Executive Director

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Title : Executive Director

Reports to : Board of Directors

Team : Executive

Salary : $0, with the possibility of future pay depending on fundraising

Location: Flexible within United States

The Executive Director (ED) serves as both the internal guiding force of the organization and its most prominent external spokesperson. The ideal candidate will be passionate about sustainability and dedicated to embedding it within engineering. Candidates should be able to articulate a vision for Engineers for a Sustainable World’s (ESW) role in a rapidly changing world to stakeholders including members, corporations, and academic institutions. As the head of the organization, the Executive Director is responsible for helping to grow the organization’s resources to more effectively tackle large problems, managing a large decentralized team of volunteers in the implementation of our strategic plan, and developing a stronger network of business, nonprofit, and academic partners. This position offers the opportunity to help put sustainability into the education and practice of the next generation of technical students and professionals.

Responsibilities include:

• Lead fundraising strategy and obtain dedicated and secure resources for successful operation and program management (45% of time)

• Identify and help secure funding from corporations and philanthropists for the Annual Conference and ESW Programs as needed
• Guide the planning and implementation of individual fundraising campaigns

• Assist with proposal writing to governmental agencies or foundations to fund programs

• Develop partnerships for shared resources in the form of in-kind donations and professional expertise

• Build the ESW brand in the form of public and organizational recognition and key partnerships (30%)

• Provide representation for ESW at public events

• Identify potential for collaboration and develop connections between ESW and: faculty and staff at institutions of higher education in order to build ESW’s presence on college campuses; engineering and or sustainability-related companies; and existing non-profit networks

• Oversee all internal functions and personnel (15%)

• Maintain communication between staff departments, the Board of Directors, and the Advisory Board

• Foster trust between individuals and engagement within the organization

• Assist the Board of Directors with compliance with legal requirements of tax-exempt status
• Articulate the vision and plan for the future of the organization (10%)

• Monitor success of current programs and guide adjustments for new opportunities or stakeholder needs
• Identify areas for new programs and impact and targets for expansion, prioritizing between stakeholder groups as necessary

• Work with the Board of Directors and Leadership Team on strategic planning for both short and long term horizons

• Help develop annual budgets which make efficient use of resources and grow the organization’s overall impact

• Coordinate creation of an Annual Report for public distribution

Desired skills and ideal qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or higher or equivalent experience in an engineering, business, or sustainability field

• Superb verbal and excellent written communication skills and confidence communicating to a wide variety of audiences

• Demonstrated experience meeting funding goals from government and foundation sources and individual fundraising

• Experience dealing with a range of organizational stakeholders, including university faculty, non-profit leaders, and businesses

• Demonstrated ability to create, share, and act on a large-scale vision

• Demonstrated management skills and ability to delegate, with a dedication to mentorship and leading by example
• Experience creating and/or managing multi-stakeholder projects and programs
• Experience working with a volunteer staff located around the country that primarily collaborates virtually