Job Description

The American Birding Association seeks an accomplished and mission-aligned Executive Director to lead and manage the organization into their next stage of growth.

About the American Birding Association

The American Birding Association (ABA) is one of the premier recreational birding organizations in North America. Its mission is to grow the birding community, not only for benefit of its members, but also because birders vote, donate, and volunteer to protect the birds. The ABA publishes two magazines in both print and electronic form with 12,000+ subscribers, as well as a line of field guides. Its online presence on its web site, social media pages, and podcast reaches over 150,000 people. It runs youth programs, tours, and a variety of other programs. The ABA speaks for the North American birding community in public policy matters.

The ABA is in a transitional period, ushering in a new strategic plan and direction with the departure of their President, who led the organization for 11 years. Over the next five years, the ABA hopes to grow and diversify its membership, increase revenue and fundraising contributions, expand media presence, and ensure best practice management and human resources processes.

To learn more, please visit https://apptrkr.com/2859265

About the Position

The ABA is looking for their next Executive Director (ED) to lead the staff, the Board, and volunteers into their next stage of growth. With a new strategic plan in place, the ED will be responsible for articulating a shared vision, meeting annual financial budget of about $1.8M, overseeing the delivery of all of ABA’s products and programs, and leading the organization as its public spokesperson.

Candidates should demonstrate strong leadership, management, and operational achievement as well as a genuine appreciation of birds and the natural world. The ideal candidate should be comfortable managing a geographically decentralized organization.

While the position will be almost entirely remote, the ideal candidate will be willing and able to travel periodically, both nationally and internationally, for events, conferences, fundraising, and public appearances.

Key Responsibilities

• Implement and enhance the current strategic plan
• Ensure annual and long-term financial viability (via astute financial management, diversified fundraising, robust social media/publications, and membership development)
• Delivery and operational management of all of ABA’s products and programs, including the publication of Birding, North American Birds, the ABA podcast, and various other ABA media, ABA birding trips and other events, and young birder camps and other young birder programs
• Representation of the ABA as public spokesperson and de facto leader of the birding community
• Inspiration and recruitment of members to support ABA initiatives
• Monitor and ensure that the ABA complies with all legal requirements
• Maintenance of a process of annual goal setting and reviews for all staff
• Delivery of monthly reports to the Board of Directors with a dashboard showing performance results from the previous month
• Further development and execution of annual plans to grow the ABA toward its five-year strategic goals

Key Qualifications

The ideal candidate should demonstrate:

• An appreciation of the ABA’s mission and ability to communicate that mission to diverse constituencies
• Success and accountability for managing goal setting and achieving programmatic and financial goals
• Staff management experience, including hiring, firing, coaching, and team building
• Successful fundraising and donor management
• Successful experience in partnerships with volunteers and/or Board
• Familiarity with non-profits, especially smaller scale organizations
• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Public speaking and opinion leadership skills
• Comfort with managing a geographically decentralized organization

Highly preferred, but not required:

• Strong digital and social media experience
• An inspirational, relatable, and energetic team player and leader
• Ability to travel nationally and internationally
• Spanish-speaking ability
• Relevant degrees and certifications

Pay Range: $95,000–$125,000. Additional performance bonuses may be considered.

All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, gender, age, marital status, national origin, sexual orientation, relationship identity or relationship structure, gender identity or expression, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by law.

How to Apply

• Please email your cover letter and resume in confidence to: [email protected]
• For more information, please visit www.developmentguild.com. Bill Weber and Mel Witman, Development Guild DDI

Job Categories: Wildlife. Job Types: Full-Time.

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