TUCSON AUDUBON SOCIETY

TITLE: Executive Director

DEPARTMENT: Administration

REPORTS TO: Board of Directors

FLSA: Exempt

DATE REVIEWED: March 2023

*Please note that we will start reviewing applications on April 27th. However, the position will remain open until filled.*

POSITION SUMMARY
Tucson Audubon Society seeks an experienced leader, collaborator, and creative thinker, who is committed to conservation and enjoying and protecting birds, to be Executive Director. This individual will guide and supervise a strong team, integrate the work and talents of staff, volunteers, and the Board of Directors, and propel Tucson Audubon to new levels of engagement and excellence.

The Executive Director is responsible for providing strategic leadership for Tucson Audubon by working with the Board of Directors and staff leadership team to establish long-range goals, strategies, plans, and policies. The Executive Director oversees all organizational activities and ensures that these are carried out in a collaborative and effective manner consistent with the organization’s mission, policies, and programs, as adopted by the Board of Directors. The Executive Director is the organization’s lead spokesperson and most visible representative to secure financial support.

The Executive Director reports to the Board of Directors and directly supervises Directors of Development and Communication, Conservation and Research, Finance and Operations, Engagement and Education, and Conservation Advocacy.

The Executive Director will supervise and optimize the operation of programs and facilities, effectively represent our brand, support and guide our employees, inspire members and donors to support our mission, embody a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion principles, collaborate with the Board of Directors to strategize now and into the future, and broaden and deepen our reach into the diverse multicultural community of southeast Arizona and beyond.

Tucson Audubon excels at innovative outreach. In addition, our staff and Board of Directors are actively committed to inclusion, diversity, equity, and access (IDEA). We aspire to be an industry leader in IDEA and cultivate a community of bird lovers as diverse as southeast Arizona.

ABOUT TUCSON AUDUBON SOCIETY

MISSION
Tucson Audubon inspires people to enjoy and protect birds through recreation, education, conservation, and restoration of the environment upon which we all depend.

Founded in 1949, Tucson Audubon is southeast Arizona’s leading non-profit engaging people in the conservation of birds and their habitats. We involve people through recreational birding, extend their horizons through education activities, and engage them in conservation actions from planting trees and counting birds to working with local, state, and national policy makers. We work for a future in which the people of southeast Arizona are connected to their natural world through birds, and they protect and use our natural resources in a responsible and sustainable manner.

Tucson Audubon Facilities and Programs include wide-ranging, mission-driven efforts to engage, educate, conduct research, advocate for conservation, improve and restore habitat, and have fun enjoying birds, implemented by staff and numerous dedicated volunteers. Examples include:

• 
  Paton Center for Hummingbirds, Patagonia, AZ: 12+-acre riparian sanctuary and visitor center dedicated to hummingbirds and the special birds of southeast Arizona; donor-funded expansion in design stage.
• Mason Center for Ironwood Preservation & Environmental Education, Tucson, AZ: 20-acre Ironwood sanctuary and education center for the appreciation of the Sonoran Desert.
• Nature Shop: everything birds, top-of-the-line optics, field gear, books, gifts.
• Vermilion Flycatcher: signature full-color, quarterly magazine.
• Habitat at Home: creating and enhancing habitat in urban landscapes.
• Community Science: species surveys, desert nest boxes, research, much more.
• Southeast Arizona Birding Festival: field trips, workshops, national speakers, annually.
• Birdathon: team competition and fundraiser, annually.
• Habitat Restoration: enhancement to increase native vegetation and diversity.
• Field trips: more than 3,000 participants engage in staff- and volunteer-led field trips throughout the year, across southeast Arizona and internationally.
• Southeast Arizona Rare Bird Alert: online catalog of rare sightings, updated weekly.

OUR HISTORY
Tucson Audubon became a chapter of National Audubon Society in 1964, and publications such as the Vermilion Flycatcher newsletter, bird checklists, and Finding Birds in Southeast Arizona soon followed. The organization became the authority in land conservation with our renowned Restoration and Important Bird Areas programs. Tucson Audubon and its members have been a major influence in the creation and adoption of Pima County’s national award- winning Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan and Multi-species Habitat Conservation Plan, the expansion of the Tucson Mountain Park, and the creation of the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area, the Tortolita Mountain Park, the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area, and Ironwood Forest National Monument. We are a founding member of the Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Nurture a kind, respectful, collaborative, inclusive, and anti- discriminatory workplace, while steering a success-oriented, accountable environment within Tucson Audubon.
• Recruit, support, and retain quality staff and volunteers.
• Participate with the Board of Directors in the development of a new strategic plan to guide the organization for the next 3–5 years.
• Establish programs and annual budgets to meet strategic goals; evaluate potential new initiatives and partnerships based on the strategic plan, including in conservation, research, operations, fundraising, education, advocacy, and outreach.
• Facilitate collaboration and integration across and within programs; help departments communicate and collaborate.
• Ensure sound financial practices, budgeting, forecasting, reporting, and audit support.
• Foster a community-centric approach to environmental conservation through strong relationships with other nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, government, civic leaders, and business leaders.
• Ensure programs and policy positions are science-based and informed by staff’s work with appropriate experts in government, academic institutions, and the private sector; communicate Tucson Audubon science to non-scientific audiences.
• Monitor developments in human resources, non-profit management and governance, philanthropy, fund development, and other pertinent areas.
• Ensure strategic use of the Paton Center for Hummingbirds, and facilitate collaboration between Board and staff regarding large- scale renovation of the property.

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, AND COMPETENCIES

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

The Executive Director oversees a staff of 44 employees. In addition, 12 employees are assigned to federal agencies for collaborative conservation, education, and research projects.

The Executive Director will:

• Lead, motivate, and mentor a high-performing team.
• Guide staff in using the budget as an effective decision-making tool.
• Assist staff in annual goal-setting and reporting on outcomes based on the strategic plan.

• Use work plans, annual reviews, and other tools to promote outcomes and accountability within programs; conduct annual performance reviews with direct reports.

• Develop and maintain appropriate salary structures.
• Assure fair and equitable treatment of staff; promote a highly supportive and inclusive work environment; demonstrate good listening skills.

QUALIFICATIONS

• B.S. or B.A. degree; advanced degree desirable but not required.
• Enjoys and appreciates birds; is passionate about Tucson Audubon’s mission to connect diverse audiences to birds and create community around birds through conservation, restoration, education, advocacy, and recreation; some knowledge of birds and/or bird habitats preferred.
• Loves the Sonoran Desert and/or is eager to explore it.
• Demonstrated leadership as a strategic and innovative thinker.
• Experience with:
• a similar position or senior leadership role, with strong supervisory experience.
• cultivating donor and member relationships.
• developing and managing conservation advocacy programs, and collaborating with agency and non-governmental organization partners.
• developing and engaging boards of directors, and teaming with them to plan strategically.
• advancing inclusion, diversity, equity, and access.
• assessing and optimizing organizational structure.
• Excellent writing and presentation skills; bilingual English/Spanish or strong Spanish skills desired.

COMPENSATION
Compensation for the Executive Director includes a competitive base salary commensurate with experience and an excellent package of employee benefits. The minimum salary for the anticipated hiring range is $110,000.

OPPORTUNITY
Tucson Audubon is one of the largest and most respected Audubon chapters in the country; it is a trusted brand with a rich history that bases decisions on facts and science; and it is a growing and dynamic organization in one of the most biodiverse areas of the country. This is a unique opportunity to work with a talented and motivated team, within an amazing conservation-oriented community to create lasting impacts for birds and for people at a time when many birds and habitats are in serious jeopardy.

Tucson Audubon Society is a fully independent 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

ABOUT TUCSON, ARIZONA

Founded in 1775, metropolitan Tucson is now home to 1 million people. Its multicultural roots run deep. Indigenous cultures, including the Tohono O’odham and Pascua Yaqui peoples, have lived in the valley for millennia.

Surrounded by the lush iconic Sonoran Desert, including Saguaro National Park and numerous other conservation and wilderness areas and Tribal lands, it is a place of awesome desert vistas and magnificent sunsets, with 350 days of sunshine a year, punctuated by winter rain and summer monsoon storms. Southeast Arizona contains some of the wildest intact landscapes in the West. The “Sky Island” mountains which rise from the grasslands high into pine/spruce forests make it one of the most biodiverse regions on the continent. The spectacular one-hour drive up the Catalina Mountains on Tucson’s north flank is like traveling from Mexico to Canada.

Outdoor recreation is central in the Tucson lifestyle, including hiking, cycling, sports, and golf. Tucson’s service-based economy is anchored by the University of Arizona, with over 38,000 undergraduate students and world-renowned graduate and research programs. Tucson is home to the incomparable Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Kitt Peak Observatory, the Mount Lemmon SkyCenter Observatory, and San Xavier del Bac Mission. Distinctive events mark Tucsonan’s annual calendars, including the international Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Showcase, Tucson Festival of Books, All Souls Procession, El Tour de Tucson, Tucson Meet Yourself, and Tucson Audubon’s Southeast Arizona Birding Festival. The vibrant food scene has earned Tucson the designation of World City of Gastronomy by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Home to beautiful historic neighborhoods, world-class resorts, and interesting museums, galleries, arts venues, and gardens, Tucson is an open and welcoming place that retains its small-town feel.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Jeanne Calhoun: canyonraven7@gmail.com
Kathy Jacobs, Chair, Search Committee; jacobsk@arizona.edu

Tucson Audubon is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our programs and employment are open to all. We value diversity and do not permit any discrimination against applicants, employees, or volunteers on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, medical condition, disability, or any other status protected by applicable law or statute in any of our policies or programs.

At Tucson Audubon, our commitment to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) goes beyond being in full compliance with employment law; Tucson Audubon actively cultivates a culture that embraces differences, with the commitment that everyone is a valued member of our team and is treated with respect and dignity. We intentionally work to foster a culture of inclusion with openness, honesty, visibility, creativity, and trust as core values.

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities and details required for each duty listed above. Detailed work plans should be developed and designed around the duties listed above and should address program and organizational goals.