Down East Partnership for Children
www.DEPC.org
Position Profile: Executive Director
Rocky Mount, NC
About Down East Partnership for Children:
The Down East Partnership for Children (DEPC) is committed to launching every child in Nash and Edgecombe Counties as a healthy, lifelong learner. By strategically investing in the education system and surrounding children 0-8 and their families with a coordinated network of resources, together DEPC and our communities can give children the very best opportunities they need to grow and learn.
We connect parents to programs and services, improve early childhood classroom quality and safety, and unite partners across the Twin Counties to build a stronger system for every child and the adults that care for them. At DEPC, we are wherever kids are, from living rooms and playgrounds to community spaces.
Because today’s children are tomorrow’s leaders, parents and workers, DEPC believes everyone has a stake in making sure that all children have the experiences they need to thrive.
About the Position:
The DEPC Executive Director serves as the chief executive and mission champion for the organization, working with the Board of Directors to identify the strategic direction and develop appropriate goals and objectives to ensure organizational excellence. The Executive Director makes decisions and aligns resources to ensure measurable, long-term impact for children and families.
A deeply rooted community builder who acts as an ambassador, boundary-spanner and system-builder, works across sectors to center family voice, and builds durable partnerships that bridge the Twin County region, the Executive Director will be a resilient and strategic servant leader dedicated to DEPC’s mission and the community it serves. They will shape and invigorate the organization with innovative ideas and new leadership habits, modern organizational systems and practices, and an organizational culture of autonomy, care, and resilience. The Executive Director will be an adaptive problem-solver who can maintain unwavering hopefulness while making difficult decisions to ensure organizational sustainability.
The following skills and abilities will be the most critical for DEPC’s next Executive Director:
- Complex Financial Stewardship: The leader must be able to manage a complex $6.5 million to $8 million budget comprised of multiple programs and funding sources with different restrictions and rules.
- Change Management and Restructuring: The successor will bring proven experience reorganizing and rebuilding an organization, evaluating and restructuring legacy programs, modernizing systems, and finding new ways to support the resilience and well-being of staff.
- Fundraising and Resource Diversification: Addressing a critical need, the next leader will broaden funding sources beyond government grants, attract private donors, and build a sizeable endowment.
- Resilience and Crisis Leadership: The leader will have the resilience to withstand prolonged organizational stress and the capacity to keep staff morale uplifted during constant change.
- Relationship Building and Community Trust: Succeeding an Executive Director with 30-year legacy will require the new leader to build trust, cultivate new partnerships, and establish immediate credibility with community partners.
- Strategic Systems Thinking: The leader must be a "big picture" thinker who understands how DEPC’s early childhood mission connects to broader social and economic issues, balancing this "systems lens" with a grasp of day-to-day operational details.
- Empowerment through Delegation: A key priority is a leader who avoids micromanagement, trusts the expertise and leadership ability of staff, and can delegate responsibility.
- Cultural and Geographic Competence: The next leader needs a deep appreciation for rural Eastern North Carolina and the curiosity and humbleness to learn about the unique racial and economic dynamic of the Twin Counties and avoid imposing "metropolitan solutions" on rural contexts.
Qualifications:
In addition to having mastered the skills and abilities listed above, the Executive Director must have:
- Bachelor’s degree (graduate degree preferred) in business administration or related business field, public administration, public policy, education, or human services-related field.
- A minimum of five years of experience in management and financial administration with at least three years of supervisory experience.
Additional Key Competencies:
- Nonprofit or state government financial administration and management, including responsibility for developing and managing diversified sources of funding (e.g., federal, State, local, private) and responsibility for regulatory compliance.
- Managing early childhood programs.
- Working with and convening diverse stakeholders for community impact.
- Nonprofit board governance and working with governing boards.
- Fundraising and grant writing experience for the nonprofit sector.
To Apply
Please send your resume, cover letter, and contact information for 3-5 professional references to:
Your cover letter is an opportunity to share why you're passionate about this mission and how your experience aligns with the role. Applications will be reviewed as they are submitted, beginning July 17, 2026. Early submission is encouraged.
The target hiring salary for this position is $110,000. DEPC offers a generous, comprehensive benefits package for full-time employees valued at 17% of the employee’s salary. The anticipated start date is by November 1, 2026.