|
Delaware Wild Lands, Inc.
Executive Director
 Delaware
Wild Lands, Inc., (DWL) is seeking to recruit an Executive Director
located in Townsend, DE.
About Delaware Wild Lands, Inc.
Delaware Wild Lands, Inc.,
is the State of Delaware’s oldest and largest land trust.
Since their founding in 1961, Delaware Wild Lands has permanently
protected more than 31,800 acres of land, 21,800 acres of which they
now own and manage for vibrant wetlands and wildlife habitat, clean
air and pure water, and healthy farms and forests. They
support traditional uses of the landscape, including farming,
forestry, and hunting, and are deeply committed to high quality
stewardship and management of our lands to ensure their character,
biodiversity, and natural beauty and bounty are safeguarded forever.
For more information on
Delaware Wild Lands, please visit:
https://dewildlands.org.
About the Position: Executive Director
The Executive Director is
responsible for overseeing the administration, programs, strategic
plan, financial and real assets, workplace strategy and
implementation of the organization. This includes directing and
managing Delaware Wild Lands, Inc.’s program in Delaware, as well as
those holdings in Maryland and Virginia, and assuring that it has
the capacity to effectively protect priority properties within its
areas of concern.
A key component of the
Executive Director’s responsibilities is to oversee leasing of
properties (farming, hunting, residential, trapping), contracts
related to DWL’s activities (land management, timber harvests,
restoration, research surveys, biological inventories, regulatory
compliance, etc.), and how these leases and land management
activities remain complementary and aligned so as to advance the
mission of the organization. This will entail developing and
implementing short and long-range plans, raising capital and
operating funds, working with individual and institutional partners,
carrying out land protection objectives, and supervising office and
other staff to accomplish these objectives. These duties are carried
out under the guidance and direction of the Board of Directors and
are accomplished through close cooperation with landowners,
corporations, universities, government agencies, and private
organizations.
The Executive Director
supervises the staff of DWL and will report directly to the Board of
Directors. The Executive Director is based in Townsend, DE.
The broad goals and
objectives for the Executive Director are the following:
-
Oversee all strategic messaging about DWL’s mission, programs,
activities, and results; draft the content and/or supervise or
assist the content development, writing, editing, and production
of presentations, legislative testimony, talking points for key
stakeholders (i.e., Board members), and publications, including
press releases, newsletters, articles, reports, and web
publishing.
-
Advise the Board of Directors and provide leadership to the
staff in determining and prioritizing areas of significant
natural value that should be protected and/or restored by the
organization through acquisition or other means.
-
Ensure the overall financial health of the organization by
preparing and recommending an annual budget for Board approval.
Manage personnel and financial resources within the annual
budget; monitor budgetary and financial procedures to ensure
that generally accepted accounting practices are being followed.
Responsible for procurement and administration of federal,
state, and private (grant and foundation) monies to fulfill
programmatic and organizational responsibilities and needs.
Monitor management of endowment fund and investments.
-
Serve
as the primary spokesperson for the organization with
stakeholders, legislators, the media, governmental agencies,
contractors, partner organizations, donors, volunteers, and
other audiences.
-
Raise funds for operations, land acquisition, and other
programs, including major gifts, annual appeals, grant writing,
and other means with emphasis on securing operational dollars.
This includes cultivating and motivating donors and partner
organizations and identifying new funding sources.
-
Report
to the Board of Directors and serve as the principal advisor to
the Board and its committees. Maintain a strong working
relationship with the President of the Board. Serve as the
liaison between Board and staff. Prepare and provide an
annual/activity report and quarterly progress reports to the
Board. Maintain accurate and appropriate records of all
proceedings of the Board of Directors.
The Executive Director
should ideally embody the following professional qualifications and
personal attributes:
Professional Qualifications
-
A
Bachelor’s degree in natural resource or watershed management,
ecology, biology, hydrogeology, marine science, or a related
field and an advanced degree in business, public policy or
related field is preferred.
-
Ability to represent DWL before many audiences and in a wide
range of situations.
-
A
capacity to build and sustain important public/private
partnerships at the Federal, State, and local level.
-
Demonstrated experience in developing and administering a
comprehensive fundraising program including individual donors,
corporate and foundation solicitation, capital campaign
activities, and other revenue generating activities.
-
Experience and skill in working with a volunteer Board of
Directors.
-
High level strategic thinking and planning. Ability to
envision and convey the organization’s strategic future to the
staff, board, volunteers, and donors.
-
Demonstrable competency in strategic planning and business
development.
-
Ability to effectively communicate the organization’s mission to
donors, volunteers, and diverse communities.
-
Demonstrated ability to oversee and collaborate with staff.
-
A
history of successfully generating new revenue streams and
improving financial results.
-
Active fundraising experience and excellent donor or client
relations preferred.
-
Previous success in establishing relationships with individuals
and organizations of influence such as funders, partner
agencies, and volunteers.
-
Demonstrated ability to work both independently and
collaboratively as a team player and with grace and flexibility
when faced with multiple time-sensitive priorities and a
changing environment.
-
Superb writing and editing skills and strong interpersonal and
professional communication skills.
-
Strong organizational abilities, including planning, delegating,
program development, and task facilitation.
-
Strong financial management skills including oversight of budget
preparation and analysis, decision making, and reporting.
Personal Attributes
-
Passionate commitment to Delaware Wild Land’s mission and its
guiding principles; inspires respect and trust.
-
Excellent written and oral communication skills and public
speaking and presentation skills.
-
A
team builder who inspires collaboration; demonstrated success in
collaborative work with external colleagues as well as internal
ones.
-
Ability to solve problems with initiative, energy, and a
positive attitude.
-
Adept interpersonal communications skills including ability to
present complex ideas in a compelling manner and an ability to
build trust and listen effectively.
-
An outstanding relationship builder, with a desire and capacity
to establish broad and diverse connections to a global
community.
-
Discretion with donors and a willingness to respect the
relationship of trust that DWL has with its stakeholders and
partners.
Compensation
Compensation for the
Executive Director includes a competitive base salary, and an
excellent package of health and employee benefits which includes
relocation package; health, life, vision, and dental insurance; life
insurance and short and long-term disability insurance, 401k
retirement plan with employer contribution; use of company vehicle;
and paid time off.
How to Apply
Interested candidates
should submit a resume and cover letter, responding specifically to
the experience and qualifications required, to Daniel Sherman,
President, Explore Company at
resumes@explorecompany.com. Refer to DWL/ED in the subject
line. No phone inquiries please.
Delaware Wild
Lands, Inc., is an equal opportunity employer and seeks a diverse
pool of candidates in this search. Diversity is an asset essential
to accomplishing their work. They value differences in age, color,
disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or
expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability,
political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation,
socio-economic status, veteran status, and other characteristics
that make employees unique. All qualified candidates are encouraged
to apply.
All
correspondence will remain confidential
Download This Job Posting |
