Executive Director

https://www.wrangells.org/s/Wrangell-Mountains-Center-Executive-Director-Job-Ad-Summer-2025.pdf

Executive Director of the Wrangell Mountains Center
Employer: Wrangell Mountains Center, website: https://www.wrangells.org/
Location: Summer season: McCarthy, Alaska. Winter season: Alaska (Anchorage preferred)
Applications open until filled; initial application review begins July 7

About the Wrangell Mountains Center
The Wrangell Mountains Center is located in McCarthy, Alaska at the foot of the Wrangell Mountains and surrounded by Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. Our vision is to see people and wild places thriving together in a changing world. The Wrangell Mountains Center provides residential and walk-in experiential education programs that foster discovery through direct contact with diverse environments. We embrace an interdisciplinary approach composed of analytical, artistic, and scientific modes of perception. We value wilderness both for its own sake and for the powerful direct experience it offers us. The WMC strives to facilitate understanding, appreciation, and stewardship of the surrounding lands, communities, and mountain cultures. Our programs provide local, national, and international students, scholars, and travelers with an increased understanding of complex natural processes, a changed view of the human place in the natural environment, and new skills for engagement. The WMC values collaboration, experiential learning, inclusion, stewardship, and sustainability.

Position overview: The full-time Executive Director (ED) of the Wrangell Mountains Center is responsible for the achievement of the organization’s mission directed by the strategic planning goals of the Board of Directors. The ED oversees the long and short-term direction of the Wrangell Mountains Center’s operations through high-level planning, development, and management of support staff. Responsibilities include:

• Lives on-site/off-grid in McCarthy during the field season;
• Oversees programs, support staff, and day-to-day operations;
• Works with the board to develop budget, responsible for financial tracking and reporting;
• Works with board to develop strategic planning and leads business planning;
• Leads fundraising through donor development, grantwriting, and partnerships;
• Cultivates and nurtures partnerships with NPS, community, educational institutions; and
• Directs campus culture to uphold the WMC’s guiding principles established by the Board.

The Executive Director is expected to be based at the WMC in McCarthy, Alaska during the active field season (approx. mid-May through mid-September); location during the off-season is negotiable with a preference for Alaska and Anchorage-based applicants.

Why work at the Wrangell Mountains Center?
As the Executive Director of the Wrangell Mountains Center, you’ll have the opportunity to work and live in one of the most beautiful locations in Alaska. You’ll be sharing knowledge, culture, and enthusiasm for the region with students, writers, scientists, artists, travelers, and learners from around the world, as well as local Alaskans. You’ll tap the deep love that people have for the Wrangell Mountains, the historic community of McCarthy, and the wildlands of Alaska to build creative and meaningful partnerships, programs, and facilities that educate and transform WMC participants. For many, one of the most striking things about spending a summer with the WMC is the community connectedness with local residents, and a global community of creative artists, scientists, and other inquiring minds.

About working and living at the Wrangell Mountains Center:
During the summer programming season the position is based in McCarthy, Alaska, a tiny and remote community surrounded by the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. Conditions are rugged and rustic: facilities are off-grid, utilizing limited electricity from solar panels and generators, and well water without indoor plumbing. Meals and chores (e.g., harvesting garden produce, splitting firewood, cleaning) are shared between staff, volunteers, and sometimes program participants. Cell service, mail service, transportation, and grocery/shopping access can be limited or intermittent. The ED is expected to meet the needs and mission of WMC as the situation requires, prioritizing safety and inclusion, facility integrity, and collaboration when resources are limited.

Estimated Start Date: Ideally by August 10, 2025
Compensation: $4,700-$6,000/month salary depending on experience. Salary can be renegotiated upward based on fundraising success.
Employee Benefits: The WMC is a small grassroots organization in the beginning stages of expanding our workforce. Currently, employees enjoy benefits such as:

• Meals and Lodging are provided for the convenience of the WMC for the entirety of the employee’s time commitment on site (approximately mid-May through mid-September). We provide for individual dietary restrictions centered around a mostly vegetarian diet. Housing is a dry one-room cabin with a sleeping loft about 1 mile from the WMC Campus.
• Paid Time Off, Sick Leave, and selected Paid Holidays are provided.
• An Epic Adventure Destination. We do everything we can to ensure that our staff is able to fully appreciate the enriching experiences that the McCarthy area has to offer. Several local businesses offer free or discounted rates for local seasonal employees, and we provide our staff with opportunities for adventure and local activities in the summer.

The Wrangell Mountains Center is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to developing and retaining a workforce that reflects the richness of our humanity, as we know that when we recognize and value differences we thrive as an organization and society. We’re committed to building a culture where all employees feel respected, valued, and like they belong. We encourage applications from all individuals who can help us achieve these goals, especially those from the Copper River Valley or other rural Alaska communities.

To apply:

• Please send a cover letter and resume to jobs@wrangells.org
• Applications are open until the position is filled, the initial applicant review will begin July 7
• References will be requested for finalist candidates