Position Summary and General Duties
The Executive Director (ED) reports to the Board of Directors (BOD) and is expected to identify and implement short- and long-term goals and to be accountable to the BOD for achieving those goals. The ED is directly responsible for supervising a senior staff that includes the Chief Financial Officer, Director of Conservation Science and Stewardship, General Counsel, and Director of Administration. The ED coordinates with senior staff to shape the future evolution of CNLM, including its programs and acquisitions.
The ED is responsible for leading and shaping the organization’s strategic vision, operational effectiveness, land acquisition, stewardship, and government, tribal, and stakeholder engagement. This ED serves as the primary liaison with the BOD, donors, partners, staff, and the community. The ED serves as the public face of the organization and represents the values and mission of the organization. This includes working to ensure CNLM is a leader in conservation, helping to sustain CNLM financially by generating private and public funding, and engaging external parties in CNLM work.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Leadership and Strategy:

• Be a publicly visible leader of CNLM actively, broadly, and with integrity and be able to inspire support for our work;
• Creatively and systematically advance the quality and quantity of conserved lands;
• Work closely with the BOD to ensure strong board governance and capacity and facilitate the development on ongoing review and revision of organizational plans and performance measures;
• Actively inform and engage the BOD in issues of importance to the operations and strategy of the organization; and
• Assist BOD in the recruitment, evaluation, and selection of BOD members and leverage its expertise and networks for the benefit of CNLM.

Community Engagement & Advocacy:

• Build meaningful and productive relationships with local, regional, state, and federal governments and agencies and tribes to communicate and further CNLM’s strategies and priorities and to build support for its ongoing work
• Establish communication pipelines with local, regional, state, and federal governments and agencies and tribes
• Represent the organization in public forums, policy discussions, and conservation coalitions.
• Promote public awareness of conservation initiatives through events, education, and media.

Land Protection and Stewardship:

• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with organizations involved in land conservation;
• Ensure that CNLM’s interests are advanced through collaborative and open relationships with local, state and federal officials, agencies, and tribes;
• Cultivate and enhance positive relationships with landowners, environmental organizations, and relevant stakeholders to identify and implement conservation projects;
• Empower and assist CNLM staff and others in designing and implementing effective land acquisitions and conservation easements including developing Property Analysis records and undertaking due diligence to close transactions in a timely manner;
• Oversee conservation transactions, monitoring and enforcement and ensure compliance with the highest standards of land trust practices;
• Ensure CNLM has adequate capacity to provide responsible professional stewardship of land and conservation easements that it holds.

Internal Leadership and Operational Management:

• Oversee day-to-day operations, including budgeting, finance, HR, and administration
• Evaluate CNLM’s progress in meeting its strategic goals and facilitate updates to the strategic plan’s development and monitor annual work plans;
• Recruit, nurture, and challenge a motivated professional staff; delegate specific responsibilities with appropriate authority and establish accountability; foster open, positive communications;
• Lead CNLM in building the organizational structure including policies, procedures, and systems to meet future growth; build institutional and professional capacity to assure ongoing success and stability;
• Annually develop and monitor CNLM’s budget and provide oversight of the fiscal operation of CNLM with the BOD;
• Oversee adherence to Land Trust Alliance Standards and Practices to maintain accreditation;
• Ensure effective management of HR, accounting, IT and administrative functions; and
• Ensure clear, transparent, and effective communication, reporting and feedback between the BOD and staff through various committees and organizations structures.