Title: Conservation Corps North Carolina Executive Director

Starting Salary Range: The starting salary range for this position will be in the $106,900-$113,314 range, depending on experience, education, and skills relevant to the position. Please note that the indicated starting salary range describes the range for an incumbent in this position. Most new staff generally start at the beginning of the range percentile to ensure internal salary equity.

Location: Durham or Old Fort, NC - Not Remote Eligible.

Status: Full-Time, Exempt

Benefit Eligible: Health, Vision, Dental, Short/Long-Term Disability, Basic Life Retirement, Paid Time Off per Personnel Policies, Supplemental benefits including critical care, pet insurance, supplemental life, and others.

Reports to: Senior Vice President of Programs, Conservation Legacy

Posting Period: Please apply before November 23, 2026

Organizational Summary:

Conservation Legacy is a nationwide non-profit. The Corps programs within the organization engage participants in diverse conservation and community projects that serve public and private lands. These projects provide opportunities for personal and professional development and strive toward a high priority of needs for public land managers and community partners. Through the mission of engaging future leaders who protect, restore and enhance our nation’s lands through community-based service; Conservation Legacy works toward a world with healthy lands, air and water; thriving people and resilient communities.

Program Summary:

Conservation Corps North Carolina (CCNC) empowers youth and young adults through meaningful outdoor work that benefits North Carolina’s land and water and fosters healthy communities. A program of Conservation Legacy, CCNC partners with public land managers and community organizers across the state to engage motivated individuals – typically ages 15-30 – in challenging and impactful conservation service projects. These projects may include trail construction and maintenance, habitat restoration, hazard fuel reduction, invasive species removal, and other technical conservation work. CCNC crews and individual placements gain hands-on experience, professional development, and the opportunity to positively impact North Carolina’s natural resources and communities. CCNC has program offices in both Durham and Old Fort and supports project work statewide with partners including the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, AmeriCorps, NC State Parks, NC Wildlife Resources Commission, local governments, community organizations, and nonprofits.

Position Summary:

The Executive Director is responsible for developing and maintaining local partnerships within their service communities and surrounding geographic area. This includes identifying, developing, and maintaining relationships with local project partners through agreements and funding that support the programming. This position also collaborates with other Conservation Legacy staff to develop and maintain regional and national partnerships. Under their leadership, they will operate a team of program staff members at various levels to be high-functioning, effective, and lead the corps industry in day to day and strategic decisions, innovation, and programmatic outcomes and operations.

Outcomes & Functions of Position:

Business Leadership

• Responsible for organizational leadership in support of Conservation Legacy’s guiding principles, mission, vision, and values.
• Administer long-term strategic plans for the growth of the organization and program.
• Manage day-to-day activities in the program business development and corporate planning functions.
• Oversee the strategies and success of fundraising efforts within CCNC and are held responsible for hitting identified revenue goals.
• Cultivate an environment that aligns and pivots with changing internal and external environments.
  Lead business and government relations with public land agencies, community leaders, and local non-profits in cooperation with senior Conservation Legacy staff.
• Develop and maintain relationships favoring sustainability and leveraging innovative funding opportunities.
• Identify, develop, and steward high-quality relationships that align with Conservation Legacy’s mission and vision.
• Identify and lead local and external program communication.
• Prepare and manage annual Corps budget with a full understanding of allocations and modifications and reforecasting.
• Align priorities with requirements and standards set forth by all-organization standards and strategies.
• Connect with all CCNC program staff to ensure implementation of processes with Conservation Legacy business, finance, HR, and other operational functions to ensure compliance with organization standards.
• Gather and analyze data evaluating new business opportunities.
• Assess potential markets, to assist executive teams in decision-making and planning.

Corps Programming

• Develop and administer the program to align with organizational objectives.
• Develop and maintain local systems and processes, to ensure local staff members can achieve and be held accountable to outcomes and policy.
• Lead accountability of operations by following policies and procedures, providing guidance to program staff, to positively impact organizational success.
• Address and manage operational issues with integrity to maintain positive relations and trust across the organization and industry.
• Be accountable for CCNC’s staff operating practices and expectations; not limited to but including communication, supervision, collaboration, succession, growth, and field operations.

Organizational Advocacy

• Aligns CCNC priorities with other Conservation Legacy Corps through continuous, effective communication, collaboration, and consensus building; internally and externally.
• Successfully engages, leads and supports a positive work environment for all within the organization and the communities we serve.
• Leads and/or participates in organizational-wide teams, projects and initiatives that support the work of the Strategic Plans goals.
• Reports any potential complaints within the organization as identified in the Personnel Policy Manual.
• Assists or leads other responsibilities, as assigned.

Our Commitment:

Conservation Legacy is committed to the full consideration of all qualified individuals and will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations to perform essential job functions. Physical requirements may include periodic overnight travel, non-traditional work hours, ability to move across varied terrain, use program-specific tools and a range of technology on an infrequent or frequent basis. Exerting up to 25 pounds of force occasionally to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects. The ability to safely drive an organizational vehicle may also be required for some positions. If you need assistance and/or reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or recruiting process, please send a request to Vanessa Morrison at vmorrison@conservationlegacy.org

Qualifications:

• Minimum of 10 years of experience in youth development, the corps field, or an adjacent or applicable industry.
• Minimum 5 years in a leadership role of a non-profit or similar organization with budget management experience.
• Exhibits the ability to effectively work and lead teams containing a variety of individuals with varied backgrounds.
• Ability to exhibit past success(es) of leading a program or organization toward its respective outcomes and mission.
• Flexibility, adaptability, and capacity to work in a fluid, changing work environment.
• Competent in carrying out assigned work independently or with minimal supervision.
• Ability to communicate effectively, manage complexity, cultivate innovation, drive and influence results.
• Ability to lead and work well with others, while seeking assistance when needed to carry out responsibilities.
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office programs and applications, or similar platforms.
• Demonstrated experience with stakeholder management and revenue development.
• Ability to keep others, in remote locations, accountable to expectations.
• Must be able to pass the organization’s criminal history background check requirements.
• Valid driver’s license and insurable driving record is required.

Other Competencies Desired for this Position’s Success: Manage Complexity, Resourceful, Effectively Communicate, Cultivate Innovation, Drive and/or Influence Results, Plans & Aligns.

Conservation Legacy is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance and/or reasonable accommodations due to a disability during the application or recruiting process, please send a request to the hiring manager.