President

Description

The Opportunity

The next President of the Wildlife Center of Virginia (WCV) will have a unique and exciting opportunity to advance the strategic direction of our work as a wildlife hospital, rehabilitation facility, public education resource, and professional training center.

The next President will play a pivotal role in expanding WCV’s impact by increasing facility capacity, adding staff, and securing needed annual operating funds and longer-term capital campaign funding. As the primary spokesperson for the organization, you will engage with the public, government officials, other non-profits, and the media to advocate for innovative wildlife conservation policies. This role is not only an opportunity to lead a respected organization in its mission but also to influence legislative and regulatory decisions that shape the future of wildlife conservation and environmental policies in the United States and worldwide.

If you are a relationship builder with proven leadership skills, a passion for wildlife, and the desire to make a lasting impact, the position of President at WCV is an exciting opportunity to contribute to the conservation of wildlife, the protection of the environment, and the building of a better and more sustainable future.

The Wildlife Center of Virginia

Mission: A hospital for native wild animals, teaching the world to care about, and care for, wildlife and the environment.

Overview: WCV, located in Waynesboro, VA, was co-founded in 1982 by Ed Clark and others to provide quality healthcare, often on an emergency basis, to native Virginia wildlife. Since then, it has become a leading teaching hospital for veterinary students and professionals by offering veterinary rotations to fourth-year veterinary students, and internships, fellowships, and residencies to graduate veterinarians. In conjunction with treating patients and training veterinarians, technicians, and students, the Center collects data that enables us to communicate information to the public, as well as legislative and regulatory decision makers, about the trends and causes of wildlife injuries and illnesses. In recent years the number of patients treated has increased from 2,500 annually to more than 4,000. WCV has expanded its number of veterinarians, staff, and volunteers to the extent possible. The necessary next step is to expand the facilities. For more information, please see The Wildlife Center web site.

Culture: WCV’s culture is mission-driven. Our more than 30 full-time staff members, veterinary externs, wildlife rehabilitation students, and volunteers have developed a culture of trust, mutual support, and camaraderie. They enjoy working together and often socialize together. Although they work in distinct departments and often maintain challenging schedules, their shared passion for saving wildlife creates a tight bond.

Job Duties

Position Overview:

The President of WCV sets the strategic direction and oversees overall operations of the organization. The President works collaboratively with the Board and the Center’s leadership team to fulfill and advance WCV’s mission. The role requires a strong emphasis on building relationships, advocating for wildlife conservation, and expanding operational capacity. The President is the outward face of the organization and is responsible for communicating WCV’s work to the public, legislators, regulators, and the conservation community at large.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership
• Develop and implement a strategic vision that prioritizes building strong relationships with stakeholders, including donors, partners, volunteers, and community members.
• Collaborate with the Board of Directors and the leadership team to garner support for WCV’s mission, expansion goals, and overall strategy.
• Maintain WCV’s reputation as the world’s leading teaching hospital for wildlife medicine, premier wildlife rehabilitation facility, and public education center.

Capacity Building and Fundraising
• Develop and implement plans to increase WCV’s capacity to treat patients, conduct research, educate the public, and have a greater impact on the conservation of wildlife. This will include increasing staff and expanding facilities.
• Lead the Center’s fundraising initiatives, including personal involvement in the identification, cultivation, and solicitation of donors, with a special focus on securing financial support for the expansion of facilities.

External Relations
• Execute well-designed outreach strategies to engage the public, legislators, regulators, opinion leaders, and donors in the importance of wildlife conservation and the Wildlife Center itself.
• Cultivate relationships with legislators, regulators, and government officials to advance and implement policies that support wildlife conservation, wildlife rehabilitation, and public education.
• Collaborate with educational institutions and community organizations to enhance public understanding of wildlife issues and support for WCV’s mission.

Internal Leadership:
• Maintain a culture of support, collaboration, and continuous learning within WCV’s staff.
• Work with the WCV leadership team and Board of Directors to ensure operational excellence and sound financial management.

Reporting:

This position reports to the Board of Directors, primarily through the Board Chair. The President leads the organization’s leadership team. The Senior Vice President and Director of Development report to the President, and the leadership team includes the Director of Veterinary Services and Director of Strategic Advancement, who report to the Senior VP.

Skills Required

Requirements include a passion for WCV’s mission and solid experience leading an organization at an executive level. The following list provides a profile of the type of qualifications the Board seeks:

• Proven success in building and maintaining relationships with diverse stakeholders.
• Strong advocacy and government relations experience.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Demonstrated success and personal experience in fundraising, both in annual funds and capital campaigns.
• An upward trajectory of leadership within an organization.
• Budget development and management experience.
• Experience in cultivating and engaging Board members.
• Core values that include integrity, inclusiveness, and transparency.
• A bachelor’s or advanced degree plus experience in a relevant field, which may include biology, wildlife management, communications, environmental science, marketing, public administration, business, nonprofit management, or other relevant disciplines.

Additional Info

To Apply

To apply, please send a cover letter and resume. For best consideration, please respond by Saturday, February 3, 2024.

The firm, Warren Whitney, has been engaged as our search consultant. If you have questions about the position, please send an email to Katherine Whitney at kwhitney@warrenwhitney.com.

The Board and search consultant understand that an expression of interest may be exploratory in nature. Candidate information will remain confidential until the final stages of the search. References will be requested later in the process and will not be contacted without expressed permission from the candidate.

The Wildlife Center of Virginia is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer. It is a fundamental policy not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, gender, gender identity, pregnancy, marital status, partnership status, domestic violence victim status, sexual orientation, age, national origin, alienage or citizenship status, veteran or military status, disability, medical condition, genetic information, caregiver status, unemployment status or any other characteristic prohibited by federal, state and/or local laws.