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Pillar Search is pleased to announce the search for the first-ever Director of Advancement for The Landing School of Boat Building & Design in Arundel, Maine. This is a truly unique and exciting role for an experienced Advancement professional with a passion for education and experience using innovative and varied fundraising techniques to build a culture of advancement that takes The Landing School to the next level.

This is a part-time role targeted at 12-20 hours per week initially, and the possibility to increase hours in the future. The Director of Advancement will have the flexibility to work remotely and visit the school 1-2 times per month.

Overview:

“The Landing” is a short stretch of the Kennebunk River in Arundel, Maine where The Landing School is located. It was once an internationally famous shipbuilding area and the home of more than 20 shipbuilding firms dating back to the 1600’s. In December of 1978, the first class of 9 students at The Landing School launched a Chamberlain dory-skiff, reviving the boat building trade along The Landing.

Today, each of The Landing School’s ten-month-long programs culminates in a diploma for students who successfully complete their courses within the high standards set by the faculty. In 2009, the State of Maine Department of Education and The School’s accrediting agency, ACCSC, approved The Landing School as a degree-granting institution. A student who successfully completes two technical programs and 15 credit-hours of general education courses is eligible to receive an Associate’s degree. The Landing School has been recognized by ACCSC as a 2014 ACCSC School of Distinction / ACCSC School of Excellence.

Education from The Landing School reinforces and preserves traditional design and construction methods while advancing the art of boat building, design and maintenance through the integration of modern techniques and contemporary materials. The marine industry values this unique training and has lauded The Landing School internationally with a reputation for graduates of exceptional quality.

The Landing School seeks students who are not “usual”, who are not satisfied with the status quo; they look for passionate students who imagine vividly and want to create cool things. Their students have come from forty-one U.S. states and ten countries. They are high school graduates, college graduates, second career seekers, veterans, and adult learners.

Within the transformational environment of The Landing School students find strengths they had not imagined. The practical skills offered by our curriculum are designed to provide graduates not simply with a better job prospect but more importantly with a rewarding career in the marine industry as an innovative designer, boat-builder or systems technician. Graduates of The Landing School are able to work professionally on today’s vessels and imagine tomorrow’s, pushing the boundaries of the industry’s evolving technology while understanding and appreciating the rich maritime traditions of the past.

As an employer, The Landing School offers a supportive community of faculty, staff, and fellow students who all work together to regularly achieve the impossible.

For more information about The Landing School of Boat Building, please visit http://www.landingschool.edu.

Location:

Like many of Maine’s coastal towns, Arundel (once part of neighboring Kennebunkport) first prospered as a shipbuilding center and fishing village, and later became a destination for summer residents. Today, Arundel is one of Southern Maine’s fastest growing communities. Its current population is approximately 4,200.

The Opportunity:

The Director of Advancement will be the chief fundraiser, and as the first person in this role will create and implement an innovative and comprehensive fundraising program and culture of philanthropy throughout The Landing School. This will include broadening philanthropic funding by engaging students, parents, and alumni, and working with corporate donors and foundations, the community.

The Director of Advancement will report to the President of The Landing School. A key member of the executive team, this role will work closely with the board of trustees. Please note that this role will not directly manage staff.

Overview of the Ideal Candidate:

The Director of Advancement will have a minimum of 10-15 years of experience in fundraising, including several years in senior leadership roles, and demonstrate the ability and vision to deliver results. Experience in multiple areas of fundraising is required, including annual fund, major giving, legacy gifts, grant writing, running capital campaigns, and creating a philosophy of lifelong giving in alumni.

The Director of Advancement will have the proven ability to advance a school or non-profit both internally and externally, and will be a skilled relationship building who is creative, outgoing, self-starter, motivated and engaging. The candidate must be comfortable working in a small organization and willing to wear many hats as needed.

A degree is required. Knowledge of the marine industry is strongly preferred.

