Director of Operations

The Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) is a 91,000 member conservation and recreation organization focused on promoting the protection, enjoyment and wise use of the mountains, rivers and trails of the Appalachian region. Founded in 1876, AMC is fortunate to have a long and successful history, with many of its successes based on its ability to earn a substantial portion of its revenues while at the same time fulfilling its mission and building a tradition of service and conservation. While the eight backcountry huts in the White Mountains are the best known of the business operations, a large number of additional facilities, educational programs, retail operations, trail management, volunteer management, and book publishing are other important operational activities. Over the years, the AMC has been most successful when its business operations and mission-oriented programs are well managed and the organization is able to work in a coordinated and entrepreneurial fashion.

In 2002, the AMC successfully completed a major Capital Campaign, raising more than $33 million. Several new projects were funded by this campaign, all of them related to AMCs Vision 2010, which sets goals and objectives for trails stewardship, land protection, volunteer participation, youth education, facility usage, membership, and public contact. The new projects from this campaign, plus the overall structure necessary to fully implement the AMCs Vision 2010 goals and objectives, have necessitated a review of management capacity and a decision to add a new senior level management position.

Summary Description:

The Director of Operations will have supervisory responsibility for the major business and ongoing program operations of the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC). The incumbent will oversee significant components of the organization such as Facilities, Education and Leadership related programs. Because many of these programs rely on volunteers, the Director of Operations will take a leadership role in overseeing staff-volunteer partnerships. She/he also will oversee management practices throughout the organization and insure cross organization efforts wherever appropriate. The Director of Operations will report to the Executive Director and serve on the Executive Directors Leadership Team.

Duties:

Supervises

• Supervises all facility operations, through a Director of Facilities, with a short-term expectation of regional integration into a cohesive, well run department
• Supervises program operations through a Director of Education, Director of Trails, Director of Leadership and Chapter Activities, Information Systems Manager, and Merchandise Manager
• Other areas may be added in the future.

Responsibilities:

• Oversee yearly planning process including organization-wide objective setting; departmental planning, and tracking the implementation of all of the above, with an emphasis on inter-department coordination and cooperation.
• Plan, develop and approve operational policies, programs and procedures; direct their execution by developing and implementing work plans, monitoring work flow and evaluating results.
• Review and integrate facility, service delivery, and program operations to fulfill the AMC-wide mission and realize the Vision 2010 goals.
• Ongoing review of and improvement of organization-wide policies and to guarantee efficiency, coordination and realization of priority opportunities.
• Work with the Board of Directors, Board of Advisors, other relevant Board Committees and volunteers for their support and input on AMC objectives.

Qualifications and Requirements:

The Director of Operations requires strong organization wide management skills and experience in a similar type of organization. He/she will need to have a passion for our work and a burning desire to realize the many opportunities available to us. The successful candidate must be entrepreneurial, yet highly practical, and be able to stimulate hard work yet keep enthusiasm within reasonable bounds. The Director of Operations will need to continually look for ways to wisely invest money, but always in a way that furthers the mission and balances the budget.

Specific qualifications include:

• An rigorous MBA program or equivalent
• 5+ years of successful experience in an organization with similar characteristics (e.g. large, complex, geographically dispersed, functionally diverse, mission driven, etc.), in a supervisory capacity
• Strong, practical analytical skills
• Proven track record in upgrading and integrating operations
• Experience in successfully guiding passionmotivating in passionate employees (and preferably volunteers) toward an organizations mission
• Skill Demonstrated skills in oral and written presentations
• Familiarity with and skills in information technology with skills to sufficiently to lead and guide the organizations efforts in an integrated, cost efficient, yet entrepreneurial fashion
• A love for the outdoors and outdoor activities, and a passion for conservation

Salary and Benefits:

• Competitive nonprofit salary, commensurate with experience
• Excellent medical and other benefits package

Location:

This position will most likely be based in Boston, but we dont rule out with the possibility of a primary office at Pinkham Notch or Crawford Notch in New Hampshire.

Application Instructions:

Please send resume, cover letter and two references to Carol Tyler at ctyler@amcinfo.org or mail to:

Carol Tyler,
AMC,
5 Joy Street,
Boston, MA 02108.
No faxes or phone calls please.
Please submit applications by August 15, 2003.

The AMC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. AMC values diversity in the workplace.