already underway, the next Executive Director will help strengthen internal systems and accountability practices while guiding a transparent and inclusive process that honors lessons from the past and moves the organization forward together. 

Mission: NAMI NC provides mental health advocacy, education, support, and public awareness so that all individuals and families can build better lives. 

Reporting Structure: The Executive Director reports to the Board of Directors.  

Total Staff and Budget: 10 staff members and an annual budget of $2.5 million 

Salary: The salary range is $120,000-$140,000. 

Working Environment/Location: The position is based in Raleigh and requires regular in-person leadership and statewide travel. Up to two days of remote work per week may be available. 

 
What Success Will Look Like 

During the first 18–24 months, the next Executive Director will work with the Board, staff, affiliates, and key partners to: 
 

• Build relationships, trust, and alignment. Establish consistent communication, clear expectations, and productive working relationships across the Board, staff, affiliates, peer leaders, and volunteers. 

• Strengthen culture and accountability. Create a workplace where people feel respected and supported, roles and performance expectations are clear, and organizational concerns are addressed constructively and fairly. 

• Advance a shared statewide vision. Translate the organizational vision and 2025-2028 Strategic Plan into measurable priorities that connect state-level advocacy and capacity with affiliate-led community impact. 

• Deepen affiliate partnership. Build on the role-clarification work already underway, strengthen two-way communication, expand practical support, and recognize affiliates and volunteers as essential partners in mission delivery. 

• Improve financial resilience. Strengthen financial oversight and internal systems while diversifying revenue beyond major public funding sources through philanthropy, corporate partnerships, grants, and individual giving. 

• Grow NAMI North Carolina’s influence and reach. Expand the organization’s credibility, partnerships, membership, volunteer leadership, advocacy impact, and ability to serve communities across all 100 counties. 

Key Responsibilities of the Executive Director 

Organizational Leadership, Culture, and Staff Development 

• Lead with integrity, steadiness, and clarity during a period of organizational change. 

• Build a healthy, inclusive, and accountable culture grounded in NAMI’s mission and nondiscrimination commitments. 

• Provide clear direction and appropriate autonomy to a knowledgeable staff team; strengthen supervision, role clarity, performance management, professional development, and cross-team collaboration. 

• Model transparent communication and create safe, effective channels for staff, volunteers, affiliates, and stakeholders to raise concerns and contribute ideas. 

Fundraising, Partnerships, and External Leadership 

• Develop and lead a diversified revenue strategy that includes government funding, foundations, corporate partners, individual donors, sponsorships, membership, and NAMIWalks. 

• Build relationships with funders and partners who share NAMI North Carolina’s commitment to better mental health outcomes. 

• Serve as a compelling and trusted public representative of NAMI North Carolina across the state. 

• Strengthen relationships with NAMI National and peer state organizations while identifying opportunities for joint learning and advocacy. 
   

Affiliate, Volunteer, and Peer Leadership Partnership 

• Build strong, trusting relationships with local affiliates and understand their diverse capacities, communities, and needs. 

• Build on role-clarification efforts to reinforce the distinct and complementary roles of NAMI North Carolina, local affiliates, NAMI National, the Affiliate Leadership Forum, and the Peer Leadership Council. 

• Create reliable two-way communication and meaningful opportunities for affiliates to shape statewide priorities, share practices, and collaborate. 

• Ensure volunteers, peer leaders, and people with lived experience are valued as central to NAMI’s mission. 

• Strengthen affiliate capacity through training, technical assistance, grants, shared resources, and leadership development. 

Strategy, Programs, Advocacy, and Impact 

• Guide implementation and ongoing refinement of the 2025–2028 Strategic Plan, translating vision into clear goals, ownership, timelines, and measures of success. 

• Protect the quality and fidelity of NAMI’s nationally recognized education, support, and awareness programs while expanding access and reach. 

• Lead NAMI North Carolina’s implementation of and ongoing alignment with NAMI National’s Standards of Excellence. 

• Advance a strong public policy agenda and serve as a credible statewide voice with policymakers, state agencies, funders, providers, and community partners. 

• Ensure that equity, cultural competence, and the experiences of people living with mental health conditions and their families shape organizational decisions. 

Governance, Finance, and Operations 

• Partner with the Board to establish healthy governance practices, clear boundaries, and timely decision-making. 

• Provide the Board with accurate, timely, and forward-looking financial and organizational information. 

• Oversee budgeting, cash flow, grants and contracts, risk management, compliance, human resources, and organizational policies. 

• Strengthen internal controls, contracting and approval practices, documentation, and consistent operating procedures. 

• Ensure that staffing and infrastructure are appropriately aligned with organizational priorities and available resources. 

 
The Ideal Candidate 

The ideal candidate will be a seasoned, mission-driven nonprofit leader who combines strong relationship-building skills with operational discipline and the ability to lead through complexity. They will bring: 

• Significant senior-level nonprofit leadership experience, including responsibility for staff, finances, programs, and organizational performance.  

• Demonstrated success strengthening organizational culture, building trust, and creating accountability.  

• Experience developing productive relationships with a governing board and clarifying the distinct roles of governance and management.  

• Strong financial management skills, including budgeting, financial reporting, grants, contracts, compliance, and internal controls.  

• A successful record of fundraising, revenue diversification, and external partnership development.  

• Experience working with affiliates, chapters, members, volunteers, or other distributed networks.  

• Exceptional communication, emotional intelligence, conflict-management skills, and sound judgment and the ability to navigate differing perspectives.  

• A commitment to equity, cultural competence, and ensuring lived experience informs organizational decisions.  

• A genuine connection to NAMI’s mission and respect for individuals living with mental health conditions, families, caregivers, volunteers, and peer leaders.  

• Knowledge of North Carolina’s mental health landscape or the ability to learn NAMI’s programs, structure, and policy environment quickly. 

• Bachelors degree required, Masters degree preferred.  

About NAMI North Carolina 

NAMI North Carolina began in 1983 when families and professionals came together to create a statewide alliance for people affected by mental illness. More than 40 years later, the organization works with local affiliates, volunteers, peer leaders, families, and partners across North Carolina to provide advocacy, education, support, and public awareness. 

NAMI North Carolina offers free education programs and support groups, operates a statewide Helpline, develops public policy priorities, supports grassroots advocacy, strengthens local affiliates, and raises public awareness through initiatives including NAMIWalks and statewide conferences. Its work is grounded in the belief that people affected by mental health conditions can live healthy and fulfilling lives—and that lived experience must remain central to the movement. 

 
Want to know more? Visit naminc.org.