Executive Director

The Aspen Leadership Group is proud to partner with NYC Audubon in the search for an Executive Director.

Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Executive Director will be responsible for the day-to-day management of NYC Audubon and its staff, including top-notch science and advocacy professionals. The Executive Director will work with the organization’s diverse, active, and experienced Board of Directors and lead the way in executing NYC Audubon's bold strategic plan, with ambitious goals that include doubling membership and social media following and expanding elementary school after-school programs from the Bronx to all five boroughs. Working closely with the Development Director and Controller, the Executive Director will be responsible for the organization’s fundraising and financial management.

This is an opportunity for a visionary, entrepreneurial, hard-driving not-for-profit executive to join the environmental leadership in the largest and most exhilarating city, and one of the most diverse, in the country. At the helm of one of the most respected environmental conservation groups in New York City, the Executive Director will interact with other environmental community leaders, city and state officials, and the media in this, the media capital of the world.

NYC Audubon is a dynamic, innovative environmental organization that champions birds and nature in the 30,000 acres of wetlands, shoreline, forests, and grasslands of New York City. Its cutting-edge scientific research and advocacy campaigns have led to landmark legislation saving hundreds of thousands of migrating birds from collisions with buildings in the nation’s densest urban landscape. Its exciting educational initiatives with urban schoolchildren, and its passionate Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility focus, are creating a constituency for conservation as broad and diverse as the city itself.

For over 40 years, NYC Audubon's conservation programs have studied and advocated on behalf of the City's wild birds. Working with a network of volunteers and scientists as part of programs such as Project Safe Flight and Waterbirds of New York Harbor, it protects birds and preserves their habitat, from marshlands and nesting islands for herons and egrets to woodland park areas so important to migrating and nesting species. Since its founding, NYC Audubon has engaged in advocacy work in all five boroughs to speak up for birds and their habitats. In 1978, a cadre of regular Central Park bird watchers successfully opposed a Central Park Conservancy plan to “restore” the Ramble through changes such as tree removal. These fledgling activists soon founded the NYC Audubon Society and launched 40 years of dedicated advocacy for habitat preservation and protection for birds.

NYC Audubon believes the best way to create the next generation of conservationists is to instill a love of birding in them. To do that, it conducts over 200 education programs a year, including field trips to local birding hotspots and destinations out of state, a lecture series, Feathered Friends After School Birding Club, classes, a seasonal nature center at Governors Island, community science opportunities, seasonal bird surveys, and volunteer events. The expertise, values, and perspectives of a diverse and inclusive organization are foundational to expanding the reach and impact of NYC Audubon's conservation, advocacy, and educational efforts. Its embrace of equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility values and its continued work putting them into place will strengthen the reach of its advocacy and education programs, and allow it to foster a love of nature in more New Yorkers.

A bachelor's degree is required for this position as is seven years of experience in a not-for-profit leadership role that includes fundraising, budget management, and oversight of staff. All applications must be accompanied by a cover letter and résumé. Cover letters should be responsive to the mission and values of NYC Audubon as well as the responsibilities and qualifications presented in the prospectus.