The Landing School is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity, national origin, disability status, or protected veteran status.

For Immediate Consideration:

This search is being managed by Pillar Search. To apply, please send your cover letter and resume, including salary requirements, to Cindy Joyce at cindy@pillarsearch.com.

With personalized service and proven results, Pillar is your partner in executive search and human resources consulting. With over 20 years of experience, Pillar provides national retained search services for exceptional non-profits and foundations and early-stage or rapid growth for-profit firms. All share the characteristic of desiring top talent who want an occupassion, not just an occupation. In addition, Pillar offers human resources consulting services, which was born of clients requesting help on projects beyond executive search, and includes human resources audits, creating a handbook, assessing organizational design, training, team building, and employee communications. A woman-owned business, Pillar is based in Boston, MA, and works on both a local and national level. To contact Pillar, please click here.

Pillar Search is pleased to have been selected to partner with WildAid on their search for the new role of Managing Director, U.S. Operations.

ABOUT WILDAID

Founded in 1999, WildAid is an international organization based in San Francisco, CA. WildAid’s mission is to end the illegal wildlife trade in our lifetimes. WildAid envisions a world where people no longer buy wildlife products such as shark fin, elephant ivory and rhino horn.

While most wildlife conservation groups focus on protecting animals from poaching, WildAid works to reduce global consumption of wildlife products by persuading consumers and strengthening enforcement.

With an unrivaled portfolio of celebrity ambassadors and global network of media partners, WildAid leverages nearly $200 million in annual pro-bono media support. Their message reaches up to 1 billion people every week.

WildAid’s strategy for achieving this goal is to reduce demand for these products using their slogan When the Buying Stops, the Killing Can Too.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and the Managing Director – Programs (MDP) in his absence, the Managing Director – US Operations (MDUS) will primarily be a manager, overseeing all US staff. The MDUS will assess and ensure organizational performance in areas both internal and external: non-programmatic fundraising, finance/accounting, human resources, information technology and organizational communication, against the annual budget, work plan, and strategic plan.

The MDUS will be responsible for recruiting and hiring all US staff and managing their well being. S/he will bring her/his experience and talent to bear on improving the global organization infrastructure to accommodate continued growth and geographic expansion. S/he will plan and lead the organizations non-programmatic fundraising and non-programmatic organizational communications strategy and should have extensive experience in both areas. Currently funding is mainly foundation and high net worth individual driven. The organization raises approximately $10 million annually.

The MDUS serves as counsel on short- and long-term fundraising, financial, staffing, and administrative decisions. S/he will set goals, monitor work, and evaluate results to meet departmental and cross organizational objectives. The role also includes oversight of WildAid’s headquarter operations and international administration and fundraising, as well as maintaining close professional relationships with staff in all locations to facilitate innovative and effective policies and procedures. They will negotiate and manage external vendor relationships such as legal counsel, insurance, technology providers, and facilities.

The MDUS will have the depth of financial experience to ensure compliance with audits, as well as regulatory and government requirements. This individual will collaborate with the Controller to oversee investment and asset management, the annual budgeting process, and ensure that multi-year financial modeling is consistent with strategic plans.

Finally, the MDUS will oversee HR strategies for recruiting, retaining, and training WildAid’s global workforce. The strategies will ensure the alignment of HR systems, compensation and benefits, and implementing a performance management system with the goals of the organization. S/he will also play a key role as champion of WildAid’s values-based positive culture.

KEY PRIORITIES

The MDUS will examine the current operational systems in place, apply global best practices and strategize with the CEO to improve efficiency and implement solutions to support the organization as it continues to scale. They will build a cohesive team that includes necessary expertise in donor relations and fundraising, finance and accounting, technology, human resource and administrative support services that work collaboratively to advance WildAid’s mission. Specific duties within key areas include:

Fundraising/Donor Relations

Development: Work closely with the CEO and the MDP to meet aggressive fundraising goals; drive the execution of annual development plans for foundations, high net worth individuals, special events & other alternative sources of income.
Coordination: working internally and externally to ensure that all program, development, and communication initiatives are aligned and well-coordinated.

