[Coral-List] Job Announcement: Coral Reef Alliance

[Rick MacPherson]

Executive Director 
Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL)
www.coral.org

Organization: 

The Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL) is a nonprofit marine biodiversity conservation organization based in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1994, CORAL is the only international nonprofit organization that works exclusively to unite communities to sustainably protect our planet's coral reefs. CORAL integrates the science of ecosystem-based management, marine protected area effectiveness, sustainable tourism, payments for ecosystem services, and community partnerships to provide tools, education, and inspiration to residents of coral reef destinations to support local projects that benefit both reefs and people.

With 19% of the world's coral reefs already destroyed and another 35% at immediate risk or threatened due to human pressures CORAL is addressing an urgent need in the global ecosystem.

CORAL has 16 employees and 7 international project sites around the world: the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System--spanning Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras--as well as Hawaii, Fiji, and the Indonesian archipelago and has just completed its sixteenth successful year of operations. 

Position Summary: 

CORAL’S Executive Director is the Chief Executive officer of CORAL and will report directly to CORAL’s Board of Directors. The Executive Director is responsible for CORAL’s consistent achievement of its mission and financial objectives and continued successful execution of CORAL’s 10-year strategy. The Executive Director is responsible for articulating the organizational vision, planning for strategic coral conservation activities and inspiring and securing expanded financial resources to maintain a positive cash flow position and fund the organization’s growth. It is expected that a significant amount of time will be devoted to fundraising, especially within the first five years, that will take the organization to the next level of success. 

Responsibilities: 

Fundraising, program planning and evaluation, policy development and administration, personnel supervision, program fiscal management and board management are all major overall responsibilities of CORAL’s Executive Director, in conjunction with other senior members of CORAL’s staff. 

Lead spokesperson for CORAL: The Executive Director becomes the most recognizable and go-to person within CORAL. The Executive Director provides leadership, goals and vision for the organization's future and is responsible for properly communicating that vision internally and externally. The Executive Director inspires the public, major donors, and foundations to support CORAL’s aggressive 10-year growth plan. The Executive Director strives to be viewed as a major thought leader in coral reef sustainability. 

Management and leadership of CORAL staff: The Executive Director manages, leads and inspires staff in the achievement of CORAL’s philosophy, mission, strategy, and its annual goals and objectives. 

Direct Fund-Raising Strategy: The Executive Director is responsible for insuring an aggressive fundraising strategy for the execution of solid plans to meet increasing financial goals. It is anticipated that the Executive Director will build and sustain a growing pool of donors capable of providing leadership financial support and building the organizational infrastructure to insure a sustained and growing revenue stream. The Executive Director will acquire new major donors and cement, protect and expand relationships with existing major donors and foundations. 

Grant and Program Administration: The Executive Director oversees the applications for and use of grant funding. The Executive Director ensures that such funding is being used within its restrictions. The Executive Director, with the Conservation Programs Director, ensures that CORAL’s programs and products are effective, efficient, and aligned with CORAL’s mission and the dictates of its funders. 

Board Management and Governance: The Executive Director partners with the board to insure a strong vision for the organization, supported by strategic plans, measures of accountability and a way of tapping into the time and talents of the board members to advance CORALS goals. 
In partnership with the Chair, the Executive Director ensures that the Board is able to fulfill its governance function. 

Desired Qualifications: 

• Passionate commitment to the vision and mission of CORAL. 
• 10+ years in nonprofit leadership and management with demonstrated success in identification, cultivation, and solicitation of major gifts and running a multi-million dollar growth campaign. 
• Demonstrated skill, experience and success in marketing and fundraising with an emphasis on raising funds from multilateral and bilateral aid agencies, foundations, and corporations. 
• Demonstrated leadership skills. 
• Strong oral and written communication skills, with a high degree of effectiveness at public speaking and inspiring action. 
• An MBA or MS in Business Management, Resource Management, International Development, or Policy graduate degree is desirable. 
• Familiarity with biodiversity conservation issues and protected area management activities, with a preference for candidates with specific experience in marine settings. Familiarity with the Coral Triangle, Southeast Asia, and Indian Ocean region highly desirable. 
• Excellent interpersonal and communications skills, and the ability to work with groups and organizations both within and outside the US. Experience in working with international aid and development agencies, foundations and corporations are desired. 
• Highly energetic, self starting, entrepreneurial and creative individual who can express/recognize ideas, opportunities, and communicate goals and objectives clearly. 
• Strategic visionary risk-taker. 
• An ability and willingness to travel domestically and internationally on a frequent basis. 
• Demonstrated organizational and management experience in administering staff, developing and implementing a detailed budget and other resources. 
• Experience working with, motivating and reporting to a Board of Directors and effectively engaging high-end volunteers. 

Salary and Benefits: 
Salary commensurate with experience, the market, and with other non-profit organizations. Excellent benefits. We are an equal opportunity employer. 

To apply for this position, please submit a cover letter and resume to: edcoral.berrien at gmail.com by August 30, 2010.