Chief Executive Officer

About Trees for the Future
Nearly a billion people live in extreme poverty and earn less than $1/day. Most of them are subsistence farmers whose antiquated farming practices have led to the deforestation of their land and the degradation of the local – and global – environment. Trees for the Future (TREES) is ending hunger and extreme poverty for farmers in the developing nations of Africa by generating health, wealth and resilience. Through our “Forest Garden Approach” we train farmers to plant and manage forest gardens that sustainably feed families and raise their incomes by nearly 400%.

Since 1989, with our experience in planting more than 250 million trees, we have demonstrated the transformative power of trees in helping smallholder farmers break out of the cycle of extreme poverty and malnutrition. Today, our work in east and west Africa is helping to end hunger and poverty by guiding hundreds of thousands to grow and promote economic independence by planting trees. Our easy-to-follow training modules, science-based diversified planting techniques and sophisticated measurement and evaluation technology systems allow us to provide detailed analysis of our impact.

Over the last several months, we have started to compete for significant, game-changing project funding that would allow us to leverage our existing tree planting programs to create marketable carbon offsets. These programs have the opportunity to transform our organization from a $10M agroforestry training model to a massive, global leader in the carbon market.

To learn more about our current work, https://trees.org/

The Opportunity
In January of 2022, the Board of Directors of TREES set out to scale our organization to achieve the most audacious growth plans and global impact ever imagined by the organization. The organization seeks a visionary Chief Executive Officer (CEO) with a track record of leading and scaling a fast-paced, high impact international organization.

The Chief Executive Officer will be responsible for setting the vision and mission of TREES and ensuring that the strategy and resources are in place to accomplish its goals and potential. The CEO will create motivated teams capable of generating significant global impact within a culture of collaboration, mutual respect, service, and accountability.

Organizational Structure
Today our organization includes a global staff of 250 dedicated team environmentalists. With 22 professionals in our Maryland-based headquarters and over 200 in Africa. The CEO will report to the Board of Directors and lead the senior leadership team. Through a rational organizational structure, all staff members, consultants and volunteers ultimately report to the CEO.

Core Responsibilities

The CEO will:
• Lead the mission and vision of the organization, along with the Board so that TREES can maximize its impact on the environment and the developing world.
• Develop and implement strategic plans and programs, based on data-driven analytics and measurable results.
• Inspire and lead a high-performing senior leadership team and play an active role in attracting, developing and retaining best-in-class staff.
• Create a collaborative culture in all offices that values personal integrity and accountability, open and clear communications, inclusiveness and mutual respect, and commitment to improving communities and the environment.                                                                                      •Set and manage the organization’s budgets so that it continues to be a financially responsible organization that can allocate resources to meet the current and projected program needs and build reserves.
• Support the business development efforts of the organization by being available to meet with current and potential financial partners, forging alliances and building partnerships to further the mission and impact of TREES
• Create and manage to detailed budgets and produce regular financial reports which follow standard accounting procedures on project, region, country and organization wide levels
• Assess and enhance as needed the technology systems and security required to efficiently manage our programs and operations.
• Create an effective human resources function able to meet the needs of a growing, international organization.
• Expand the awareness and support of TREES through ongoing public relations efforts (and engage teams in support of this effort)
• Communicate regularly with the Board on successes, challenges, opportunities and potential risks as well as organizational performance and impact.
• Ensure TREES is in compliance to local, state, federal and international laws governing the areas where we work.

Qualifications/Considerations
• Must be an experienced non-profit executive responsible for the leadership of $10-20M annual revenue
• Proven ability to inspire and lead effective high-performance teams
• Ability to establish a scalable infrastructure including systems, policies, and financial controls for a fast-growing, international organization
• Must be an excellent communicator and have a proven ability to create partnerships and alliances
• Ideal candidate will have work experience both in non-profits as well as corporate organizations and will have experience working in developing world, ideally Africa
• Experience in agroforestry and/or carbon markets a plus
• Sense of humor, personal integrity, and impeccable work ethic
• Commitment to results; positive outlook and emphasis on accountability
• Ideal candidate from Greater Washington DC area though others will be considered

Additional Information
This is a full-time, exempt opportunity based in our Bethesda, Maryland headquarters. This position requires an ability to live and work in the United States and reports directly to the TREES Board of Directors.

Competitive compensation package including health and wellness benefits.

TREES is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in its selection and employment practices. All qualified applicates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliations, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, age or other legally protected characteristics.