Covenant Retirement Communities CFO and CEO Search Opportunity Profile

OPPORTUNITY PROFILE
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER and CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
Chicago, Illinois (Skokie)

INTRODUCTION
Are you motivated by your Christian faith to celebrate God’s gift of life in Christian
community; to love and serve God and one another as taught by Jesus Christ in the
Great Commandment?
Are you compelled to affirm the dignity of each person and to pursue excellence
and financial integrity in all that you do?
Covenant Retirement Communities is the nation’s sixth largest not-for-profit senior
services provider. The organization traces its roots to the Home of Mercy in Chicago,
which opened in 1886 as the founding ministry of a church of Swedish immigrants.
It was an old-age home, an orphanage, and a hospital.
Now, more than a century later, Covenant Retirement Communities has expanded
to 15 senior living communities located in 10 states. We offer residential living,
catered living, assisted living, skilled nursing, and memory care. Also, we have three
agencies providing home health, home care, and hospice services to seniors in
Chicagoland, Turlock, California and Denver, Colorado.
As CRC continues to evolve to meet the needs of new generations of seniors and
their families, as a faith-based organization, we remain steadfast in our guiding
faith and our commitment to providing exemplary services, programming, and
world-class amenities.

OUR MISSION
As a ministry of the Evangelical Covenant Church,
Covenant Retirement Communities celebrates God’s
gift of life in Christian community. We follow the Great
Commandment to love and serve God and one another
as taught by Jesus Christ. That compels us to affirm the
dignity of each person and to pursue excellence and
financial integrity in all that we do.
As we provide a broad range of resources, services and programs to enhance
individual and community wellness, we collaborate with residents and families to
achieve the best possible results. While seeking to foster independence, we respond
to each individual’s evolving needs in order to provide the security that assures
peace of mind.
The successful candidates for the positions of Chief Financial Officer and Chief
Operating Officer will demonstrate significant experience in leading complex
organizations and have professional expertise in a mixture of strategy development
and execution, cross-function collaboration, change management and the ability
to develop strong working relationships with the leadership team and other
constituents.
Experience in senior living or the continuing care retirement community sector
would be helpful but not essential.
If our mission and the opportunity to continue your career in this type of organization
resonates with you, we invite you to continue to explore these opportunities.

POSITION SPECIFICATION
These positions call for highly gifted and credible leaders; committed
Christians, with a demonstrated career track record of integrity, positive
organizational impact and functional excellence.
Covenant Retirement Communities is a large, national organization with
an aggressive and complex growth plan. As they consolidate, expand, and
build out senior living options and services, and as they optimize strategies,
services, and programs, having national, multi-site experience and the
executive skill set to manage large, complex projects are a must.
The need is for passionate leaders who thrive on new challenges, who ask
“How can we do it better?” and are open to exploring new and creative
opportunities, options, and solutions.

THE ROLE
of the Chief Financial Officer
People Leadership
••
Lead by example in developing a culture of relationships, collaboration,
transparency, and trust
••
Foster a strong, positive, collaborative team culture where employees
thrive and excel; provide clear direction, support, and performance
metrics to the staff
Executive Leadership
••
Full business partner to the CEO and other members of the executive
leadership team
••
Lead his/her team to be proactive in strategic planning, benchmarking
and competitive analysis, budgeting and financial planning and analysis
••
Champion the positive change that is taking place within the
organization
••
Have a healthy for-profit mindset; constantly driving costs down
Scope
At this time, the operational scope of the CFO responsibilities include:
••
Corporate Finance
••
Campus Finance
••
Billing / Reimbursement
••
Financial Planning
••
Payroll

THE ROLE
of the Chief Operating Officer
Executive Leadership
••
Astute business leader with keen financial instincts
••
Patient, persistent and strategic change agent
People Leadership
••
Good listener; bring people together, facilitate critical conversations,
break down silos
••
Relational—know the staff and be known by the staff; be affable and
approachable; out and about – not holed up in the office
••
Foster and lead by example in healthy and transparent communications
Operational Leadership
••
Bring alignment across disciplines
••
Foster a culture of collaboration and problem-solving
••
Leverage significant process engineering and Lean operating expertise
to reduce costs and improve quality and customer satisfaction
••
Position Covenant Retirement Communities for sustainable future
growth
Scope
At this time, the operational scope of the COO responsibilities include:
••
Residential Campus Operations
••
Rental and low-income housing
••
Resident services and resident experience
••
Lean Six Sigma
••
Purchasing

WE BELIEVE
in the Power of Community
At Covenant Retirement Communities, we believe in the power of ‘we.’
Working together, our leaders, staff, residents, and families create a community
of faith, security, lifelong care, and life-enriching opportunities. Our “We
Believe” pillars are incorporated through every level and aspect of CRC.
We believe in Individuality: By respecting individuals and extending God’s
love, we create strength from unity within diversity.
We practice Hospitality: By serving people, we create communities that
foster satisfaction and happiness.
We embrace Spirituality: Through faith, we can have a positive impact on all
our lives as we age.
We support Congeniality: By connecting people and cultivating friendships,
we build engaged communities.

DISTINCTIVES
We are CRC
What makes CRC a choice senior living community to both live and work? It’s
in our culture. We’re a community of givers, and we believe in creating joy
and peace of mind for residents and their families. And, it’s in our thoughtful
and strategic approach to developing programming and offering services
that meet and anticipate the needs of current and future residents.
Inspired to Serve
Every day, our leaders and staff ask themselves, “What can we do better?”
The answers are what drives CRC’s new customer service framework, called
Inspired to Serve.
For two years, employees at all levels of the organization collaborated with the
Disney Institute to create Inspired to Serve. They identified service standards
and behaviors that are unique to CRC and guide us in everything we do.
The team developed a Common Purpose, which states, “We create joy and
peace of mind for residents and their families by providing a better way
of life.” Inspired to Serve creates a culture of excellence that residents, family
members, and business associates have come to expect from CRC.

