Director, Community Building

About Audubon: The National Audubon Society is a leading nonprofit conservation organization with 120 years of science-based, community-driven impact, dedicated to protecting birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow. Birds are powerful indicators of our planet’s health, acting as sentinels that warn us of environmental change and inspire action. Audubon works across the Western Hemisphere, driven by the understanding that what is good for birds is good for the planet. Through a collaborative, bipartisan approach across habitats, borders, and the political spectrum, Audubon drives meaningful and lasting conservation outcomes. With 800 staff and over 1.9 million supporters, Audubon is a dynamic and ever-growing force committed to ensuring a better planet for both birds and people for generations to come.

About the Role

The Director, Community Building will be responsible for regional efforts to educate, engage, and activate existing Audubon chapters and members while expanding the sphere of influence of the Audubon network in New Mexico and Arizona. This role will develop partnerships and provide education, training, and capacity-building opportunities to strengthen the connectedness, capacity, diversity, and size of the Audubon network in the region.

The Director will oversee programming at the Randall Davey and Rio Salado Audubon Centers in Santa Fe and Phoenix, respectively, in collaboration with Center Directors. The goal is to build and manage culturally resonant programs that address community needs and connect to conservation efforts for birds and their habitats. The role involves close collaboration with the Senior Director of Policy to engage the bipartisan network and conservation partners for successful policy campaigns and leadership.

The Director will lead the development and delivery of Audubon’s community engagement and community science programs, aiming to reach new audiences and diversify membership to reflect Arizona and New Mexico communities fully. As a senior leader on Audubon’s Southwest team, the Director will work with the Executive Director to direct operations and strategy for maximum conservation impact in the region. This is an on-site position located at one of our Audubon Centers in Santa Fe, NM, or Phoenix, AZ.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and execution of Audubon’s community building strategy in Arizona and New Mexico, identifying and achieving strategic priorities related to center operations, network engagement, and community education.
• Provide strategic guidance to Audubon’s Southwest team in partnership with the Executive Director and Policy Director, aligning actions and outcomes across community building, policy and advocacy, and habitat delivery programs.
• Engage with Community Building Milestone initiative teams (Community Chapters, Conservation Action Centers, and NextGen) to coordinate strategy and shared projects, ensuring alignment with Flight Plan Milestones.
• Hire, mentor, and supervise education and engagement teams, including recruiting and training seasonal educators, volunteers, and interns for effective and impactful programming.
• Work closely with Center Directors in the region to guide programming toward achieving Flight Plan milestones.
• Establish assessment tools for measuring and evaluating program effectiveness and provide frequent reports on outcomes to the Executive Director.
• Cultivate and maintain effective partnerships with key stakeholders, including community organizations, state Audubon offices and chapters, educators, school administrators, National Wildlife Refuge and National Parks employees, tribal entities, and partner biologists.
• Develop new partnerships to leverage Audubon’s conservation and education outreach into broader and more diverse communities.
• Serve as a spokesperson for Audubon Southwest as needed.
• Participate in fundraising efforts alongside the senior leadership team to secure donations and communicate the case for support at community and fundraising events.
• Manage the annual program budget and provide required financial reporting to the Executive Director, including analyzing cost/revenue information against programmatic goals.
• Enhance existing sources of earned income, including program revenue, camp and school program tuition, and develop strategic partnerships for scholarship donations.
• Prepare information for funder reports and respond to education-related inquiries from donors.
• Support a culture of philanthropy, including public funding efforts.
• Collaborate with colleagues across the Americas on joint planning and execution of shared priorities.
• Maintain and foster a culture of safety.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in natural sciences, environmental education, or a related area, and 10 years’ professional experience developing programming. A similar combination of education and experience will also be considered.
• Demonstrated understanding of environmental and outdoor education philosophies and best practices, as well as knowledge of the people, values, and current conservation and policy issues in New Mexico and Arizona.
• Effective leadership skills, with the ability to think strategically and creatively, juggle multiple tasks, meet deadlines, and work in a dynamic environment.
• An engaging and energetic demeanor with the ability to inspire and motivate staff, volunteers, and potential partners. Strong interpersonal and social skills, a positive attitude, and a good sense of humor are essential.
• Commitment to Audubon’s organizational values of care, collaboration, change, integrity, impact, and innovation.
• Experience fostering inclusive and collaborative work environments is valued.
• A self-starter who is team-centric and willing to work in a flexible, non-structured environment.
• Experience managing both paid education staff and volunteers.
• Excellent organizational, writing, and speaking skills, with the ability to synthesize and communicate technical and complex information to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Fundraising experience, including writing and overseeing grants, cultivating and managing individual donors, as well as foundations and other public agencies.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, experience with social networking techniques to build awareness and engage others, and comfort developing measurement and evaluation (M&E) methodologies for programs.
• Ability and willingness to travel locally and out-of-state, and comfort working evenings and weekends as job demands. Must possess a valid driver's license.
• Ability to work outdoors in all weather conditions and on varying terrain, and the ability to occasionally carry field equipment with or without accommodation.
• Spoken and written Spanish language proficiency is strongly preferred.

Competencies

• Building Trust: Take actions that give others confidence in your intentions and see you as a truthful and reliable person who follows through on promises and commitments.
• Coaching: Guide and develop individuals within the organization, nurturing their professional growth and enhancing performance for the future.
• Decision Making: Make decisions based on comparative data and input from various sources, incorporating diverse viewpoints and insights for a holistic understanding.
• Leading and Facilitating Change: Be effective in guiding, managing, and supporting organizational or systemic transformations, including considering diverse needs and perspectives.
• Strategic Leadership: Demonstrate creative problem-solving skills and articulate a strategic vision to help team members and the organization achieve long-term goals.

Pay

$95,000 – $107,000 / year