Vice President and Executive Director, Audubon North Carolina

The National Audubon Society is a nonprofit conservation organization that protects birds and the places they need today and tomorrow. We work throughout the Americas towards a future where birds thrive because Audubon is a powerful, diverse, and ever-growing force for conservation. Audubon has more than 700 staff working across the hemisphere and more than 1.5 million active supporters.

North America has lost three billion birds since 1970, and more than 500 bird species are at risk of extinction across Latin America and the Caribbean. Birds act as early warning systems about the health of our environment, and they tell us that birds – and our planet – are in crisis. Together as one Audubon, we are working to alter the course of climate change and habitat loss, leading to healthier bird populations and reversing current trends in biodiversity loss. We do this by implementing on-the-ground conservation, partnering with local communities, influencing public and corporate policy, and building community.

Audubon is committed to a culture of workplace excellence, where our talented and diverse staff are deeply engaged with a strong sense of belonging. The birds Audubon pledges to protect differ in color, size, behavior, geographical preference, and countless other ways. By honoring and celebrating the equally remarkable diversity of the human species, Audubon brings new creativity, effectiveness, and leadership to our work throughout the hemisphere.

The National Audubon Society seeks a dynamic Vice President and Executive Director to build on Audubon North Carolina’s rich history and expand its conservation impact in North Carolina and throughout the entire Atlantic Flyway, leading the organization to its next level of programmatic and financial success. The Vice President and Executive Director will exercise broad leadership and management responsibility in developing and executing statewide conservation policy, initiatives, and public programming. In addition, the Executive Director will lead a talented and passionate team to advance overall conservation objectives, strengthen and mobilize our bipartisan network, and deliver durable policy solutions across the region. Audubon North Carolina’s current team includes 10 staff and a combined FY2023 budget of $2 million derived primarily from individual, foundation, corporate, government grants, earned income, and investments.

The successful candidate will have the passion and skills necessary to lead the development, communication, resourcing, and implementation of Audubon’s conservation goals and strategies across the state. All while working closely with Audubon North Carolina’s staff and key National Audubon conservation leaders to continue to develop the state program in tandem with strategic regional and national priorities. The Executive Director will hold the title of Vice President within the national organization and will report directly to the Senior Vice President, Flyways.

Compensation:

$175,000-$195,000 / year

Strategy Development and Organizational Leadership

• Lead in the design and implementation of strategic goals and initiatives that align with National Audubon’s overall conservation goals and strategies and increase ANC’s statewide capacity to conserve priority bird species and their habitats—primarily through the protection and restoration of coastal and near shore habitat and forested and freshwater ecosystems; effective climate and environmental advocacy and policies; and community education.
• Serve as a leader and mentor to staff and infuse the values of equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging throughout organizational decisions, policies, and programs.
• Actively engage with our strong chapter network and members in the state to effectively advocate and take conservation action to grow our North Carolina impact and to help elevate local, state, and regional priorities aligned with our organizational mission.
• Secure and focus resources on the most critical, high-leverage conservation, policy and public engagement projects and strategies.
• Leverage the impact of Audubon North Carolina’s sanctuaries to achieve state and flyway goals.
• In close collaboration with ANC staff, oversee day-to-day operations of the state office, setting financial and programmatic goals.

Fundraising and External Relations

• Partner with Audubon’s development team to cultivate existing and solicit new major donors, foundations, corporations, and government agencies to significantly increase contributed revenue for the state office.
• Collaborate meaningfully with Audubon’s national leadership and development teams and other state programs to develop donor strategies and support fundraising for priority projects across the network.
• Represent Audubon North Carolina throughout the region, raising the leadership profile and visibility of the organization and its priorities among funders, partners, policymakers, and the public, resulting in greater conservation impact and deeper donor investment.
• Strengthen the financial sustainability of the organization, with a focus on expanding new funding sources, inspiring new donors, and cultivating strategic partnerships with relevant agencies, NGOs, and corporate partners.
• Other job-related duties as assigned.

Successful Candidate Overview

The incoming Vice President and Executive Director must have demonstrated success in implementing innovative conservation, policy, engagement, and development strategies. Building on ANC’s successes across the state, the Executive Director must set a strategy to prioritize programming and identify opportunities for the greatest conservation impact and align the network to achieve set goals and priorities. They must also inspire the region's decision-makers, conservation partners, and philanthropic community to invest in Audubon's conservation vision and strategic plan.

Successful candidate will possess the following education and experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in nonprofit management, business, public policy, conservation or related field required; advanced degree strongly preferred.
• 10 years’ professional experience, to include at 3-5 years at a senior management level with comparable staff and budget responsibilities.
• Strong leadership skills, with an entrepreneurial spirit and strong business and management skills; demonstrated ability to inspire and motivate staff, volunteers, donors, and potential partners a must.
• Demonstrated success in fundraising, in particular extensive experience with major donors, foundations, corporations, and government funders.
• Experienced organizational leader with an array of experience in public policy development and advocacy, campaigns, lobbying, and/or involvement in the state legislature and in working with members of Congress.
• Demonstrated ability to succeed in a highly matrixed, complex organization—strong ability to influence and persuade others required.

Successful candidates will possess the following skills, competencies, and characteristics:

• Outstanding interpersonal skills, judgment, and a demonstrated ability to collaborate and build coalitions with a wide range of individuals and organizations at the local, regional, and national levels.
• Demonstrated experience overseeing complex, multiple and/or geographically diverse projects through to success, including meeting financial goals, project deadlines, and coordinating the work of key staff and partners.
• Excellent and persuasive communication skills, both written and verbal, including substantial public speaking experience, and the ability to effectively represent Audubon North Carolina to its members, state and federal elected officials, donors, and chapter leaders, as well as in traditional and social media.
• Knowledge and appreciation of, as well as connection to North Carolina and its environment, conservation and political history, and the role of science in developing conservation strategies.
• Willingness and ability to travel routinely throughout the state and nationally, as required.
• A demonstrated commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging, and the overall mission, values, and programs of the National Audubon Society.

The National Audubon Society is a federal contractor and an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE). All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. We are committed to a policy of nondiscrimination, inclusion and equal opportunity and actively seek a diverse pool of candidates in this search.

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