MANAGING DIRECTOR
(Or Make Up a Different Job Title!)
Northwest Environment Watch (NEW) seeks a talented leader to become partner
with its executive director in leading the organization. We need a "people
person" with an outstanding record as an entrepreneur or political
organizer; someone who builds teams and turns dreams into accomplishments;
someone who sets high standards and questions conventional wisdom; someone
who works hard and inspires others to do the same; someone passionate about
ideas and information but gifted especially in bringing people together to
make unexpected things happen; above all, someone eager to help a young but
remarkable organization grow into something that changes history.
NEW, just six years old, is the Pacific Northwest's premier research center
on sustainable development. Our mission: to foster an environmentally sound
economy and way of life in the region stretching from southeast Alaska to
northern California and from the Pacific to the Continental Divide. We aim
to set an example for the world. We pursue this mission primarily by
researching, writing, publishing, publicizing, and widely disseminating a
series of short books. These action-oriented books, acclaimed for their
compelling readability as well as their insight and authoritative accuracy,
address the crux questions of how to reconcile people and nature in the
Northwest. Through their readership measured in the tens of thousands, and
media audiences exposed to their findings measured in the millions, they
change minds, shaping behavior and influencing decisions in institutions
large and small.
NEW has an active board with nine members; a staff of six in Seattle, plus
two in an affiliated Canadian spin-off based in Victoria; 1,600 paying
members; a large and loyal corps of interns and volunteers; an annual budget
of more than $500,000; a growth-oriented strategic plan; and a sterling
reputation among the region's media, environmental advocates, educators, and
many policymakers.=20
To gain full advantage of our existing team's world-class skills in
research, writing, and communications, and to enable our executive director
to devote more time to writing and fundraising, we need an energetic leader
to steer our business and outreach operations; to build strategic
relationships with other organizations; to inspire the energy, creativity,
and productivity of staff; to oversee personnel, budgeting, and finances; to
participate in fundraising and planning; to seek out and put together big
deals; and to develop the organization's internal capacity. This is a new
senior management position at NEW, created to help us amplify our impacts in
the region. Though the managing director will report to the executive
director, the position is conceived as a partner in leading the
organization. It is somewhat similar in responsibilities to managing
director in a fine arts organization or to chief operating officer in a
business. (In fact, because the position is unconventional, we're open to
other job titles, such as Business Leader, Chief Amplifier, Dean of
Leverage, Navigator, Czar of Outreach and Operations, Chief Tactician, First
Officer, Head Networker, General Manager, Group Matchmaker, Managing
Partner. . . )
Applicants should have, along with a deep commitment to the Pacific
Northwest and the mission of NEW, ample evidence of their abilities. We have
no preconditions about what that evidence must be, in terms of academic
degrees or relevant accomplishments, but applicants should know that we only
expect to offer this position to someone with talents and skills that are
truly exceptional. Our mission-creating a sustainable Northwest-demands that
we settle for nothing less.
Our salaries are competitive with similar organizations and, though lower
than those available in the private sector, are adequate to make qualified
candidates comfortable. (And, of course, building a world model of a
prosperous and ecologically durable economy is among the most important
pieces of work on the planet. So that's a plus.) Our excellent benefits
include four weeks' vacation, a generous retirement plan, some flexibility
in work schedule, and comprehensive health care insurance for employees and
all dependents. The managing director position will be based in Seattle.
Applicants should send cover letter, r=E9sum=E9, and (minimal) supporting
documents to Alan Durning, Northwest Environment Watch, 1402 Third Avenue,
#1127, Seattle, WA 98101-2118 by September 30, 1999.
NEW is an affirmative action employer; we particularly encourage women and
minorities to apply. We seek diversity and do not discriminate on the basis
of attributes of birth irrelevant to job performance.
More information about NEW is available on the web at
http://www.northwestwatch.org
or call us for an information packet at 206-447-1880.
Gary Liss
916-652-7850
Fax: 916-652-0485