WHITEROCK CONSERVANCY

Position Title: EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Job Type:   Management
Reports to:  Board of Directors 
Supervises:   All employees and volunteers
Salary Range: $45,000 to $65,000 based upon experience and education

SUMMARY: Serves as the chief executive of Whiterock Conservancy. Provides leadership, knowledge, and skills for the development, promotion, and funding of the organization. Responsible for planning, organizing, staffing, directing, presenting, and/or supervising and coordinating Whiterock’s programs and activities. Responsible for implementing the vision and mission of Whiterock conservancy, a 5,000 acre land trust in West central Iowa.
Whiterock’s Vision is to be a place of farmed and natural landscapes, healthy waters, fun in the wild, and innovative ideas.
Whiterock’s Mission is to engage the public with Whiterock’s landscape and develop a full understanding of its values. This work will involve preserving and creating a diversity of habitats and developing a variety of ways for the public to interact with Whiterock’s unique landscape, its history, and the outdoors.

 

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

  1. Serves as the chief executive officer: has full responsibility and authority for the effective day-to-day management and coordination of Whiterock’s operations in accordance with policies formulated jointly with the Board of Directors.
  2. With the Board of Directors and Staff, establishes, develops and maintains a strategic plan.
  3. Develops organizational structures, policies, staff work plans and systems to implement the strategic plan within budget/time/resource constraints.
  4. Serves as chief advisor to the Board of Directors, assuring its effectiveness in policy-making and funding roles. With designated members of the Board, orients new board members to a full understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the board and staff. Keeps the board fully informed and serves as liaison between the Board and staff.
  5. Leads efforts to market, promote, and increase awareness of Whiterock, including: speaking publicly at a variety of meetings and events, coordinating communication strategies and messages, creating and coordinating news releases, newsletters, and media correspondence.
  6. To insure budgetary requirements and future needs, creates and sustains a growing number of involved grantors, donors, and recreational users who recognize, understand and support the vision and mission of WRC, demonstrated through purposeful giving. This responsibility includes initiating and fostering relations with donors at all levels of support and taking ownership of the organizations’ development plan that assures success.
  7. Develops and nourishes strategic partnerships with other organizations.
  8. In conjunction with other staff, recruits, trains, and supervises a growing number of volunteers and visitors to support and become engaged with WRC.
  9. Coordinates the development and implementation of budgetary control systems, record-keeping systems, financial and activity reports and other administrative control processes.
  10. Analyzes operations to evaluate performance of the WRC and its staff in meeting objectives, and determines areas of potential cost reduction, program improvement, and/or policy change. Takes corrective action to that address these findings.
  11. Coordinates, encourages, supports and archives research efforts related to WRC mission.

Education/Minimum Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

    1. Must have a bachelor's degree, preferably in a natural resources or related field to be able to understand and use scientific research, develop and evaluate appropriate conservation, land management, and public programs; know and understand appropriate policies and procedures and so forth.
    2. More than five years as a director or other senior management position at a similar non-profit with a comparable size budget with proven managerial, marketing, fund raising, and leadership skills in order to be able to adequately understand and manage Conservancy operations, develop and administer the budget, supervise Whiterock’s employees, and so forth.
    3. Advanced analytical skills necessary to be able to plan programs and interpretive signage and evaluate effectiveness thereof; design and administer the budget; understand and manage complex Conservancy operations and so forth.
    4. Advanced communication and interpersonal skills necessary to work with and instruct groups with diverse backgrounds, negotiate contracts for Whiterock, make and discuss proposals with the Board of Directors, solicit funds, and so forth.
    5. Ability to communicate effectively in English both verbally and in writing to communicate with staff, visitors, volunteers, donors; to read and understand legal documents and policies; to write policies, procedures, and grants.
    6. Must be able to concentrate and pay attention to detail for up to 80% of work time when developing budget, monitoring Whiterock’s financial status, developing and evaluating programs.
    7. Must be able to walk up to 25% of work time when attending and reviewing programs and special events, managing the land, etc.
    8. Ability to acquire and maintain an Iowa driver's license to meet with potential donors off site, speak at community meetings, and so forth.

 

Working Conditions

1. Normal office environment with little or no exposure to adverse working conditions

2. No exposure to toxic or otherwise hazardous materials.

 

Reporting Relationships

1. Reports to the Board of Directors

2. Responsible for 5-15 staff and more than 50 volunteers.

The above is intended to describe the general content of the requirements for the performance of this job. It is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of duties, responsibilities or requirements. In no way does this job description constitute a contract, implied or otherwise.

Applications: Resume’s will be accepted through COB Monday April 30, 2012. All resume’s must be accompanied with a cover letter and must be emailed to: wildkpherring@yahoo.com. In addition, to the required electronic application hard copies may (optional) be sent to: Ken Herring, President of WRC, 28330 J Ave., Adel, IA. 50003