Executive Director

We are thrilled to announce the search for Jefferson Land Trust’s next Executive Director in partnership with Potrero Group, an executive search and strategy firm with a focus on nonprofit leadership.

Jefferson Land Trust seeks an inspiring and empowering Executive Director to guide and lead its mission of working with the community to preserve open space, working lands, and habitat in Jefferson County forever. The Executive Director will provide visionary leadership that honors the organization’s culture of collaboration, kindness, and consensus while charting a bold path forward for conservation on the Olympic Peninsula.

DESIRED COMPETENCIES AND EXPERIENCE

Community Connection and Inclusive Leadership

• Warm, personable, and genuinely curious about people, skilled at building connections with diverse constituencies from longtime supporters to people who have never heard of Jefferson Land Trust
• A natural convener who brings different groups together around shared goals, listening attentively with an open mind and creating space for every voice
• Commitment to inclusive, consensus-based leadership that values the contributions of staff, board, volunteers, tribal partners, farmers, and the broader community
• Experience working with Indigenous communities and/or a deep commitment to developing and honoring those relationships with humility and respect
• Comfortable and at home in a rural setting, and energized by the culture and community of the Olympic Peninsula

Mission Depth and Conservation Knowledge

• Genuine, abiding commitment to land conservation and the mission of protecting working lands, open space, and habitat
• Background in the land trust field or a land trust-adjacent conservation field strongly preferred
• Familiarity with Land Trust Alliance standards and practices, accreditation, and the broader land trust community
• Understanding of the intersections of conservation, agriculture, forestry, tribal sovereignty, and community wellbeing
• Appreciation for how conservation has evolved to embrace broader definitions of community and place

Fundraising and Donor Partnership

• Comfortable and skilled in fundraising — not as a transactional obligation, but as an invitation to make a shared investment in place
• Proven experience in development, including major gifts and campaign fundraising, ideally from an organization that has successfully completed or navigated a significant fundraising effort
• A storyteller and relationship-builder who approaches donors with gratitude and genuine partnership
• Experience with grant oversight and management, institutional funding, and diversified revenue strategies

Organizational Leadership and Culture

• A leader driven by mission, not personal recognition — someone who empowers others and celebrates team success
• Strong team-builder who appreciates and nurtures a culture of collaboration, kindness, and mutual respect
• Ability to motivate and inspire staff, board, and volunteers while maintaining high organizational morale
• Experience managing budgets, staff, and nonprofit operations with care and accountability
• Approaches resources from a posture of abundance and possibility rather than scarcity