Executive Director

Located in New York’s Hudson Valley, Catskill Animal Sanctuary, Inc. (CAS) rescues farmed animals from cruelty and neglect, ignites social change to end their exploitation, and champions plant-based living. CAS is seeking an Executive Director as Founder Kathy Stevens transitions from the role. This is a unique and transformative opportunity for a dynamic, mission-driven leader to apply their experience and expertise in service of a more compassionate world for all beings. The ideal candidate embodies integrity, transparency, and accountability in all aspects of their work. They will bring exceptional skills in organizational growth, team empowerment, and communication abilities. Additionally, they will have a proven track record of guiding an organization through strategic planning and execution, while successfully securing major gifts to sustain and expand its impact.

About Catskill Animal Sanctuary (CAS)

Situated on approximately 100 acres of mixed pasture and forest in Saugerties, New York, CAS welcomes farmed animals from life-and-death situations and provides exceptional individualized care for the remainder of their lives. Since 2001, CAS has saved thousands of animals through direct rescue and rescue assistance, and countless more through innovative programming that invites people to understand transformative truths about our relationship with farmed animals and to align their lifestyles with their values of kindness and compassion.

About New York’s Hudson Valley

Nestled in the heart of the scenic Hudson Valley, Saugerties is a vibrant town in a region known for its outdoor adventures, including rock climbing, hiking, skiing, kayaking, mountain biking, and sailing. The area also boasts excellent wineries, distilleries, and breweries; a thriving music, arts and literary scene; and diverse dining options. Within the town, the charming village of Saugerties offers an array of restaurants, independent bookstores, and unique retail shops. Residents appreciate its convenient location to the iconic town of Woodstock, the bustling college hubs of New Paltz and Rhinebeck, plus its easy access to New York City (two hours south) and Albany (one hour north). With its rich culture and natural beauty, Saugerties and the surrounding area is a wonderful place to call home!

Key Responsibilities

Organizational Leadership & Strategic Vision

• Lead the collaboration with key stakeholders to define, develop, and execute a comprehensive, forward-thinking vision and strategic plan, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and driving impactful results.
• Lead the development of an annual plan and budget to actualize the sanctuary’s strategic goals, and present the budget for approval at an annual meeting with the CAS Board of Directors.
• Foster a positive, inclusive and productive organizational culture and promote professional development.
• Supervise and support a team of approximately thirty staff members, contractors and volunteers, ensuring a workplace culture where individuals feel valued, respected, and heard.
• Manage direct reports through a leadership team across sanctuary operations including fundraising, communications, business/finance, and educational programs. Collaboratively set goals and support achievement of those goals; assess progress and course-correct as needed.
• Maintain an environment of continuous improvement, striving for best practices across the organization, and ensuring policies and protocols are in place and followed to achieve that level of excellence.
• Maintain the sanctuary’s certifications with all applicable independent accrediting organizations.

Community-Building and Public Advocacy

• Serve as the primary “public face” of CAS, ideally develop a calendar of speaking engagements to raise awareness of our work, and attend high-profile networking events and conferences.
• Act as the primary media spokesperson for the organization as needed.
• Develop and nurture strategic relationships with farm sanctuaries and like-minded organizations, fostering collaboration to share best practices, amplify collective impact, and drive positive change across the animal advocacy movement.
• Sustain existing stakeholder relationships, and continue to develop new relationships with community organizations, animal advocacy groups, private businesses, local and regional leaders, vendors and suppliers, the media, etc.
• Develop and execute organizational goals in support of diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI), and accessibility.

Resource Development & Board Engagement

• Support the creation of a national, local, and digital fundraising strategy, and monitor implementation to ensure success.
• Support the creation of a communications strategy that ensures clarity of messaging, increases revenue opportunities, and deepens organizational impact.
• Serve as one of the organization’s primary contacts with major donors.
• Manage a portfolio of significant donors, cultivating those relationships to secure major gifts, and increase engagement and giving levels.
• Oversee staff retention and well-being by identifying and allocating the necessary resources to address critical needs; ensuring a balanced budget that meets financial, ethical, and audit standards; and championing staff development, process improvement, and adherence to organizational policies and standards.
• With board leadership, support skills development and increased engagement of the Board of Directors, thereby creating opportunities to deepen impact in support of our mission.

Reporting Structure

• The Executive Director reports to the Board of Directors.

Qualifications

Skills & Experience

• Minimum of 5 years of executive or senior leadership experience in a non-profit organization, preferably in animal advocacy, protection, welfare or related fields.
• Demonstrated capacity in leading a team with distinct areas of expertise and responsibilities, while fostering the collaboration needed to effectively and efficiently fulfill the sanctuary’s needs.
• Strong and persuasive communication skills, with the authenticity to effectively inspire excitement for the sanctuary across a range of constituents, from staff, board, visitors, volunteers, and donors.
• Demonstrated comfort and success with fundraising, and an approach that honors the value and impact of farm sanctuaries
• Strong non-profit financial literacy, with the ability to lead budget creation, understand forecasting models and ensure accuracy of tracking and reporting.
• Proven problem-solving and capacity building with the ability to lead and manage in uncertain, challenging times, i.e., possess “the ability to build the plane while flying it.”
• Conflict resolution capacity that demonstrates a belief in the power of collaboration and recognition that respectful disagreement can be healthy.
• Highly organized, excellent time management, technologically savvy.
• Experience managing competing priorities in complex, often fast-paced settings.
• A demonstrated commitment to fostering a workplace and culture where people of all identities and abilities are welcomed and treated with respect and dignity.

Qualities & Characteristics

• A firm belief in the power of animal sanctuaries, and the impact they can make on our world.
• A deep personal commitment to ethical veganism.
• An open and inquisitive mind that values differing perspectives.
• The capacity to build trust and loyalty with multiple stakeholder groups, including the CAS team, donors, local/regional leadership and businesses, strategic partners and allies, the community in which the sanctuary lives, and the larger animal advocacy movement.
• Belief in the strength of collaboration and cooperation.
• Energy and optimism.

Reporting Structure

• The Executive Director reports to the Board of Directors.

Location & Schedule

• This is a full-time hybrid position with an on-site minimum of four (4) days per week and requires a flexible schedule that will occasionally include nights and weekends as needed.
• Ideally live within 30 minutes driving distance from the sanctuary, in the event of animal and staff emergencies, and other urgent matters.

Compensation and Benefits

• $95,000 to $115,000/year, depending on experience
• Health benefits, paid time off, and professional development opportunities
• Employee Assistance Program that can be accessed 24/7
• 401k plan

Non-Discrimination Policy

Catskill Animal Sanctuary (CAS) is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive, respectful, and diverse workplace where all individuals are valued. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We celebrate diversity and encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply.

Not sure you meet 100% of our qualifications? If you believe that you could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply!