Executive Director

Teatown Lake Reservation is a nonprofit, environmental organization with a 900 acre nature preserve and education center located in the Lower Hudson Valley in the Towns of Yorktown, Cortlandt, and New Castle, New York. Teatown Lake Reservation's mission is to conserve open space and to educate and involve the regional community in order to sustain the diversity of wildlife, plants and habitats for future generations. We are devoted to conserving biodiversity, teaching ecology and promoting nature-friendly living.

Located in the heart of the Lower Hudson Valley's Hudson Hills and Highlands bioregion, Teatown is the largest nonprofit nature preserve in Westchester County. About 28,000 people come each year to attend an education program, visit the Nature Center, hike our trails, or tour Wildflower Island, a two-acre island sanctuary located within Teatown Lake that is home to over 230 native and endangered species of wildflowers.

Teatown's educators offer adult, family and children's programs to over 18,000 participants annually, including nearly 9,000 school children and 700 summer campers. Annually, over 10,000 hikers traverse Teatown's 15 miles of scenic trails that span abundant fields, mixed forests, lakes, streams, swamps and farm land. Our Nature Center is a source of wildlife knowledge and home to a variety of amphibians, birds of prey, mammals and reptiles. Teatown conducts three annual celebrations: Hudson Hills and Highlands Fall Festival; Nature-friendly Plant Sale and Workshops; and Hudson River EagleFest, a celebration of the annual winter gathering of bald eagles in the Hudson Valley.

In addition, Teatown is rapidly developing a reputation as the Hudson Hills and Highlands' foremost environmental organization, providing conservation leadership to this bioregion, which encompasses most of Westchester and Putnam Counties, and parts of Dutchess, Orange and Rockland Counties. Teatown takes an active role in state, county and community efforts to protect open space and natural areas. We provide assistance to civic leaders in crafting practical solutions to environmental issues and help land owners and residents become more "nature friendly between the parks."

For additional information about Teatown, its programs, activities and more, please go to www.teatown.org.

Position Overview:

Reporting to the Board Chair, the Executive Director serves as the Chief Executive Officer and leader of the organization. As CEO, oversees all programs, fundraising/development, management of all staff/volunteers, administration/operations and finance.

Programs at Teatown include environmental education for all ages; stewardship of its 900 acre nature preserve and leadership in regional conservation efforts. The Executive Director is responsible for empowering the Board with information and administrative support, so that they can carry out their duties of strategic planning and policy setting, financial oversight and fundraising.

The Executive Director provides primary leadership in formulating organizational vision and strategy to accomplish mission and goals. He/she motivates staff and volunteers to perform at the highest possible professional level and demonstrates and ensures the highest level of integrity throughout the organization. An essential and core aspect of responsibility is creating, facilitating and managing environmental partnerships throughout the region.

The Executive Director serves as the principal spokesperson and relationship builder for Teatown in the region, operating as the public face of the organization with Teatown's members, civic leaders, donors, media, conservation professionals, governmental agencies and the public. He/she is expected to articulate a compelling vision to a variety of audiences and create enthusiastic support for Teatown and its mission and goals throughout Westchester County, the Hudson Hills and Highlands, and beyond.

Qualifications:

The Executive Director must be passionate and persuasive in enlisting others to support Teatown's mission and the work of the board, staff, volunteers and members. The position calls for creativity, partnership/collaborative skills and fresh ideas coupled with proven strategic planning and top management skills. Fundraising experience and skill are essential -- as well as a strong commitment to this responsibility. Broad knowledge of natural history and conservation science is also expected. The ideal candidate would bring the following professional qualifications and personal qualities:

Professional Qualifications:

• Demonstrated professional or personal involvement and depth in conservation, environmental education and land conservation/management. A solid understanding of the complexities of natural resource protection in suburban, residential contexts.
• Significant management experience, with deep involvement in strategic planning, financial management, marketing and communications, staff hiring, performance planning and evaluation and employee coaching.
• Demonstrated fundraising success. Significant experience raising funds from a variety of sources, especially with major donors, corporations and foundations. Without question, a willingness and appetite to spend considerable time raising funds. Delivers compelling and inspiring messaging about the need for and use of donor funds.
• A track record of effective interaction with, ability to lead and build robust collaborations with public officials and administrative agencies, citizenry, community groups, and the media.
• Experience and demonstrated success working with volunteer/not-for-profit boards of directors, comprised of very accomplished members of the Westchester community.
• Solid fiscal management experience.
• Graduate level academic training in science or environmental education is ideal. An advanced degree in management, public policy, or law also is desirable.

Personal Characteristics:

• Solid integrity, good judgment, and a sense of humor.
• Public presence and energy. Strong communication skills and the ability to enlist and engage others to share in a vision.
• High energy executive.
• Excellent strategic and intellectual abilities.
• A strong conservation ethic and commitment to Teatown's mission.
• A commitment to collaborative/partnership efforts throughout the region.
• Seasoned ability to translate ambiguity into a clear vision, strategy and plan of action on an ongoing basis.
• Strong leadership, management and team-building skills, including the ability to motivate, align efforts, set goals, delegate and monitor effectively.
• Outstanding interpersonal skills; works effectively with a wide variety of people at all levels. The ability to balance and negotiate among opposing viewpoints within and outside the organization.

To Apply:

We appreciate interest in the position however we will only respond to those submissions that can be considered serious candidates for the position.

Résumés should be submitted to Naomi Marrow along with a cover letter describing the reasons for your interest in the position.

No phone calls, please.

Teatown is an equal opportunity employer.