LIFECONNECT®
Wellness Partnership
CRC’s LifeConnect Wellness Partnership provides residents with
seamless access to resources, events, programming and on- and offsite
activities that are designed to enrich the mind, body and spirit
and complement each person’s unique journey. The partnership
focuses on eight areas of whole-person wellness:
Community – At Covenant Retirement Communities, we establish a
community culture that fosters thriving rather than simply living. We
nurture an environment of respect that allows members to pursue
their personal wellness journeys. Our concept of community is based
on our Christian heritage – A heritage of loving the members of God’s
family.
Emotional – Emotional well-being and physical well-being go handin-hand.
We provide support groups, as well as efficient emotional
space, to help people work through any difficulties and, ultimately,
to maintain a positive outlook and find happiness at every stage in
life.
Intellectual – Just because someone’s retired doesn’t mean they
should refrain from engaging in new pursuits and seeking new
avenues for growth. Residents routinely learn new languages or
engage in lifelong learning classes at the local college. Intellectual
stimulation keeps the mind alive.
Physical – Healthy eating choices and an active lifestyle are the
cornerstones of everyone’s well-being. Here, this understanding
extends across all levels of living. Our Executive Chefs are mindful
and creative when developing new, delicious and healthful dishes.
Like all dimensions of wellness, achieving physical wellness
requires taking personal responsibility and a proactive approach.
We encourage and provide individual and group opportunities to
pursue physical wellness at every level of ability.
Resident/Staff Involvement – We are a community of caring
individuals who look out for each other. We all bring different
backgrounds, cultures and customs to the community. Generating
a culture of wellness requires that we appreciate everyone’s unique
contribution. The staff is just as invested in LifeConnect as the
residents, always seeking ways to support individuals and to be
involved in their daily lives.
Social – We strive to build a social network that fosters the
development of honest, caring and satisfying interpersonal
relationships. Social hour, games, concerts, events, and more create
a college-like atmosphere of healthy camaraderie and good feelings.
Spiritual – A healthy spiritual life is a foundation for happiness.
Spiritual wellness allows us to live abundantly in full acceptance of
others. As a faith-based, not-for-profit continuing care retirement
organization, we can’t say enough about the value of spiritual
wellness. In addition to having a chaplain on campus and regularly
scheduled church services, we offer a firm foundation for supporting
residents in their faith.
Vocational – We achieve vocational wellness by matching our
personal values and interests with hobbies, employment and/or
other volunteer efforts. Whether it involves woodworking, painting,
writing, or any other pursuit, residents are encouraged to continue
cultivating interests they’ve pursued throughout their lives or start
something completely new.

SAIDO LEARNING
We believe in the power of hope. In 2014,
CRC began implementing SAIDO Learning®
at each of our 12 continuing care retirement
communities as a drug-free option to help
improve the symptoms of the Alzheimer’s
and other dementia diseases.
SAIDO has been practiced in Japan for 14
years with impressive results and studies are ongoing in the United States.
Select SAIDO participants from CRC’s Minnesota-based community will
participate in an upcoming study led by a Cleveland Clinic physician and a
researcher from Case Western Reserve University.
Currently, SAIDO is offered as a treatment option for residents living in
assisted living, skilled nursing and memory care. Soon, CRC will offer SAIDO
to all residents as an option for improving brain health.

CULTURE: WHO WE ARE
CRC is a community of...
Givers Lifelong Learners Artists
Partners
Veterans
Adventurers Active Seniors Christ’s Followers Families
Professionals

AT A GLANCE
CRC is a ministry of the
EVANGELICAL
COVENANT
CHURCH
15 in 10
RETIREMENT
COMMUNITIES
STATES
5,000+ RESIDENTS 3,000+ EMPLOYEES
$249
MILLION IN
OPERATING
REVENUES
100,000+
VOLUNTEER HOURS
logged by CRC staff
and residents in FY’16
Nearly $1 BILLION in assets
$5.5 million in Benevolent Care in FY’16
CRC is an equal opportunity employer.
The positions are located at CRC’s Central Office, located
less than an hour from Chicago in Skokie, Illinois.

HOW TO APPLY
We go to great lengths to assure our clients that the men and
women we present as candidates for senior leadership positions
are the most qualified and experienced individuals we can find.
You do not have to jump through all of our application hoops
to start a conversation about either position. We encourage
initial telephone inquiries at 615-261-4623. However, soon after
we establish a mutual interest, we request that you format the
description of your experience in the following manner.
Career History: incorporate the following information for each
position you have held for the past 20 years:
••
Name of Company / Organization
••
Job Title, Years in the position (i.e. 1999 – 2007)
••
Position to which you reported and positions that
reported to you
••
P & L / Budget Oversight
••
Primary responsibilities and achievements
••
Reason for leaving
Additional Information
Over the years, we have found that one can learn only so much
from the resume. In order to help us get a more complete picture
of you and your interest in Covenant Retirement Communities,
please provide us with responses to the following questions:
••
Tell us, in one to two pages, about your faith journey and
how that has affected your career.
••
Using the Covenant Retirement Communities website,
this document, and other research, share with us why you
believe your career has prepared you for either the CFO or
COO role.
••
Provide the names and contact information (telephone
numbers and e-mail addresses) for four references who
know you and your career well enough to comment on
your suitability for this role. (References will only be
contacted after we have requested and received your
permission to do so.)
Submit this information in ONE Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx)
format to Laura Coverstone or Tommy Thomas at resumes@
simainternational.com, using either Covenant Retirement
Communities – CFO or Covenant Retirement Communities –
COO as the subject line.