Executive Director

BACKGROUND

WildCare is one of the San Francisco Bay Area’s top providers of wildlife medicine, hands-on environmental education programming, and wildlife advocacy. For decades, WildCare has worked to protect the Bay Area’s extraordinary biodiversity through a unique combination of wildlife hospital services, proactive wildlife injury prevention programs, and public education, all designed to help people live well with wildlife and foster the next generation of environmental stewards.

Each year, WildCare cares for up to 4,000 ill, injured, and orphaned wild animals from over 200 different species in their Wildlife Hospital. Through their Terwilliger Learning Center programs, they offer exceptional nature and wildlife educational experiences to more than 35,000 children and adults annually. WildCare also advocates on behalf of animals on issues including wildlife care, habitat protection, rodenticide policy, and human-wildlife coexistence. 

To learn more about WildCare’s work, visit wildcarebayarea.org.

POSITION OVERVIEW

WildCare is entering a transformative era, marked by the highly anticipated opening of its new Wildlife Hospital and Education Center in Albert Park, San Rafael, in October 2026. This milestone is the culmination of a successful $24M capital campaign, reflecting the Bay Area community’s unwavering support for WildCare’s mission. The incoming Executive Director will have the exciting opportunity to lead this beloved institution during a significant period of transition, overseeing a fully funded project backed by a dedicated board, talented staff, and passionate volunteers.

The Executive Director will lead the organizational evolution that accompanies WildCare’s move into its new, state-of-the-art facility, ensuring continued financial resilience and expanding community impact. This includes supervising key senior staff, including the Chief Financial Officer and Senior Director of Operations, building relationships with funders and donors, and sustaining the culture and values that define WildCare’s work. A critical part of this role will be inspiring and motivating a dedicated team of staff and a large volunteer community whose passion and commitment are central to WildCare’s mission. The organization enters this chapter with a supportive community, significant goodwill, and strong momentum, giving the incoming leader an exceptional platform to grow WildCare’s reach in wildlife care and education.

The ideal candidate is an inspiring change leader and clear communicator, adept at engaging diverse audiences, from board and staff to major donors, civic leaders, and the broader public. They bring emotional intelligence and a people-centered approach, with the ability to lead talented staff through organizational evolution without losing the “heart” that makes WildCare beloved. A genuine passion for the animals and communities WildCare serves is essential. This is a rare opportunity to shape the future of an organization that is well resourced, well loved, and ready for its exciting next chapter. 

RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Vision and Leadership

• Lead WildCare through a pivotal period of organizational evolution that follows the opening of its new facility, guiding board, staff, and volunteers through the changes that a sophisticated new facility brings.
• Execute on WildCare’s strategic plan to become a nationally recognized wildlife institute and a leader in environmental education and wildlife advocacy while maintaining and improving its organizational practices and dynamic financial growth.
• Serve as primary liaison to the Board of Directors, ensuring effective communication, governance support, and alignment on organizational priorities.
• Support board recruitment and development, strengthening the board’s capacity to govern, fundraise, and lead effectively.

People Leadership

• Model a people-centered, emotionally intelligent leadership style that honors WildCare’s mission-driven culture while building organizational maturity.
• Directly supervise the Chief Financial Officer and Senior Director of Operations, enabling effective leadership and accountability throughout the organization.
• Determine staffing requirements and oversee HR policies, procedures, and practices, including job descriptions and performance reviews, to support organizational management and program delivery.
• Foster a positive, healthy, and safe work environment in accordance with all applicable legislation and regulations.

Operational Management

• Develop and implement an operational plan aligned with the organization’s strategic direction, including oversight of programs, services, and day-to-day operations.
• Strengthen internal systems, practices, and operational infrastructure to support a growing organization.
• Oversee operations across two sites during the transition period with clear communication and steady decision making.
• Draft and review organizational policies for board approval, maintaining official records and ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local regulations, including Fish and Wildlife and other agencies governing wildlife rehabilitation.
• Execute official correspondence and legal agreements in accordance with board-approved policies and delegated authority.

