Vice President, Program Operations

Organization Overview: AspireAspire’s mission is to connect people with disabilities to ever-greater possibilities for learning, jobs, and safe places to call home.Since 1960, Aspire, a non-profit organization, has been providing services and support for people with disabilities. Aspire provides 24/7 services to 300 adults with disabilities across 23 community homes in Lake and Cook Counties and two Academies (Hillside and Waukegan, IL), including innovative services to help adults with disabilities develop the necessary skills to live a full and rewarding life.8 in 10 people with disabilities are unemployed. 85% of people with disabilities live in poverty.Aspire addresses these challenges with a host of services including:Learning: Dance. Art. Exercise. Social skill building. Computer training. Community involvement. Our daytime learning programs help create new possibilities. Virtual program opportunities are available to accommodate a variety of needs and circumstances.Living: Experience is life’s greatest teacher. So, experiences are what our Living programs offer. Options include homes shared with friends in the community or support as people explore living on their own, which helps people build confidence, interact with others, and thrive.Working: Many adults with disabilities also want to advance in the workforce. Aspire offers job skills training and placement programs to achieve competitive employment.Aspire’s Employment Training Program: Distribution: A ten-week training program in a simulated warehouse environment, followed by an eight-week paid internship designed to provide the necessary skills for people with disabilities to secure competitive employment at one of Aspire’s warehouse partners.CoffeeWorks: In partnership with Metropolis Coffee Company and Canteen-Vending, adults with and without disabilities work side by side to make freshly roasted coffee that is sold to businesses across Chicagoland and to coffee consumers who purchase from the website.These programs work. 91% of people who enter Aspire’s job support program are placed into jobs, and 94% of people who are placed in jobs are retained for at least 12 months.To learn more about Aspire and their services, please visit their website.Role Summary: VP, Program OperationsThe Vice President, Program Operations, serves as the enterprise leader responsible for the performance, quality, and compliance of Aspire’s core programs, including Residential Services, Academies, Clinical Services, and Nursing. Reporting directly to the Chief Program Officer (CPO), this role ensures that all programs operate with quality, consistency, excellence, and accountability across a multi-site, decentralized service delivery model.This leader is accountable for driving operational rigor, mitigating risk, ensuring regulatory compliance, and delivering high-quality, person-centered services at scale. The VP, Program Operations, establishes and enforces performance standards, leads continuous improvement efforts, and ensures that programs are aligned with Aspire’s strategic priorities and values. Central to this role is equipping and empowering the leadership team with the tools, accountability, and support needed to deliver exceptional experiences for the people we support, their families, and our team members, fostering a culture of excellence, compassion, and high performance.The VP, Program Operations works in close partnership with the Chief Program Officer, elevating key risks, trends, and opportunities, and collaborating on strategic decisions impacting program performance, effectiveness, and sustainability. This role also partners closely with the VP, Program Innovation, to transition new programs into sustainable, high-performing operations. The VP, Program Operations 4-6 direct reports, and is responsible for a $19M budget and a department of over 200 team members.Key Responsibilities Include:Enterprise Operations Leadership:Provide executive leadership and oversight of Residential Services, Academies, Clinical Services and Nursing across all sites.Ensure consistent, high-quality service delivery through standardized operating models, policies, and procedures.Maintain strong field presence through structured site engagement, ensuring alignment between strategy and execution.Lead regular operational reviews with program leaders to assess performance, address challenges, and drive accountability.Support the preparation of grant applications and reports by providing input, preparing required documentation, and ensuring grant outcomes are tracked and met.Partner with Admissions, Development, and program leaders to drive census growth across Residential and Academy services.Financial & Performance Management:Ensure policies, procedures, and systems are in place to maintain a safe and nurturing environment for all people supported and team members.Establish and maintain performance management systems, including performance goals, dashboards, and site-level scorecards.Monitor and analyze program performance data to identify trends, risks, and opportunities, and provide regular, data-driven insights and recommendations to the Chief Program Officer and executive leadership.Oversee financial performance of core programs, including budget development, forecasting and variance management.Optimize cost structures, including labor models and staffing strategies, to ensure financial sustainability while maintaining quality outcomes.Workforce Strategy & Culture:Develop and implement workforce strategies to ensure staffing stability, leadership development, and high team member engagement across all program areas.Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement aligned with Aspire’s values, leadership principles, team norms and behaviors. Champion continuous learning through coaching, mentorship, and targeted development plans.Drive a high-performing, inclusive team culture by setting clear expectations, providing regular feedback, and investing in the growth and development of leaders and all team members.Serve as a key liaison with union representatives, addressing operational issues throughout the year.Quality, Risk & Compliance LeadershipServe as the executive owner of core program quality, risk management, and regulatory compliance.Partner with the Chief People and Experience Officer to assess, investigate, and respond to allegations raised by internal and external stakeholders, ensuring timely resolution while mitigating organizational, legal, and reputational risk.Ensure all programs meet or exceed local, state, and federal regulations, accreditation standards, and clinical requirements.Oversee systems for incident management, investigation, and trend analysis to proactively mitigate risk.Partner with Director, Quality Assurance to ensure organizational readiness for audits, inspections, and regulatory reviews and to drive corrective action planning and systemic improvements to address identified risks or deficiencies.Cross-Functional & Executive CollaborationServe as a key member of the program leadership team, working in close partnership with the Chief Program Officer on strategic and operational priorities.Elevate critical risks, performance issues, and strategic opportunities to the CPO in a timely manner.Collaborate with the VP, Program Innovation to successfully transition new programs from pilot to sustainable operations.Partner with the support teams (Finance, People, Facilities, and Development) to ensure alignment and operational success.Represent Aspire in interactions with regulators, funders, and external stakeholders as needed.Clinical Services and Nursing SupportOversee the Clinical Services team to ensure comprehensive clinical and behavioral assessments and develop individualized, person-centered service plans that align with organizational standards and regulatory requirements.Ensure coordination with medical providers, interdisciplinary team members, and families to support individuals’ overall health, wellness, and continuity of care.Ensure crisis prevention, intervention, and follow-up support, including development of risk mitigation strategies and review of incidents to improve outcomes.Provide strategic oversight and performance management of the outsourced nursing consulting provider, ensuring alignment with organizational goals, clinical quality standards, regulatory requirements, and contract expectations.Location, Compensation and BenefitsAspire has three primary locations with 22 community homes (and growing) serving the Chicagoland area and southern Wisconsin. Their Central Administrative Office is at 1815 South Wolf Road in Hillside, Illinois. This is a hybrid role, in office/ at program sites 4 days a week.The salary range for this role is $110,000 – $130,000, commensurate with experience and qualifications. Aspire offers a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, and vision insurance, life and disability coverage, a retirement plan with employer contributions, paid time off and holidays, and other employee support programs that foster balance and well-being.About Maneva GroupManeva Group is a leading woman and minority owned executive search firm dedicated to connecting exceptional talent with organizations committed to making a meaningful impact. Through a consultative and client-focused approach, Maneva Group partners with mission-driven organizations to build transformative leadership teams.Our name, Maneva, comes from the combination of two Sanskrit words: “Mānav” meaning mankind & “Sevā” meaning service. We are driven by the ideal of our name - service to humanity.