Executive Director

About the Vision

After a season of expanded ministry fruitfulness, financial growth, and overall ministry development, the Executive Director of the Real Life Center (RLC) is ready to retire and pass the baton of ministry to the next leader. The new Executive Director will inherit an organization that has a reputation in the community for generous service to others, a bold gospel witness, robust volunteer engagement, and responsible financial stewardship. They will be tasked with expanding the RLC’s mission of “Showing our neighbors the love of Christ by providing essentials for stable living.”

Though Fayette and Coweta Counties, the primary service area for the RLC, are affluent areas, opportunities to serve those in need are still abundant. Because of generous donors in the church and community, the RLC has healthy cash reserves and plans for new short and long-term initiatives. Due to this, along with a unified staff and support from community, business, and church organizations, the next Executive Director will have significant advantages at his or her disposal to hit the ground running.

About the Organization

Meeting Needs-Sharing Christ. That’s the Real Life Center’s central mandate. The RLC is a compassion-driven ministry in Tyrone, Georgia, offering a hand up rather than a hand out while promoting dignity, value, and hope. Founded by Dogwood Church in 1998, the Center serves individuals and families facing real-life challenges such as job loss, health concerns, family disruption, financial strain, and seasons of personal crisis. Its work extends beyond temporary relief, offering food (including fresh fruit from a 3-acre orchard), financial assistance, job support, life-skills education, spiritual encouragement, and relational accountability. The ministry’s posture is both practical and deeply personal: neighbors helping neighbors with dignity, care, and hope.

As a mission of Dogwood Church, the RLC reflects the church's heart to "Make More and Better Christ-followers Who Love God and Love People.” Dogwood’s culture emphasizes helping people take next steps, find belonging in a church family, growing through God’s Word, and using their gifts to make a difference. That same spirit is visible through the RLC’s staff, volunteers, community partners, orchard, mobile food pantry, classes, chaplaincy, and client services. In a recent yearly snapshot, the Center distributed hundreds of thousands of pounds of food, served thousands of clients, provided nearly $200,000 in rent and utility assistance, and engaged volunteers in more than 12,000 hours of service.

About the Opportunity

A full job description and detailed documentation will be provided during the interview process.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Overall responsibility for the leadership, planning, and management of all operations of the Real Life Center, in accordance with the strategic direction, mission, vision, policies, and practices set forth by the board of directors and leadership of Dogwood Church.
• Oversee all services, including the food pantry and market, mobile food pantry, volunteer coordination, client care, food drives, marketing, educational classes, job coaching, and referral services, Go Deeper initiative, chaplain services, orchard, financial operations, warehouse operations, and special programs.
• Oversee the establishment of annual and long-term financial objectives.
• Oversee the development of new programs and evaluate existing programs to determine efficiencies, inadequacies, and sustainability.
• Provide a strategic vision and direction for the organization to meet client needs.
• Build strong and supportive relationships with civic and non-profit organizations, donors, business, and church partners and volunteers.
• Creatively seek and secure financial support from a wide range of potential funding sources.
• Build and maintain a Christ-centered team to minister to clients and others that we interact with in the church and community.
• Maintain a collaborative and accountable relationship with the board of directors and all Dogwood staff members.
• Serve as senior staff member of Dogwood Church and participate in various initiatives as required aligned with the Dogwood mission, vision, guiding principles and values. 

Qualifications and Requirements:

• Behavioral science, pastoral, or business background experience preferred.
• Excellent computer skills required, including Word and Excel. Experience with other non-profit IT systems such as Network for Good and Charity Tracker a plus.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills along with being comfortable speaking to various audiences in the community regarding the Real Life Center.
• Able to manage time effectively and adapt quickly to changing priorities.
• Spiritual maturity and confidentiality that aid in the exercise of sound judgment and decision-making.
• Comfortable working with challenging client situations.
• Able to perform duties with speed, accuracy, and attention to detail with limited supervision.
• Able to work as a team player and to communicate courteously and with professionalism in all instances.
• Maintain active membership in Dogwood Church.