For the past two decades The North American Association of Christians in Social Work (NACSW) has been led by Executive Director, Rick Chamiec-Case, who has exemplified the values of our social work profession and Christian faith. As Rick prepares for retirement and new callings, NACSW is seeking a new Executive Director to lead this organization and support Christians in the field of social work. This is a unique opportunity to guide the future of an organization that is committed to the rich diversity of Christian denominations and traditions, as we pursue our mission to equip our members to integrate Christian faith and professional social work practice. NACSW’s Christian identity and Statement of Faith and Practice statement can be found at: https://www.nacsw.org/about-nacsw/mission/.
The ideal Executive Director candidate would have experience in organizational management at the macro level, proven skills to listen thoughtfully to diverse views of the Christian social work tradition, and a commitment to diversity and inclusion. Because NACSW represents a wide array of Christian faith perspectives, the Executive Director we seek would possess an uncommon ability to unite social workers in a membership organization committed to the unity of Christian practitioners from a broad spectrum of Christian faith expression. This requires a grasp of both the historic Christian faith and a broad knowledge of social work practices.
To fulfill our mission, NACSW offers a wide range of services and benefits to its 1,000+ individual and organizational members, who come from most of the 50 states in the US and many of the provinces in Canada. The members of NACSW represent a rich diversity of Christian denominations, faith traditions, and cultural backgrounds. In addition to being a fellowship of Christians in social work, NACSW produces a scholarly journal called Social Work & Christianity, publishes academic texts to support Social Work education through the integration of Christian faith principles, and serves as a leading source of professional and continuing education for Christians in social work.
Core Challenges
NACSW’s board recognizes the importance of our work as an association within our profession and culture, and is identifying these key areas our next leader will be called to lead the association.
- Promoting unity among Christian social workers
- Ability to connect with emerging leaders in the social work profession
- Addressing the challenges of racism and need for equity within our association, profession, and culture
- Reflect the diversity of our body, promote justice, and be a champion for inclusivity and diversity in our association and the social work profession.
- Upholding biblical truth and social justice
- Advocating for the relevance of Christian faith in the social work profession
- Equipping Christian social workers to be strong in their faith and effective in their social work practice
- Redefining the role of a professional association in the lives of Christians in social work in North America
Performance Objectives
The successful executive director will deliver outstanding outcomes while successfully addressing the following in the first year in the position:
- Communicate and advocate for NACSW's core values and future aspirations of the organization within and outside of the membership. Educate members about the roots of the organization as a basis for growth and future sustainability
- Lead NACSW’s transition to a new revenue generation model that includes grant writing, personal giving, increasing membership, transitioning traditional publishing and training formats from print media and in-person conferences to successful virtual and electronic formats
- Facilitate and support healthy communication between all internal and external stakeholders of the organization: Board, Staff, partners, and the public at large in addressing core challenges of our culture and association membership
- Promote organizational growth and sustainability through competent financial management and operational excellence
- Cast a vision for NACSW to preserve unity amidst societal change around racism and inclusion from a biblical lens that upholds the dignity and voice of those who have historically been marginalized and disenfranchised
- Enhance the reputation of NACSW by collaboration and advocacy efforts in the professional and educational spaces that NACSW members occupy
Requirements
- Educational Requirement: The minimum requirement for this position would be a Master of Social Work or its equivalent.
- Employment Experience: A minimum of three years of senior level social work leadership, with a preference for academic, association, church leadership, and/or human service leadership experience.
- Compensation: Annual Salary for the position will be $82,500. Benefits include availability of health insurance and retirement benefits.
The corporate address and physical offices of NACSW are located at Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, IL. Because the association serves social workers across North America, association staff work virtually which offers a choice of work address for the incoming executive director. Semi-annual Board meetings and annual conferences for the association require periodic travel around the United States.
Interested candidates should submit a letter of intent and a resume/curriculum vitae to: edsearch@nacsw.org.
Inquiries about the position and organization would be welcomed. Our board president, Kevin Brown, can be reached at: 610-341-5876 and at Kevin.Brown@eastern.edu for additional information.
Applications will be accepted until June 30, 2021. Following review of applications, interviews are expected to be scheduled between May and July 2021. We anticipate the start date for the new executive director to be in the fall of 2021, with Rick’s retirement occurring at the end of December 2021.
