Executive Director

King Conservation District (KCD) is a metropolitan conservation district serving 34 cities and unincorporated King County.    KCD is committed to ensuring that all 2.2 million residents of its service area have access to local food, healthy forests, and clean water. By working with partners such as King County, City of Seattle,  Sound Cities Association, farmers, land stewards, rural and urban residents, volunteers, community-based organizations, and municipal partners, KCD extends the reach of its programs and services and broadens the impact of its work to restore tree canopy, expand wildlife habitat and grow the regional food system.  Everyday with people all over King County, KCD makes an impact that grows exponentially, building climate resiliency.  KCD is seeking an experienced Executive Director and committed conservationist to lead this quasi-governmental organization.

The Position:

The Executive Director (ED) leads the visioning process with the Board of Supervisors and staff, ensures the strategic goals align with mission and values and implements these goals with the Board, talented staff, and through engaged and mutually beneficial partnerships.  This includes coordinating all aspects of KCD's work. In collaboration with staff, more specific areas of accountability include budgeting and financial management, external relations; strategic planning; organizational development; board relations and governance; partner cultivation and stewardship; human resources, and staff leadership, management, and development.

 KCD is seeking a dynamic leader for the agency's next chapter of growth and evolution. This includes engaging internal and external stakeholders, amplifying and extending the reach and impact of KCD's programs, and further serving diverse urban and rural land stewards and residents by advocating for best practices throughout the various communities in KCD's service area. 

The District seeks a collaborative, trusted, inspirational, generative, and poised leader who effortlessly engages with people and manages complex and dynamic stakeholder and partnership relationships to improve and directly impact natural resource conservation in King County. The ideal candidate will be strategic, skilled at public policy and political affairs,  and have strong business acumen. They will identify and use key metrics and leverage data to inform KCD's priorities, work, and partnerships. The ED will maintain a holistic view and use evidence-based decision-making while maintaining cultural and systematic awareness.

The preferred candidate embraces and champions KCD's core values of accountability, mutual respect, collaboration, empowerment, equity, and trust.  Ideally, they will bring an understanding of conservation districts, conservation practices, and regional environmental issues, preferably within the Puget Sound area, and have demonstrated successful government or nonprofit board management, as well as experience facilitating complex relationships and programs.

 For a detailed description of the organization and its programs, please visit: https://kingcd.org/about/

See full position profile here.

 Leadership Abilities:

Candidates will be evaluated on the full range of their lived and learned experience, professional background, volunteer experience, and direct and transferable skills. KCD seeks candidates with a compelling combination of demonstrated knowledge and skills in some, or all, of the following areas:

•  Leadership experience in dynamic and complex quasi-governmental organizations, preferably within a public agency or mission-based nonprofit entity with represented employees.
• Senior-level government relations and Board management experience, business ownership or responsibility for budget and P/L.
• Experience serving as a CEO, executive director, senior staff member of an organization, division, or department (not necessarily in a traditional public policy, conservation, advocacy, or nonprofit organization).
• Familiarity with fundraising, social sector or nonprofit services, public policy advocacy work, labor relations, and legislative relations – which may come from Board, volunteer, or staff service – is a plus.
• High Emotional and Social intelligence. 

Ability to:

• Balance urban and rural interests across KCD's work.
• Navigate complex political environments.
• Be an engaging, calm and thoughtful leader who embraces collaborative decision-making.
• Build and cultivate internal and external relations to increase organizational capacity, capabilities, reach, and positive impact.
• Develop and manage a complex and diverse portfolio of projects, including creating and implementing work plans.
• Represent government interests and effectively interact with people of all walks of life.
• Understand and effectively manage the budget and use of public funds while ensuring a well-thought-out and coordinated budgeting process.
• Recognize and pursue opportunities that may emerge unexpectedly.
• Create a shared vision, inspire and motivate others to join in realizing this vision, and creating a path to achieve it.
• Be an engaging public speaker and compelling voice for the organization and mission. Provide keynote messages at events and meetings related to significant natural resource priorities and initiatives.

This role will remain open until filled. Candidate materials are reviewed on an on-going basis, and initial interviews will begin by late March.

 To be considered, please submit a resume and cover letter (in a single Word or PDF document) as soon as possible addressed to the Search Committee at https://valtasgroup.recruiterbox.com/jobs/fk0u7gg/

 You may direct questions or make referrals to Mr. Ed Rogan or Mrs. Amy Burton at Valtas Group. Ed can be reached at ed@valtasgroup.com or 206.697.8428 and Amy can be reached at amy@valtasgroup.com or 206.718.5122.

 King Conservation District (KCD) is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to diversity, racial equity, and inclusion. KCD does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, age, pregnancy, disability, work-related injury, covered veteran status, political ideology, genetic information, marital status, a record of arrest or conviction, or any other factor that the law protects from employment discrimination. This position is subject to reference checks and the completion of a background check.