Deputy Director

TaskForce Prevention and Community Services•Chicago, IL

1d•$130,000 - $150,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Deputy Director is the organization’s senior operational leader, charged with bringing strategy to life across all functions. As the Executive Director’s chief internal partner, this role provides decisive leadership in managing operations, coaching and supporting program leaders, fostering cross-team collaboration, and building the systems needed to sustain growth and respond to real-world challenges. This position exists because TaskForce is evolving. As the organization grows in scale, urgency, and impact, it requires a dedicated senior leader to strengthen systems, coach leaders, and ensure that execution, staff experience, and mission alignment remain strong. The Deputy Director enables the Executive Director to focus on fundraising, strategy, and external relationships by ensuring that the internal organization is aligned, well-run, and resilient. While primarily internal-facing, the role may represent the organization externally when appropriate.

Requirements

Minimum of five years of relevant experience required, with a strong preference for candidates bringing eight to ten years and a proven record of delivering measurable results.
Experience in nonprofit program development and management.
Proven people leader, ideally with experience managing managers.
Experience operating in fast-paced, high-stakes, or complex service environments.
Experience leading through organizational growth, change, or complexity.
Strong people leadership and coaching skills.
Systems thinking and the ability to design workflows that reduce friction.
Project management and organizational discipline.
Comfort with ambiguity and competing priorities.
Ability to anticipate risk and plan ahead.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
High judgment, emotional intelligence, and discretion with sensitive information.
Ability to hold complexity without becoming reactive.
Deep commitment to equity, mission alignment, and values-based leadership.
Hybrid role with regular on-site presence required to support staff, observe program operations, and respond to real-time issues.
Fast-paced, high-volume nonprofit environment.
Occasional evenings or weekends as needed.
On-call availability during critical incidents may be required.

Nice To Haves

An advanced degree is preferred.
Relevant fields include public health, psychology, social work, or related social sciences.
Experience working with LGBTQ communities and culturally responsive practice strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary strategic thought partner to the Executive Director, translating vision, priorities, and strategy into execution.
Act on behalf of the Executive Director in internal decision-making and representation when appropriate.
Balance long-term planning with near-term operational realities in a fast-moving environment.
Coach and support program leaders to strengthen program quality, people management, and day-to-day problem-solving.
Develop managers and senior staff through feedback, accountability, training, and professional growth.
Build leadership capacity across the organization, including among junior team members.
Drive cross-departmental alignment across programs, communications, and evaluation, fostering collaboration and improving organizational execution.
Translate organizational urgency into clear, written processes and systems that promote consistency, accountability, and staff satisfaction.
Design and strengthen cross-team workflows that improve coordination and follow-through.
Serve as the primary internal lead for crisis and incident response involving participant or staff safety.
Coordinate cross-team response, documentation, communication, and follow-up during and after incidents.
Ensure post-incident learning translates into updated SOPs, training, and operational improvements.
Review, organize, and strengthen SOPs and policies, particularly those tied to participant and staff safety.
Ensure SOPs are centralized, current, and supported by training and walkthroughs, with emphasis on real-world application.
Identify and address policy gaps, with attention to how supervision structures and decision-making processes may unintentionally replicate harm or inequity.
Support organizational compliance and forward-looking planning, including key 501(c)(3) requirements and timely reporting.
Partner with the evaluation function to support strong data flow, impact thinking, and learning.
Serve as a credible thought partner who understands evaluation methodologies and can co-create and challenge approaches thoughtfully.
Support movement beyond counts and utilization toward understanding impact on quality of life and social determinants of health.