Financial Stewardship and Fundraising

• Drive long-term financial sustainability through endowment building, diversified revenue development, and sound fiscal planning.
• Steward WildCare’s annual operating budget, overseeing financial planning and performance in close partnership with the Chief Financial Officer.
• Partner with the development team to expand WildCare’s fundraising reach beyond the regional donor base and cultivate new philanthropic relationships.
• Lead the final phase of the $24M capital campaign and oversee responsible close-out, transition financing, and major donor stewardship.
• Oversee new facility expenses and interim space decisions to ensure responsible and strategic use of organizational resources.

External Relations and Advocacy

• Actively pursue opportunities to elevate WildCare’s visibility and thought leadership and strengthen WildCare’s regional and national profile.
• Serve as WildCare’s primary spokesperson and public ambassador, representing the organization confidently in media, civic, and public settings.
• Build and sustain relationships with elected officials, civic leaders, and community partners across the Bay Area.
• Deepen institutional partnerships with academic, conservation, and environmental organizations to expand WildCare’s collaborative reach.
• Champion WildCare’s mission in regional policy discussions, elevating the organization’s voice on issues including wildlife care, habitat protection, rodenticide policy, and human–wildlife coexistence.

KEY COMPETENCIES

The ideal candidate understands how to lead, organize, and fund a complex, multiprogram nonprofit organization during a period of significant transition and growth. They bring exceptional interpersonal skills and the credibility to inspire trust across staff, board, donors, partners, and the public. They lead with transparency, empathy, and investment in the people around them. They bring authentic passion for wildlife and conservation, and communicate WildCare’s mission with ease to diverse audiences.

Strategic Vision and Leadership

• Successful experience leading organizational strategy through significant growth or transition, setting direction and uniting diverse actors around a shared mission.
• Experience developing or implementing strategic plans through participatory processes that build board, staff, and community buy-in.
• Experience working effectively with a governing board, including support for board recruitment, governance, and fundraising development.
• Systems-level thinker able to see WildCare’s unique position within the broader wildlife and nonprofit landscapes and make strategic choices accordingly.
• Decisive and adaptive under uncertainty, with strong consensus-building and transparent communication to a board and staff.
• Demonstrated passion for wildlife, environmental stewardship, and community engagement.

Organizational Management and Culture

• Proven track record as a senior nonprofit executive, ideally in an organization with multiple programs, a strong volunteer culture, and mission-driven staff.
• Emotionally intelligent leader with a history of fostering inclusive, transparent, and collaborative workplace cultures where staff feel a strong sense of shared mission.
• Experience navigating organizational transitions with clarity, care, tact, and sound judgment.
• Skilled at supervising senior leaders, with a coaching approach that strengthens leadership, delegation, and accountability throughout the organization.
• Experience building or strengthening internal systems, HR practices, and operational infrastructure in a growing organization.
• Experience with wildlife rehabilitation and its regulatory compliance environment is a plus.

Financial Stewardship and Fundraising

• A natural relationship-builder who approaches donors with authentic warmth and genuine partnership.
• Experience developing and diversifying revenue, including individual donors, foundations, and corporate partners.
• Demonstrated success in major gift fundraising, ideally including capital campaigns or transformational gift solicitation.
• Financially sophisticated nonprofit manager with experience overseeing budgets, managing financial planning, and ensuring long-term fiscal health.
• Comfortable making and defending fiscally prudent decisions, including around facility management and endowment building.

External Relations and Communications

• Compelling spokesperson with the ability to represent WildCare well and inspire and engage a range of audiences.
• Track record of building and sustaining civic, governmental, and community partnerships across sectors.
• Experience elevating an organization’s national profile and donor base.
• Able to translate genuine passion for wildlife, environmental stewardship, and the intersection of conservation and community into compelling public narratives.

COMPENSATION

This is a full-time, exempt, benefit-eligible position. The anticipated annual salary range is $200,000–220,000, commensurate with experience.

WildCare offers a comprehensive benefits package including up to 100% of the cost of health insurance, dental, vision, long-term disability, life insurance, a generous vacation and sick time package, 14 paid holidays a year, and a 401K package with an employer match of up to 4%.

LOCATION

WildCare is based in San Rafael, California. The Executive Director will maintain a regular in-person presence across WildCare’s current and new Albert Park facilities, with engagement throughout the greater Bay Area region.

START DATE

Fall 2026