New Job Opening: Executive Director

About The Haliburton Highlands Land Trust (HHLT)

HHLT is a not-for-profit charitable organization focused on the conservation of the natural
heritage of Haliburton County, Ontario. It currently owns and protects 7 nature reserves comprising more than 1500 acres of ecologically diverse lands across Haliburton County. HHLT’s Board of Directors (the Board) is made up of volunteers. HHLT is projecting growth in all areas of its mandate including land acquisition, Partners in Conservation (PIC), research, education and supporting infrastructure.

To implement our strategic plan and accelerate our conservation efforts, HHLT is engaged in a 10- year multi-faceted campaign. Our primary focus is on increasing property acquisition and our Partners in Conservation program. In addition, we want to build the Highlands Corridor and expand our education and research programs while ensuring the requisite infrastructure is established and maintained for all HHLT programs.

The time to accelerate our conservation efforts is now! The combination of increasing development pressure and the current generational transfer of land and resources provides a  time sensitive opportunity for significant growth for HHLT. We are presently in discussion with  our partners about opportunities to protect thousands of acres of land and waters in Haliburton  County. Our objective is to double our land holdings by 2029, and by 2034 to double again. We also project a fourfold increase in our PIC program.

HHLT has ambitious plans to grow our conservation impact which will involve significant project and partnerships with like-minded organizations.

In 2025, HHLT was one of the first seven Land Trusts across Canada to receive the Certificate of Excellence from the Centre for Land Conservation. This certification provides assurance that our internal governance is robust.

Position Overview

As the key staff leader in the organization, the Executive Director is accountable for the management of HHLT’s operational activities including but not limited to research, grants and property acquisition and stewardship to fulfill the goals of HHLT, and for supporting the Board in its governance responsibilities. This includes the development and implementation of multi-year strategic plans, including developing and tracking associated performance metrics. As ED you will abide by and implement board-approved decisions, policies, procedures and protocols and collaborate with board committees and other volunteers/staff, as required. In this role, you will be working closely with the HHLT board and staff, foundations, donors, government agencies, indigenous groups, partners, supporters, contractors and landowners.

The long-term purpose of the role is to generate and grow revenue and conservation impact to fund the necessary capacity (staff, overhead and administrative costs) in order to move routine operations from the Board to a management team. A key aspect of the Executive Director’s role is to be the chief relationship officer, expanding HHLT’s donor base, and building deeper relationships with the existing supporter base and broader community.

The Executive Director will supervise HHLT staff and may include contract workers.

Reports to: Board of Directors

Hours: Full time, 40 hours per week, with some evenings and weekends required. The home base is HHLT’s head office in Haliburton. While working from a remote location is permitted, the expectation is that the majority of the time will be spent in the office or elsewhere in the County engaging with stakeholders, volunteers and staff.

Key Responsibilities

1. Fundraising and Revenue Generation (40%)

With key volunteers, plan and lead fundraising campaigns, including cultivating donor relationships, seeking grant opportunities and developing annual campaign efforts in order to create sustaining funding.

Fundraising and revenue expectations include but are not limited to:

1. Managing HHLT’s annual auction, major donor campaigns and donor and volunteer engagement events
2. Developing and maintaining strong relationships with major donors, and foundations
3. Growing the HHLT donor base
4. Ensuring the donor management system is kept updated
5. Seeking out new funding opportunities to support ongoing and new projects
6. Giving presentations to donors, governments and other audiences on behalf of HHLT
7. Coordinating activities with the Fundraising/Finance Committees of the Board

2. Organizational and Program Management (40%)

a. General

1. Provide effective leadership, supervision and guidance for HHLT staff who you supervise
2. Oversee the hiring process for new and replacement staff
3. Provide effective leadership, supervision, guidance and engagement of volunteers as required.
4. Oversee financial management, budgeting and reporting with the Board’s Finance Committee.

b. Land Securement

Work with the HHLT Land Acquisition Committee (LAC) in managing all land acquisition opportunities in accordance with board-approved policies, procedures and protocols. This includes, but is not limited to:

1. Coordinating and supporting activities of the LAC members
2. Establishing trust and good communications with stakeholders including potential land donors or sellers, and partners
3. Contracting the services necessary for land donations or sales as required, including legal, appraisal, ecological and survey
4. Completing Ecogift applications
5. Determining a budget and securing sufficient funds for all projects
6. Reporting on the status of projects and following up on any issues or concerns raised by the LAC or board members
7. Developing a land acquisition outreach program

c. Property Stewardship

Oversee the development and implementation of all land stewardship programs in accordance with board approved policies, procedures and protocols. This includes, but is not limited to:

1. Working with the Land Stewardship Manager (LSM) to support volunteers, interns, contractors and researchers related to work carried out on HHLT nature reserves
2. Reviewing all HHLT property management plans and yearly work plans to ensure goals are met and activities are completed

d. Other Programs

Oversee all HHLT programs. This could include, but is not limited to:

1. Collaborating with our project biologist, LSM, Lands Committee and board members to determine research goals and opportunities
2. Working with the Education Committee to coordinate and oversee all educational programs, including Land Trust Discovery Days
3. Supporting all event planning
4. Writing and/or reviewing all grant applications and completing interim and final reports as required

3. Communication and Public Outreach (10%)

Work with the Board’s Communications Committee to develop and implement HHLT’s communication strategy to:

1. Expand brand recognition generally and among key stakeholder groups specifically
2. Ensure consistent messaging and branding across all communication platforms
3. Create and/or support the development of content for various communication methods, including website, social media, newsletters, press releases, and promotional materials
4. Update marketing material to effectively communicate the Land Trust's work and impact
5. Work to ensure a robust and growing network of support for HHLT in the Haliburton community

4. Governance Support (5%)

1. Collaborate with the board of directors, supporting their efforts in strategic planning
2. Ensure that the Board (and Trustees) are kept current on major developments
3. Ensure that written governance is reviewed, maintained current, and generally managed to ensure ongoing effectiveness
4. Facilitate communications between the board, the Council of Trustees, committees and volunteers

5. Indigenous Relations (5%)

Work to build strong relationships with Williams Treaties First Nations and seek opportunities for engagement and collaboration.

Skills and Qualifications:

We are seeking a dynamic leader who will enthusiastically engage in the work of HHLT by strengthening our organizational capacity. The successful candidate will strive for excellence in achieving HHLT’s goals by exhibiting the highest standard of care for our community of volunteers, donors, partners and staff. Further, the successful candidate is expected to help develop a culture of giving and philanthropy throughout the community and our growing organization; to enable and support our volunteers and supporters; and to assume a leadership role among our volunteers and staff.

This role requires a self-starter who can effectively resolve challenges with a collaborative, solution- oriented approach, as well as being capable of thriving in a dynamic work environment. Our ideal candidate will have a ‘can do’ personality, and a love for connecting people with nature. Candidates must be well rounded and willing to work with a great team of partners, volunteers and staff. Candidates must demonstrate a commitment to eagerly engage our partners and help build strong and long-lasting relationships with our stakeholders including volunteers, landowners, donors, and staff.

Required:

1. Post-secondary degree(s)/certificates or equivalent experience in the areas of business development, fundraising, marketing, management, resource management/conservation or other related fields
2. Minimum of five years of relevant work experience leading or developing teams, programs, staff and collaboratives
3. Valid Ontario driver’s license, insurance and ownership of a vehicle (required)
4. Proven track record in growing an organization's financial position and/or donor base
5. Demonstrated strong interpersonal and effective team leadership skills with proven success in developing a strong and dynamic team including staff and volunteer teams
6. Proven effective time and project management skills and experience
7. Effective verbal and written communication skills, including public speaking/presentation skills and experience
8. Willingness to work flexible hours and accommodate unplanned requests
9. An exhibited passion for the conservation of nature

Highly desirable attributes:

1. Professional designation in resource conservation, fundraising, land use planning, resource management, project management or similar is an asset
2. Knowledge and experience in volunteer recruitment, training, retention and recognition
3. Proven ongoing professional development including designation(s)/courses of special interest such as strategic planning, project management, fundraising, and development
4. Knowledge and experience in leading land conservation/organizational planning, policy and project development and delivery
5. Understanding or expertise in GIS mapping, software and data management

Compensation: A competitive compensation package includes a mileage allowance. $90,000 to $120,000 depending on qualifications.

Application Process: Please email your cover letter and resume in one document to the Haliburton Highlands Land Trust at admin@haliburtonlandtrust.ca by Monday, May 4, 2026 at 23:59 with the subject line “Executive Director”.

While we appreciate all applicants taking the time to express their interest in joining the Haliburton Highlands Land Trust team, only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.