Summary of the role
The Organisation:
AsIAm is Ireland’s National Autism Charity and an Autistic-led organisation working to create a society where every Autistic person is accepted as they are — equal, valued and respected.
Our purpose is to advocate for an inclusive society for Autistic people that is accessible, accepting and affirming. We work to support the Autistic community and their families to fully engage in Irish life and build the capacity of society to facilitate true inclusion.
We are guided by and grounded in our living values of service, perseverance and same chance.
Founded in 2014 by Adam Harris, AsIAm has grown into a significant national movement for change and an organisation that delivers a wide range of support services in Ireland – which will scale in the coming years. The organisation advocates for the rights, inclusion and wellbeing of Autistic people, provides support across the life cycle, and works with schools, employers, public services, communities, policymakers and others so that Autistic people can have the same chance to live, learn, work and play in communities across Ireland. An active member of Autism Europe, AsIAm has developed groundbreaking initiatives to promote Autism acceptance and accessibility across Irish life, including the Autism-Friendly Towns programme.
AsIAm’s work is grounded in a neuro-affirmative and human-rights-based understanding of disability. It seeks to challenge misinformation, ableism and exclusion, while ensuring that the lived experience, priorities and diversity of the Autistic community remain central to its strategy, policy, services and public voice.
The organisation is headquartered in Blackrock, Co. Dublin, with hybrid working arrangements available for the CEO role. AsIAm has recently opened two Community Support Hubs, one in Dublin 8 and the other in Galway city. It has a committed team of 70 plus, a strong Board, an established public profile and a clear ambition to deepen its impact, grow its reach and help deliver lasting systemic change for Autistic people in Ireland.
Responsibilities of the role
The Role:
The Chief Executive Officer is a pivotal leadership appointment for AsIAm, following the founder-led phase of the organisation’s development. Reporting to the Chairperson and Board of Directors, the CEO will lead the organisation through its next stage of growth, influence and sustainability.
The CEO will work closely with the Board, Senior Management Team, Autistic community, families, funders, public bodies, policymakers and partner organisations. The successful candidate will provide values-led leadership while ensuring that AsIAm remains an authentic, trusted and effective voice for Autistic people.
We know that leadership can look different in different people. We are not looking for a narrow or traditional model of leadership. We are looking for a senior leader who can lead with integrity, strategic judgement, community accountability and a strong commitment to rights and inclusion.
You will have responsibility for:
- Providing clear, strategic and empathetic leadership to AsIAm, its neurodiverse team members and the wider community, ensuring that the organisation’s values of Service, Same Chance and Perseverance are reflected in its culture and impact.
- Acting as a credible public spokesperson, ambassador and advocate for AsIAm, advancing the rights, inclusion and participation of Autistic people through public advocacy, policy engagement, strategic partnerships, media activity and campaigning.
- Building trusted and constructive relationships with the Autistic community, families, self-advocates, community groups, funders, government departments, the HSE, public bodies, employers and other key stakeholders.
- Leading the implementation and future development of AsIAm’s strategic plan, translating ambition into focused annual plans, clear priorities, measurable outcomes and sound organisational decision-making.
- Leading and developing the team, fostering a positive, neuro-affirmative culture characterised by inclusion, accountability, emotional intelligence, active listening and effective delegation.
- Ensuring the successful national scale up of AsIAm’s Community Support Hubs through strong partnerships with local communities and the funder.
- Navigating complex political, public-service, health, education, disability and community systems while maintaining a clear rights-based position and advancing AsIAm’s objectives.
- Supporting the organisation’s financial sustainability through effective budgetary leadership, strategic relationship-building, fundraising, corporate partnerships and the identification of new opportunities for impact.
- Building alliances across the disability, equality, education, health, employment, community and political sectors, strengthening AsIAm’s role as both an organisation and a wider movement for change.
- Maintaining a productive and transparent relationship with the Chair and Board, ensuring that Directors are appropriately informed on strategy execution, organisational performance, emerging risks and key external developments.
Requirements
The Ideal Person:
- Track record in a purpose-driven or social impact organisation: A proven senior leader, ideally with experience as a CEO, Executive Director or comparable leadership role within a voluntary, community, public, social-impact or purpose-led organisation.
- Authentic connection to the Autistic community: A deep understanding of Autism, grounded in respect for identity, culture, communication and ways of being. The CEO should understand the challenges Autistic people can face across society; arising from barriers, misunderstanding, exclusion, prejudice and systems not designed with Autistic people in mind. They should value the full diversity of the Autistic community. This understanding should be grounded in lived, family, professional, advocacy or community experience.
- Rights-based and inclusive mindset: A clear commitment to neuro-affirmative, inclusive and human-rights-based approaches. The CEO must ensure that Autistic voices remain central to AsIAm’s work and decision-making.
- Advocate, Influencer and Relationship-Builder: A credible advocate influencer and relationship builder, with experience engaging government, public bodies, policymakers, funders, partners and other complex stakeholder groups to achieve meaningful change.
- Public Voice: Can represent AsIAm with authenticity across public, political, media, digital and community settings.
- Strategic Clarity with Execution Discipline: Strong strategic and operational leadership capability, with the ability to translate vision into delivery, prioritise effectively, make difficult decisions and lead sustainable organisational growth.
- Inspirational Leader: An accomplished people leader with the ability to inspire, support and develop a diverse team, build leadership capacity and foster a healthy, collaborative and accountable organisational culture.
- Commercially and Financially Experienced: Experience of organisational planning, budgeting, funding relationships, fundraising or income development, and an understanding of the disciplines required to sustain a growing enterprise.
- Capacity to Navigate Challenges: Able to manage public scrutiny, competing stakeholder expectations and the demands of a high-profile founder transition with humility, courage and sound judgement.
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Your next step…
- Interested applicants should send their applications to [email protected]. The application consists of your CV and a cover letter explaining why you are the right person to lead AsIAm in the context of our vision and strategy. If you would like a confidential discussion about the role before applying, you can also email this mailbox.
- The closing date for receipt of applications is close of business on 22 September 2026.
We are committed to providing an inclusive and accessible recruitment process that enables all candidates to participate fully and fairly. Reasonable accommodations can be discussed at any stage of the recruitment process. We will work with you to identify appropriate adjustments that support your needs and help ensure an equitable experience. Whether you would benefit from sensory, communication, scheduling, accessibility or other supports, please let us know what works best for you, and we will do our best to accommodate your requirements.
AsIAm is an equal opportunities employer and reserves the right to practice positive action as set out by the Employment Equality Act, 1998.
All candidates must be willing to undergo Garda vetting should they be successful.