HECHO Deputy Director

Hispanics Enjoying Camping, Hunting, and the Outdoors (HECHO) was created in 2013 to help fulfill our duty to conserve and protect our public lands for future generations. In 2017, HECHO became a program of the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) through a unique and mutually beneficial partnership built upon values of inclusion and equity and a commitment to elevating underrepresented perspectives as part of our conservation missions.

HECHO provides a platform for Hispanics to contribute knowledge and perspectives about public lands conservation issues, enhance leadership capacity of Hispanic leaders, and promote Hispanic cultural heritage and connections to nature. While our focus is on the conservation of public lands in the American Southwest, our work has a national scope and impact. To achieve our mission of empowering Hispanic leaders to engage their communities in the conservation of our nation’s public lands, we are seeking a Deputy Director. 

This is an exciting opportunity to join a flourishing and in-demand program. The time is now for HECHO to expand its reach, influence, and impact by ensuring Hispanic leaders in targeted geographies have the resources they need to drive equitable and enduring public lands conservation wins and Hispanic voices are front and center in public lands decision-making and advocacy. At this pivotal point in HECHO’s growth, to achieve impact at scale, we seek a leader that can direct HECHO’s critical organizational and operational needs in support of growing programmatic work.

Reporting to the HECHO Executive Director, the HECHO Deputy Director is responsible for working with NWF Operations and Philanthropy staff to diversify and grow HECHO’s revenue streams while effectively managing systems that maintain efficient operations and build synergies between HECHO and NWF.  This new, full-time position will drive efforts to diversify and triple HECHO’s raised revenue sources to reach our 2023 annual revenue goal of $1.28 million while also providing daily support to HECHO’s Executive Director in the operations of the program.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the execution of HECHO’s development and fundraising plan by working closely with NWF Philanthropy staff to build revenues from individual donors, businesses, foundations, and other funding sources. This includes:
  • Cultivating, developing, and deepening relationships with people and institutions, and connecting those relationships to opportunities for giving through gifts of “time, talent, and/or treasure.”
  • Managing communications with individual supporters and institutional partners, including working with staff to develop and implement a year-round outreach plan to consistently raise awareness about HECHO and connect to HECHO’s supporters and partners.
  • Managing the production of annual appeals, donor appreciation outreach, and impact reports.
  • Supporting and guiding HECHO Advisory Board members involved in soliciting gifts.
  • Acting as a liaison between the NWF Philanthropy Department and HECHO, collaborating to advance donor prospecting and research, and tracking donors in a database.
  • Taking ownership for writing compelling letters of inquiry, proposals, and reports for grants and other funding opportunities.
• Serve as program lead assuring efficient operation and administration of the HECHO program, working closely with NWF Operations staff. This includes:
  • Ensure sound management of HECHO operations, including administration (contract, invoices, grants).
  • Coordinate day-to-day staff management with HECHO Executive Director.
  • Lead HECHO recruitment, hiring, onboarding, and retention.
  • In tandem with NWF Operations, ensure sound financial management.
  • With NWF Operations, ensure HECHO properly reports and administers its existing and new grants.
• Serve as primary liaison with the HECHO Advisory Board.
• Support the Executive Director in communications with donors, partners, and funders, including drafting and reviewing messaging, coordinating follow-up, and creating a communications outreach calendar.
• Be conversant in HECHO’s mission, programs, and approach to engage external audiences, and to serve as a primary ambassador of the HECHO program.
• Build collaborative relationships with partner programs to create strategic funding alignments when possible.
• Contribute to an organization culture that values collaboration, learning, equity, and meaningful change.

Qualifications:

• Minimum of 10 years of experience with non-profit management, operations and/or fundraising experience.  
• A passion for public land conservation and commitment to access, inclusion, and representation on public lands and in their management.
• Motivated by values of equity and responsibility to those most marginalized.
• Committed to an environmental justice approach in program development and partner engagement.
• Demonstrated ability to manage financials and create budgets successfully.
• Excellent writing and research skills, and ability to produce and edit work appropriate for external audiences with little oversight.
• Proven success in cultivating and deepening relationships with people and institutions.
• Authentic, effective, and professional interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively manage across difference.
• Familiarity of Hispanic cultural heritage.
• Ability to thrive in a collaborative, fast-paced environment.
• Bachelor’s degree preferred.

Experience:

• Previous experience in non-profit fundraising, including writing letters of inquiry, grant proposals, and/or grant reports.
• Financial management and budgeting experience.
• Ability to collaborate, communicate, and coordinate effectively and efficiently with both internal multi-disciplinary teams and external partners to achieve results.
• Experience managing simultaneous work streams and tracking deliverables, through various organization systems and work flow processes.
• Demonstrated organizational skills and ability to establish priorities and manage activities independently.
• Demonstrated knowledge of diverse cultural and historical connections to the land, air, and water, and ability to share that knowledge in a culturally responsive way.

Travel Requirements

• Initially, the position will work remotely with an expectation for location in the Denver office. (Due to COVID-19 all employees are working remotely until we make return to office decisions).
• When travel is allowed, expect travel 4-6 times per year, 12-15 nights per year.

Salary Range and Benefits:

The salary range for this position is $80,000-$90,000 (depending on experience).

HECHO is a partner and program of the National Wildlife Federation.  The National Wildlife Federation values work-life balance and a family-friendly atmosphere.  Our paid time-off includes 3 weeks of vacation leave, open wellbeing leave, 10 paid holidays, 3 floating holidays, a week-long winter break, and additional leave options, per year.  In addition, our benefits package includes medical, dental, and vision insurance, company paid life insurance, AD&D, short and long-term disability, 16 weeks of paid FMLA leave, 403b retirement plan with employer matching and annual contribution, adoption benefits, and flexible work options including telecommuting, non-traditional work hours, and compressed work weeks.  Applicants are invited to learn more about National Wildlife Federation’s benefits package at https://www.nwf.org/About-Us/Careers.

Application:

Applications will be accepted through October 25th. 

Please submit your resume, along with a letter responding to the following, as a PDF:

1. Why is HECHO’s mission of interest to you?
2. How do your experiences and personal strengths prepare you for this position?
3. Describe a successful individual or institutional donor fundraising campaign with which you have been involved or provided a leadership role.

We strive to increase diversity, equity, inclusion and justice (DEIJ) in all elements of our work and with our partners to support the interdependent needs of wildlife and people in a rapidly changing world.  We recruit, employ, train, compensate, and promote regardless of race, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity (including gender nonconformity and status as a transgender individual), age, physical or mental disability, citizenship, genetic information, past, current, or prospective service in the uniformed services, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer.  Applicants are invited to learn more about National Wildlife Federation’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion at nwf.org/equity. 

If you have a disability and require an accommodation or assistance with our online application process, please tell us how we can help by calling us at 703-438-6244.

The requirements listed in our job descriptions are guidelines, not hard and fast rules, and if you have 75% of the qualifications listed we encourage you to apply.  Your experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work, which helps build the competencies, knowledge, and skills that translates directly to our openings.  Applying gives you the opportunity to be considered.

If selected for this position, a background check will be conducted.

www.nwf.org