Executive Director

Full job description: https://conserveswu.org/2024_jobposting_executivedirector/

Type: Full-time, exempt.

Location: St. George, Utah—one of the West’s most desirable places to live due to its spectacular landscapes, public land access, and over 300 days of sunshine!

Reports to: Board of Directors.

Application Review Date: Beginning on April 1st, 2024. On a rolling basis after that.

Organizational Background: Conserve Southwest Utah (CSU) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit grassroots organization founded in 2006 to protect southwest Utah’s natural and cultural resources. We support smart growth principles to create prosperous, equitable, eco-conscious, connected, and healthy communities. We advocate for responsible development that emphasizes living within our means and we understand that the livability of our community is interconnected with the health of local public lands and water.

We use education, stewardship, and effective grassroots advocacy to safeguard irreplaceable desert habitats, Indigenous resources, regional biodiversity, and our local watershed. We work with local, state-wide, and national partners to protect these precious resources. Currently, we are leading the fight against a precedent-setting proposed four-lane highway through our local National Conservation Area. 

For more information about CSU, please visit: conserveswu.org. 

Position Summary: CSU is seeking a thoughtful, collaborative team leader and dynamic conservation advocate to lead CSU’s momentum as our next Executive Director. The ideal candidate will have experience leading a nonprofit organization and navigating challenging conversations. The Executive Director is responsible for overseeing CSU administration, operations, and strategic planning. 

Responsibilities:

1) Board Governance

• Responsible for strategic planning to ensure the advancement of CSU’s mission. Serves as a liaison between the board and staff to ensure implementation of the strategic plan.
• Serves at the pleasure of the Board of Directors. Accountable to the Board through a reporting relationship with the President. 
• Serves as an ex officio member without vote on the Board, the Executive Committee, and, to the extent feasible, other Board Committees.
• Responsible for fundraising to support the sustainability of CSU’s programs and strategies, in collaboration with the Board Fund Development committee. 

2) Organizational Management

• Serves as the executive manager of the organization—responsible for assuring that the Board’s established goals and objectives are accomplished within budgetary limits and other limits.
• Sets priorities that are appropriate at any given point in time. Creates the resiliency that enables CSU to adjust to a changing, unpredictable environment.
• Serves as lead spokesperson for CSU programs, fundraising, and other activities in the community. Responsible for all external communications activities.
• Responsible for staff supervision, hiring, and evaluation.
• Responsible for creating a supportive, inclusive workplace and a staff organizational structure with clear staff roles, objectives, reporting relationships and delegation of authority.
• Responsible for defining and implementing CSU’s justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) initiatives, with the support of CSU’s JEDI team. 
• Ensures that proper hardware/software and related policies and procedures are in place for fundraising, collaboration, document creation and storage, communication, productivity, and record keeping.
• Maintains compliance with all laws and regulations. Beyond legal compliance, ensures that the organization meets high ethical standards in all that we do.
• Develops strategic partnerships.

3) Financial Management

• Responsible for fundraising to support the sustainability of CSU’s programs and strategies, in partnership with the Board Fund Development committee. 
• Manages the operating budget and oversees day-to-day financial matters. 
• Understands CSU’s financial statements and can interpret the financial and organizational implications of this information. 
• Understands the basics of Form 990 tax returns, audits, and compliance, and adheres to financial controls (e.g. budgets, project plans). Facilitates the proper filing of tax documents.
• Prepares a monthly financial review and an annual budget recommendation for board review and approval.
• Supports the board in ensuring CSU’s financial and real assets are protected with appropriate insurance and prudent investment and gift acceptance policies.

Desired Qualifications: Below, we describe important qualifications for candidates while remaining open to diverse experiences that lead to desired skill sets. Studies have shown that marginalized communities, such as women, LGBTQ+, and people of color, are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification. We encourage anyone who feels passionate about this work to apply. 

• Master’s degree or equivalent experience in a related field.
• Experience in nonprofit or organizational leadership and working with a Board.
• Demonstrated high-level strategic thinking and planning in a fast-paced environment, simultaneously managing multiple inputs and priorities.
• Demonstrated history of resolving conflicts, navigating complex relationships, and discussing controversial topics with diverse groups.
• Demonstrated success managing and analyzing organizational budgets, pursuing grants, fundraising, and building and maintaining positive donor relationships.
• Demonstrated history communicating with press and media outlets. 
• Experience managing and inspiring a hybrid staff team.
• Ability to lead and communicate with empathy and humility. 
• Ability to collaborate with a diverse team and to work independently. 
• Commitment to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. 
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills.
• Demonstrated interest in conservation and a commitment to CSU’s mission.
• Knowledge of NEPA processes and Utah’s public land and water issues. 

Salary Range: $70,000–$80,000 depending on qualifications.

Benefits: We strive to create a collaborative and supportive workplace that inspires professional growth. We offer a competitive benefits package, including: 5 weeks paid time off (including holidays), 2 weeks paid sick leave, a 3% matching IRA contribution, wellness and lifestyle benefits, reimbursement for work use of your personal phone, and training and professional development opportunities.

Work Hours: Full-time with some weekends and holidays required. We support flexible working hours when your job duties allow it, and we actively work to create a supportive, inclusive, trusting work environment. 

CSU is committed to workplace diversity and inclusion and strongly encourages applications from diverse candidates. CSU is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.