Human Resources

Manage and oversee the human resource function for WildAid, including:

Recruitment, hiring, compensation, benefits administration and performance management.
Design an execution of systems to develop, motivate, and retain top talent.
Create a more unified team across departments and offices.

Management

Work plans and operations: Together with the CEO and MDP, develop and implement coordinated country and program strategies and work plans for non-programmatic staff, and monitor progress against metrics and milestones.
Board of Directors: working with the CEO, provide staff support and guidance to WildAid’s Board and act as staff liaison to relevant board committees.
Office leadership: Effectively execute standardized policies and procedures across regional offices in the San Francisco headquarters and country offices.
Risk management and legal activities: implement letters of agreement, contracts, leases, and other legal documents.
Information technology: ensure the ongoing  maintenance and updating of information systems and infrastructure, including hardware, software, and necessary applications.
S/he will manage the non-programmatic budget and the following direct reports: Major Gifts and Events Planner, Development Assistant, Controller, Communications Manager, Administrator Associate, and Social Media Manager. SF-based Video Editor, Video Producer, Climate Campaigner, US Campaigner (open), US Media Manager (open) will also be managed as well from a human resources aspect, but these positions will fall under the Managing Director – Programs in terms of direction.

Financial Management and Oversight

Working with the Controller, manage and oversee all financial and business planning activities, including:

Lead and support organizational budgeting process, including development of an annual operating plan with programmatic milestones and targets/deliverables linked to budgets.
Direct and administer all financial planning and provide overall financial oversight and monitoring.
Support and advise the CEO in decision-making and review and analyze financial reports and ensure that relevant financial data is presented to the CEO and Board of Directors.

KEY COMPETENCIES AND IDEAL PROFILE

WildAid seeks a passionate, experienced team player, who is deeply committed to WildAid’s mission to end the illegal wildlife trade. This individual will have senior management experience in fundraising, human resources, operations, and finance/accounting and have an understanding of nonprofit budget models. The successful candidate will have worked with senior-level stakeholders, such as a Board of Directors, leadership teams, and country directors, to secure commitments and manage execution against shared objectives

Since WildAid is a global organization undergoing rapid growth, the ideal candidate will share best practices for creating the proper infrastructure, systems, and processes to allow for sustainable expansion. Ideally, candidates will have spent part of their career working in the area of international conservation.

The successful candidate will be a pragmatic, action-oriented leader who will enjoys working in an entrepreneurial environment. The MDUS will think strategically and creatively; this leader will need experience identifying problems and implementing solutions and best practices. S/he will be a big picture thinker, but will also possess a strong work ethic and ability to act as a hands-on manager when necessary. This individual will show sensitivity and the ability to establish respect, credibility and trust with regional office staff and in multicultural settings. The successful candidate will be comfortable with ambiguity and excited by the opportunity to work in a dynamic, nimble, start-up-like environment. The MDUS will need to remain organized and calm when under pressure.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

The candidate should have a minimum of 15 years related work experience in relevant positions of increasing scope and responsibility and possess excellent management and people skills, and personal qualities of integrity, credibility, and a commitment to WildAid’s mission. An ability to fundraise on a large scale is required. Proven experience working for an international and/or nonprofit organization in a similar capacity is highly desired. A Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, business administration, or a related field is required. An advanced degree in business, finance, or a related field is preferred.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

WildAid is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified candidates are encouraged to apply. For immediate consideration, please address a cover letter and resume to Cindy Joyce, Pillar Search, at cindyjoyce@pillarsearch.com.

Hiring! The Search for the Director of Advancement for The Landing School of Boat Building & Design

New Search Announcement! WildAid’s Managing Director of U.S. Operations